“Any luck?” Gio was sitting with Asa in their home. Kai was happy to see Asa with a bit more strength.
“I left your bike behind the fence.” Kai said. “I…didn’t have any luck.”
“I thought you said you were going to be gone for a few days. Is everything okay?” Asa looked up from the playing cards he was holding.
“Yeah, Ace, yeah.” Kai went over and kneeled down next to Asa and Gio. “I just forgot something.”
“Do you really have to go wherever you’re going?” Asa questioned.
Kai clicked his tongue and sighed. “It would be in all of our best interests, I promise.” He got up to grab a few more things he thought he might need.
“Can you at least take the phone, Kai?” Asa started to get up, but Gio stopped him.
“I’ll get it, don’t worry.” Gio sat up.
“You need that for emergencies.” Kai shrugged his bag off of his shoulder and put in the bag Doctor Wang gave him.
“Dude, I’m going to be here with him. Don’t worry, I have my phone.” Gio gave Kai a look that indicated he wouldn’t accept defeat.
“Okay, okay.” Kai watched Gio took the phone off of a bookshelf in their home and handed it to Kai. Kai put it in his bag and kneeled back down next to Asa.
“You know I love you, right? No matter what happens, I’ll do anything to protect you and make sure you’re okay.” Kai’s heart broke at how tired Asa looked.
“You talk like you’re not coming back.” Asa frowned. “You…are coming back, right?”
“You think I can find people out there that are better than you guys? No way.” Kai grinned at Asa. “But, seriously. Don’t be afraid to tell Gio if you need anything. He already promised me it’s not an inconvenience. And, if anything, call me.”
“Sure, Kai.” Asa nodded and enveloped his brother into a hug.
“I’ll see you guys.” Kai took one last look at Asa and Gio before he left.
Kai had no idea how he was going to get into the east. He knew the trucks were an option, but there could be soldiers lingering everywhere. There were plenty of reasons to be concerned about the adventure he was taking. Kai had to consider the fact that the next few days may be his last. Kai wouldn’t care as much if it wasn’t for the fact that Asa needed Chi. If he died, there was no one who would bring the antidote to Asa.
Kai walked by a lake that was clear a few years ago, but it was now an offensive greenish color. The people in the west used to be able to purify the water, but they would get some sort of disease if they even entertained the idea of drinking the severely contaminated water.
The lake was close to a small town that Kai had never seen. Sure, maybe they drove past it when he was a kid, but he had no recollection of the event if it even happened. The town was closer to one of the east’s dump sites, but it was in better condition than where Kai lived. There was even an outdoor market. Kai didn’t have too much money, but it may be wise to scope out anything that might be necessary.
“Hello.” A woman said as she walked past Kai. Kai offered her a friendly smile and continued on. He felt so bad for the people trying to sell handmade items to survive. They surely put a lot of their heart into what they made, but no one had the money to pay for it. It was heartbreaking to see. It also angered Kai even more. The east did this. The east took everything from good people, all because they weren’t in as good of finances as some other people. Because their family didn’t own a company. Normal people were unacceptable to the east.
“I was starting to think you were possessed in that trance of yours.” A black haired male, probably around his age wearing round framed glasses, smirked at him. “What are you doing around here?”
Kai shrugged. “I don’t even know. I think I’m walking in circles.”
“Come with me.” The male motioned to a stand under a dying tree. “I’m Ren, by the way.”
“Kai.” Kai shook Ren’s hand. “You work here?”
“Mhm, I make a solid dollar fifty a day if I’m lucky.” Ren joked and leaned against the tree. “You’re not from this town, are you? Are you going to go check out the border, or something? I don’t know why people want to see it so much.”
“I’m not from here. You’re right about me going to the border, though. Only thing is that I’m going into the east.”
Ren laughed, but slowly stopped when he saw Kai wasn’t laughing.
“Holy shit, you’re serious.” Ren said.
“My brother’s life depends on it. It’s complicated.” Kai crossed his arms over his chest. “But I don’t know my way around here.”
“Well, good thing I found you.” Ren looked around his table and grabbed a pen and paper. He crudely drew a map on it. “It looks shitty, but you get the point.” He handed the paper to Kai. “So, what’s your gameplan? How are you going to make it past the border?”
“I guess I’ll have to plan more while I’m headed over there.” Kai folded the paper and put it in his pocket. “Maybe one of the trucks. Last resort is somehow sneaking past them, but I know that’s basically impossible.”
“Don’t attempt things you aren’t certain about. Well, just think logically. We can’t predict what those assholes do.” Ren said. “I’m not calling you stupid, don’t worry. I know because-” He paused to lift up the hem of his shirt to reveal two healed bullet entry holes. “I tried booking it across the border and got these beauties.” He lowered his shirt and relaxed back against the tree. “It was fucking scary.”
“Well, I’m glad you made it. Thank you for the map.” Kai patted his pocket where he put the map before he reached into his other pocket. “Here. I’ll take one of your paintings. They're really nice.”
“Thanks, man. Take whichever you want.” Ren held up a finger. “But, under one condition. You come see me when you get back and tell me all about your adventures. I better not see any blood on that painting, though.”
“No promises.” Kai winked at Ren and picked up one of the paintings. “I’ll see you around.”
“Bye, Kai.”
While Kai was walking, he put the painting away. He was really happy he bumped into someone like Ren. The map was extremely helpful. Ren even put some landmarks and how far they were from the border.
The border was apparently ten miles from where Kai was, which meant that he could probably get there within two hours if he really pushed it. Rushing was kind of complicated though, because Kai was encountering a lot more than he expected. He had to maneuver around dead bodies. The east definitely had sniper rifles, given the distance the bodies were from the border. That, or people could only make it so far before they succumbed to their wounds.
Kai ducked behind a car still elevated by a car jack and peered around it to see a gang. They were making their way towards one of the trucks from the east. Kai could make out a uniformed soldier pulling a body out from a van and throwing it into a pile. He also discarded multiple trash bags. Kai needed to get closer. The van was military-grade and looked more like a tank than a van.
Kai had two options: sneak into the van and possibly encounter half a dozen soldiers inside of it, or make a break for it once the gang tried to attack the van.
“Hey, fuckers!” A member of one of the gangs yelled at the soldiers from the east. “Do you know how that’s impacting us? Your trash is making us sick. People are dying. Why don’t you take your garbage and shove it up your ass? You took enough away from us.”
Maybe they weren’t a gang. Kai didn’t really care regardless. He snuck from behind the car to behind a building and slowly crept closer to the truck while the soldiers were distracted.
“That was the last of the trash anyway.” The soldier closed one of the back doors of the van. “Besides everyone in the west. I would suggest saving your breath because your days are numbered. Soon enough, the west will be no more and the peace will come back.”
“There won’t be peace until the east is gone. If we would have had a compromise when this first happened, we could all be equal. Why did the east get to pick and choose who was good enough to stay there, huh? Why couldn’t we all work together?” One of the other men in the group asked.
“Every man for himself. Why help you guys out? We are flourishing, but you’ll never get the chance to see.” The soldier sauntered towards the men. “Do you really want to do this?”
“We aren’t violent people, but I’ve done things I never thought I could to help my family survive.” The tallest man in the group held onto the strap of his backpack tightly.
Kai took the opportunity to sneak into the van and hide until some blankets and duffel bags. It seemed like the soldiers slept in the vans sometimes.
All Kai could hear was the soldier yell and take the first shot. A swarm of screaming filled the radius of the van and Kai covered his ears to drown out some of the sound. He knew those men were dead. They never even stood a chance.
“Fuck them.” The soldier entered the vehicle after he closed the other door of the van. “They really thought that they did something. They think we care. Isn’t that sweet?”
“Precious.” A second voice responded. “Let’s get back.”
Kai kept as quiet as he could while he was in the van. Although the front of the van and the back were completely divided, Kai still feared making even the faintest of sounds. He had no idea where the hell he was going, and his heart was practically beating out of his chest. The panic set in even more when there was a loud whirring sound coming from outside. The van continued to drive after the sound for a bit until Kai heard it stop and the driver put on the breaks.
It felt like hours that Kai remained motionless in the back of the van before he slowly got up. He opened the back door of the van ever so slightly to peer at his surroundings. It was a monochromatic parking garage filled with vans much like the one he was in. Being in the east made him shudder. It felt wrong.
Kai hopped out of the van once he finished scoping his surroundings.
Just as soon as he stood up, Kai was knocked down. He looked to his left to see a brunette male gazing down at him, hatred in his eyes.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” The male crossed his arms over his chest. Kai noted the gun on his hip.
“Look, all I need is to get a medication for my brother and then I’m gone. Please.” Kai was embarrassed to have to be looked down on by someone in the east. There was a lot he could say, but it was in Kai’s best interest to hold his tongue.
“Yeah, okay.” He responded. “Did you not think I wouldn’t see you in the rearview mirror? Come on, that was amateur.”
Kai got up and used the van for support. He was going to die, so he may as well make his last moments alive the best. And, by the best, Kai wanted to call out how messed up the east is.
“Excuse me for not having access to vehicles in the west to practice getting into.” Kai was boiling with rage. “Do you enjoy this? Killing innocent people? Those men back there did nothing wrong.”
“Please.” The soldier rolled his eyes. “You west people are all disgusting. You’re a cesspool of criminals over there. It’s repulsive.”
“Criminals?” Kai scoffed. “You think we’re criminals?” He paused. “Wow, you’re brainwashed. We’re normal people. I’m positive the east has killed more people than the west has.”
“Alright, you’re getting on my nerves.” Kai was fast, but the solider was faster. He sucker punched Kai in the face. Kai fell back into the side of another van.
It was clear the soldier underestimated Kai, because Kai quickly got himself up and tackled the soldier.
“I’ve been through a lot of shit. You think that’s going to deter me?” Kai straddled the soldier and held him down.
The soldier could only grin at him before Kai felt a sharp pain in his side. The soldier had stabbed him in the side with a switchblade.
“Fuck.” Kai got up and ran behind a different truck.
“You’re not getting out of here. About twenty other soldiers are about to come in. You don’t stand a chance.” Kai could hear the soldier say.
“Please, just listen to me.” Kai held his side and continued to move away from the soldier. “I meant what I said about needing to get a medication for my brother. He…he really needs it. I don’t care what you think about me, but he’s the only family I have.”
Kai couldn’t hear the soldier’s voice for a while and thought he left until Kai backed up into him. The soldier immediately shoved him into the side of a van and wrapped his hands around Kai’s neck.
“I don’t want to have to beg, but I just need the medication. You can kill me if you want, my only request is that my brother gets the medication. Please.”
The soldier had an unreadable expression flash across his face, but it quickly changed back to a scowl and a tighter grip around Kai’s neck.
“Why should I care about your brother when I can just kill you now?” The soldier raised his brow, as if Kai was making the most ridiculous request in the world.
“I knew all of you in the east were the same. I’m not a criminal, I’m just a nobody. Like I said, you can kill me once I make sure my brother’s okay. He’s only 20 and he’s been sick for so long. I just want him to get better so he can experience the outdoors, so he can stand up and walk without using me for support.” Kai didn’t know what else he could say.
The soldier didn’t have time to answer before the doors barged open and a slew of soldiers entered the lot.
Kai used the opportunity to shove the soldier away and dash towards the power box. He ripped out whatever cords he could. The room quickly turned pitch black. Kai had experienced a lack of electricity in certain parts of his hometown enough to know how to maneuver around in the darkness.
Kai snuck to the left of the soldiers. Once they were inside of the parking garage, Kai slid behind him and ran out the door, not forgetting to slam it shut on the way out.
There was nothing in the near vicinity. Just the border and a few buildings that were surely for the soldiers.
The closest building was a dull brown color and it looked rather large. Kai assumed it was the sleeping quarters. He crept behind the building and noticed said building was slightly elevated. It had that cheap plastic fencing around the bottom of the building, which Kai cut with a scalpel he had on hand. He made enough space to crawl under and positioned the fencing, so it looked the same way it was before he cut it. The space was small and musty, but it was a good place to hide. He could already hear the clanking of boots on the, presumably, wooden floors of the building. Voices were muffled, but slightly deciperable.
Kai’s side was killing him, but he couldn’t let that pain take over. He was stupid to think that maybe one soldier would kind of understand his situation. Instead, the east called everyone in the west criminals. How blind could they be to the truth? Or did they just refuse to accept the truth? That soldier was probably around Kai’s age, yet he had so much more power than Kai. It scared Kai. He started to think that he wouldn’t make it back. The only thing motivating him to move forward was his brother. Kai made him a promise.
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