“I see. So that’s his angle…”Rosalia looked at Jackson’s face. Lost in thought, he lost contact with his surroundings. With a light tap on his shoulder, she got his attention. “What will you do?”Jackson shook his head. “I don’t know yet, but our goal hasn’t changed. We still need to reach the engine room…”The muscular man let out a howl as he flexed his muscles. “Leave it to me!”Clang!On his way out the door, once again he bumped his head on the horizontal post.Jackson and Rosalia looked at one another and sighed. From that brief interaction, they understood each other’s thoughts. They both wondered if they’ll be alright with that guy leading them.“By the way, I haven’t told you my name yet…”The burly man smiled at them right before flexing the muscles in his hands. Jackson could swear he heard his pecs making a noise.Already in the women’s area, Rosalia kept close to Jackson with her guard up. They may have paid that man, but there was no way she could trust him.Jackson nod
A cool breeze carried a comfortable sensation throughout the kingdom of Rosenbaum. People walking around would often stop and inhale the fresh air until they filled their lungs to the brim.That same air didn’t have the same impact on all the residents. Further in, to where most people wouldn’t dare walk into, the breeze had a chilling effect.The intensity of the cold would pierce the bones. Hidden away, out of the public eye, the slums felt like a smelly swamp. Many people, including the queen, didn’t know this place existed.Anyone would think that something like this wouldn’t happen, and the queen should know anything and everything about her kingdom and its subjects.The careful steps one man took to accomplish such a feat brought about a disastrous living condition for the people living in such hell.Uneven roads, broken down buildings and people with nowhere to go filled the streets, scouring the rusty trash bins for scraps.At the end of a dark alley, a wooden house with green
Chatter!Chatter!A woman clicked her tongue, scoffing at the voice from the speaker. “One thing after the other… I’m not taking this train again!”Another youth with crossed arms chuckled. “Hale, can you believe this?”Right after the static from the speakers faded, a young man with droopy eyes stood up. “Excuse me!”“Where are you going, Hale?”Hale looked from one side of the room to the other and shrugged his shoulders. “Right. Uhm… Around!”“Kaha! Go do that, then…”He nodded with an expressionless face. “Ok!”Hale then turned around, opened the cart door, and left the room. Just as he stepped out, another person bumped into him.“Out of the way!”Hale rubbed his shoulder where he got hit with an annoyed expression painted all over his face.When the person in a rush was out of sight, Hale uttered. “That hurt a bit…”He let out a sigh, put his hands in his pockets, and walked in the same direction as the one before him.Hale realized after a while when he saw him again going into
Rosalia nudged Jackson strongly in the ribs. A groan escaped his mouth. When he turned to her, displeased, she exclaimed. “We won’t go back!”“What do you mean? I made a promise…”Rosalia interrupted him with a stern look. “You may have made a promise, but don’t forget, this train has many people who just went through an ordeal. Let them get off first.”Jackson’s eyes widened. Surprised by his lack of consideration, he lowered his head to Ulrich. “Please, give us some more time.”Ulrich smiled. “Please raise your head, young master. I'm not in a hurry.”Jackson gritted his teeth. He clenched his fists hard enough for blood to drip from where his nails pierced through his flesh. “Damn my ignorance!”***With Hale as the driver, they reached their destination with no trouble. Jackson and the others had a pleased look on their faces. Just as soon as the people got off the train, they formed a line to the engine room, hoping to meet the people who had saved their lives.No matter how hard
Gray clouds covered the entire Rosenbaum kingdom. Sudden gusts of wind left a chilly feeling in the bones. People walking around hugged their clothes tightly to keep warm. Because mountains surrounded the kingdom, rain clouds had a hard time escaping. The frozen peaks provided an ideal environment for them to charge and respond with a day of rain, snow, and more times than often, hail. Even if the blazing days of summer scorched the entire world, the Rosenbaum kingdom appeared favored by the climate. Their winters breezed through relentlessly. For most people in the Rosenbaum kingdom, such weather wasn’t anything special. Just another part of their life. For those living in the slums, however, it was an entirely different story. One more thing they had to fight against to survive. The roads flooded and roofs caved in. Sickness ate through those who couldn’t afford a trip to the doctor. Each year, the population in the slums lessened and made room for more to live there. A cycle
The moment Jackson got down, Ulrich barely got his wife to the floor before bullets sewed the wooden wall. If Rosalia hadn’t noticed the assault rifles in time, the bullets would have riddled them.Ulrich raised his head to see what had happened. He noticed people approaching his house. Their dress code didn’t match the people from the slums, which could only mean one thing.He clenched his fists right before punching the floor with all his might. “T-That bastard!”Jackson’s eyebrow twitched. “Is there a way out of here?”“This way…”Ulrich’s wife got on all fours, grabbed her baby, and led them all out through the back door.Rosalia whispered in a concerned voice. “You gotta hand it to them. They drained the flood in such a short time.”Jackson added in a somewhat light tone. “I bet that’s what got Ulrich pissed the most!”Surprised by Jackson’s remark, Rosalia questioned. “How so?”“Well, they have the power and technology to keep the slums safe from floods, mold and disease, but th
The dim flickering light just barely shone on the documents and photographs on the wall. Ulrich made out some of the pinned faces. From the corners of his eyes, he tracked Jackson’s movements.He did anything warranting attention. Instead, he took his time wandering around the cave, inspecting everything. After a while, he stood idly by with his arms crossed..Ulrich approached him and gently nudged him. “See these people? Mr. Minister is among them…”Jackson’s eyes widened. “Then, they are…”A gust of wind picked up and whistled through the cave walls.It wasn’t much of a disruption, but Jackson decided it was time to go. He got one last look at the pinned photos and left with Ulrich.The tunnel became narrow again. The path led them to a metallic gate, like the one they found before they entered. Maintenance was the only difference. It didn’t creak when Jackson pushed it.At first he flinched, thinking he would notify them of their presence. Once he saw that wasn’t the case, he sigh
Inches before the knife cut the woman’s throat, Rosalia blocked it with her dagger. The intensity of the two metals colliding with one another created sparks that flew in all directions.Rosalia’s reaction to his attack surprised the man in the cloak. After a brief shortness of breath, the man in the cloak regained his composure. He stared daggers at the ruby-eyed girl. “Why don’t you step aside, girl? I’ll give you a portion of the reward.”Uninterested, Rosalia jested. “Eh? Really?”With a grin on his face, the man in a cloak continued. “Yes, that’s right. Just look the other way.”With a smile painted on her face, Rosalia looked at the distressed Marcia. The woman took it as if the ruby-eyed girl would abandon her and closed her eyes, prepared to meet her fate.The man in the cloak walked past Rosalia, towards Ulrich’s wife. “Kahaha! The bounty is mine!”He raised his knife and forcefully directed it towards Marcia.Rosalia said nothing in response when she stepped in front of the