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Arthur

After hours of being outside in the rain, I decided that I hated it.

It was still very dark but it was four in the morning. I had jogged for an hour prior to this trying to make sure that I was at that scouting party before they left. The rain didn't seem to let up on my account, blinding everything with darkness and wetness for miles and miles. The mud also became a task just to move, forcing me to take large, careful steps so I didn't trip and fall and hurt myself. I already experienced a fall from earlier and I didn't exactly like it.

My clothes were drenched and covered with mud. Moving around in them grew more difficult with each hour previously, but I trudged on and tried to keep my pace up while I fast walked. The hood on my head was almost pointless since it was soaked but it did keep the rain out of my eyes most of the time so it stayed on. What made things even worse was the chilling wind that went with the rain, making the water and my body even colder to the point where I was shuddering. It almost felt like the forces of nature were working against me and with me all at once, but it was for better that it was raining and it was nighttime, else I wouldn't have made it out.

I constantly looked back down the muddy road, hoping to see Washa and my family just come out from the rain and take me back to my real home. Sadly it was a fool's errand. I saw nothing but complete darkness and rain. The only sound that I heard was the chilling wind that made my body freeze.

"Forget it, Arthur...they're gone..." I muttered to myself.

That wasn't true. Washa wasn't dead, but my parents were. I had buried both my mom and dad with the help of her and the pain was still hard to let simmer down just only a couple of hours ago. Their lifeless faces were forever burned within my brain for the remainder of my life and there was no way I was going to easily forget about them. Even as the whispers of the wind beat against me, I continued to tell myself that things were going to be okay and that I was going to be just fine.

If I only believed it though.

Placing my cold hands into my hoodie's pockets, I kept my eyes on the ground and began to take my time, finding the ground my harder and less muddy as I walked on and on. I finally took my big steps again then returned to my jogging, hoping that I was relatively close to where I needed to be. There were still no lights or people for me to see, which only told me two things: either Washa was lying or that I had missed my window.

There's no way she would lie to me though, right? She broke off my bracelet, helped me bury my parents and give them proper graves, aided me in my escape, and told me where I could find help. With all of those things said, I was confident enough to know that I wasn't late and she was telling the truth.

Sighing, I pressed on. The weight of the clothes and the things inside my backpack began to wane on me at this point, somewhat slowing me down to an extent. Hopefully, it wasn't slowing me down to the point where I was greatly off with my time and distance. There was no telling how much more I needed to jog through, if only Washa gave me one of those distance trackers like I sometimes see on the market. Those things were pretty cool and right now was a point where I wished I had one.

But what she did give me went to good use. I loved the watch, which I was going to keep if I made it, and backpack and clothes were pretty stylish as well. The feel of those raggedy, worn out, torn clothes still had a feel on my skin but the comfort and lightweight feel of the hoodie and pants made me want more of these. Even if I didn't get any more, I wouldn't mind. So long as I got away from Jupiter and his cronies then I was perfectly content with my life.

Well, I guess that was a lie since I didn't have a family anymore. I sighed once again, wishing that none of this had never happened. The rain continued to beat down against me like miniature, non-lethal, water bullets that just never seemed to stop. The storm almost reminded me of an endless staircase. Huh? Imagine that. That would be a great torture method, and a great way to build some muscle in the calves!

I chuckled, not realizing what I had thought was funny. As I realized it, the feeling seemed almost foreign to me. For the past year I hadn't smiled or laughed much since we were forced to work tirelessly without any sort of break, unless a hurricane came in which was our break. Pretty pathetic break huh? Well, it was all we had and I'm sure that, if the other slaves backed me up, they would agree that we all cherished it and hoped that it stayed as long as possible. If this freak thunderstorm stayed until midday tomorrow then they would also have a couple hours before they would be forced to work out in the mud.

Ugh, worst part of the day next to the high sun. Just moving around in the murky mud was a task itself. Both slaves and soldiers either tripped or fell into the mud, covering themselves with the dirty stuff. When I saw a slave fall, my heart went out to them, but when a soldier fell, I had to keep myself from bursting with laughter. They had it coming, and as they say: karma is a bitch.

A bright flash of lightning flashed close by, blinding me for a moment. The sound then came and hit me, making the ground shake violently for a couple of moments before it stopped.

"Jeez...get any closer maybe?" I asked, not myself, but Mother Nature.

Did I expect a response? Of course not. Did I get one? Yes. Another strike of lightning landed, this time even closer towards me, forcing me to stop and take a couple of steps back. Just as the trembles of the ground hit me, the rain also seemed to beat down harder on me, making me wipe my eyes. Of course if that wasn't enough, the wind grew more violent for the next few seconds, thrashing against my body while making me grunt and huff out of frustration. The wind also knocked my hood off, exposing my head to the hard falling rain.

Things finally calmed down a few seconds later. I was able to get my hood back on and also stay firmly on my legs.

"Okay...sorry I asked," I grunted, rolling my shoulders as I moved forward.

I made a mental note inside my head. It read: Never tempt the wrath of Mother Nature. If I ever thought about saying something smart about the weather, I was going to have to keep it to myself and just shut up about it. It didn't matter if it was too hot or too cold or too thunderstormy.

There was no more time I could waste right now. I jogged onward with my top speed, hoping to get closer and closer to my goal. I still had no clue how many miles I had left to go. For all I knew, I could still be twelve miles away and it was already four fifty. That or I only had two miles to go.

Honestly, I didn't think I was right on either accounts. If I had to judge by whether I was closer towards the scouts or too far away, I would have to say that I was in the middle somewhere. Though I didn't have the tracker I mentioned earlier, I had a strange feeling that I wasn't even close. But that wasn't really bad though. This was still great since I was miles upon miles away from Jupiter and his soldiers and they couldn't do anything to me right now. Boy, I had a feeling that that panther was going to be so ticked that I was gone.

I still had to be at that location soon or else I was a dead man walking. Jupiter will find that I escaped in just a few hours and, if I wasn't at the scout's location, he would send out every single soldier and vehicle he owned to come and find me. No doubt my clothes weren't made for stealth which would give me away almost instantly.

"Wait...what is that?" I asked, squinting my eyes to look closer up ahead.

Through the pelting rain, I could see a pair of bright white lights. The broke through the dense rain and were clearly visible, yet they were still very far away from me. However, as I noticed them, they seemed to get closer and closer to me and it wasn't because I was jogging either. The lights were coming towards me!

"Oh crap!" I groaned, watching as the lights grew closer and closer towards me.

That was when I decided to make a desperate move. Without second guessing myself, I dived for the side of the road into the deep ravine that would disguise me with the night. While I tumbled down towards the bottom, I could hear faint sounds that broke through the heavy rain and clasping thunder. The sounds weren't thunder either, which told me that they could be only one other possible thing.

Gunfire.

Right as I hit the bottom, I quickly gathered my thoughts and looked to the top of the hill, watching as the lights came closer. The sound of gunfire also filled the air, along with the sounds of shouting men and women. As I crawled back to the top, one of the carrier trucks that had a set of lights screeched to a hard stop, nearly spinning out of control while the other truck stopped right where it was a few dozen yards away from the other vehicle.

Just when I thought it was all over, I heard a man shout from the top of one of the trucks. He was on a mounted gun and soon began to rain down bullets on the other truck, which seemed to be going nowhere. His face was covered with a black cloth so I had no idea who he was or why he was shooting at the other tank-truck. The man just howled at the top of his lungs, shooting dozens upon dozens of bullets at the other vehicle, his aim never even questioned.

From him, I looked to the other vehicle to see people pouring out in fear. If I had to make a guess, I'd have to say there were about two dozen people that had just flooded out of that single car. Man, I'll bet that they were cramped in there. As they flooded out, people from the opposing car began to jump out and start firing their own guns at the other, crippled car. As both parties finished coming out, their people began taking for any cover they could find, some hiding behind the car while others crouched on the ravine side.

Fearing that they would spot me, I decided to go prone and lay down on the ground. If the headlights didn't aim directly at me then possibly they wouldn't see me either. I had to hope that this plan would work, otherwise I was sure that I was about to be in the center of all of this chaos.

What the heck was going on anyway? Washa didn't say anything about getting caught up right in the middle of one force against another. These could be rival bandits for all I knew and they were battling against one another for some weird reason. It was either that or one side was the bandits and the other was part of the Task Master's regime. Whether I was right or wrong, I had no clue, only that I needed to stay out of sight and out of mind until things finally died down.

Speaking of dying, plenty of that was going on right now. Soldiers close to my side of the hill rained down bullets on the other side by sheer force, laying waste to almost half a dozen people in just a few minutes. The crippled side returned fire as the mounted gun was forced to reload and as he was, a few from the crippled side fired at him, killing him almost instantly, along with three others trying to cover him. The opposing side with the gunner began to fall back against the crippled side, running down the same road that they were driving down.

With the rain still hammering down on me and all of them, they seemed to have no trouble shooting their guns with deadly accuracy. At some point during the fight, I almost stood up to watch as the side moving forward now laid waste to the people who were once killing off their numbers. I would've thought with the loud and powerful gun, the side that was being hammered on was going to be toast. But no, they bypassed the gun and were now turning the tables in their favor.

"What the hell?" I whispered as quietly as possible, trying to keep the rain out of my eyes as I watched.

The crippled side shouted out in victory, as far as I could hear. They pumped their guns in the air let out a loud shout of victory once more, jogging forward towards the opposing force against them. As they passed the mounted gun truck, they knelt down and began to hail fire against the remaining people, their aim spot on and precise. Groans and gurgles of pain then hit my ears, and then I could hear the thud and splashing of their bodies hitting the muddy ground hardly.

As they mowed down the people that were once attacking them, they people doing the shooting seemed to be talking to one another. What they were saying, I had no idea but they sounded loud but calm, almost like they were being tough but staying completely relaxed about it. Surely, if I were in their boots, I wouldn't act like things were over. I would still be apprehensive about a few things, even if they were minor or major.

Minutes seemed to pass by quickly as the once pinned down people took down the people who were once opposing them. I stayed right where I was too, only feeling a few bullets accidentally thrown my way that only seemed to graze my clothes. Nothing major at least, so I could breathe easily as things died down once more. My heart continued to beat at a hundred miles an hour, but I was still able to keep a level head about things even though I was scared out of my mind.

Whoever these people were, I prayed to God that they didn't see me and do the same to me as what they did to those other people. My heart didn't seem to stop beating, and it began to hurt inside my chest. I grew more and more nervous as time passed, wondering if they were going to leave and let me continue on with my journey, if I could even make it to the scouts, or if I was going to be taken prisoner by them. Either way, I didn't want to get spotted, so I just laid down and tried my best to cover myself up as best as I possibly could.

Though I was hidden, I looked up and watched them, the rain seemed to have let up a little bit right now, and I seemed to have missed the fact that they brought their own cargo truck up to their position. From here, it was still difficult to make out what they looked like. Hell, even a uniform style or color would help me right now. I still had no idea if they were friend or foe, so that was why I was still in hiding.

What I failed to notice was the light shining on me. Once I did, I also heard the sound of one of them calling for help. Every muscle in my body froze instantly. I stayed as still as possible, not making any sudden moves lest I risk getting shot and killed myself. Once the soldier turned away to call for aid, I sucked up all the air I could muster and held it all in.

The mushing sounds coming from their boots were audible, along with their faint yet growing conversation between one another. Even though I was scared out of my mind, I tried to remain as calm as possible, though my heart was trying to beat out of my chest and give me away.

The two men knelt down right next to me, finally giving me a clear vision of what they sounded like. One of them had a deep, rough voice that nearly made me shudder out in fear. The other on the right side of me was a little more on the husky sounding side with his voice clear yet rough as well. He actually sounded friendlier than the other guy but for all I knew, it could just be a lie too.

The deep, frightening voice spoke first. "I had no clue Task Masters took kids into their army. They seem to be getting desperate."

The other husky voiced man sighed. "Damn, we need to watch our fire next time. We can't let this happen." A gentle touch from his hand rubbed on the side of my face. "Poor kid, shame he had to go out this way."

Wait...now I didn't know Task Master soldiers had any feelings of compassion or regret. They were cold, heartless, and brutal on others who weren't as fortunate as Task Masters or Keepers or themselves. They would just forget me and leave me out here to rot without a second thought. But not these two apparently. They showed more remorse and compassion than a million soldiers combined.

The deep voice person sighed then shifted my face until he could see it. It wasn't a harsh, jerking motion but it was slow and gentle. Maybe these weren't soldiers for the Task Masters. Maybe they were refugees or bandits that had more of an understanding for life than most other people.

"Wait..." the deep voice leaned closer towards my body. "He doesn't have a bullet wound anywhere. He's not shot, he's a runaway!"

I heard the other man gasp then carefully turn me over. "Holy crap...there's a Task Master close by named Jupiter Thaulm. This must be one of his slaves. This kid must've run away."

I felt a gentle yet rough hand gently shake me. Luckily, I knew how to act so I slowly opened my eyes, only to be greeted with the hard rain against my sensitive eyes. The rain forced me to shut my eyes once more as I groaned out in slight pain since my chest still hurt a little. Suring those few seconds I could see them, I made out that one of them was indeed a Siberian husky man while the other was a Doberman. The husky had dark black fur as his secondary with white being his primary color and the Doberman... well, he was just a Doberman. They looked lean and toned, perfect for their line of work fighting against Task Masters and their soldiers.

Their uniforms also threw me for a loop. Instead of the usual navy blue that I was accustomed to seeing, they were dark black just like me but their outfits were more uniform-like. Military-style hats sat atop their heads while they looked at one another a few times then at me.

"I'll get him," the husky said, carrying me bridal style in his arms. I kept my eyes closed and continued to keep the illusion going for as long as possible.

The other canine grunted. "The kid has to be a runaway, but how did he get out? Last I checked, Task Master properties are like miniature prisons right? Aren't they supposed to have trackers of some sort as well?"

The husky shrugged and made his way up the hill. "Either someone gave him a key or he took it himself and somehow got out. Either way, he's lucky we found him or else he would've died out here."

"True," the Doberman agreed.

The husky grunted again, looking me up and down in his arms. "He's a thin as a twig. Do they even feed their slaves on a regular basis? I'm surprised that he's still alive in the condition he's in."

"I'm sure they do. Maybe not as much as they need to, but I'm sure that they feed them, but I'm surprised he made it this far without getting caught by the soldiers," the Doberman replied.

Seconds passed, along with a few conversations with others these two seemed to work with. People followed us towards their own truck as the husky laid me down on the floor of the vehicle. Honestly, I had no idea what to think right now other than to keep the charade going for as long as possible. At least I ruled out that they weren't working with the Task Master's or the Keepers, so that made me feel much better but that didn't rule out the possibility that they were bandits or something else along those lines.

What was making my decision sway from side to side was the fact that the husky guy kept rubbing the back of his fingers up and down the sides of my face. It wasn't as rough as I expected his touch to be, and it wasn't as forceful either. He was of course a guy so it was a little rough but he was careful with the smooth rubbing as well, and it was almost like a caress that reminded me of my father's touch.

Oh, God...I didn't even want to remember that right now. Trying to stay in character, I kept my eyes closed and groaned hoarsely, shifting my head from left to right a few times to make it seem more convincing. His touch left my face slowly after and I heard him call to his friends for some water. Minutes later did someone come back with a small cup of water and hand it to him.

I slowly opened my eyes just to see him just as he took the cup from the other soldier. I had no idea if they were friendly or not, but I went along as long as I could hoping that they weren't working with the Task Masters or something.

He placed the cup against my lips. "Hey, if you can hear me, try to drink this up alright?"

Taking a few seconds to deliberate if the water was poisoned or tempered with, I decided to just go for it and take a couple of small sips. So I did, gulping down a few streams of water that soon made my entire body shudder. I didn't even realize how much I wanted the water. Frankly, I had no idea when the last time I had water was. It was a couple of hours ago...around eight and I had been jogging for plenty of hours now. The drops felt like sweet bliss against my tongue and throat, bringing my voice back fully to the point where I could talk without it being inaudible.

The husky picked me up once more and took off my pack. I tried to reach for it but he carefully pushed me back down. "Easy, easy. I'm not taking it, alright? You just need to lie down and rest."

It was hard to trust this guy but I gave it my all since he had already been so kind to me already. I groaned again and shifted my body, hoping that he wasn't a bandit ready to take my things. He gave me a few more sips of water before it ran out then set me down on the floor of the truck while everyone else filed in.

"Where to now, man?" the Doberman asked, stepping onto the back of the truck.

"Back to base I suppose," the husky replied. "Did you hide the bodies and the other truck?"

The other male nodded. "Yeah, it'll be a couple of days before they figure out where we stashed them but by that time we'll be long gone." He chuckled, looking at me for a few moments. "What about the kid though?"

"We're taking him with us," the husky responded. "We leave him out there he'll die within the first couple of hours."

"You can't be serious Car--"

The husky glared at him. "Mace, need I remind you that we are Revolution? We protect those who need protection and we fight against the injustice of the Task Masters and Overlord who seek to destroy all of the prosperity of this planet?"

Suddenly, I coughed. Did I just hear him right? Did he just say that he and everyone else here were part of the Revolution I was seeking? If what I was thinking was right, then they were also the scouts that Washa told me about earlier. They must've encountered soldiers while they were scouting out the location which would explain the firefight between both sides.

Mace looked at me again then squinted his eyes. "Hey, what's that he's got around his neck?"

The husky looked at me then pulled down my shirt to reveal my necklace. "Wait a second..."

He took the locket in the center and dug his claw into the side. For some reason, I didn't stop him. It was almost like I knew that he knew something about the necklace like Washa also told me earlier. I let him dig his claw into the side until we all heard the sound of a click which caused the locket to flip open.

The husky took the locket then squinted at it like Mace. A few seconds passed until he gasped suddenly and dropped it onto my chest. He sounded shocked in the beginning then shuffled over to me, taking my head in his arms before looking me over again, nodding his head weirdly.

He took the locket and showed me. "Do you know who these two people are?"

I looked at him and nodded. "Yeah...that's my mom and that's my dad." I said, pointing at the both of them.

The husky licked his bottom lip, turned away, and then looked at me. The look of shock and disbelief stayed in his eyes while he looked into mine. "Please, tell me their names. I need to know."

We exchanged a few glances but in the end I told him. "That's my mom, Clara, and my dad, Henry."

Whoever this husky was, he let out a long sigh which I couldn't tell was relief or stress. It sounded almost like a mixture of both. He looked at Mace who only nodded back, heading to the front of the truck into the driver's seat. Seconds later did the car start and start turning around, heading back down the road they once came down from earlier.

"Kid...what's your name?" he asked in a very calm voice. "You're first and last."

I hesitated but told him. "A-Arthur...Arthur Wing."

The husky turned away from me then looked at me once more. "Arthur, you can just call me Carlos."