It was still cold when 636 woke up the next day. Her bag hadn’t done much to keep her from shivering in the night and her nightmares had returned, causing her to wake up multiple times in the night.
She wondered what it would have been like if she had just gone with Zaiden Amin yesterday. Would she have slept better in their tents or would she be dead after one of his men killed her in her sleep.
She saw the fear in their eyes when she used her ability yesterday and if it wasn’t for Zaiden she would have killed them all. Being in the labs had made her irrational. Made her think everyone was out to get her. She had let that paranoia take control and she had almost killed dozens of people who hadn’t even harmed her.
636 doubted anyone other than Zaiden actually wanted her to stay with them. She was too much of a freak. An experiment.
The knowledge that Zaiden had shared with her put 636 on edge. People had known about the labs. The soldiers probably knew what she was by now. She doubted they would be so quick to give her pity like Zaiden had, they’d probably want to kill her instead.
But 636 only had a few more days worth of food. No knowledge of hunting or making fires. 636 had almost frozen to death last night. Plus, she doubted she’d run into more people, especially ones willing to let her stay with them. There was only one more day until they said they would head back to their base. Wherever that was.
636 walked out of the forest and into a clearing to watch the sunrise. It was something she hoped she’d never get used to. She hoped that every morning would feel like this. She’d feel at peace if it wasn’t for the decision she had to make constantly moving through her head.
The more 636 thought about it the more she realized there was only one smart choice to make. So 636 gathered her things and started walking towards the hill Zaiden said they’d be staying. If worse comes to worse she could always crush everyone.
Not that she wanted to, but it was an option.
636 had been wandering for what seemed like forever and for a second she thought she was lost. If it wasn’t for the distant sound of life up ahead, she would have kept wandering for hours.
She watched the camp from her spot on the top of the hill cautiously. 636 searched for Zaiden’s figure around the camp but couldn’t see him. He was probably inside one of the tents. Which looked really warm. It would have been nice to sleep in something like that.
After standing on the hill for way too long and people started to give 636 odd looks, she got the courage to walk to the camp. A few men grabbed their guns but didn’t make a move to point them at 636, so she counted that as an improvement.
A man with choppy blonde hair and brown eyes stepped forward, his grip on his gun at his side turning white as he approached her. He was trying to act cool but 636 could see the fear lacing his eyes.
The blonde cleared his throat and straightened his back. “Commander Amin is in his tent. Stay out here while I get him. Don’t. Cross. This. Line.” He said, pointing to the ground. 636 didn’t see an actual line but stayed put anyway. It was better not to trigger happy soldiers to shoot.
The man left, presomanly to get Zaiden, and 636 was left alone with about a dozen soldiers. All of which wouldn’t take their eyes off of her. No one said anything and the silence was uncomfortable. 636 grabbed the straps of her bag just to do something with her hands. The move may have been a bit premature because it caused the group to raise their guns.
“Lower your weapons.” Zaiden’s voice cut through the crowd as he walked up to 636, which hesitantly followed his order. 636 kept her eyes on the group as he got closer. Noticing her discomfort, Zaiden called out to the group again. “You all still have jobs to do, do you not?”
The group slowly dispersed, some watching the two as they walked away. Once everyone was gone, Zaiden turned towards 636 again and smiled, welcoming her.
“Did you change your mind?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t.” 636 responded emotionlessly.
Zaiden didn’t seem to mind her bluntness and motioned for her to follow him. They walked through the camp, the feeling of eyes on her wherever she went. There were people gathered around fires, which 636 stared at for too long, completely intrigued by the thing she wanted to learn how to make. Tents were everywhere, there was most likely one for every person here, the make-shift shelters flooding her peripheral vision.
Zaiden led her to the largest tent and held the flap open for her to walk through. There wasn’t much inside, just a bed and desk full of papers. A few maps littered the walls and 636 got closer to them to get a better look. She tried to find any big landmarks that might give her a sense of direction and then spotted the cave she had stayed in, marked with a red dote. There were a few more red dots scattered across the map. Too many for her to count actually.
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“What do the red marks mean?” she asked when Zaiden stood next to her.
“Wolf-Spider sightings.”
“Wolf-Spiders?”
“I’m sure you’ve run into one by now, those things are practically everywhere. Anyone traveling through the lands for a few days is bound to see one.” Zaiden said, “They’re the big bat-looking things with tons of legs.”
636 thought back to her night at the cave, remembering the monster she had seen. The way it had attacked her without warning. Were those things really everywhere?
“I did see one a couple nights ago.” 636 grimanced, “It was quite ugly.”
Zaiden chuckled at her remark but he couldn’t help but agree with her deduction. “They are rather foul creatures, yes. Though I’m unsure why we call them Wolf-Spiders. Both wolves and spiders look prettier than them.”
636 looked down at the ground. He was too comfortable around her. It wasn’t normal.
“I won’t be staying with you guys for long.” She said, “I just needed a place to sleep tonight.”
Zaiden nodded and 636 detected a hint of disappointment. “Alright.” he said, “Though I must warn you, there isn’t much room left here. You would have to either stay with me in here or I could try to convince one of my female soldiers to house you.” He scratched the back of his neck in thought.
“That’s fine. As long as it’s warm.”
“Right, well I have to go check on some things. You’re welcome to stay here, though I would advise against exploring the camp.” He exited the tent without another word, leaving 636 to herself once again.
Once she sat down on the bed in the corner of the tent she didn’t move for hours. Zaiden was busy with running the camp and seeing as they’re leaving tomorrow, there was a lot to be done. Not to mention, he had to convince the group, which was severely scared of her, to allow 636 to stay the night; she doubted anyone would volunteer to house her.
636 hugged her legs to her chest and watched the entrance to the tent. The flap moved a couple times in the wind but other than that it remained closed.
With nothing else to do, she looked at the maps on the wall again. They made the world seem so small. As if all it took to display the earth was a small piece of parchment.
Zaiden finally returned to the tent, he didn’t even comment on 636 sitting on his bed, he just tossed a rolled up blanket to her and told her to follow him. Standing outside the tent was the same man from when she first came to the camp. He narrowed his eyes into a glare as soon as they made eye contact.
“Careful, Malcolm, your face might get stuck.” Zaiden smirked at the man, Malcolm, and continued to walk towards the campfire in the center of the camp. The sun had already set and 636 was a little disappointed that she missed it.
Everyone was gathered around the fire, 636 was met with the smell of freshly cooked soup and the scent made her stomach growl. Zaiden handed her a bowl and Malcohm glared at the exchange. He really didn’t seem to like her.
Zaiden sat on a log far away from everyone else and not knowing where else to sit she went over to him. Of course, Malcohm followed and sat down next to Zaiden before 636 could get the chance to.
He shook his head at Malcohm’s protectiveness and pushed him so that there would be room on Zaiden’s other side. They sat in silence, eating the meal provided to them. 636 watched the rest of the group, which seemed to be more comfortable with her presence now.
They were talking loudly and laughing to each other and a small part 636 longed for that type of connection with people. She hadn’t had a single friend since Seth died. Over time she had forgotten what it felt like.
“Simone volunteered to let you stay with her.” Was the first thing Zaiden had said to 636 since they sat down and 636 was surprised by the news. She thought everyone would be too scared to be around her.
“Who’s Simone?” She asked.
“She’s the big black girl sitting next to the short, scrawny, white boy.” Malcolm said, irritated.
Zaiden made an odd face as he looked at Malcolm. “Well that’s certainly a way to describe her,” he said and then turned to 636, “Simone is my third in command. She’s nice. Won’t give you any trouble but she also isn’t much of a talker.”
636 looked at the woman she would be staying with. She was rather muscular and her black frizzy hair was tied back into a ponytail. 636 looked at her own hair, which despite being tied back, was still a mess. Maybe Simone could help her with it, she looked to know some things about hair since hers was so nice, even in such a humid setting.
The weather was something she didn’t know if she’d get used to. It was hot in the daytime and freakishly cold at night. Even as 636 sat next to another person, inching towards his warmth every chance she got, she was still freezing.
“Are you cold?” Zaiden asked quietly, so Malcohm couldn’t hear, though the blonde looked too busy to care.
“Of course not. I shiver because it's fun.” 636 replied sarcastically.
636 watched as Zaiden removed his windbreaker and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was immediately warmer and grateful for the black jacket now placed around her body but was confused by his actions. She hugged it closer to her chest and looked up at Zaiden.
“You’re welcome.” He said with a small smile and then cleared his throat. “Now, let's get you to Simone’s tent.”
Simone’s tent was slightly smaller than Zaidens but still had enough room for two. 636 laid out her blanket she had received from Zaiden earlier and made herself comfortable. Zaiden had left the two girls alone and 636 removed the armored vest so that she only had her tank top and pants on. Before she pulled the blanket over herself, she grabbed Zaiden’s jacket and put it on. It was soft on the inside and 636 fell in love with the comfort it provided.
Simone didn’t say a word to her and 636 wasn’t about to start a conversation, so the two went to sleep quickly. It was much easier for 636 to fall asleep surrounded by the warmth of the tent. The nightmares didn’t return that night.