Mark Of The Raven

Chapter Three: The Theif

We walked for what felt like an eternity but we eventually reached a small gas station which seemed to still be in operation based on the lights shinning through the store window. It was a small little establishment so this meant it shouldn't be too hard to come to terms with supplies without payment..with the owner. Emery of course, would head inside and be the distraction while I went into and grabbed all that could and Issac would hotwire us a car. Well, in this case a truck considering that was the only option available here. One singular hold truck, which was a two seater from what I could tell. This meant that one of us was riding in the bed of the truck and I could only pray that It would be me so that I did not have to listen to them squabble for hours like I did on the long walk here.

I stuffed my backpack with as much as I could before giving Emery, who was complaining to the elderly station owner about the price of gas in today's economy, the signal to leave. Emery nodded and thanked the man who didn't seem to notice my now full bag, and we made our way out to the truck where Issac had just finished.

" I'm riding in the back..just so you both know" I quickly stared as I climbed in the bed of the truck. " Well I'm riding back here too" Emery squealed as she leaped in the back of the truck with me, much to my dismay. Issac simply shrugged and got in the truck and we began making our way down the road again.

" Did you happen to get any Fizzle Fuses" Emery squeaked as she tugged at my backpack hungrily. " Did I get you..what? " I responded in confusion. I didn't typically eat alot of junk food so I had no idea what on earth she could possibly be referring too.

" Is that something like a twinkie? " I asked which stopped Emery from tugging at my back to make direct eye contact with me. " Is it something like a Twinkie? " She mocked. " No! It's nothing like a damn twinkie. It's the freaking log of the gods. It's the essence of happiness. It is the true bliss..in candy form " She explained which left me even more confused. " So..it's...like..licorice " I answered which made Emery even more upset. " What in the actual hell is wrong with you? Have you never truly lived? Are you saying to me, right now, in this moment, you've never had a fizzle fuse? " She asked in a tone that made me feel as though I had some offended and disrespected her entire family. " No....? " Emery began tugging at my bag again and I finally relented and removed the straps and let her have the entire pack. She unzipped the zipper almost instantaneously and began searching for her long awaited treat.

After a few minutes of searching, she slammed her head back against the window of the truck and sighed. " You didnt..didn't.. get fizzle fuses. Not a single one" She groaned and put the backpack on my lap. " I'm sorry.." I apologized even though I had no idea why this was so important to her.

" I'm sorry" Emery eventually apologized. " it's just that fizzle fuses are a comfort food for me. When I'm stressed...I turn to them. And..I haven't had one in a while. At least..not since we met you" Emery confessed. It had been a long road since we had met. Getting into trouble together, trying to survive the best we could by stealing and taking whatever we could to survive. Our lives had not been blessed with abundance of financial opportunities, so we had to make do with what we could. It was honestly by fate that I had even met them. So different and yet so similar, but we work so well together. I spent the better part of my life being alone, and relying on myself. And so when I started to feel as though I could rely on Emery and Issac..that took some major adjusting. But, there are so many times where I wished that I hadn't wrapped them up in my bad decisions. They never really opposed or made me feel bad for it..they just..accepted it. Like the struggle was already theirs and now we just shared it together. They made me feel like family. And because of me, they are being hunted. But now, I'm not so sure I could survive without them. They have become such a fixture for me.

" When I was a kid..I didn't really eat junk food. I use to smoke..but..I don't do that anymore" I confessed, staring off into the distance behind us.

" I was seventeen when the world started changing. I remember a few months after my seventeenth birthday, when the government announced the war. And then by eighteen, half the damn world was gone. We blowed ourselves up, and I was suppose to be okay with it. We all were. Mom..well..she didn't take losing dad too well and she..well..she couldn't bare the thought of living without him I guess. In retrospect, I guess I should've probably found something healthier to turn to. Books, shows, I don't know..hell even taking up hunting would've probably been good for all this crap. But no, I sat there and wasted my life..just..being depressed" I didn't realize how much I was rambling, but I needed to get it out. I hadn't really talked to Emery all that much about my history. We never really had the time to discuss it, we were always on the move. Always watching over our backs for the next threat.

" Well, I remember when the world ended. I was 19, and I was doing everything in my power to fight the system back then. Problem is, the system fought its damn self so hard that now there is nothing left to fight. But hey, we have a new fight I suppose. Freaking crazy bastards" Emery chuckled as she reached in my pack and grabbed a chocolate bar.

" I didnt..well, I didn't know what they were when I found them. Hell..I didn't even know what it was when I found it. It all happened so fast" I remember starving, and being lost. I remember being taken in by a friendly stranger and being taken to a village. I remember being told that I didn't belong there and that I needed to be removed. I remember the elder standing up for me and wanting me to at least get my strength back up. And I remember finding the mark.

" I didn't expect it to happen like that. It looked like..I don't know..just a stupid bird statue. It looked Valuable. I thought I could sell the damn thing and make some money. These people were living off the land mostly, I didn't see why they would even need it. And then.." I remember taking the statue in my hands and it crumbling to dust at my touch. I remember, feeling a horrible, sinking feeling deep within me. And I remember passing out, waking up, and having these marks all over me. Marks that never wash away. Marks that I can feel almost moving across my skin. Marks that will never go away..they are a part of me now.

" Yeah that is still weird to me. How does a statue give tattoos..that doesn't really make sense to me" Emery pointed out and even i didn't have the true answer. Oy was relayed to me. " Well, when the elder found me. She told me the object was cursed with a blessing that was meant for their people. One single person was to bare the mark, and they were to go into some..self isolation..spiritual journey bullshit. Apparently, they would've also been a danger to those around them but she never really explained why" I answered. " Yeah, but is it magic or something? I mean I guess it is consider the weird crap you can do with the freaking feather knife thing but still..that doesn't make sense" Emery's curiosity was always going to match mine. I wanted answers on how things ended up this way but I knew I'd never have them. At least..not the full story. It was only after being chased for so long before we even got a hint as to part of the origin of the statue. But the origin Is shrouded in mystery in itself. It was a gift from a God but Nobody had ever truly met this God. No one knew the name of this God. Noone had ever truly depicted the God. None of that really made any sense and part of me felt like there is no way that a God would would come down and make some stupid bird statue to curse and yet help people at the same time. But then again what do I know considering the position I'm in now.

" Well I want a mark like that" Emery chuckled. " No you don't. There are so many times where I don't even feel like I have control over this. I could hurt people that I don't even want to hurt. I could destroy people that I don't want to destroy..I could " Emery placed her hand on my shoulder " You could save the world. You could save so many lives. You could truly make a difference with the power that you have. And I wish that I had even an ounce of the power that you do. But I don't, so we are gonna have to rely on you to make the difference" Emery smiles. " Yeah.."