Tom!

Look at us!

Everything is going to be ok. See?

We are all going to be fine.

They say we will be back together shortly.

Don’t worry.

We will see you soon.

We love you.

The low rumble and screeching of an arriving train resonated through the building, waking Anne and sending her scrambling to hide in her corner. She got onto her feet and peeked through the small window where a few people wobbled out of the train and through the building. When they were gone, she dropped down to the floor again, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

How long was I asleep? I’ll just wait a bit for everything to stop whirling.

She laid back down on her back and yawned again as she extended her arms out above her head and stretched her body. Relaxed, she stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. After she gathered her thoughts, she ran her hands up and down her body and grinned as she felt the soft fabric of her new clothes.

At least I can walk around without hiding now. I hope. I’m so… so hungry. At least those metal sockets on my arm are gone. The birth thingy on my wrist is still there though.

She stumbled to her feet again. Her small body was stiff from sleeping on the floor, so she had one more good stretch and then peeked out the door. It was as quiet and deserted as expected. Leaving the room, she closed the door behind her and made her way back to the market.

The sun was hanging low, shining through the towering buildings and casting shades that ran for several city blocks. There was a chilly wind blowing through the air that Anne appreciated.

The market was as lively as the previous night, though the edges of the market were busy compared to before. The vendors in the once dark and quiet side streets were now buzzing with people browsing through tables of fresh farm produce, fish, and clothes. In the center of the market, Anne could now make out several outdoor bars and pubs which had a very relaxed atmosphere.

Anne wandered through the market, looking wide-eyed at the bustle around her and making sure not to stray too close to the shop she had visited yesterday.

I don’t have money, but I need to eat. I’m starving.

There are too many people here. I will need to find food somewhere else.

An hour later she reached the end of the large market which went on for about eight city blocks.

The streets were more open now with shops and small businesses that lined the bottom floors of the buildings. One shop immediately caught Anne’s attention.

A large shop with purple and white striped walls and large windows was situated on the street corner, with a large sign jutting out above the front door. Anne moved past a bold man that was standing outside the shop wearing blue robes. The sign came into view;

HydroCorp Water - San Vehema Southern District

It was the slogan right below the name that sent Anne’s heart racing.

Hydrate! Don’t Disintegrate!

Anne stood awestruck, as she read the slogan over and over.

This can’t be. What? But.

What?!

She rushed to the shop door and grabbed the handle. An old and worn disclaimer notice that was stuck to the window next to the door caught her attention, but it was faded and illegible. Her heart still pounding, she entered the shop. It had a three-story high roof with the walls and floor all tiled white. The left wall was lined with a row of huge clear water tanks that towered high up to a high ceiling. The bottoms of the water tanks ended in a series of pipes that disappeared behind a row of taps. A group of people that had just refilled some handheld bottles came walking past Anne and out the door. The right wall had shelves stocked with accessories; From a large range of bottles to electric household water dispensers and packets of water flavoring powders.

At the far end of the room was a reception desk with a young woman fidgeting with something behind the desk, humming a tune. Anne came to a sliding halt in front of the desk, making the woman jump in surprise. Her blue pigtails shook as she turned her gaze towards Anne and an unnaturally large grin spread across her purple-painted glittery lips.

“Well, good morning! How can…?”

“What do you mean by ‘don’t disintegrate’?!”

Anne’s small voice echoed through the shop. She was trembling and close to tears.

“What on earth do you m…?”

“Outside! On the sign!” Anne interrupted.

“What do you mean by ‘don’t disintegrate?!’”

The young woman stood confused without dropping her big smile, then her face lit up and her smile grew even broader.

“Oh! Oh oh oh! Thaaaaat’s what you mean.” She answered.

“Well, it’s referring to V.D’s of course!”

“V.D?” Anne asked, a big pit forming in her stomach.

“Violent Displacement, duh! Well, some people call it Vicious Displacement or… Violent Disintegration. Or whatever. You get the idea.”

“Don’t you pay attention in school little girl?” The woman asked as she eyed Anne closely.

Anne was shaking. She was fighting back a cascade of images. Images of Tiffany and John. Images of the blood-soaked gravestone. Images of a tiny severed hand.

“What? How?” Anne’s lips were quivering.

“What has this place got to do with all of this?”

"You don't know anything about this sweety?" The young woman asked.

The woman clapped her hands together and stuck out her chest as if she was preparing for a speech in front of a large audience.

“Hello! My name is Dia, and welcome to HydroCorp!” The young woman started.

“Home of the ORIGINAL cure for V.D events. Around fifty-four years ago, an event called ‘The Incident’ shook the world and changed mankind forever.” She overdramatized the speech.

“Though nobody knows what actually happened or how everyone living here on our lovely planet was struck with such a horrible genetic disease. According to the smart people that made the cure, the V.D’s are an event that happens when a person… undergoes some emotion, thingy.”

Dia’s smile dwindled a bit as she tried to remember the rest.

“Sorry. I haven’t told anyone this story in years.” She said and pulled on a pigtail.

“Something about if you had a bad feeling inside. Then it made all the cells in your body dislike each other. Like REALLY dislike each other. It was a bad time in our history but the cure was invented before I was born. Nobody really talks about it anymore either except for like… school.”

“Just remember to hydrate!” She added with her original gusto.

“Because the cure has been circulated into almost all forms of water. We do deliveries for people that live far outside the cities. As for inside the cities, basically, all the water is packed with the cure!” Dia finished with a punch into the air.

“Now we just upgrade household systems and let people drink their water in style.” She gestured at the various bottles and flavors for sale.

“Are you ok, little girl? You don’t look very well.”

“Oh oh I know!” Dia swung around and started filling a glass from a dispenser behind the reception desk.

She swung back around, but Anne was already out the door.

She ran. Just ran.

She didn’t care. Her thoughts were a mess and she struggled to accept what she had discovered. Tears streamed down Anne’s face that made it hard to see where she was going as she pushed through crowds of people. A very familiar rush of fear pulsed through her.

No!

Not another attack.

I’m … I’m so scared.

It never… It never felt like this.

Not when Tom was near.

She turned into an ally, slammed into the side of a large dumpster, and fell onto her knees as she cradled her sides. Dia’s words swam through all her thoughts.

Then she felt it.

The heat.

The burning presence that hunted her emotions.

A small flame deep inside her was growing and raging.

She could feel her fears getting devoured and shredded as the inferno swelled, dazing and confusing her. With her back now against the dumpster, she stared down the alley and at the street she came from. People were walking past, not noticing her silent screams.

Knowing now that her emotions, her fear, is what is killing her at this very moment, she forced herself to resist.

I will not… I refuse!

I refuse to die of some stupid disease.

I need to fight this… to survive… this.

I need to be strong.

I need to rescue Tom.

Where is that energy… that power?

Where is… that voice?

Here.

A burst of energy and heat spread through her body as if she was set on fire. Then it was gone. She sat slumped on the ground. Her vision slowly gained focus and her head felt light.

“Are you ok?”

Anne yelped in surprise. She looked around for the source of the voice.

“Are you ok my child?”

A man was standing next to her, his hand outstretched to help her to her feet. Still dazed and without really thinking, she held out her shaking hand. He pulled her up gently and held her shoulders until he was sure she could stand unaided. The man looked kind and gentle, with a calm smile and a concerned look on his face. He had no hair and was wearing blue robes.

“Are you hurt?” The man asked softly.

Anne sluggishly looked at herself.

“N…no, I’m ok.”

It was quiet for a few seconds, then the man crouched down next to her. His eyes were working hard to read Anne, then he stood up and held out his hand again.

“Follow me. We need to get you something to eat.”

They walked out of the alley and turned right up the street. Anne was holding the man’s hand, staring blankly out before her as they walked.

She felt incredibly drained and weak.

“You should not wander alone in this area. There are gangs here in the Western District who won’t hesitate to take you captive.”

The man looked around and stared into an alley as they passed.

“Even with me here I fear we both are targets. We need to huddle,” The man stated gently.

At these words, he took a small flute out of the folds of his robe and played it as they walked.

Anne couldn’t hear any sound coming from the flute, though she felt slightly happier for no apparent reason.

The flute disappeared between the folds of the man’s robe as they pressed on. Anne was unnerved by the people that stared at them as they passed, adding to the worn and eerie buildings that lined the street.

Mere seconds later three blue-robed people appeared from a side street and joined them, followed by two more that came up from behind. The five hooded figures huddled around them, talking quietly back and forth with the man. They all stopped in unison and Anne was gripping the man’s hand tightly, not sure what was going on around her.

One of the people in front of her swung around when everyone stopped, and knelt before her, offering her a neatly packed sandwich. It was a woman. She had bright red hair and the same calm and gentle expression that the man wore.

The woman smiled and gave Anne a wink when Anne, very carefully, took the sandwich from her. She turned back around, and they all continued, walking across the street and turning to the east.

She had no idea what was on the sandwich, but she devoured it heartily.

A couple of city blocks later she could see glimpses of the area from between her escort, showing signs that they were approaching a different zone. Anne’s body felt even heavier despite finally having a meal and keeping up with the group became difficult.

“Mister?”

Anne softly asked after she gathered up the courage to speak.

The group kept walking, but the man lowered his ear to listen.

“Well… umm. Who are you? Where are we going?”

“For now, let’s just get into a safer neighborhood.”

The man answered.

“Where is your home, my child?” The man asked, keeping a keen eye on his surroundings.

Anne dropped her gaze and shook her head.

“Oh.” The man replied, his eyes now on her.

“Let’s talk about this later, ok?” he asked.

She simply nodded in response.

This is strange. How am I trusting these people so easily?

And that voice… that voice... can it be?

The formation loosened up and slowed down into a more relaxed pace. The streets and buildings were now cleaner and in better condition. Even the people looked friendlier. On a silent signal, the robed escort split up, leaving Anne and the first robed man in an open plaza. Some trees dotted out between the stone tiled floor and in the middle, a big fountain was glittering in the sun.

They sat down on the low wall that encircled the fountain to relax their tired feet and after a quick glimpse at the water, the man looked away, frowning. The splashing of the water and the soft spray against Anne’s face made her smile, but when she tried wiping her face, nothing happened. She slid down against the side of the fountain and onto the stone floor.

Her body was refusing to do anything, yet her senses were unaffected.

Why can’t I… move?

Anne felt the man’s hands on her shoulders as he pulled her upright, a look of concern on his face. He was talking to her. She could not respond even though his voice was soft and clear, yet it was after the man waved his hand in front of her face that she finally realized that something was very wrong. She didn’t blink.

Her body hung lifelessly as the man picked her up and carried her away.

Hours went by as the passing windows and walls were slowly replaced by bushes and trees, as they ascended a hill somewhere outside the city. A winding path, narrow and barely visible, lead through thick shrubs and short, thick-stumped trees. A large old stone building sat on the peak of the hill, overlooking the city that stretched into the distance. The sun was setting behind them as they passed through a large stone arch that lead into a courtyard, where Anne saw many more blue-robed people going about their business. One of them recognized Anne immediately and came running after them.

They entered through a large wooden double door, walking briskly through a huge hall lined with rows of chairs that all faced a large lectern at the far end. They burst through a side door and after passing a few more doors, entered an unlit room. The room was moldy and small, with a bed in the corner that took up almost half of the space. A dark wooden table and chair hugged the wall on the opposite side.

Anne was placed down on the bed while a woman put a burning candle on the table. The small flame threw flickering shadows against the stone walls and illuminated the woman’s red hair. Two worried faces looked down at Anne. Anne however, had a big smile on her face as she stared back at them.

She… she gave me the food…

My… thoughts feel like they are… stuck… in thick mud.

That… empty place. Inside me.

It tickles.

The woman took Anne’s hand and she felt the warmth of her touch.

“What happened?” She asked.

“Kate my dear, I’m afraid this is our doing.” The man replied.

“Do you recognize the symptoms?” He asked her.

The woman’s eyes widened.

“She is of twin birth.” Kate gasped as she clenched the collar of her hood.

“I’m afraid so. I could make no other conclusion. Though I must admit, she is having a much stronger reaction than you did.”

“I’ll go and prepare a sealing salve.” She said, and with a nod from him, she ran out of the room. The man covered Anne with a blanket, blew out the candle, and moved towards the door.

“Sleep well, my child.” He said in a slow and gentle voice.

“I know you can hear me. I will be locking this door.

This is only to keep you safe for the night. The best we can do for you now is to keep contact with other people to a minimum.”

“Simply knock on the door tomorrow morning when you are awake, and I will open it for you.”

With those last words fading away, he locked the door behind him, plunging the room into utter darkness.