We rode forward together into the darkness inside of the wall. As soon as we were past the gate, the giant wooden gate started closing. From this side I could see a metal arm connected to the gate that was pulling it shut, and that arm was connected to gears that were making the noise.

It made sense that the gate to the inside of the wall would use a mechanism to open it since the people in the wall were the ones that kept technology up. It also gave the place an air of mystery and obviously scared the citizens that lived within the city.

When the gate closed the place was thrown into complete darkness. Then a dim light started to glow from the ceiling. It was the yellow light of an electric light permeating the tall hall in which we were standing.

A person came hurrying in. I couldn’t tell if the person was male or female, but it was a young person. They were about ten years old wearing a plain white robe with long, waist length white hair.

“Sorry for the lack in hospitality. We haven’t seen exiles in ages. We were quite surprised when the door was knocked on and you two rode in. I was sent down to greet you, and to offer you a chance.”

“A chance, a chance at what?” Kevin jumped on her words and didn’t let her finish.

I guess I assumed the child was female because of the long hair. I would let that assumption hold until I knew otherwise.

She waited as if silently reprimanding Kevin for speaking. “As I was saying, we would like to extend an offer for you to live in the wall. You would never be able to go back into the city, but it is wrong for people to be forced out into the world beyond the wall. We, the people in the wall, watched the last man die in the ruins of the city outside the wall. We can still point out his bones to you. And the bones of his horse. He rode out and sat outside the wall until the radiation killed him as if he couldn’t imagine there being something beyond the radiation.”

The girl stopped and stared at the two of us for a second, and then continued, “And we would teach you as much as you could learn. You don’t seem like the type of people that would be as smart as the carefully selected and bred people of the wall, but we would still welcome you. We hate death as much as your people within the city welcome it. The people within are a sample of what people in the world used to be. We within the wall are from the smartest and brightest genes this world could offer.”

She paused again as if waiting for something. I wasn’t sure what to say. I had never thought that the people within the wall would want to keep an exile. It was a tempting offer. To not have to face the radiation outside the wall. To be honored and safe. To never have to worry about the king or being whipped again. It sounded like a dream come true.

Then I remembered my sister. I had to honor my family and all those who believed I was searching for a place beyond the radiation. I had to see if there was a chance of freedom beyond the wall. Kevin was looking at me, as if waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath, “I need to leave. I need to see if there is a place beyond the radiation.”

“What!” His rang out through the cold empty room.

I must have caught him off guard. Maybe he thought I had only chosen exile to live. He didn’t realize I had chosen it because I was too prideful to be killed in front of a crowd. He didn’t understand that now that I was given my honor back I had to fulfill the duty given to me by the people of the city. I looked at the flower I was still holding in my hand. Bryan’s farewell.

“I have to. They gave me back my honor and entrusted me with leaving the city to see if there was anything past the radiation. You can stay here. This isn’t your task. I would understand if you stayed. I just hope the people in the wall will help me figure out the best direction to go when I leave and teach me the skills I need to be able to figure out where to go. That is all I ask of the people in the wall.” The daisy in my hands was my promise. I would do my best to find a place of freedom for the people of this city.

“Why do you always drag me into things! Ever since we were children I’ve been following you into bad decision after bad decision. Why can’t you ever leave me out of it Elizabeth? The last one almost got me killed, and now we have this chance…”

“You can stay.” He always chose to willingly follow me. So maybe I was a little adventurous. Maybe I didn’t always think out the repercussions of my actions. But he always chose to follow me.

“No, I can’t. I need to watch over you and make sure you don’t get yourself killed by one of the beasts out there! You don’t even know how to fight. You don’t remember how to ride. A little bit of leather won’t protect you in the world out there. And I made a promise a long time ago to protect you.”

I smiled, “You follow through on your promises. So do I. I promised the city I would find a place beyond the radiation or die trying. I will not fail. Just as you have not failed me.”

He looked like he was about to explode. I would absolve him of his promise so he wasn’t so torn. I could handle myself. I had once been dishonored. “You are free to stay here. I absolve you of your promise to me.”

“No! It’s not that simple. If I let you leave you’ll die out there, and I can’t live with that! You are like the sister I never had. I can’t just let you go and get yourself killed. If you insist on leaving you are taking me with you!” He was so frustrated and upset with me. I wasn’t sure why he was insistent on following me. I could handle myself, no matter what he said.

“Fine. Follow me if you want to. I won’t stop you.” I turned on my horse and looked over at where the little girl had been, but she was gone. Another person walked into the room. This person was clearly male and just as pale and white haired as the girl.

“Lisa knew not how to deal with you. She is not used to strangers even though she has been training to be the ambassador to outsiders since she was born. Your indecision confused her. I am Roderick, your host in the dark world of the wall. What was your decision on staying? Lisa left before you made your decision.” He spoke quietly and in a deep steady voice. No expression show on his colorless face. These people of the wall looked like they had all the color washed out of them.

I looked over at Kevin, but he was watching me and waiting for me to speak up. “I made a promise to the people of this place that I would see if there was anything beyond the waste. I will fulfill that promise or die trying.”

The man didn’t even twitch a muscle. He stared at me; unmoving and unblinking until I finished speaking. Then he turned toward Kevin, “Surely you are smarter than this girl you ride with.”

Kevin shook his head, “I’m afraid not. I’m following this crazy girl wherever she chooses to go. I’ve sworn to protect her and help her, and we are in this together.”

I sighed in annoyance. I’d released him from his stupid promise he made so long ago. I knew he didn’t like me as more than a sister and I recognized the fact that he didn’t even realize my own feelings toward him, so why was he insisting on following me out into death? He could find some pretty pale girl living in the wall that was so smart she would leave him in the dust, but she would be fascinated with his dark and handsome looks. He shouldn’t follow me.

“Don’t follow me Kevin. Stay back. Don’t be dragged into something I am doing again. As you said I always drag you into stupid things. I almost got you killed already. Don’t let me actually get you killed.” I did want him to come though. I would miss him if he stayed. Even as I tried to convince him to leave a part of me was begging him to stay back. I did love him, and I hoped he didn’t fall in love with another girl because I wanted him to realize that he loved me. But I shouldn’t lie to myself. He didn’t love me.

He shook his head. “No Elizabeth. I will follow you, and you cannot stop me. I have fighting training and I am a good rider. You need someone to protect you and to remind you of what to do to get your horse to do certain things. We’ll ride fast enough so that we’ll out ride the radiation poisoning. We’ll be out of here before we get so much radiation that it hurts our systems.”

Roderick turned toward me and spoke tonelessly, “Elizabeth, he is devoted to you. To stupidly follow you out. The whole world was blown up. There is nothing else out there unless maybe the government managed to build other cities before the war happened, but I doubt it. It took so many resources to build this city that I believe we are the only humans still left in this world. Do you still want to doom yourself and your companion and your horses to certain death?”

I smiled slightly. “Roderick, Nothing is ever certain in this world.”

My father used to say that. He said that to me before his execution. He used to add, “Everything has its time and its place in this world”. In his last words to me he had added “My time and my place has come here and now. Don’t be sad for me. Live the life you are given.”

The pale man shook his head, “Death is certain. You people inside the city believe in a God, but there is no God. There is nothing after death. You live in a fantasy belief that some great eternal being cares about your honor and your eternal soul, but there is nothing. After life there is simply death.”

“And how do you know that? We believe in a God by faith. Just as you ask me how do I prove he exists I ask you how do you prove he doesn’t?” I wasn’t sure why I was questioning this brilliant man from the wall, but I felt like I had to defend my beliefs. As if not defending them was wrong.

“I prove it by the fact that no one has seen signs in my life time of a higher being. Everything can be explained by science. But even if you won’t let go of your beliefs; death is still certain outside these walls and the protection of the bubble membrane that keeps the radiation outside of the city and this wall.” He was stubborn, but so was I.

“All I want is the best knowledge of where to go and how to figure out where I am heading out there so I can escape this place. Can you help me with that?” I glared at him challenging him to either help me or send me out of the wall without any help. Either way would work.

“We’ll help you. We’ll even make sure you have as much food as your beasts can carry. Leave them here and we’ll take care of them.” I looked down at the horse I was on. He stood there so quietly waiting for me to dismount.

He was standing at the position where my father used to stand when I came in from a ride, right next to the head.

I couldn't remember what my father looked like, just his presence there in front of me and his voice. As his presence and image took over my thoughts, I could hear him saying, “Elizabeth, you must always understand why your horse is afraid. To him the dark area under the shadows is a place full of monsters waiting to eat him. Horses born into light don’t want to go down into the darkness.”

In the memory, I was standing next to pony, looking up at him. I was so angry that the pony wouldn't do what I wanted it to do which was to go into the shed to grab a treat for it. He smiled down at me, and gently took my pony’s reins from me.

“But dad, how do I get him in then? I just wanted to get him a treat and he’s too stupid to know that.” I was certain I was right and my father was wrong.

He shook his head even as he spoke, “No sweetheart. Your pony is simply following his instincts to fear the darkness. The best way is to treat him with patience and calmness.” My father moved back next to the pony and spoke quietly to him and rubbed his neck. The pony went from standing with his legs splayed out in a guarded position to letting out a deep breath and relaxing his knee a bit. His ears pricked forward and he walked in right next to my father even as I stood there watching in shock.

The memory faded and I was still sitting on the calm black horse. Someone had done a good job training him and had put a lot of love and patience into his training. I looked over at Kevin and I could see he had jumped off and was handing his reins over to a different pale person with that same white hair. It was like all these people in the dark had lost the pigment in their skin. A different person was standing in front of my horse, “I’ll take it from you if you would like to get off.”

I reached forward and patted the horse’s neck. I closed my eyes and swung my leg over while holding onto the saddle for dear life with my hands. I lowered my body along the horses side until I was at a dead hang, and then I dropped the last little bit feeling the impact of the drop in my feet as they hit the ground with a hard and sudden thud.

I handed the reins over to the person standing there, giving one last pat to the quiet creature sent out with me before looking around to find Roderick. In the dim light I could make out a person I thought to be him near a wall of the room, and Kevin walking toward him. I followed since Kevin seemed to know where he was going.