CHAPTER 11

Walking through the shadows, he stood with his back pressed against the commander's unit, listening for any movement.

It was usually only one soldier guarding the front door. If he could just find a way to distract whoever was on duty, he'd quickly sneak in and out.

He took a deep breath and slowly walked out, pretending like he was just walking by. However, he halted when he saw that the person on duty was no other than Zarek.

A brilliant idea formed in his head.

Confidently, he walked toward him, head held high and shoulders straight.

"You'd be a fool if you think I'd let you saunter wherever you want just because the commander is using you temporary errand boy," Zarek scoffed, standing in front of the door.

Ren shook his head, "I wonder what the commander would say when he learns that I haven't left for his mission because some wannabe soldier restricted me from getting the important thing he asked me to get from his office. I mean, it's fine, he's currently in the infirmary, I'll just go tell him that you said he can come and get it himself." Ren sighed and turned away.

"What did he ask you to take?" Zarek asked, trying to sound careless but fear could be heard in his voice.

Ren smiled secretly before turning, "Something secret. I mean, it's fine, really, if you can't let me in. I'll just go ask him to get himself." He said in a disappointed tone.

"You have one minute," Zarek said, frowning.

"That's already too generous," Ren smiled and slid past Zarek in a hurry.

Once inside the office, he chuckled as he saw the blue-bound book still lying on top of the table, "Thank you for leaving the green plan for me, Commander," he muttered as he grabbed the agricultural plan from the desk, pushing it into his shirt.

He hurried over to the drawer and pulled it open, looking for the brown base map. He knew how the map looked because his father had taught him every part of the borders with it, even outside the borders.

He glanced at the door as he opened the second drawer, his heart beating loudly in fear. He'd be busted if Reed walked in on him at that moment.

What would his excuse be?

"Fuck yes!" He whispered as he carefully slid the brown laminated map out from the pile of books lying on top of it.

Without wasting a second, he slid it under his shirt and tucked himself in.

He was almost at the door when he hurried back and grabbed the small gun he found in the drawer, pushing it into his waistband.

No one cared for his security, he had to take matters into his own hands.

"See you around, Zarek. Thanks for the help," He tapped Zarek's shoulder as he ran quickly away from the commander's unit.

He reached the gate and easily slipped away as there was no soldier standing guard at the moment.

Running into the deserts once again, Ren thought he'd escaped all hassles until he heard the thunder in the clouds.

"Shit!" He cursed and ran faster.

This was a natural enemy: the black rain.

The virus affected everything on Earth, leaving its ozone layer depleted. Instead of normal rain, they now had black, acidic rains that would burn your skin on a single drop.

Ren knew he had to race against nature, the orange skies were clustering together, a testimony to a heavy fall in a few minutes.

There was no way he could get to Faction12 in a few minutes, it normally took six hours to get there, that is, if he sprinted.

"Oh, no, no," He muttered as he ran faster.

He hadn't even had the meal Reed offered; now, he was once again reminded of his starvation.

He didn't care; his little time with his sister made him forget all about his hunger. The satisfaction he got from knowing that he had brought back serums that would relieve his sister from the pain was more satisfying than any food.

He ran, the shifting sands making it hard for him to get a firm grip on the ground. The wind was picking up, carrying the desert sand and making it a hundredfold more difficult for Ren to forge ahead.

But, he didn't stop. His adrenaline kept him going, his sister's condition was a constant motivation that made him feel like he could do anything.

He stood beneath the inclined landscapes and stared up at the top. This was his biggest challenge in his journey, having to climb that slope was a battle. The sand would sink your legs, dragging you back ten steps.

But he didn't have time to ponder on the reason why he hated that path; he had to move because the clouds weren't waiting for him.

He dug his foot in one after the other, trying his best to apply the best pressure so he wouldn't get drawn back.

A heavy wind made him lie flat on the sand to avoid getting blown down the bottom again.

He climbed slowly, the files pinching his skin as he moved. He was thankful that the map was laminated, if not, it would have gotten soaked with sweat and creased.

A sigh of release left his lips as he finally made it to the top.

Ahead, the tall dunes stood, the wind swirling past them and carrying even more sand and dust.

Coughing, Ren covered his eyes with his hands and pushed through the wind, gritting his teeth as his bones squeaked and ground like a rusted hinge.

He was very tired.

He could feel the fatigue catching up on him as he meandered through the dunes, he felt like he was going to drop unconscious any second.

Suddenly, the air smelled... off. Putrid. Like death soaked in sweat.

He thought he had just the weather to combat, but just as he was three long dunes away from emerging into the clear landscape that would lead him to the gigantic gates of Faction12, he heard a low, wild, dangerous growl behind him.

"Oh, shit," Ren muttered, he's been spotted by a Beast-bound.

The foul scent of the Virus-infected creature oozing off in the already impure air, and from the growl, he could tell that the former human had been infected and mutated with bear genes.

He froze, his ears perking up to listen closely.

He needed to know which direction the growling came from, he didn't want to go running in the wrong direction.

A Beast-bound was feral, wild, and tricky. He'd encountered them once, when he tried to leave Base7's gate to scavenge for personal supplies. Back then, he was lucky he hadn't gone too far; he managed to outrun the creature and back inside the safe gates.

The growl got closer, and this time, Ren was sure that the Beast-bound creature was right behind the tall dune on his left side.

He snapped his head toward that direction as he heard the unstable footsteps walking toward him, and the moment his eyes locked with the dirty, pale-looking, virus-infected creature, it snarled and broke into a sprint toward Ren.

"Damn," he muttered and leapt off his feet, running ahead to get away from the rabid creature.

They were faster than humans, so the chase was a heart-pounding experience.

Ren's adrenaline pumped faster as he pushed himself forward; his joint pains were all forgotten in that moment. All he thought about was survival.

Ren lost his footing and went tumbling down the slight decline. His bones cracked loudly as he collided roughly with the sandy ground. There was a dull thud as he hit the earth, followed by the gritty scrape of his body sliding to a stop.

He heard the growl nearing, but he couldn't stand, he'd hit rock bottom of his strength, and he could feel his hip slightly dislocated. Running was a luxury he couldn't afford.

He opened his eyes as he heard the snarling drawing closer; through his blurry vision, he saw the Beast-bound creature approaching him, its pace reduced as it saw that the target was down.

"Shit," he muttered when his fight or flight mode kicked in.

He didn't want to die yet, not at the hands of a Beast-bound. Immediately, he reached for the gun he'd borrowed from Reed.

But before he could even grab it, a roar like thunder ripped through the air behind him. It scared him so badly he froze, and the Beast-bound recoiled, trying to retreat to safety.

Ren watched in shock as the creature turned to run, but the moment it turned its back, a loud bang pierced the air. The Beast-bound's head exploded, blown clean off its shoulders.

"Ugh!" Ren groaned as a hand grabbed his shoulder and hauled him to his feet.

An even louder grunt escaped his lips when he felt himself thrown behind a bike, his dislocated hips popping back into place with a sickening snap.

"I told you to get yourself back to me, Renault, it didn't look like it back there," Axton's deep voice rumbled, sounding as gruff as his bike's engine.

"Axton?!" Ren didn't even realise he'd said the name out loud, nor did he ever imagine Axton's presence would be such a profound relief.