‘Tom… Tom wake up. C’mon Tom… we… we have to go.’ Tom slowly opens his eyes, staring up at Anne. Long shadows are cast across his face as dead tree branches try to hide the setting sun. Anne’s bright green eyes tear up as she peers into the direction the sun was setting, hoping to see an end to this lifeless forest.

‘I still can’t see far past these trees. C’mon, the sun is almost gone. We need to try make it as far as we can.’

They reluctantly get up and shake off some dirt. Their joints and muscles were stiff.

It has been three days since their escape from the mysterious facility. The sun would be too hot during the peak of the day, so they would find the biggest tree trunk or stump to hide from the sun’s hot rays. At night the moon gave enough light for them to see where they were going, and the cool air was welcoming. Even though they did most of the walking at night they could not stop their feet from blistering.

Tired and thirsty they continued their journey into nowhere. Hours go by and the moon had moved halfway across the sky. The depressing landscape around them seemed to be ever static and unending.

Anne feels her thoughts getting increasingly heavy as Tom’s pace slows, making him fall behind.

‘Hang in there, Tom.’ She says, while giving him the biggest smile her cracked lips can handle. ‘You know how intense our feelings overflow to each other, especially when we are this close. You can feel mine, can’t you? I need you need to stay hopeful’

Anne hugs Tom, holding him close.

‘I bet there is lots of water right there over that small hill.’ She softly whispers.

‘Cool refreshing water. And food. More than we could eat.’

She lets go to look at him.

Tom turns his face curiously to look at the approaching hill that appears to shrink smaller at Anne’s words.

He could feel it. The emotions flowing from Anne made him feel warmer and hopeful indeed, even though they both know the feeling was groundless.

With new hope they press on. The long quiet walk in the moonlight gives one a lot of time to think.

Why were we in that… that place? Who are we? Anne thought as she looked at markings just below her wrist. She only noticed it when they first set out from the facility.

Tom’s marking is the same. And… these. She holds her shoulder, then runs her hand down until she felt a small round metal socket, about an inch deep, imbedded in her arm. The socket was cold to the touch and wide enough for her fingers to feel inside, with a slight protruding ridge around the outside edge.

One, two… three. She counted.

Then she continued down her other arm.

Four, five, six. Six more on my legs. She slips her hand under her ragged shirt.

Two more just above my chest, and two just below. One on each of my sides, above my hips. And… behind…?

‘Tom, stop!’

Tom froze, startled.

‘Turn around.’

Tom turns with his back to her, and she lifts his shirt.

‘No!’ she squeals, making Tom jump in surprise.

‘Sorry! Sorry, it’s ok, its ok.’ She lifts his shirt higher until his whole back was exposed. Anne’s heart dropped. She moved her hand over two rows of sockets that ran up his back on either side of his spine, gleaming in the moonlight. More startling was the last two sockets about a hand’s width below his neck. They are much larger than the rest. Anne makes a fist and fits it in one of them.

Thirty-one… THIRTY-TWO.

She drops his shirt as a shiver runs down her back.

No doubt mine are the same.

‘C’mon Tom’ She sighs as starts walking, pulling him by the shirt. The image of Tom’s back bores into her mind. She tries her best not to let the worry overwhelm her now that Tom has calmed down.

The scene around them was finally changing. The trees were now smaller and less dense, making room for smaller shrubs and bushes.

Crunch!

Anne yelps as she steps on something. It was a small green fern.

What is this sudden rush? Happiness.

Tom suddenly ran up to her, pointing excitedly ahead.

‘Leaves! Look at all the leaves Tom. And flowers. The plants, they are ALIVE.’

The dead forest ended very abruptly, as if a line can be drawn where death ends, and life begins. The dim light was enough to see the rich foliage and diverse plant life. A few fireflies were hovering over a big orange flower. The change in scenery is overwhelming and almost uncomfortable.

The ground is so soft. It is making my feet tingle.

They run forward, embracing the touch of long grass and the soft leaves against their faces. Some branches had droplets hanging under them. Minutes later and they were wet and sticky.

The landscape suddenly dropped to a steep decline, and at the bottom a silver stream could be seen flowing into the distance. Anne pulls Tom closer as he starts crying at the sight. His sobs a stark contrast to the relief and gratitude beaming from him.

Their muscles were weak and exhausted as they made their way down towards the water. The downward climb was slow and tedious as their small bodies struggle through the thickening vegetation. The past few days suddenly felt like a distant, hopeless memory.

Anne couldn’t hold back her own tears when they finally stood on the edge of the water, staring at their reflections on the water’s surface. It took a while before Anne finally manages to mumble something, her lips trembling.

‘W-we should… drink f-first. And wash up’

They drink their fill from the cool, clear stream. They found a few shallow pools just off the main flow of the stream and they each picked one to wash up in. Tom jumps in without a second thought, letting out a giggle as he struggles out of his wet rags in the water.

Anne puts her folded scraps of clothes on a flat rock on the edge of the pool. A stray cloud moves in front of the moon, casting them in a patch of darkness. Anne tries her best to clean all the dirt from her hair while she listens to Tom playing in the other pool next to her. She gets out after properly washing up to stand in front of her reflection once more. Moonlight is thrown across the landscape again as the cloud passes, giving her pale skin a slight glow as she stands exposed to the moonlight. She stares at her reflection and runs her hand over her chest, stopping on one of the cold metal sockets just below her left breast.

Who did this to me?

She turns around to look at her back in the water mirror.

So, I have all of them too… What are these… things? Why are we even here? I can’t remember anything since we came out of that dark room. All I know is that Tom is my brother. Not just a brother. We shared a womb. I must protect him. Why do I feel so alone? It hurts so much.

Her thoughts are interrupted when she notices Tom staring at her from his pool. His face displaying the strain of her internal monologue.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…

Tom gets up halfway out of the water and turns around, gesturing to her to wash his back. She gives Tom a small grin and joins him, using his wet shirt as a cloth.

‘You better wash my back too you know’ she said as she starts.

Tom gave an enthusiastic nod. They spend the night in silence until they were both dressed and looking for a place to sleep. They had washed their rags, which brought out the orange colour even more. No markings could be discerned from the cloth. No writing. No badges or identification.

The night air was not too cold, so they each made a big pile of leaves close to each other. A makeshift bed.

They both try and capture this moment: they were happy. They were relatively clean, and the fresh water was bringing back much needed strength for their bodies and minds. They slept soundly within minutes. No dreams.