FRIEND

Repeated shocks thumped through Kain’s feet as he ran through the alleyways of the slums. “Hurry! Enforcers are gonna get you-ou!” Rika called out from in front of him, taunting his running speed. In the time that he had known her, she had always been faster than him. Finally, Kain broke through the alleyway onto the crowded street. Lights from the billboards announcing the names of various “virtue born” illuminated the sorry streets of the slums. “You brat, stop! Stop right there!” Kain looked behind him to see the enforcers, corrupted officers that patrolled the slums, hot on his tail. “Hurry Kain, hurry up! You're gonna get caught, you idiot!” Rika slowed down to grab his arm and pull him along. “Through there, the construction zone! It’ll be harder for those sleazebags to catch us!” Kain nodded in agreement and followed Rika into a sharp right. To slow down the enforcers, Kain tripped an old man into their way. They collided with him and fell to the ground, cursing. “Nice one, Kain!” Jumping onto the fence, they climbed over and vaulted onto the ground. “Rika,” Kain frantically drew in a breath. “There's still one left!” “Huh? They’re both-” She was interrupted by a sharp crack and the clang of metal being shot. Rika let out a sharp “Eek!” as she ducked and pulled Kain by his backpack forward. “You…huff…little…huzzzz…shits…hufff” “Rika he’s shooting at us! He’s gotta gun!” “Shut up smart ass, you don't think I SEE that?!” Kain and Rika bolted forward and ran into a building. The shouts of the worn out enforcer and construction workers echoed behind them. “Kain! Kain! Through here!” Rika pulled Kain along into a hallway, jumping out a window onto the ground. “Rika! The backpack can’t fit!” Kain desperately tried to shrug it off. “Just throw it out the window idiot! I’ll catch it!” Finally, Kain removed the backpack and threw it out the window just as another loud crack of a gun sounded inside the building. The bullet missed Kain, hitting the concrete wall behind him throwing debris everywhere. “Kain! Jump!” With an anxious look on his face, Kain threw himself out the window, immediately running when he hit the ground. “HEY…hufff…GET BACK…hufff…HERE!” The enforcer called out from inside the building, shooting outside the window until his clip was empty. The duo ran faster as bullets pelted the ground beside them, throwing dirt up into the air. “Here, catch!” Rika threw the bag back at Kain, the ladder barely managing to catch it. “Wha- why can’t you just carry it!?” Rika just smiled slyly and said, “You can’t make a lady carry heavy stuff, can’t you?” Kain signed in protest. “Kain, over there! Once we vault the fence, we’re home free! Running a long time had now taken a toll on Kain, who was still not as fit as Rika. Kain began to lag behind, the weight of the bag progressing his exhaustion. Not wanting to hear another taunt from Rika, Kain powered through and sped up once more. Following Rika’s lead and climbing onto a pile of pallets, they vaulted the fence and ran into the streets. There, they finally got a moment of rest. “Rika…huffff…how far away are we from camp?” Rika put a finger to her face in thought. “About a couple of minutes. More importantly, how are the supplies?” Kain sighed again and sat down, shrugging off the backpack and opening it. Inside were an assortment of pre-packaged and canned foods, as well as many bottles of water. Truly, this bag had been heavy for Kain to carry. “They look pretty good, I guess.” Rika sat down beside Kain, reached into the bag, and pulled out a can of food. She opened it, and while eating with her mouth full, said, “Uff gobben preffuy gud’ aff rumming pfrom frose guyfs,” Kain looked up in response to the compliment. Rika swallowed her mouthful of food and continued. “Back when I found you, you couldn’t even move! Now you're sprinting from enforcers, swiping food, and running along with me. You must learn from the best, eh?” Rika smiled, but before long went back and continued to stuff her mouth full of food. It was true. Kain had only been with Rika for a couple of months, but had adapted to this new lifestyle quickly. Swallowing another mouthful, Rika said, “You didn’t even have a name when I found you.” Kain looked away from Rika. What she was saying was true. When he woke up in that facility some months ago, he did not know who he was. All he did was stumble blindly around the world until she found him. She taught him how to live, she clothed him, she gave him a name. A name that he treasured even now. What mattered most, however, was that she promised to help him. Help Kain get the “old him” back. That declaration, that promise, was what made Kain trust Rika. Kain knew that there must be something out there, and Rika believed him. Now, however, they were just trying to survive in the debauched city known as the slums. Kain threw his head back and sighed. Even with the help of his trusted friend, they hadn’t really gotten anywhere with recovering information about himself. They had searched ruins of failed government buildings for census records, tried to buy information off of drunken men in bars, and much more. Sadly, they had gotten nowhere. Kain would not stop looking for himself, though. That was the promise he made when he was walking down the dark corridor the first day he remembered in this world. There was no way that Kain would give that promise up, not for anything. Kain rubbed his temples and moved on. He dug in the bag and grabbed a can of food and looked at the label on the front. He still could not read, as he forgot how too due to his amnesia-like state. He was lucky, however, that Rika knew how to read and was adamant on teaching them whenever they had time. In addition to reading, she had taught him the history of this world. Looking up and out of the alleyway, his eyes landed on one of the huge billboards that was illuminated by spotlights shining from under it. The sign showed a picture of a young girl, around his and Rika’s age, posing with her hands down clasped together and closed eyes, as if praying. She had long and braided hair sporting the color blond, and faint white skin. It seemed she had on a white robe with gold hems lining the edges and fringes. While the billboard also had some text that he could not read, he knew what some of it meant. Rika had told him. According to her, the world had a multitude of ruling houses, seven in total. Each house had a champion of sorts, a special child chosen among throws of special children known as “virtue born”. The virtue born, as said by Rika, were children chosen at twelve that had affinities for abilities. Some of these children were separated into groups for which they had strength for the most. There were Humility, Charity, Temperance, Gratitude, Chastity, Patience, and Diligence. Leading the seven sectors were the seven houses, figureheads of their corresponding virtue. Rika’s knowledge ended there, as she had been in the slums her entire life. People in the slums did not know much about what went on in the center of the city, known as Olympus Mons. Rika did not want to talk about the city's capital. Staring more at the billboard, Kain wondered if that girl on the sign knew him. If there were no answers in the slums, he would simply just go higher. Kain clenched his fist in resolve. He would reclaim himself, no matter what, no matter the cost. Rika called from beside him, breaking him out of his stupor. “Hey, whatcha’ thinking about? Whatever, just come on. It’s getting dark, let’s head back to camp.” She stood up and brushed herself off, then offered a hand to Kain. He simply just stared at her. “What are you just staring at? Come on!” She shook her hand, emphasizing her help. Kain’s eyes softened, and he reached out and grabbed her hand. After getting up and putting on the backpack, they headed toward camp. One last time, Kain looked over his shoulder, back at the billboard, wondering if anybody anywhere knew him.

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