Dim and gray, an icy world without snow. The bleak buildings in the distance speak volumes of the city’s wealth, but also of its sorrow. The tall towers that scrape the skies with their jagged edges, poking through the clouds and blanket of smog are all impressive feats of engineering, but the sad reality is that only a select few possess the privilege to stand atop those towers and witness the world beyond the gray. Parked along the naked streets are rundown cars, relics of a previous era where the cost of fuel was still affordable, and everybody had access to the same market. Today, such machines simply fill in the space, unmoved over the decades, untouched by the leaders of the city who simply couldn’t be bothered. The rivers that cross through the city are black with waste, a biohazard to simply be near. The sewage that has seeped into the water has contaminated that waterway, killing all life that lived within the previous blue. Now, all that thrives within such darkness are bacteria and filth.

The light is muted as it struggles through the clouds, a dim that merely borders on total darkness. The lack of visibility is the first thing that Eli notices as he steps out from the cave, shaking his hands from the cold and rubbing his tired eyes. He struggles to see even a foot in front of him, but the rushing river before him alerts him of the potential danger. Stretching his hunched back, the boy nearly falls backwards, unused to the rather substantial weight that pulls him from behind. Firmly strapped to him with a multitude of belts and buckles are several of Audrey’s bags, which contain half of their daily essentials. Canned food, bottled water, changes of clothes for the both of them. Despite traveling alone, Audrey has made a habit of packing extra, and the fact that the two are similar in age and body size made the act of sharing clothes simple. Despite being given a fresh start by the young lady, Eli can’t help but feel bitter at his own incompetence. I should have been more careful. I’m a complete idiot. Words of self loathing echo through his mind, resulting in him letting a sigh slip from his lips every few minutes.

“You should really stop with the sighing. I don’t know why you feel the need to do it so often, but sighing isn’t gonna help anyone…Anyways, let's get going, we should be completely free from Griff’s territory this afternoon. If we don’t get delayed for too long we should be able to get to the next hideout just after curfew.”

As she whispers such words in an alert voice, Audrey steps out behind Eli. She’s dressed the same way as Eli, in dark clothing, worn and stained, with bags strapped to her back firmly. If anyone wants to steal from the pair it’ll take more than a little pulling. Audrey, however, carries an additional box with her. It's rather large box and is strangely shaped, almost human-like in outline. The case seems light, so it can’t be an actual body, but when he asked what was stored inside such a container, he was given a sad look by the young girl, who shook her head in refusal. What this means? Eli has no idea. He simply accepts such secrets as a matter of her past, and uses it as fuel to try harder. He eyes the case that’s nearly half her body size, thinking to himself, One day, one day I’ll know what that is. Since it's her, I'm sure it's something important.

The two set off. In the dim light they walk along the water’s edge, their boots sinking constantly into the black sludge, a product of the vile river. Their forms are small, their movements quick, they refuse to speak should they accidentally draw attention to themselves. Not many take the risk of venturing near the river. Few possess the knowledge required to swim, and even fewer have the courage needed to remain calm should they get washed away in the tar-like water.

Eli, despite having never gone on such an adventure before, despite not possessing any of the skills needed to survive such a life, finds himself feeling strangely calm. He simply enjoys the peaceful moment for what it is. A little bit ahead of him, Eli sees the outline of his newfound companion, the young woman he’s taken an interest in, someone he mysteriously finds himself respecting and admiring. What is it about her that makes me feel this way? He stares at her, finding himself paying more attention to her than to his own movements as his thoughts leisurely wander. Is it gratitude? Am I simply fond of her because she gave me a place to stay? Hmmm, no, I can't narrow it down to a single reason. He squints his eyes, thinking with difficulty back to the week before, when he first met the young woman known as Audrey. He tries to organize the events as they had happened, his memory a blur of strange curiosity and hopefulness. Ultimately he fails to conclude the exact moment where he truly found himself admiring this companion of his.

Suddenly, Eli stumbles, as if the realization had hit him in the back of the head. He remembers the sensation of holding his father’s lighter, the understanding dawning upon him. That’s right… It’s because she’s different from the thugs that took everything from me. The way she behaves, while still gruff, is rather simple. She doesn’t seem to want for much, and this is reflected in her actions during that day. He finds himself smiling, a small movement, barely more than a twitching of the lip, but still a smile, something that’s been missing from his catalog of expressions for many years now. That must be it. The reason that I respect her is because of something so simple, huh? Because she didn’t beat me while I was down, or robbed me while I slept. Am I getting ahead of myself? Perhaps, but since she has treated me with kindness, the only thing I can do is treat her likewise, until the day she chooses to betray me.

Eli is suddenly yanked from his contemplations by a sharp shush. Audrey looks at him with an annoyed expression, and he belatedly realizes that he’s been stumbling almost nonstop, making quite the racket. Embarrassed, he lowers his head in a nod, waving his hand in apology. His message seems to get through, as Audrey’s lingering gaze disappears and the two continue with their march.

“Alright, we’ll now start walking through the streets, so stay on your toes. Don’t try to run from anyone as that’ll only make you look suspicious. If we do need to run, make sure to stay behind me and follow my lead. Got it?”

“Yeah, I understand.”

After walking for about an hour or so, the pair finally reach a point where they have a straight shot to the second hideout. From what Audrey remembers of the place, it isn’t that far, but the area around it isn’t the best, meaning they'll need to take detours to avoid the troublesome areas. Audrey feels a twinge of disappointment as she moves her feet. The cave had been a rather good spot. It gave her easy access to Griff’s lackeys, who were more receptive to trade when it potentially benefitted them, and it was in an area almost nobody bothered to explore, reducing the number of potential thieves. Personally, Audrey finds the situation somewhat regrettable, though she can’t exactly blame Eli for her sudden departure. If anything, she can only be grateful. It's because he had warned her of Griff's sudden violence that she now has enough time to leave the area before things get dangerous. She might not know to what extent the authorities will get involved, nor how serious they’ll be in neutralizing Griff, but she at least knows that being anywhere near the fighting is only asking for trouble.

I sure hope things will stay relatively quiet. A feeling of unease suddenly erupts within Audrey’s heart as she thinks this. A faint sound jabs into her ears. It’s an incessant ringing that is persistent to the point of being obnoxious. The distant droning speaks of a far greater danger as it slowly erodes at her emotions, filling her with faint irritation. It’s a low sound, faint and unobtrusive for the most part, but with every passing second it seems to get louder and louder, increasing with painful intensity.

The droning refuses to stop, echoing on and on, filling the silence with persistent noise, making every moment of Audrey’s journey an aching nightmare that ramps in intensity by orders of magnitudes with every passing second. Panic overtakes the young woman. Seriously?! Why is it still going?! It’s never gone on for this long. Usually her sense of danger is reminiscent of a bell, or a soft chime, that rings faintly in her ear whenever she’s about to make a bad decision. But this? This roar is unavoidable, like a lightning storm or a natural disaster, it tells of unimaginable danger.

A chill runs down Audrey’s back as she suddenly realizes: the droning is getting louder. With every step she takes, the sound grows, swells, bloats like a waterlogged corpse. She freezes. The ringing is unbearable. Blood vessels flood her face, and her nose begins to bleed. The world blossoms with splotches of red as the high-pitched ringing tears apart her psyche. Audrey stumbles violently. Her world flips upside down as the sound grows louder. Any more and she won’t be able to survive. Visions of her death flood her mind as tears begin to well up within her eyes. The red turns to black as Audrey feels her consciousness fading from the pain.

She spins around, drawn to the soothing calmness of Eli’s voice. She’s about to plead for help, barely able to hear herself think as her body is flooded with a sense of desperation, when with chilling finality, the noise ceases. Absolute silence. All she can do is stare dumbstruck at Eli, who’s looking at her warped expression with a look of concern. Blood drips from her nose. Her eyes are wild, red and bulging. Her face is extremely flushed, and her forehead throbs with veins. In this absolute silence, traces of thought finally begin to reform within Audrey’s mind, assembling themselves like the shards of a broken mirror. He’s… been getting a lot more expressive… Her disturbed mind can only make rudimentary observations as she feels herself grow faint. She leans heavily against the nearby wall. Loud panting pulses from her lips.

“Hey, seriously, are you okay? You don’t look too great, do you need a break?”

“Ah, um, ha ha, yeah… Let's take a break for a minute…”

With trembling knees and a pale face, she plops herself on the ground. Her legs spread out in front of her and she leans against her pack. Still breathing heavily, Audrey finds her eyes glued to Eli who stands above her, looking around worriedly. A gaze of wonder and bafflement fills her expression. What just happened? Why did the danger go away? As the questions pile up within her mind, Audrey reaches a single conclusion: The best course of action is to stick with Eli.

If she wants to maintain her safety, she cannot separate from this boy.