3,811 Days Since the Accident The hum of the Stitcher was a growl. After twenty years of their partnership, Eliza figured that the noise would have become an almost friendly occurrence. She could classify every beep, click and crunch that came from inside the needlelike jaws. The ability was one she might have felt proud to have; after all, most people didn’t live long enough to become so familiar. The Stitcher, however, was no friend of the people. This particular day, they were working with new silk, woven from deeper in the Colonies. It was a pale blue and it slipped through their fingers like water in a crystalline lake, making the stitches impossible. Missing a mark was worthy of punishment, but pricking your finger was a death sentence; no one wanted blood on their garments. The children were led in by a young aasimar woman. Eliza’s gaze barely grazed over her as the children walked in solemn lines. A small, curly-haired boy walked with less precise feet, his eyes wandering with bright curiosity. He offered Jude a goofy smile. Jude, his eyes dull and his shoulders hunched, avoided his gaze and did not smile back. The boy’s face fell, lagging behind the line to look up at an Enforcer. The lines of people nearby seemed to hold their breath, working quickly on their stitching to avoid what they knew would come next. The boy looked up at the Enforcer, patting his shiny, white boots. “Could I wear your helmet?” The boy died within minutes, the punishment for his actions plastered across the brains of the children and adults in the room. Eliza did not move, did not look, but instead kept her eyes trained on the inside of the Stitcher. Small flames sealed the enchantments, sealed the stitches she created. As the boy died behind her, Eliza stared at the flames, and somewhere deep inside her brain, a plan began to hatch. 3,943 Days Since the Accident Jude’s fingers did not shake despite the circumstances. Eliza’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, her mouth set and her head down. She worked quietly, that same blue silk that had been on the Belt that day, placing her palms down on the seams and enchanting them, her mind crowded and thoughtful. As the fabric slipped through her fingers, she began a countdown, letting each number float through her head. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. The machine shuddered as her final enchantment sparked within the flames. The nearby Enforcers looked up in surprise, moving over to the Stitcher in confusion. Normally, those nearest to the mouth of the Stitcher would stay still in fear of punishment, but today, they stepped back. The Enforcers noticed, with one of them jerking his head over. “Hey,” he began. “What do you think-” He was interrupted by the machine screeching before it exploded, sending flames across the floor and throwing back the Enforcers. All Hell broke loose.
Vaughn had been thrown back by the explosion. He pushed himself up, the world spinning and a high pitch whining in his ear. He pulled his gun back to him and stumbled to his feet, looking around wildly in shock and a bit of panic. Sona, at the time, had been trying to secure the children in safe positions. Them getting hurt was the last thing she wanted in the chaos. After settling them down she looked back, starting toward the main room with a certain and hasty stride.
Jude leaped over the table as Eliza picked up a fallen Enforcer's gun, immediately taking shots against those who were struggling to get up. She knocked one out with the butt of the gun and barked out. "Go, go, go!" The hallways filled with fleeing workers, fire forcing into their lungs and making them cough. Jude turned the corner and ran straight into Sona. His eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?" he snarled. "Get out!"
Sona's eyes widened. She looked behind them to see incoming Enforcers and started to move again, heading through the hall. Vaughn was going after the workers, though he did not use his weapon. His gaze was sharp and he was fast on their heels.
Eliza was taking the rear of the crowd, shooting behind her with fire in her eyes. "Get back," she growled at the Enforcers who pursued. "Get back!" One of Vaughn's coEnforcers fumbled on his belt for an explosive, his eyes narrowing. "We can always get more scum," he muttered to Vaughn, handing it off to him. "Get ready."
Vaughn looked at the other enforcer with narrow eyes. He looked down at the explosive before taking his weapon and hitting the man in the side of the head, knocking him out. He lit the explosive. After glancing behind him, he threw it in that direction.
Eliza saw this, bolstering her gun. For one brief moment, she and Vaughn made eye contact, her gaze harsh and hostile before she noticed the other Enforcers on the front line hurling explosives. She lunged forward, pulling two people back towards the safe area. "Get down!" The explosions rocked the building, and there was a searing heat that swept through Enforcers and Workers alike. Everything burned, fire spreading around them. Everyone perished except for four individuals in the corner, covering their heads and lying flat.
Vaughn was quite scraped up after this, propping himself up on his arms slower. He didn't realize the damage yet, coughing as he tried to get up off the floor. Sona looked up after the explosion, her eyes wide and fearful, looking around at the destruction.
Eliza was the first one up, tugging up Jude by the arm, her eyes wet with tears from coughing. "We need to go," she insisted, reaching down for her gun. "We need to get to the sewers." Jude looked around, his eyes sharp. "Are they...?" "Gone, Jude," Eliza said fiercely. "They... those *squee!*ers. They killed everyone. We need to go."
Sona got up as well, moving ahead in a panic. Vaughn grabbed Eliza's arm, his expression severe. "Let me come with."
Eliza hadn't noticed Vaughn and she turned sharply when he grabbed her. Her free hand extended and she placed her hand against his chest, her hand glowing and knocking him back once more against the wall. She pulled the gun and aimed it at him, her eyes deadly. "Typical Enforcer cowardice."
His eyes were trained on her and he didn't seem to be in the best shape, but that didn't affect his composure. He looked around for a solution and spotted Sona, who was in a close enough distance. He moved quickly, grabbing her and placing a dagger against her neck in a hostage position. Sona looked terrified. "Take me with you or I'm turning you in and killing your friend myself."
She paused, glancing at Sona for a moment, her gaze icy. There was a moment where she almost seemed to be considering Sona as a commodity, weighing her value as her peers were heaped together in death at their feet. Jude spoke after a moment, his voice low and sharp. "Eliza," he said, glancing down the smoggy hallway, his eyes almost glowing. "They're regrouping. Make a decision." She took a deep, frustrated breath before jerking her head. "The Sewers. The grate leads down in the kitchens. Go."
Vaughn let go of Sona who quickly moved away from him. She couldn't shake the look of Eliza's eyes, staying completely silent as she began to move to the grate, Vaughn behind.
They got to the grate and Jude hauled in open, offering a hand to Sona to let her in. Jude followed her, then Vaughn, and finally Eliza slid down into the dark pipe, pulling the grate over her head before letting go, landing in the murky water with the rest of the group. Jude's nose wrinkled in disgust and Eliza spoke, gesturing with her gun. "We need to get distance. Hurry."
Sona led the way now, squinting in the darkness. Vaughn took the flashlight from his belt, shining it with a frown.
The sludge was about calf height, but it was moving quite forcefully against them. Eliza glanced down momentarily before they heard voices above them from where they had come. Her eyes narrowed and the group began to move through the waste. After about fifteen minutes of moving, the tunnel began to narrow, eventually becoming a small tube, barely big enough to crawl through. The crawl would be a short one, about ten feet, where there was a dull light at the end. Eliza frowned before speaking. "Jude, you go first." Jude obliged, kneeling down and scrunching up to crawl through the tube. After a minute, Eliza spoke again. "Enforcer, now you."
They emerged out into a lake. The sunset was blinding and Jude squinted, covering his eyes as he stood up. They were standing at the end of a forest, where a long stretch of ocean stood before them. A cool breeze, unobstructed by the smog and dirt of the Colony, drifted past them. Eliza looked out, her face unreadable. “We need to get cleaned off,” Jude said quietly. “Later,” Eliza replied sharply. “We need to get to cover first.”
Vaughn seemed surprised by the view, his brows furrowing slightly. The moment didn't last long and we began moving again. Sona was in awe as well, wait for the rest of the group.
