As he ran, Arya flashed back to all the time he had spent with his mom the past few years. They were few and far between, but for the few hours they were together each week, it was pure happiness. Vague fragments of memories came rushing back to Arya. The first time he played a card game. The first time he cooked. The first time he rode a bike.

He smiled nostalgically. It was an old bike, probably found somewhere in a dumpster. But when his mom brought it home...it was beautiful. He tried endlessly to get it to ride. Tidying the wheels, greased the chains, the works. And when it finally rode? Well, Arya had never felt anything more exhilarating in his life.

A tear droplet started to form in the corner of Arya’s eye.

He approached Mickey’s house. It was a standard flat, though slightly larger and nicer-looking than the one his mom owned. It was full painted, for starters, and none of the coating was chipped. He knocked on the oak door (a luxury for many Edge Dwellers).

A muffled bang was heard before he made out an indistinct “Coming!”.

The door creaked open and there stood Mickey, swaddled in a thick blanket with a foul-smelling bowl in his hands.

“Yeah?” Mickey asked sickly.

“Uhh…” Arya began.”Are you good?”

Mickey just looked at him. “Do I look ‘good’? Anyways, whatcha come here for.”

“Well, I kinda changed my-WHOA, WHAT?” He exclaimed as Mickey began to throw up violently.”Dude, what happened?”

“Meat.” Mickey answered weakly.”Probably, should have checked the bag, but I was too goddamn hungry.”

“Your siblings okay?” Arya asked worriedly.

“Yeah, they’ll be alright. I cooked ‘em something different for that night, somethin’ special that I had planned the day before yesterday. They’re fine.” He chuckled shakily.

“So...I guess I’ll just come back later.” Arya said slowly.

“Nah, you good. So, what did you want again?” Mickey asked.

“That business thing.” Arya responded.”I want in.”

Mickey furrowed his brow. “How come all of the sudden the change of heart?”

Arya grimaced.”Some...things happened back home. Ergo, I come here.”

Mickey looked at him skeptically, but let it go.”Well, as you can see-” He gestured to himself.”I’m not in the best shape right now. Normally, I would accompany you. Buuuut…” He pointed to his head.”I know where the rendezvous is.”

Arya nodded.”Alright, so where is it?”

“In the old Broken Hands Memorial. You know...the one we used to play around before it was gated?” He asked.

Arya remembered.”Yeah, I remember. 3rd grade, right?”

Mickey smiled.”Yeah, that one. Just...be sure to look around you, alright. Never can tell when a stray guard’s patrolling.” He muttered.

“Caught us too many times, huh?” Arya chuckled.

“Well, y’can never be too careful.” Mickey grinned.”Well then, you best be on your way before I heave another one.”

Arya winced.”Yeah, not your best look. Take care, Mick.”

“You too, Arya.” With that, Mickey pulled the door closed and Arya heard the lock click.

Sighing, Arya recollected what path he needed to take. It had been lost to him over the last few years, so it took him a bit. He eventually did, though, and started off, breaking into a light jog.

“Let’s see what kinda cuckoo mission Mick got himself into, shall we?” Arya simpered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Broken Hands memorial had been abandoned for a long time now and upkeep was generally left to the locals. It was a bit far away, but Arya was used to running long distances, albeit mostly out of breath.

It was initially just a random spot in a lush garden. But during the era of chaos and distrust, the garden was destroyed. It was fitting, considering anything beautiful or precious was annihilated at that time. Trust. Hope. Safety.

Eventually, the locals rebuilt the garden. And in it, they built the Broken Hands memorial, a reminder of that chaotic time. The government also nationally recognized this memorial, and it became a popular spot for tourists. However, as tensions grew higher between the wealthy and the impoverished, that slowed. Until, finally, it died out.

The government refused to let go of it. They built a metal gate around the premise and refused entry to anyone without identification.

Which is to say...most locals.

Needless to say, many were not happy about this. To this day, many locals would still break in at night just to keep the place tidy and to pay their respects.

Arya drew closer to the memorial. The rusted iron gate was barely fifteen feet from him now. Whipping his head side to side, he surveyed the area, checking for guard uniforms. After a while, he crept closer. And closer. Until, he was right up against the wall. He grasped the iron bars and took a breath.

He had done this so many times it almost felt automatic to him. He pulled himself upward and, in rhythm, pushed up with his legs. Pull. Push. Pull. Push. It was a mantra.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

And Arya had it memorized.

When he reached the top of the gate, he almost faltered. The tops were shaved off into a sharp spike, Careful to maneuver around it, he gripped the horizontal bar at the top and heaved himself over the edge. Instinctively, Arya tucked himself into a ball. He hit the ground and rolled, spreading the weight evenly across his whole body.

When he finally came to a standstill, he scrambled to his feet and scanned the area around him, checking to see if any guard had been alerted to his presence. None appeared. He then checked himself for breaks or scrapes. One small one on his elbow, but otherwise, he was fine.

Arya then took the liberty to wander around the garden. In hindsight, it was a pretty stupid move. He was in plain view the whole time and could have been easily caught. However, something about this place just put him at ease. He couldn’t be wary in a place that had brought his younger self such joy.

Which is why he jumped so hard when he heard a voice behind him.

“So...you’re my partner.”

Arya almost wetted himself in fear. Quickly turning around, he came face to face with a girl.

She was slightly shorter than him, 5’11 maybe? He was 6’1 so he could roughly approximate. She had brown hair dotted with streaks of blonde and she wore a faded leather jacket with ripped knee-high jeans. Her eyes were a faded green and they stared up at him in annoyance.

“Hello?” She snapped her fingers in front of his face.

“Yeah, I...think?” Arya replied uncertainly.

“You think? So...lemme get this straight.” She began.”You came to this place knowing FULL well what we’re about to do is illegal, and you don’t even have the confidence to say “yes” with an even tone? Jesus, why did I get paired up with this clown?” She rubbed her forehead.

“Hey!” Arya retorted.”I’m in it for the same reason as you. Get my hands on that bounty and leave.”

“You’re doing a piss-poor job at showing it. It seems like you just wandered in here by accident. Still...you did get in here despite that decently sized wall, so maybe you aren’t completely useless.” she smirked.

Arya clenched his teeth. Oh yeah, this girl was gonna be a thorn in his backside.

“What’s your problem? Why’dja gotta be so damn annoying. I literally just met you.” He scowled.

“I’m not new to this kinda job, Freshie. I know people like you.” She shoved a finger into his chest.”You’re vulnerable. Weak. You break easily. You’re a liability. And I don’t like liabilities. They die way too often.”

Damn. Intense was one way to describe her. This girl seemed like she’d be a shoe-in for the ninth circle of hell.

“Well, I don’t plan on it. I’ve got a mom to look after.” He told her.

Her eyes lost a little light.”Must be nice.” she muttered.

“What?” Arya didn’t quite hear her.”Di’ja say something about my mom?”

The girl chuckled.”Like you would do anything if I did say something.” She extended out her hand.”Kass.”

Arya shook it.

“Well, isn’t that nice?” A strange voice spoke out. Arya and Kass jumped backwards. A man appeared from behind a tree. He wore only a pink vest and shorts, yet his neck was covered in gold chains and Arya could barely see his wrists through the masses of gold bracelets encircling them. He wore dark shades, which perplexed Arya because it was nighttime.

“I suggest we get a move on, hmm? Don’t wanna be out past your bedtime, now do we?” he twinkled.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The man led them to a darkened alleyway, which left Arya slightly apprehensive. Stranger danger and all that.

“Let’s get started.” He said, rubbing his palms together.

“Firstly, you’re gonna need these.” He bent down and pressed his hands against the floor, apparently feeling for something. When his fingers found their target, he pushed downward and a removable hatch popped off. Arya was stunned. The hatch was completely seamless with the floor and he wouldn’t have noticed a thing normally.

He threw the hatch to the side and it clanged on the floor very audibly. Arya hissed at him.”Hey! Don’tcha think this is gonna get us caught?”

The man cracked up.”Yeah...no. No guard’s gonna risk his life just to investigate this noise. It isn’t worth what they’re paid.” He then fished out 2 backpacks and two small containers. He tossed one of each to both of them. Arya fumbled for his while Kass snagged it effortlessly.

“Alright, I guess we know who’s the weak link.” The man smirked.

Arya just rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Now, then. Our pay.”

The man nodded.”You’ll get it. Let’s get a move on, we have to be at the border soon.” He started to leave when Arya pulled him back. The man’s eyes flared. He slapped his hands away.

“Don’t. Touch me. We go. NOW!” He reiterated angrily.

“No.”Arya stood fast.”Our pay. Half now, half later. Or no dice. I know this is at least a two man job. Except...you expected four. We’re gonna have it a lot harder without four people. So...half now, half later.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. His hand crept towards his back pocket. Arya didn't break eye contact. Kass looked back and forth between the two, sweat beading up on her forehead.

Suddenly, the man was back to his amiable self.

“Well, well, well. Someone knows how to bargain. You got yourself a deal.” He reached into the hole and grabbed two sacks and lobbed them at the two. This time, Arya didn’t falter and he pinched it out of the air, as did Kass. They both untied the tops of the sacks and peered inside. And gasped.

It was filled to the brim with dollar bills. Kass shook her head, whispering softly “what in the world?” over and over as Arya just ran his fingers through them. They felt crisp and new. He was about to start counting the wide variety of bills when the man stopped them both.

“Believe me now?” He smiled. They both nodded.

“Then let's get going.” He suggested and began to jog in the direction of The Border.

Kass and Arya looked at each other and started after him.

The trip to The Border didn’t take long, roughly fifteen minutes or so. In that time, Arya’s mind began to doubt the mission. It seemed way too sketchy and Arya didn’t like the way the man had reacted to him questioning their deal. He shook it off, though, figuring that the man was just suspicious of them as well.

Soon, they reached The Border. It was a towering sight, roughly thirty feet in height and circled the entire country. From his history class, Arya had learned that the tops contained embedded glass shards, which were bound to cut through and skin that slammed onto it. Moreover, the glass was laced with a lethal nerve agent that caused paralysis to any would-be defectors or Cracked. If that wasn’t bad enough, between the glass shards was electric wire, which ran a voltage of up to 15,000.

“How do you suppose we get over this wall?” Kass inquired to the man as she inspected it.

“Simple.” He responded. Placing his thumb and his pointer finger to his mouth, he let out a long, high-pitched whistle. Arya’s muscles twitched. He hated whistles.

Instantly, a trapdoor opened under them and they were swallowed up into the darkness.