Dire Straits…with Dire Consequences

Her surroundings were but a blur of dark green and brown as she ran through the forest. She didn’t care where she was going, as long as it took her far away from there; this was the only thing that kept the adrenaline flowing and prevented her from collapsing then and there. While it wasn’t exactly ideal to be running through such a dense area, especially this late at night when all manner of ferocious creatures were on the prowl, but Lila knew she had to keep going as fast as her legs could take her. How did it end up like this? her mind wailed in agony. Why me? Tears welled in her eyes, further blurring her sight, as she recalled the previous hours that led to this moment…

It hadn’t even been close to a week when their home had been completely demolished; the fire that killed their parents and left destruction in its wake was still unknown in cause to them, but the event still left a dark shadow on their minds. Now with nowhere else to go, Lila and her elder brother Aidan now set out find someone, anyone who could help them. Unfortunately, even with the map they had been able to save, the pair was hopelessly lost in the massive expanse of plains that lay before them. For Lila, the situation seemed to worsen, as the sweltering midday heat caused her chocolate brown curls to stick from sweat, and she had to squint her emerald green eyes whenever she looked up anywhere towards the horizon. In contrast, Aidan seemed unphased, although he physically looked exhausted with his skin flushed pink and his jet-black hair also glued to the back of his neck from sweating so much. This worried Lila: even though she was trailing behind him, she could see the faltering in his steps, and it was even more worrying to consider the possibility that they were lost (despite her brother’s confidence in leading and directions). As these thoughts distracted her, she nearly bumped into Aidan, who had suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. When she finally gathered the courage to look up towards him (and the boiling sunlight), she noticed that he was shielding his eyes with his hand, almost as if he was looking for something. Lila was beginning to follow his gaze to wherever he was looking, but before she could even move a muscle, he turned around to face her.

“It seems we’ve been met with a stroke of good luck, sister,” he proclaimed while pointing in the direction of where he had been looking. His slate grey eyes sparkled with glee as he continued. “Someone is standing on the side of the pathway. Someone who may be able to help us. Give us directions.”

This confused Lila at first: Aidan asking for directions? The thought of this possibility was highly unlikely, no matter the circumstance. Nevertheless, this was the circumstance they were stuck in, so Lila did not think much on the matter, opting instead to go along with his plan, not only because he was older, but also because any other considerable options were few and far between. Therefore, they made their way towards the nearby traveler.

The closer they got to their supposed savior, the more Lila’s suspicion increased. There were no settlements (regardless of size) anywhere near the path they embarked on...nor were there any other fellow travelers. So why was this particular one loitering at the side of this road? Granted, there was a patch of woodland on the same side, just behind where this stranger stood, so perhaps a town lay beyond or even within. Aidan began to approach the traveler, striking up conversation while Lila zoned out from exertion. Her eyes ventured off towards the woodland she saw moments earlier, the dense darkness sending a shiver down her spine. She returned her attention towards the men who conversed in front of her and didn’t make much of it…until she saw the stranger brandishing a dagger behind his back.

She gasped in fear and stepped backwards, which unfortunately drew attention to her. The two seemed perplexed, Aidan more so, as he asked:

“Lila? Whatever is the matter?”

Lila began to tremble as her gaze darted between the pair, eyes widening as the stranger lunged at them. While he was quick, fortunately her brother was quicker, as he grabbed the man’s wrist and attempted to wrestle the weapon from his grasp.

“Run!” he shouted at his sister in alarm. “Run as fast as you can and don’t turn back!”

“But what about you?!” Lila screamed with hesitation in her actions. “You’re all I have left. I can’t just leave-”

“Just GO!”

With that, Lila bolted in the direction of the forest, as there was no other place to go. Plus, there was the ability to find cover, should she ever have the need to hide instead of run. She didn’t know how far she had gotten, but she believed she was far enough to rest for a short while, collapsing as heat-induced exhaustion overtook her. Breathing heavily, Lila crawled towards the nearest tree and sat against the trunk. After she was able to gather herself and relax, she closed her eyes, allowing the collecting tears to slither down her cheeks.

After what seemed like hours, as suggested by the lessened sunlight that filtered through the leaves above, Lila thought it best to keep venturing further into the woods, believing her brother to be a lost cause. That is, until she heard his voice calling her name. She quickly whipped around and sprinted towards the sound at full force. Bursting through the shrubbery, she nearly toppled Aidan over; once she realized they had been reunited, she embraced him tightly, tears once again overflowing from their burst dams. Aidan returned the hug much more hesitantly than what she had expected, but she brushed it off as an effect of shock; after all, the attack was certainly a traumatizing experience…at least for Lila it was.

“You… you came back for me. You’re alive…” was all Lila could manage to whisper, her voice beginning to grow hoarse from crying and the shouting from earlier.

“I’m sorry…” Aidan responded in an equally hushed tone.

Lila was about to refuse his apology (although she was unsure as to why he was doing so, but no matter), when she was startled by rustling from all around. Separating slightly from the embrace, she slowly turned around in a mixture of fear and confusion. However, she soon saw movement from behind her out of the corner of her eye and therefore looked back to see what caused it. She cried out in surprise to see the same dagger the stranger had just moments earlier, only now her brother raised it with the intent of harming her. In a feeble attempt to protect herself, she jumped away and raised her arms in defense; while her life was spared for the time being, the dagger grazed her left arm, leaving behind a shallow gash and causing her to writhe in pain on the ground.

“Insolent girl…” Aidan growled, as a group of people (which included the stranger they had previously encountered on the road) emerged from within the woods’ greenery. Each member of this mysterious group wore attire that was similar from one another; the whole affair was almost cult-like in nature, especially since they seemed to move together a one large unit and the fact that their attire consisted of masks, which shielded the identities of most members.

“What on Earth do you think you’re doing?” Lila finally asked after sucking in a sharp, painful breath. “Who are these people?”

Her brother didn’t address her at first, instead opting to order the group about:

“Get her to her feet. And make sure she doesn’t escape.”

Two of the stronger-looking members of the group walked up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her up rather harshly. The one to her right used their free hand to grip her head and yank it upwards so that she faced her brother. Lila’s face contorted in pain as their hands made contact with the wounds inflicted by the dagger; it then shifted to anger as Aidan stepped in front of her and spoke in a low tone.

“Do you realize how difficult it was to arrange that little meeting?” His voice was practically dripping with venom; if words could in fact kill, one could possibly be poisoned merely by his tongue. “I do all I can to rise up in rank, to appease our great leader, and yet you…” The word was filled with nothing but bitterness. “You persistently remain alive. Foolish girl…”

“And why shouldn’t I?” Lila returned with renewed fire. “We’re supposed to be family! After all, you promised our father that you would protect me.”

He let out a dark chuckle at that, and the surrounding group let out a droning of collective laughter.

“A false promise,” he continued. “One that your father was foolish enough to believe. You most certainly are his child.”

“What do you mean? He was your father as well.”

“No, he wasn’t,” Aidan replied rather matter-of-factly. “And while I do admit, you are my sister, you are only halfway so. An even better reason to rid the world of your filth, don’t you agree?”

The group murmured in response, once more acting as the mindless droning audience to this spectacle, while Lila remained frozen in shock and fear, mouth agape at this sudden realization. Aidan leaned closer to her, so much so that she could feel his breath ghosting over the shell of her ear. His next words sent an icy chill down her spine:

“How else do you think the fire began? You were meant to join them in death.”

He rose from his leaning position with a smirk on his face, seemingly satisfied with his work. Retreating to join the group he was a part of, he spoke to her one last time:

“Still, there are other methods and other uses for you yet. However, if our leader finds no such use for you, then your fate…” he paused to let out a sadistic chortle. “Well, I suppose you can gather what your fate will be. Your only admirable quality is your mind, after all.” Aidan nodded his head to the pair that held his sister in place. “Take her back to the base!”

Lila began to feel them dragging her towards their intended destination, but so long as there was breath and strength left in her body, she would not have it. Not now. Not ever. Twisting her arms in an attempt to free herself from their firm grasp, she let out a strangled groan of frustration. Becoming increasingly desperate, she then positioned the hand gripping her right arm at her mouth and bit down as hard as she could, so much so that she drew blood, concluded due to the metallic taste left in her mouth. The scream that erupted from the assassin alarmed the other that held her left arm, which gave Lila the opportunity to swiftly kick him in his lower regions. Glancing quickly at her brother and the rest of the group, stopping only to spit out the chunk of flesh that had detached from the bitten hand, Lila ran away as fast as her legs would allow in hopes of escape.

The nearest assassins in the group began to give chase, but Aidan stopped them, much to the group’s surprise. He beckoned them to follow him, claiming that another plan of action could be made. Even so, they could all see the rage bubbling within him beyond his composed demeanor.

Meanwhile, Lila kept sprinting as far as she could, with one word reverberating in her mind:

Traitor