Awaken Into a New World

Chapter 7: Not As It Seems

"Where did you come from?"

The settler led them up the hill entrapped by buildings built from various scraps.

"Well," Aven hesitated, "we've journeyed from the East, I guess."

"Oh, yes." The settler nodded. "I heard stories about the ruins of that city Eleanorah."

"Interesting," said Leah sarcastically. Aven turned to her; she ignored his stare as they followed the settler into the path headed in a large yard, surrounded by multitudinous buildings. In the middle, a group of settlers swarmed around a campfire, the flame flickering on.

"Here're some travelers!" announced the settler. When they reached the gathered group, some of the settlers turned to look at them, unreadable expressions on their faces; some appeared to be suspicious.

"Ah, yes, travelers," said a man among the group. "You know we don't let anyone in here, right?"

The man stood and faced the settler.

Leah chuckled and mumbled to Aven, "He's bald."

Aven hissed at her. "I'm trying to listen."

"What's this?" inquired the bald man when the settler handed him Aven's device. He examined it from top to bottom and twirled it around his fingers.

"It's your payment," Aven said.

"You know what," the bald man handed the device back to the settler and turned to them, "since you mentioned that, you can stay for the night. Follow me."

-

Bald Man led them to a dilapidated building, its door pried open.

"There you are."

He switched the lights on and stepped aside as Aven and Leah entered. It was almost empty and eerily secluded, save from the two beds-adjacent to one another-that stood against the cracked walls.

"You two have a nice night. I'll go get you something to drink."

Briskly, he exited the building and left them in silence, his heavy footsteps trailing behind. Leah squinted as darkness engulfed him, before striding towards the bed.

"What do you think?" She crossed her arms, eyebrows raised. "Should we be cautious?"

Aven leaned against the wall. "Don't worry. Even if they're a threat, I won't let them hurt you."

She chuckled. "You do care about me."

"That's not it!" Her brother scowled. "I need your help on our mission."

"No, I can see through your pride."

Aven smirked at his sister's remark.

Just then, a woman staggered through the doorway, holding a tray of two drinks, muttering 'hello'. Clad in a filthy, soiled clothing, she was as tired as the gloomy night and whistling wind and refused to make eye contact.

"I brought you some drinks." She ambled towards Leah first, steps faltering, and gave the cup to her; same for Aven. They muttered 'thanks' and watched her walk her way out.

"Well-" He peered at the contents of the cup, bringing the cup to his lips-"At least it's nice and cold."

"How is it?"

"Good. It's watery, almost tasteless, but good."

Aven down the rest.

Nodding, Leah brought the cup to her lips but hesitated. She slumped on the bed, taking a small sip, and placed it on the small table, only for it to tip over and tumble to the floor. "Great."

"How could you have dropped that?"

"I misjudged, okay." She picked up the cup and put it back on the table, the contents splattered on the ground.

"Should I go and request another?"

"No, it's fine."

He halted in his steps. "Are you sure?"

"I'm not thirsty." She lay down, her head on the pillow, and streamed her hair around her. "Aren't going to lie down?"

"Good idea." He moved towards the bed and sat, a thoughtful stare fixed on the floor.

Leah's forehead lightly furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"I feel very tired."

"I'm not surprised." She yawned. "Please get some rest, for me?"

"Okay."

-

Later the night, muffled voices woke Leah up. Her eyes opened, slowly, and found herself seated on a chair, in a different room.

Three figures stood beside each other.

"I told you, she's awake."

Blinking, her vision cleared. At the far corner stood the bald man; he was in the middle of the two men.

"What's this?" She cleared her throat. "I can't move."

Leah struggled and wiggled through the ropes tied around her.

"I knew the drugs weren't strong enough," the stranger said.

"It was the strongest," the other replied in disbelief.

"It doesn't make sense. Is her friend still out?"

"Aven?" she murmured to herself, not quite absorbing the situation they were in. In a flicker, the idea of her brother snapped at her, making her chest bolt in panic.

"Where's Aven?" Her eyes searched for her brother, blood rushing to her lungs, and landed on Aven's unconscious state. He, too, was tied to a chair.

She gasped and called out his name. No response.

"What did you do?" She screamed and thrashed against the chair.

"Don't worry," the bald settler eyed her, mocking, "he's unconscious, for now."

"If you even lay one finger on-"

"What?" He crouched and looked at her straight in the eye, grinning maliciously. "Are you going to kill us?"

His lips turned down. "Why'd you come back here?"

She averted her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Now, that's a lie!" He stood and gestured his finger to the two men, and the other settler handed Aven's device.

"What about this?" said he, holding the device as if it was the bane of his existence, jaw locked and eyes glaring. She forced herself to look away. "This technology is not ours; we can't make something like this."

Leah ignored him, which seemed to infuriate him more.

He stepped away from her. "As I thought, your kind won't give up until we're all dead."

"My brother and I didn't come here to cause trouble." Her voice, laced with both fear and anger, didn't waver while her eyes locked into his.

"You know something." He handed the device to the settler next to him, before taking a blade from his side. "I don't care why you're here, anyway."

Leah stared on the blade and slowly gazed up at him.

"What I'm interested in is how you got here." He eyed at his reflection through the blade.

"The ship," she said. "You want our ship?"

He clucked his tongue and grinned maliciously. "There we go."

Bald Man gestured the tip of the blade at her, nodding almost as if he was impressed. She knew better not to acknowledge it as a 'compliment.'

"You're quite smart, aren't you."

He crouched in front of her. Her knuckles tightened around the edge of the chair as a sudden urge to strangle and kick him in the gut took over. "It's amazing how your kind resembles us."

He grinned, fiddling with the blade in his hand. "You're beautiful, that, I can't lie."

Leah glared at him as fuming heat grew inside her chest.

"Are you going to tell me where your ship is located?"

"There's no point finding out." She almost spat at him. "You won't be able to pilot it."

He chuckled. "Pilot it? I have no reason to fly it." He titled his head upwards before returning to her and shaking his head. "No, what I want is its power source. And if I can replicate it, I can build weapons, and I'll be ready in case more of you show up."

"No one's coming. There's nothing left, you know that yourself."

"That's where you're wrong." He smirked and carelessly tapped the tip of the blade on his chin. The edge of the sharp weapon glinted as it touched his skin; she didn't want anything more than to erase his smug face with it.

"After they realize you're not coming back, they'll come searching for you."

The bald man stilled, his eyes furrowed. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Let me guess." He bore his eyes into her. "You're here for that white-haired woman, aren't you?"

"White hair?"

"Yeah." He stood and observed Leah's unconscious brother. "She killed one of my men. I survived. She had that same attitude as you, trying to be brave and all."

"She's not the one we're searching for."

"Ah, so you're looking for someone?" He raised his eyebrows. "To further help you identify who she is, she did unnatural things."

"If you express such hatred for us, why do you tell me this?"

"I say it all in vain." He chuckled. "I tried giving her a chance, but she spat on my face."

He crouched in front of Aven and stared at his unconscious state.

"And so I killed her."

Leah gasped.

"I often wonder if your planet deserved what happened," she murmured.

"What makes you think you deserve to live?" He snapped and grabbed her shoulder, the sharp edge of the knife pointed at her face.

"Isn't that enough, Ivon?" the other settler said.

"Shut up!" He drew the tip closer to her flesh, but she forced herself not to budge. "Now tell me where your ship is!"

Leah remained silent. He got impatient and sliced a small surface cut on her cheek, making her cry out in pain. Hours of torture without an answer from her passed, leaving behind small cuts and bruises on her face, dripping with fresh blood.

"Very well," said Ivon. "If you won't tell me what I wanna know, how about I move on to your brother then?"

"No, please!" The brim of her eyes filled with tears, and it dribbled down her cheeks as she stared at her brother. Squirming and struggling in her seat, she shook her head; she looked pathetic, but she didn't care. Not her brother. Never.

"I'll tell you where it is!"

"I don't want lies. I'll show you what happens when my patience runs out!" Ivon pointed the blood-soaked blade to her and stabbed Aven in the leg which woke him up, screaming and whimpering. She closed her eyes, tears falling, and bit her lip.

Her brother's searing pain reverberated through the four corners of the dark room. She had her eyes shut, refusing to witness it. She pleaded for it to stop, but such plea went on deaf ears. Her tears streamed down the cuts on her face. She gasped for air, chest tightening, as her brother's torture sounded more severe compared to the torture inflicted on her.

Minutes felt like hours, and finally, it stopped. Her cry turned soft, and it sounded injured, worn-out, and agonizing until silence wrapped the small space in a blanket of cruelty and menace.

"We don't torture people!" the other settler said.

"What?" Ivon turned to him. "Are you feeling pity for them?"

"No! Just that, no one deserves this."

"You can leave your opinions to yourself. And as for you pitying them, now, that's what I like." He turned at the battered state of the siblings, grinning maliciously.

"To pity them is to know you're above them. I don't think, if the situation is switched, they'd pity us."

"Leah?" Aven's weak voice called out, his head hanging as he tried so hard to turn to his sister.

Ivon smirked. "Your brother's talking to you."

"Won't they break free when the drugs wear off?" said the other settler.

"I don't think they cou-" Ivon paused. "Did you say something?"

"I'll never forgive you." Leah's voice was soft, but the weight of her words was heavy.

"Oh, really now." He grinned. "Are you ready to answer honestly?"

The sound of her breathing stopped. "I won't give an answer to you."

"Then, I must do the unthinkable." He stood and halted in his steps as draft filled the room, Ivon and the two men frantically looked around.

"Is this your doing?" Ivon gazed down at her, eyes wide.

"A monster like you," her tone was cold and could chill anyone as she looked at the cruel man with her pupils shining like blue flames.

"Does not deserve mercy."