An Unfortunate Journey_The Tale of Orion

by Sara Daniell

  “Have you ever seen anything like this?” I look at the lights and bright colors.

  “Do you think this is Earth?” She looks around with wide curious eyes.

  “It is definitely not Dandux,” I reply, completely dumbfounded.

  Sage and I run to a less populated area. I try to catch my breath and wrap my mind around what just happened. I look around and notice everything sounds and smells different. I have never traveled outside of Dandux, so I’m not sure what other cities in my Sphere look like.

  “Orion, look out!” Sage yells, slamming herself down on the ground. I hear something loud and immediately fall to the ground as well.

  “What the hell was that?” I ask as we crawl on our bellies to hide behind a building.

  Sage starts crying and says, “I don’t know, but someone had something pointed at you!!!”

  “You mean someone controlled that loud noise?” I start frantically looking around.

  Sage sits up with her back against the building. She is hyperventilating and looking at me for answers. “What do we do now?”

  I sit up and place both hands on my head as I try to think of a plan. “Sage… Do you think this is Earth or another city in our Sphere?”

  She is crying, and I can barely understand what she is saying. “I… I… H-h-how am I supposed to know?”

  I hear footsteps, and I tell Sage to run. We quickly get up and start running. I have no idea where I’m going, but anywhere other than here seems like a good choice. I hear the footsteps following us and men talking in hushed tones. I begin to think that we have lost them, but we haven’t. Shit. I see a door slightly cracked open and motion for Sage to follow me in. She looks hesitant but follows anyway.

  I move cobwebs out of my way as I try to find a spot to hide. There are wooden boxes everywhere, and it’s obvious no one has been in here for years. I find another door and slowly open it, not-so-gracefully knocking boxes over. Dammit, Orion!

  Sage and I immediately fall to the ground at the sound of the men talking. I put my finger to my lips, trying to remind her to be quiet. She is crying and breathing loudly. She is going to get us caught if she doesn’t calm down.

  “They came in here. I saw them,” one of the men says, purposefully knocking boxes over.

  “They are probably tricking us. I think we should continue searching outdoors.” A male voice replies.

  “We should split up. You look out there, and I will look in here.” I look at Sage and notice she is holding her breath, trying to keep quiet.

  I wipe sweat from my forehead before telling Sage my plan. I look at her and nudge her a bit to get her attention. When she looks at me, I motion for her to scoot closer.

  In a whisper, I say, “He’s alone. See that thing in his hand? I think he’s going to try to harm us with that. Since there are two of us and one of him, we need to take him down.”

  She is shaking her head, refusing my plan. I grab her face so she has to look at me. “Dammit, this is our only chance!”

  We stand up but remain in a crouched position. Sage has tears pouring from her eyes, and I wonder how I’m staying so calm. We sneak up on the male, and I kick him hard in the back of his legs, causing him to plummet to the ground.

  I scream at Sage to sit on him. She is completely losing it and refuses. I quickly jump on top of him and try to stop him from moving. He is definitely stronger than I am. Before I even realize it, I’m no longer on top of him, and he is now on top of me. He has my hands pinned to the ground—laughing at me. I look to where his eyes just shifted, and I see the thing he had in his hand.

  “Sage! Get it!” I shift my eyes to the object.

  She runs over to the object and picks it up with shaky hands.

  “What the hell am I supposed to do with it?” she screams.

  “Point it at him!” I yell.

  The man who is sitting on top of me looks wide-eyed at Sage. I look at the object in her hand and notice it has some sort of lever to pull.

  “Sage! Pull the lever!”

  Sage looks at the object and places her shaky finger on it. As she begins to pull it back, keeping the thing pointed at the man, she freaks out and stops. The man pounces on her in less than a second, and Sage quickly kicks the object with her foot. The man is strangling Sage, and she is fighting to breathe. I quickly jump up and grab the object. I’m not sure what the hell I’m doing, but I point the object at the man and pull the tiny lever. Sage gasps for air when the man’s body falls on top of her—releasing his hold on her neck.

  There is blood pouring from his back, and I realize that I have just killed him. My whole body begins to shake as I drop the object that saved our lives. Sage pushes herself out from under him and runs to me.

  She is rubbing her neck where his hands were a moment ago and says, “What the hell just happened?”

  “I don’t know, but there was another one. We need to get out of here!” I grab the object I killed the man with and place it safely into my messenger bag. I have a feeling I’m going to need it again.

  I kneel down against the broken concrete floor to pry the second step up with the claw of the hammer. I gather our stolen ammo then walk over to Sage who is puffing nervously on the cigarette she bummed off a random guy on our way here. Thankfully, we found this abandoned house shortly after our first encounter with a Hunter. We don’t stay long, just long enough to shoot a few rounds and an occasional nap if we’re feeling lucky. Surrounding ourselves with groups of people has been our best strategy for staying alive so far.

  “How can we be sure we won’t be heard down here? Guns are loud.”

  “You ask this each time we shoot here. We can’t be sure, but do you have any better ideas?” I load the first clip, then hand her the gun.

  “I can’t believe you got me into this shit.”

  “Yeah, and I’m trying to fix it.”

  “And if you can’t?

  I shrug. “Then I can’t. Now shoot. We don’t need to stay long.”

  She holds her cigarette between her lips, closing one eye and focusing with the other. I can already tell she’s going to miss. She’s too tense.

  “Poor shot. Try again. Relax a little.” I load my gun and put my earplugs back in my ears. My mouth twitches a little when Sage hits the center of the old cardboard box.

  “Fuck yes!” She jumps a little with excitement then looks at me. “Your turn.”

  I let out a steady breath as I take aim and pull the trigger. The scent of gunpowder is my new favorite smell. Shooting a gun feels like a security blanket; I like it way too much. I put in another round and shoot until I’m out.

  Sage throws her bag over her shoulder and lets it rest on her left hip. She moves her long hair out from under the strap then looks at me. “We need to find some food and somewhere to sleep. I’d rather not drink anymore muddy water or eat things that I’m not sure are even edible. I can handle bathing in a stream but that’s about it.”

  “We could offer work for food. How much change did you find today at the carwash?”

  “Not enough.” Sage huffs. “Look at us, Oreo. No one is going to allow us to help, looking the way we do. Our clothes are torn; our hair is a mess, and we are covered in dirt, blood, and bruises. We’re a fucking mess. We have to figure out a better plan for basic necessities besides stealing and scrounging the streets for loose change.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  We leave the basement of the vacant home on the more secluded part of the town we were in. It’s our place to practice shooting and hide our things. I’m sure there are better places we could practice without getting caught, but seeing as we have no damn clue of what the hell we are doing, it will have to do for now.

  “Do you think there’s more?” she asks, referring to the Dwellers who were here trying to kill us, who we’ve labeled as Sphere Hunters because they are definitely not humans, which was confirmed from overhearing them speak. They are Dwellers who want us dead. I just wish I knew why.


  We walk several blocks until we make it to the park in the central part of the city. We sit on the same bench we have found rest on the past two days. The Hunters don’t seem to attack in large crowds.

  A woman we’ve seen here before runs past us, then stops and backs up until she’s standing in front of us. “Are you two girls all right? I run here every day, and I have noticed you two have been here the past two days.” She smiles, then pushes a button on her watch that is beeping.

  I shake my head sorrowfully. “We are lost. Our parents died, and we have nowhere to go,” I lie. I can feel Sage’s eyes burning into my skull. I ignore Sage and continue to look at the lady. I’m desperate for food that doesn’t come out of a dumpster.

  “I would love to help you, but my husband wouldn’t allow it. No offense, but he doesn’t do charity cases. But there is a homeless shelter on Fourth Street—right off the main road downtown.” She acts like she is in a hurry, looking at her watch and sighing heavily. “Sorry I can’t be of more help.”

  Sage and I don’t waste a second.

  WE MAKE IT to the homeless shelter after several minutes. I’m relieved when we walk into the building, and no one bats an eye or tries to slice our throats. I see food, blankets, and tables full of clean clothes. I almost ask if it’s a mirage, but the smell of baked food fills the room. We are greeted kindly by an elderly man in a suit carrying some sort of book.

  He smiles and points towards two doors. “Showers are there. Looks like you two girls could use one. I can only offer cold water, but it’s better than nothing, eh?”

  We thank him and take off for beloved soap and clean running water.

  After much needed showers, we sit down to eat with a group of people with mix-matched clothing and missing teeth. They answer our questions about Earth, and they keep laughing at us because they think we are insane. Good thing we play the insane card well. Sage has even mastered a nervous twitch. It’s pretty damn hilarious.

  A guy with a horrible lisp takes a bite of his sandwich and says, “You two girls should have no problem getting cash. There is a-”

  A lady in some sort of floral moo-moo slaps the guy on the arm and shakes her head. Looking at us with a finger pointed at my nose, she says bluntly, “Don’t you children listen to him. That is no job you two would want. You hear? Go make something of yourselves. You’re young, pretty things. You can stay here as long as you need to. Just make sure you get here in enough time so you are not turned away.”

  My forehead creases. “What do you mean, turned away?” I then look to the guy to get an answer from him as well. Money is something we have none of and need quickly. “What were you going to say before she interrupted you?” They both start to talk at the same time, but the man allows the lady to go first when she almost backhands him.

  She frowns a little with a slight shrug. “This place gets pretty full. Sometimes they have to turn folks away if they don’t have enough room.”

  “Okay, that’s good to know. And what were you going to say about getting money?” I ask the man again.

  “There is club a few blocks from here. The Purple Bow. . . Row. . . Ah shit, it’s something that ends in “ow.” Anyhow, just ask to talk to Gavin and tell him you need a job.” As he speaks, the lady slaps him on the arm again.

  “Why do you keep slapping him? He’s trying to help us,” Sage asks around a mouthful of food.

  The lady’s eyes dart towards Sage. “Because you would be a disgrace to yourself. Appreciate the services offered here until you two can find a healthier way to put change in your pockets.”

  We’re shooed away from the table to make room for newcomers, and the man and lady are gone before we can ask more questions. Yawning, I look towards the table with blankets and at the floor near it where people are asleep.

  We lay down to sleep, but Sage tosses and turns on the floor next to me, keeping me awake. I notice a tear fall down her cheek that reminds me of every bit of this being my fault.

  “Sage, I’m sorry,” I whisper.

  “I want to go home, Oreo.”

  “We will find a way home. I promise.”

  “Are you sure you can promise something like that?” She asks, cutting her eyes at me.

  I shake my head and close my eyes. I don’t know how to respond to her. I decide to drop the subject. We can discuss more after we get some rest, when we both can think straight.

  Sleep hasn’t come easy because of constantly watching for trouble and the nightmares that torment me, but right now, I’m so tired that if someone wants to kill me, or my dreams want to remind me of my demons, I’ll let them.

  “IS HE GONE?” I grip Sage’s hand as she peeks out of one of the bullet holes in the closet door. The closest thing we have to defend ourselves are two metal hangers.

  “I’m not sure,” she whispers back. I wish I could gauge her expression, but it’s too dark.

  “We’ve been in here for a while. Maybe we should get out and run like hell.”

  “Maybe. Might as well.” She cracks the door open, and when she does, she screams out in pain when a large boot slams her hand to the wood floor.

  “Sage!” I hold tightly to her other hand and try to jerk her back towards me, but it’s pointless. The man grabs her hair, forcing her face into the floor as well. I cry out, begging for him to stop.

  “Take me instead,” I plead. “This is my fault!” I try to get a good look at his face, but his hood keeps it hidden.

  Due to his forceful gestures to pull Sage from my grip, a gun falls to the floor from his hoodie pocket. I scramble to get it, but he lets go of Sage to grab it before I can. His hand and my hand reach it at the same time, and the best thing I can think to do is to bite him, so I do. I sink my teeth into his dark skin and don’t let up even though the taste of copper and salt fills my mouth. I feel the warmth of his blood trickle down my lips as I pull the gun from his grip. My brief moment of self-confidence is shattered when he backhands me so hard across the face that my body hurls against a broken dresser. My breath is knocked from me when the edge of a drawer jabs into my ribs.

  I cradle my side as I struggle to get to my knees. The hooded man comes for me again but is stopped when Sage fires his gun into the back of his head. His body slumps to the floor. Just when I think we’ve won, two more come into the room.

  “SHIT!” I FEEL hands slapping my face. “Stop it! Dammit, you’re losing it! You’re going to hurt yourself! Stop!”

  I bolt upright from the floor and jump to my feet. “Where is he? Is he gone?”

  “No one is here! We were napping then-”

  I point in front of me. “Right there! He stepped on you and-” I stop when the ringing in my ears stops, and the murkiness of the homeless shelter comes into focus. My breathing slows as I realize I was having another episode. A tear slips down my cheek, and I wipe it away along with the cold sweat dripping from my forehead. I didn’t like everyone staring at me.

  “They seem to be getting worse. What did you see in this one?”

  I explain the scene in as much detail as I can without throwing myself back into another episode. My life since being here has been like a damn puzzle that I don’t want to put back together. The pieces of the puzzle haunt me in my sleep and remind me of the torment I’ve tried so hard to forget. Becoming skilled at fighting wasn’t something that came easily. There was a lot of trial and error in real moments of terror. It was, and still is, fight or die.

  “I need to do something to get focused. Let’s go for a walk or something. I don’t need a damn audience.”

  “All right.” Sage lights a cigarette on our way out. “Are you sure you we should be going out into the night? Maybe we should stay in the shelter until the sun comes up.”

  “I’m not sure of anything anymore.” I take the cigarette from her and take a hit.

  All of my days have meshed together like a big pile of dead dandelion petals scattered by the breeze. Between the killings, sheer terror of what goes bump in the day
and night and moving from place to place, I haven’t been able to keep up with time. Trying to even comprehend what Sage and I have been through these past several months makes me dizzy.

  In our brief moments of peace, we have tried everything we can think of to try to get back to Dandux, but nothing has worked. I miss my family, and I wonder what Felix is doing right this minute. I also wonder how my parents are dealing with me being gone. The last thing I promised my mom was that I would look into colleges. I quickly push my thoughts of my loved ones into the back of my mind, where I try my hardest to not go. It only makes this all worse.

  I’m grateful for the glorious ding my cell makes, pulling me from my inner thoughts. I read a text from Sage as I walk to my favorite coffee shop on the corner of Main Street.

  Sage: Running late. Order me my usual.

  Me: Will do.

  Sage: And have I mentioned lately how much I love cell phones? This instant access to you when I need you is brilliant.

  Me: If only you didn’t abuse texting. :)

  Sage: You used a smiley face! You’ve totally crossed over. You’re a texter. It’s official.

  Me: Just get your ass here in one piece.

  I walk in and get in line. This is the one place that my blue hair and the tattoos that I’ve acquired since being on Earth don’t get that second, awkward glance. And because of that, it’s my favorite place in this town.

  I look at the menu, trying to find something I normally don’t get. Nothing looks good, so I decide to go with my usual. I walk up to the counter when it’s my turn and begin placing my order. I notice this is a new employee and hope he gets my order right.

  I see that familiar evil gleam in his eyes, “pretending” to fix my coffee. Instincts kick in, and I quickly duck as the blade of his knife, eager for my blood, barely brushes across my neck. I pull my gun out of my boot and point it between his eyes. I quickly tell the bystanders to stay down and shoot—killing the Sphere Hunter.