The missing runner

“It’s getting late,” she says looking down at her glass cracked, leather banded watch the winter night filled her looks with grim and bittersweet sap as snow fell from the sky. Gripping her rifle tight across her shoulder and looking behind her into the darkness of the crumbling door entrance to the rooftop, she dreaded going back through the cold empty, cracking concrete walls it’s stone shattered and iron beneath revealed not because of the darkness itself that part came with dangers onto itself but rather it’s emptiness and echoing halls made it feel haunted. It felt like that every time she was on duty to take to the sky and watch out over the runners, she looked at her watch again before looking back at the entrance then making her way to the edge. Taking off the rifle and using the scope as a monocular, “Damn it, Gus where are you guys” her impatience showing on her breath as it forms into a cloud blocking some of her views before fading away. “Seeing anything worthwhile” she jumps back pointing the gun at the voices head, “Hey, hey take it easy”, “damn it, Dell why do you continue to sneak up on people? That shit is gonna get you shot one day,” she says as she turns around, “That I doubt,” he says with her scoffing at him.

She hears faint screaming coming from the shadows of the ruined town, immediately repositioning herself on the rooftop clutching her weapon tight, “Dell, flare!” she shouts, he doesn’t hesitate when given the command his hand lights up a bright ember before flickering it into the sky. The fireball blitzes through the air as she frantically looks around for where the screaming seems to be coming from but nothing for a few moments, when a group of men coming running out of the shadows she couldn’t tell at first until they hit the lighted area that it was indeed Gus sprinting a full speed as some of his group stopped to turn around and shoot at whatever was following them, their screams could be heard even from her distances as they get dragged back into the darkness, leaving their screams to abruptly end. Gus was yelling something but she couldn’t make out what it was, but she knew it could only be one of two things at this time of year either the Iron vultures or the land walkers, she felt the instant tug of Dell pulling her to the ground as the sounds of rusting metals clashing swooped passed them cutting her arm. It cawed as it circled away back to the ball of light, Dell jumps up sending various strikes of lightning at its way but this bird was crafty, barrel rolls and dodges, outmaneuvering his attacks at it rushes back at Gus. “Gus!” she shouts pulling herself back up to the ledge, knowing what those things can do with a single swipe to the body let alone what a full claw lunged into the skin would be most certainly dead on impact.

Picking up her rifle she looks through the scope once again but doesn’t see Gus anywhere, her heart begins to pound out of her chest. Thumbing so hard you could almost mistake it for footsteps, she tried to breathe easy but even then it was shaky along with her hands “You see him?” Dell asked back hunched up against the roof ledge wall “No nothing” but there was something, blood everywhere with scattered limbs about “I see the bad moon a-rising, I see trouble on the way” she sings to herself, Dell looked up but remained in silence “I see earth..akes and ligh…nin” Dell could see the stream dripping off her face as her shaky voice tried to stay strong “Gus is no fool, Morgan” she ignored him, only continuing to hum the song.

It wasn’t until Dell was half through his cigarette that she seemed to give up, stopped humming, and looked over at him. “We have to down and find Gus”, “But we aren’t supposed to leave post, Morgan”, “screw post, Dell. Gus is gone and I’m not saying lets go venture through the beyond. All I wanna do is go down and check to see if anything of his was left behind” Dell though to argue back but only shook his head before getting up “Well we better do this fast” as they make their way through the old building to the ground outside the move around old scattered and burnt all to hell cars, body limbs and the thick stench of blood clogged the night air. They made sure to not venture too far away from each other as Dell was her light source, his hand engulfed in flames. Out of the corner of his eye he catches her sprint away towards the edge of the darkness “Morgan! Morgan!” he shouts before chasing behind her, which didn’t take him long to catch up with her sudden stop, he looks over her shoulder, “Is that?” his words lingered for a minute “his hand” she adds, her face had sad it all to him as she got up and walked back towards the building leaving Dell there staring into the darkness before he follows.