#important info is that he is a heavy kid and my arms are twigs

[dramatic-dolphin]

baby cousin climbed into his high chair solely to ask me to pick him up out of it. and then when i did, he gleefully tried to climb in again so we could do it one more time.

[run-writer-run]

PEACE KILLS: CHAPTER 1

Story Description:

It's been decades since World War 3, and the world still hasn't gotten back to what it once was. Few technologies were able to be salvaged. At least, that's what Silven Owaris has been told. An organization called Peiwornt gathered the American people in a huge bunker before the nuclear missiles struck, and the former Americans found a way to survive an entire generation, just long enough for the overworld to be habitable. A city was built in a large expanse of fertile land, and Peiwornt created a government to get civilization back on track. The land has become a place of peace... That's what king Arwin says any way.

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: none

Part: 2 of ?

Work:

The yellowed paper crinkled in my grasp. The word 'WANTED' was written in large, threatening, black text. Underneath was a drawing of me. My bright blue hair and violet eyes seemed to pop out of the paper. Other than the bright colors of my hair and eyes, my face was plain. No freckles or distinctive marks other than a faint scar on my cheek.

Underneath the picture was slightly smaller text, saying 'May be dangerous, if seen contact closest guard'. I stuffed the paper into a pocket of the cloth bag I had slinged across my shoulder, and turned away from the wanted board. I pushed my sunglasses up my nose, and started walking towards the small market stall I tried to make a trip to daily.

"What have you got today, Erek?" I asked the man at the stall.

"Bread and produce. Not much meat unfortunately."

"Damn... Can I get a loaf of bread, a couple beets, and a potato then?"

"Of course."

"Great."

"It's on the house today, kid. You look hungry."

"Thank you."

He put the stuff I'd bought in my bag, and I turned away to return home. He was right, I could feel the growls coming from my stomach. It was a long walk to the wall between where I was, the outer-works, and the inner-works where my home was. Climbing up a tree that reached the top of the 20 feet high wall, I looked back to the streets filled with merchant stalls, shops, and small houses I'd left. My chest ached with the reminder that I didn't have a small cozy house to go home to, or a family.

I jumped over to the wall, and walked along it to an abandoned church. When I first found it, it was just as dusty and lifeless. Turns out people didn't really want to follow a god that allowed a nuclear apocalypse. I hopped over to the edge of the roof, using the slanted cross that stood there to balance myself. My hands itched from the rusted metal of the cross, and I started to carefully walk towards a balcony I could climb down onto. Entering through a glass door there, I raised my arms and stretched as I strolled towards the small table in the back of the room. A reflective piece of glass was propped up there.

The makeshift mirror revealed that bright blue was starting to show through the purplish hair dye I'd made out of beet juice. I glanced at the beets I'd bought, glad I'd be able to make more. Going through a door, I entered a large room with something resembling a kitchen/dining area. A couple of tables with no chairs sat in the center room, and a few counters and a gas stove that barely worked sat against the wall.

I set the bag on one of the counters and pulled out a potato. I set it on a small pan and grabbed some small twigs and paper scraps I kept close by, putting them in one of the stove's burners. I used a match to start a small fire, and turned the gas on. A bit would puff out every minute or so, keeping the fire lit and hot. I placed the pan on the burner. After the potato cooked and cooled, I set it on a plate with a hunk of bread and returned to the room I'd just been in. Sitting down on a cotton filled mattress on the floor, I ate. I set the remaining crumbs in a makeshift trap I had on the floor, and laid down on the mattress, exhausted.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●

I woke up to birds singing. The sun had just pushed its way a bit over the horizon. The sky was a pale orange near the sun, and a deep, dark purple above. Stars still lightly twinkled, barely visible but still there.

I sat up, a twinge of pain going through my back. That's what I got for climbing a tree every day.

With a yawn, I stood and moved towards my mirror. The beet juice dye had worn away more, but I had one more bottle that I applied. I wiped my hands on a piece of cloth, grabbed my knife from the table, and went to the kitchen to stick the beets in a cupboard. I left the bread in the bag and put in the knife, and went to the other room on this floor. It was a small library, filled with history books and books I'd stolen from outer-works libraries. I used the holy books that were in it as kindling long ago.

I grabbed a few historical and educational books from the shelves and stuffed them in the bag. I slung it over my shoulder and put on my sunglasses, then left the building. Heading for the back, I spotted and grabbed the ladder leaning against the church. I carried it towards the wall and climbed up, grabbing the edge and pulling myself up to the top of the wall. I looked back over the inner-works. It was mostly big houses occupied by nobles, but at the center was a castle, barracks, and an armory. 4 years ago, I used to call those barracks home. But I wasn't 16 years old anymore, and I wasn't a guard either. Turning away from my old home, I made my climb down the tree, and took a break sitting on a large root.

The usually crowded streets of the outer-works only held a few people. Nobody wanted to be up at this hour. I could relax a bit while I strolled through the streets, eating the bread, and heading towards a small gate in the outer wall. There was only one guard there, who was always too drunk or too asleep to recognize me. Today, he was asleep. I crawled under the half-closed gate, and resumed my journey. After enough walking to make my feet feel like they'd been sucker-punched, I finally reached my destination, one of the farming villages dotted around the farmlands surrounding the city.

I spotted the person I was looking for, Jayce, on his porch. He was a farmer, and a trader of goods and information. I made the journey to him once a week for money and information about what was going on in the castle. He was friends with a lot of people who knew important people.

"Where's my books?" He asked.

"Not even gonna say hi?"

"Fine, hi. If you want your share of the money and your info I need the books."

I pulled the books out of my bag and handed them over. He gave me some money and sat down on a chair, gesturing for me to sit down in the other. I sat down, relief flooding me now that I could finally rest. I looked up at the sky, which was now a light blue.

"If my intel is right, Anarila is gonna be queen soon. Her daddy's getting ready to step down, supposedly."

I only grunted in response, still processing it. I hadn't seen her in so long, she might just hate me. My chest felt heavy at the thought of attempting to return to her side, and I focused on keeping my breaths steady. Even though it was a big risk, I wanted to be with her again. I wanted to be home.

"Hey, you alright there?" Jayce asked.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"You're wondering if you should try and get your guard job back, huh?"

"It wasn't just a job. Protecting her was what I wanted to do with my life."

"What, did you have a crush on her?"

"It was a long time ago. I just..."

"Don't want to be alone anymore?"

"Yeah."

We sat in a comfortable silence, waiting for someone to visit the stand set up in his yard.  When they did, he went to the stand and negotiated with them. I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes, just basking in the sun's warm light. The feeling of being cocooned in a blanket swept over me. Sleep crept over me and took hold.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●

When I woke up, the sun was high in the sky, slightly to the west. Jayce had pulled a chair to his stand. The books were gone. He was smiling, probably because those books cost a pretty penny. When he saw I was awake, he walked over to me.

"Since all the books sold today, you can have another share of money right now," he said, dropping the money in my bag. "And you can have some cheese and bread before you go," he handed me the food.

I ate while he sat on the porch step, humming a tune I barely recognized. "I've got to go. Thanks," I said, getting up to leave.

He just nodded and returned to his chair. I started my trek back to the outer-works. I was about to pass back under the gate when I heard a noise behind me. I turned towards it, only to hear the twang of a crossbow being fired, and felt a dart hit my neck. In seconds the world was going blurry and my heart pumped faster, confusion swarming in my mind. I collapsed.