Toranto awoke the next morning. It was the first full night of sleep he'd gotten since the day this started. He found himself curled up on the ground, using his coat for a blanket to keep out the cold. He propped himself up from the ground and grabbed the family photo he kept inside his coat pocket. He looked at the faces of his family for a moment.
I feel like I shouldn't take this with me today…
…
I can't explain why, just wait here. I'll be back.
Normally, the photo never left his coat pocket. But, feeling unsure about taking his family photo with him today, he decided to leave it behind. He placed the photograph in his bag to ensure its safety before separating the ground and burying the bag. For a moment, he looked back at the ground where his bag was buried, wanting to dig it back up and take the photo.
No, it needs to stay down there. I don't know why, but I have a feeling I'll lose it if I take it with me.
But he trusted his instincts and pushed forward. Refusing to waste time, he set out to search for food. Upon walking outside the house, he was immediately hit with a sense of unease unlike anything he had felt since his home was taken from him.
Why is everything so quiet…
The wind was unusually still, and he couldn't hear any gunshots in the distance, nor the creaking of wooden boards from the many houses. No matter, I need to start searching. As strange as this was, he pushed forward and began walking toward the outskirts of the village.
Everything around him was the same, yet different somehow. It was still cold and lifeless, but with an unsettling calmness that he'd never felt before. I don't like this, I feel like I need to keep my guard up. Still, I need to find better stuff, or I won't last much longer. He pushed this feeling aside and continued walking before eventually making it to the other village.
He wasted no time and started searching through all the houses he'd never touched before. He discovered many useful supplies lying around the outskirts of the village. Among the debris were cans of food, old medicine, and bandages. He kept the medicine and bandages in his inner pockets while stuffing the food in his coat pockets.
I've got a good amount so far, but more medical stuff would be useful.
The cans of food were the most visible, but the bandages and pills were easily concealed. He felt the need to hide what he was carrying to ensure it wouldn't be stolen from him. He didn't understand why his survival instincts felt sharper than usual, but he took his grandfather's advice to heart and chose to trust his instincts.
Just need to keep watching my back. Other than that, I think I'm fine.
He spent the next few hours continuing this routine, searching through other houses. Eventually, he moved on to scavenging the area for useful plants. He was aware of the edible plants in the region, but some plants were useful for other reasons. His mother taught him that some plants could be used as pain relievers, as well as boasting other useful medical properties.
Willow bark! Perfect, I can use this too. Glad Mama taught this. This turned out a lot better than I…
His ears perked up, for the first time today, he picked up a sound in the distance. He looked in the direction from which the sounds emanated, it was a group of people. Five people were running toward the village, coming from the center of Esfan. Their coordination and numbers signaled to Toranto exactly who they were.
Militia…I need to hide…
Panicking, he ran back to the village. His legs felt heavy, and his breathing was erratic; his mind was clouded beyond the point of thinking clearly. All the while, he could hear the footsteps getting closer to where he was. He ran into the nearest house and fled down into the basement, where he tried to calm himself.
Why are they here again?? Do they know I'm here???
He held his tail and tried to calm himself, focusing on controlling his breathing. Within the next five minutes, the soldiers arrived in the village. Toranto once again covered his mouth with his hand and stayed as quiet as possible, listening for their next move.
"Spread out! We know at least one person is here! Find them, take them alive!" The commander uttered the order to the soldiers. In that moment, Toranto's heart dropped to his stomach. He knew they wouldn't leave until he was found; his legs almost gave out beneath him. Gripping his stomach with his other hand, his nails dug into his face, trying to keep his voice silenced.
He stood there in suspense for what felt like hours, although only a few minutes had passed. Waiting for the moment they'd enter the house he was in, he tried to reassure himself.
Maybe, they won't come in this one. Maybe, they won't come in this one. Maybe, they won't come in this one. Maybe, they won't come in this one. Maybe, they won't come in this one. Maybe-
As his thoughts devolved into mad repetition, his wishful thinking was shattered as the front door of the house burst open. His eyes widened as he instinctively shifted to the back of the basement, pinning himself against the wall.
He heard a single set of footsteps running through the house above. At least it's only one. He thought to himself, trying to make the best of the situation. Maybe I can fight, or at least cause a distraction and run. What else can I do??
As the soldier's footsteps continued throughout the house, he fearfully held out his hands in preparation to perform an air-based charm. I just need to push them away…I just need to push them away…I just need to push them away…I just need to…
Given no more time to think, the door to the basement opened, and a soldier ran down the stairs. His flashlight and gun were trained on Toranto as soon as he was spotted in the back corner of the room.
!!!
Without thinking, Toranto focused his energy and moved his arms in a motion that channeled a sizeable amount of air to focus in one area. The energy of the air molecules followed the motion of Toranto's arms toward the soldier. The force from the air pushed the soldier into the wall behind him, knocking him to the ground. Taking advantage of the moment, Toranto ran out of the basement door, back upstairs, and out of the building.
I need to get out of here!! NOW!!!
He ran as fast as his legs would allow, blazing past buildings in an instant. He could hardly hear anything behind him, the adrenaline causing his head to spin and his ears to ring. He was so close to escaping, almost making it out of the village without the remaining soldiers noticing.
"He's running northeast! No charms activated or detected! Open fire! NOW!" He heard the commander yell in the distance behind him, but the words filled his mind with terror as he tried to run faster to escape the bullets. At this moment, nothing mattered more to him than escaping. His body pushed with everything to escape the threat of death, he didn't even know if he was breathing anymore.
Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Just Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Ru-!
The bullets flew past him, piercing the snow on the ground and leaving holes in the trees around him. All sound was blocked out, all sight was ignored, all feelings were numb. He couldn't even fully process where he was anymore, until something brought him back to reality: an unbelievable amount of pain.
"Ahh!!!"
A bullet pierced his right leg, and he immediately fell to the ground. He tried to pick himself up and continue running, but the pain was too much for his body to handle. It felt like his entire leg was on fire, his nerves exposed to the cold, blood staining the snow underneath him. He held his leg in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but he couldn't keep this up and run at the same time.
---
His thoughts were a complete blank, only processing the pain he experienced, and then it happened once again. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his body jolted once more as another bullet entered his left leg. No longer having the strength to run away, he collapsed into the snow. The pain was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. His legs were useless; every attempt at lifting them or covering his wounds caused more agony.
The team of soldiers ran up to him after he collapsed to the ground, hearing their footsteps close in on him, he forced himself to look in their direction. If he was going to die, he at least wanted to figure out who these people were and why they were doing this.
Immediately, he spotted a symbol he didn't recognize on the soldier's arms. It was the flag of Denomi, but covering the flag was the international mark of the demi-human race. Having the time to piece this together led him to another realization: that he was still alive. Why haven't they killed me yet? He thought this to himself as his consciousness slowly began to fade.
"He's the one, pushed me down with a wind charm and ran," one of the soldiers said. "Good, any others?" Their commander questioned the team, but everyone shook their head in response. "Hmph. Let's take him to site 17." They're taking me to a-! Before he could finish the thought, one of the soldiers turned his gun around and drove it into Toranto's skull.
!!!!!!!!!!!!
Instantly, he felt a sharp, intense pain in his head. He couldn't hear anything, and his vision quickly faded until he couldn't feel anything anymore, and everything went dark.