- i killed all the rainbows// {Semper}
Aug 1, 2013 15:53:32 GMT -5
Post by rook on Aug 1, 2013 15:53:32 GMT -5
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some aces up your sleeve?
i had no idea that you're in deep
i dreamed about you nearly every night this week
how many secrets can you keep?[/center]
Dev never once asked why I wanted to go to the Capitol. We walked for days and weeks on end without knowing what was ahead. We ran on blisters and slept on rough ground. We were cold and shivering, the snows covering us in an unwarm blanket whilst we slept. We avoided the lights of civilisation and kept silent the whole time. 'Course we didn't have much choice in that. I still got a week to run on my vow of silence, and I feel increasingly awkward around Dev, who is now in the comfort of thinking I'm an Avox. I hope he don't overreact if he does find out, 'cause after the weeks of travelling together I like to think of him as my friend.
I've learned a lot about my companions during our journey. Dev's an Avox, obviously, and so teaching his son can be difficult. He can't speak, and naturally neither can Colton 'cause he doesn't hear anyone else speaking. He sometimes says Uppee to Devroux, and I don't know what that means, but it makes him smile so I guess it's somethin'. There's lots of little quirks I've noticed... Like how Colton will put flowers in our hair whilst one of us has him on our shoulders (took a few days before Dev trusted me with that), and how sometimes Colton will carry a leaf as big as his face, and he won't drop it till he finds a better one. When we're settling down for the night and Colton's bored and making barking noises to try and irritate Dev, his Pa' will make antlers out of twigs and they'd play fight like deer. It's cute, but it reminds me of how wild they really are. Dev had to have a tongue at one stage in his life, and was dare-I-say-it normal. He could walk and talk and laugh... Now he's an animal, raisin' an animal. Strange thing is, they're the most human people I've ever met.
I thought about speaking once or twice. I was certain that I would talk to Dev one day, but something about the silence stopped me. In a way, it's reassuring. We know so little about each-other because we do not speak, and maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's best if Dev doesn't get to know me too well. If we bond, it could be difficult to un-bond. I'm only trying to get to the Capitol to find my folks, and start a new life. Why should I get overly involved in the life of this creature? I can almost feel my grandmother crack her walking-stick around my skull, like she always used to do whenever I said (or thought) anything stupid. Dev's my friend, and he's doing me a favor. The least I owe him is the truth. I need to speak to him, and soon.
It's been the toughest few weeks of my life, but I suppose it's going to be worth it once I find my parents. Dev said (wrote) that the best way into the Capitol was by cargo train, and so we spent the best part of a week trying to find one. We sat for days by train tracks only to find the rail had been abandoned long ago. It was frustrating, and happened a few times before we found an active rail. Even then we had to wait days for the right train. Colton was getting restless by the end of it, and became bored of holding leaves and putting flowers in our hair. Dev tried his best to settle him, but his crying almost blew our cover one or twice. We were lucky it was windy that night.
I'm somewhat of an expert on trains. This whole Avox saga started when I stopped a Capitolite from beating his servant whilst I was working as an engineer. 'Course I got fired, but I did work for four years before that, and I know pretty much everything important there is to know about locomotives. I explained this to Dev by using his pen and paper to tell him I used to work on trains. When the right train came along and stopped to refuel in an outpost, we snuck onto one of the back carriages without making a sound. Ain't that what Avoxes are best at?
The train ride has been difficult. There weren't a lot of food out in the wilderness except for berries, and they can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Luckily Dev does know, and he knows which taste best, too! You can imagine trying to survive five days on a cargo train with only a few mushrooms, berries and the remains of my nutty energy-bars. Little Colton struggled. He was looking kinda weak a few days in, making whimperin' noises and nuzzling into his daddy like he was tired, even it were the middle of the day. I gave him the rest of my nutrition bars, and that seemed to bring more life back to him. Dev and I had to survive on the bare minimum though, and that was rough. I'm just glad we've made it this far undiscovered.
I sit here now, thinking 'bout how far we've come and how we've done it all in silence. The carriage is cold at night, what with it being half-open with no sides - The rush of the train creates a constant wind that drives you crazy. I wish we had picked a more enclosed carriage. This weren't built to hold passengers. Dev and Colton snuggle up together, and even thought they've offered me a place next to them I don't take it. I sit opposite them on my own. I have tied myself to one of the support beams with a chain I found, so that I don't roll out of the train to my death (Pretty smart). I like to keep watch and make sure they're safe. Besides, I'm a big guy - I got some natural insulation on me. All the walking has kept me in shape, but the lack of food has definitely made me thinner (and weaker). I hope I can still hold my own in a fight, 'cause there's a good chance this could turn nasty at any moment.
We must be heading into the Capitol because all of a sudden I can't see the stars no more, and it gets a lot colder. We've gone into a tunnel. I want nothing more than to hug my knees to my chest, but i'm fastened in so I don't get sucked out. We're almost there. My eyes glisten under the dim yellow bulb above us. Soon I'll have answers. What worries me is that we have no plan. Once we arrive we sorta have to hope for the best. I think Dev has some kind of idea about what to do when we get there ("there" being some supplies depot) but 'cause he's without a tongue I can't really be sure what he's thinking.
I hear a rattle behind me and instantly shrug it off as a loose piece of metal or a rock hitting the roof, but then there's this heart-stopping click. A door between the carriages swings open and a man in a blue uniform steps through, whistling a tune and jingling a ring of keys. Panic fills me as I glare at the half-asleep Avox across from me. The man walks past me without seeing me. I am hidden by the shadows. But Dev is in the light. Dev is vulnerable.
He hasn't noticed, oh Ripred. The man pauses, seeing Devroux. Calmly the man whips out a black baton from his belt. I fumble with the chain around my waist, desperately trying to break free so I can take the man down from behind, but I'm not quick enough. The guard is sneaking up on Dev, getting closer and closer with his baton. He'll beat him senseless. I see Colton sleeping, his little hands clutching his Papa's shirt as he breathes deeply. It's enough for me to act.
I bark loudly like a dog, like Devroux. The man stumbles in shock, but that wasn't my intention. Hopefully I made enough noise to wake Dev or Colton up. The man comes closer to me and sees that I am tied up. He glances back to Devroux before lashing out at me. The baton strikes me across the face and knocks me senseless. I'm sure it hits me a second time, but the world is too hazy for me to tell (If only some idiot didn't tie me to a girder). Chain, chain. I fumble with the chain, but the baton strikes again. I hear another yell - Has he attacked Devroux now? Has he gone for Colton? Has backup arrived? I close my eyes and drift away, not knowing the answers to those questions.
crawling back to you
so have you got the guts?
been wondering if your heart's still open
and if so i wanna know what time it shuts
[/size][/blockquote]so have you got the guts?
been wondering if your heart's still open
and if so i wanna know what time it shuts
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