Secret Meanings and Different Worlds

Hidden Memories and Orange Smoke (Part 2)

The sun was falling fast, creepin' behind the muddy hills, it wasn't long until they would come. The Unknown would always come out when it got dark. 'They're like zombies but ash.' It's crazy to believe that these monsters were the reason this place became lost. The reason I lost my home, my life. Things that I never would have thought I would have to miss.

"At the beginning, everyone thought this would go away, but days turned to weeks and weeks into months...It's been six years since the explosions that destroyed the urban land and left monsters and orange smoke to fill the gaps that humans had to leave behind." My voice left before I even realized it. "What did you say, Emily?" "What? Oh...nothing important." 'I can't think of this now.' "We have to go, now!" I called out to the three other people besides me. "The sun is setting and the ground is beginning to shake. We all know that they are about to be here." My voice sounded dull as if all joy had suddenly vanished. A small squeak came sounding a lot louder than it should have been. "W..w..where a..are th..ey? Will...w..we b..b..be ok..ay?" The face of our youngest member appeared behind my legs. 'Is he hiding...that's cute.' A scoff came and it, of course, came from the only other male in our group. Travis, does he always have to act like a disappointed uncle or maybe grandpa? "Come on Carson. You should know we will all be alright. As long as we stay together." For once his voice held more than the common scorn instead it was almost warm. "Yes, we must leave at once. Staying safe is what is important." An older woman said with a voice that was as smooth as honey with a bit of something more. 'And there she is. Miss Saftey.' "You're right Jess. Let's get goin'."

An overwhelming feeling of nervousness washes over me as I race towards the others, towards our current hideout. My steps were fast but not hard enough to leave any trace of my presence. 'I guess years of hiding turned into a life skill. Though I am not the only one. Skills, hiding ourselves, are the only thing that has kept us all alive. Constant adapting. Constant running. Constantly leaving and hiding all traces of ourselves. Made it.' A sigh escapes as I see the small run-down group of buildings coming into view. Ours is between three taller, much more broken buildings. It is small but plenty of room to hide a group of four.

The inside of our little hideout is nothing special. It's very small, a one-room square building that is covered in holes and cracked concrete. It wasn't anything fancy or unique but it was more than what most people had. The floor was almost completely empty except for three wooden chairs and a small stool along with a matching circular table. One chair, which Travis was fond of, was practically taller than the others but it also held a large c***k in one of its legs. The one to the right was similar to a rocking chair, featuring a round back along with some armrests, and it was Jess' favorite among all of them. Beside hers was the one that no one but me would sit in, the one that had a remainder of a classic back along with one leg being shorter than the others. Everyone thought this one was annoying as it would shake and move with every twitch of a muscle. To the left of the unlikeable sit was a small stool. It was the newest one among the others and the perfect size for our eight-year-old member, Carson. There wasn't much more besides the ripped-up sheets and blankets that make up our bed. The small bundle was enough to make a pallet on the cool floor. The floor was like most messy and full of dirt. Well, that can't be helped. I mean it's better than nothing. "Everyone's here, right?" Travis called out. "See, we made it just fine. There was no need to be scared or worried. Now, off to bed Carson." Jess quietly spoke as she guided the child towards the old blankets. She tucks him in and as he closes his eyes, she shoots all of us the look. A look that we all have grown to know.

A collection of sighs and groans were shared as we moved towards the lonely table. The message was clear as day. Meeting now! 'I wonder what it is this time. Did we mess up?' Each of us slowly makes our way to each of our sits, but the stool stays empty. We wait quietly, patiently, until we all hear small snores coming from the other side of the room. It was something we always did. 'Carson is too young to have to hear any nasty information that may come from one of these meetings. Any kind of thoughts like that shouldn't have to cross his mind.' I start to feel the familiar cold of metal pass between my fingertips. "Emily. Hey Emily." A tired voice calls out from beside me. "Yes?" "You're doing that thing again." "I know Travis. It's an anxious thing I do." He hums in response. "Alright, I have some sad, yet normal, news. We have to leave again. Unknowns are moving into this area." Gasps were shared amongst the table. "What we just got here Jess, and we have to leave?" Jess looks us both dead in the eyes, "Sadly yes. It seems they keep coming close to us. It's better to be safe than be an Unknown." "How long do we have?" came Travis who has been quiet for the last few minutes. "It feels like they are following us," I say jokingly but not one of us was laughing. 'How can we laugh when we're losing our home again?' "We leave tomorrow. For now, get some sleep." Neither of us argued with Jess.