Confused as she was, Alina is happy. But why is the guy that always strikes up a conversation with her in the bazaar helping her?

But there was no time to think about it. In a few minutes, Rudy brought the group car and Alina’s mother and brother, Mona and Drake, rode on it. Alina opted to ride with Jeremy on his motorcycle.

“Where’s Charles and Derek?” Jeremy asked, thinking they would join them and leave together.

“They’re watching over us” said Rudy

Jeremy kick started the bike, and the boat keychain jingles and a light bulb lights in ALina's head. She has been on this bike before, not long ago. She remembers the chaos in the bazaar and hiding in the storage block and watching the content of the cylinders and Jeremy’s promise,

“You promised me a ride” said Alina

“Not on the bike but…wait you recall!” said Jeremy.

Their conversation needed to take a halt,

“Drive fast!” said Rudy

It’s the old earth gang. Their grouping together drove suspicion and now the gangs are closing up on them for interrogation. But the car and bike drive without looking back.

They drive by more gang members, who upon seeing them, enter their vehicle to give chase. More and more come and they’re closing in. Alina doesn’t know what to do,

“I think…on the right we can lose them..maybe” said Alina

“Don’t worry about it” said Jeremy just as a gunshot penetrates the loudness. The gang member's bike in the back falls down and twists and is blasted sideways.

Jeremy smiles, knowing exactly what happened.

“The eagle is in action” said Jeremy

Alina looks up everywhere.

As the firing continues, the old earth gang members' cars and bikes stop following them and Alina finally sees him.

Charles on top of one of the buildings, with a rifle. Two rifles are on standby near him. Derek refills while Charles fires. The rifle is empty. Charles tosses it to the side and Derek hands him the refilled one.

The old earth gang stops as the shots are fired. The group drives away while more shots are heard.

“They have guns!” a gang member said

“We can’t chase them anymore, we can’t shoot them, Joseph wants them alive” said another gang member.

Alina was impressed at how organized the boys were. And how skillful they were with the rides and the weapons. They’ve been working all this time to escape. Alina remembers her sitting around waiting for help and she still is. She has let herself down. She did herself so badly.

If she had acquired a weapon and learned how to use it she wouldn’t have her memories removed. Alina’s disappointment turns into terror remembering the black cylinders she watched, the fact that they remove memories or rather they mirror it into a cylinders to keep and then they place them in chambers filled with the inhibitor gas and the subject blocks out, erasing their memories. It’s all coming back to her now.

It’s all thanks to her rapid breathing on the bike. The scientists that invented this substance knew of this side effect and that's why they removed people’s memories and sent them off to the new earth where the air, water and food is regulated to not detoxify the body of the injections that inhibits some parts of the brain.

Luckily for Alina, the earth’s oxygen alone helps to get rid of the inhibitors and release the memories from their cage.

Gregory, who erased her memories and dumb her out, wasn’t aware of this.

Alina saw, in one of the black cylinders. A beautiful and eerily serene modern world. She saw a woman having breakfast. Eggs and bacon. The women approach the doors and the doors open sideways on their own. Outside, the woman picks a jar of milk and everything is clean and neat. The trees are nicely shaped. In her memory the woman looks up. The sky was magnificently blue. Not a sign of pollution or dust.

“The world looked so nice before the new earth project” thought Alina

Alina remembers another black cylinder, where the point of view on the screen is of a person in a suit in this same beautiful world. He is in the backseat of a car and the driver is hidden by the car seat.

“Left you idiot. How many times do I have to tell you? That road is always crowded. Geez. you’d think you’d have a brain since you came out of a lab but all that is in there is hair” said the person in suit

The driver grabs the steering wheels harder

“Seriously humanoids. More like monkeys” added the person in suit

The car swerves to an empty alley and stops. The driver turns back, baring his fangs and leans toward the screen. Hair around his head like a lion's mane and black lines on their cheeks and spiky hair. He has claws and thick skin. Just like the figure that knocked Alina out in the storage block.

“What..what are you doing?!” said the person in suit

The man raises his hands. The humanoid bites a chunk of meat off his right arm. The man screams.

The hairy head covers the screen and a sudden loud scream is heard and the screen turns black.

“They eat humans…it was the same world as the women” thought Alina, realizing that the black cylinders must be of the people in the new earth. And she was right on the money.

Over at the roof, Charles and Derek hustles to move away before they’re located. Annoyed at the fact that Rudy took his jeep, Charles looks unimpressed at Rudy’s bike that he has to ride in with Derek.

“Lose the cannon shooter Charles.. and the bazooka.” said Derek holding the bike’s keys.

Charles, with his bazooka, walks toward the bike unregarding towards Derek. Derek drives off knowing he will not be complied to.

Charles and Derek floor the bike to catch up with the others,

who by now, hasn’t got far enough due to Rudy's lack of experience in driving the Jeep.

“Yeah steady now you’re doing great Rudy” Jeremy lies through his teeth to blow some confidence in Rudy.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Charles usually never lets anyone near the jeep” Jeremy said to Alina who was in her own world recalling what she saw.

She jerks suddenly and keeps looking from side to side

“What..what happened?” wondered Jeremy

“Where are they?” said Alina

“We already lost them”

“No the new earth guards”

“I don’t know, why? Why does it matter now?”

Alina didn’t answer, she kept her eyes sharp but a bike's raging sound coming near made her heart stop. She turns back. It was Charles and Derek's racing to catch up. She gave a sigh of relief but she knew the new earth guards were around. They’re always around. But it is so much less guarded now.

Charles waves at Rudy to stop the car for him to take over since they wish to arrive before the planes leave.

But before stopping they notice a car is tailing them. Alina looks back and she notices a familiar face. She is surprised, she sighs. Jeremy reacts to her sighing. The car is a new earth guards car

“Don’t stop!” yelled Alina

The car drives fast passing the motorcycles and the jeep by a while and then stops in an alley. Alina is still following the parked car with her eyes and her worst fear has come to life. The door opens and a new earth guard comes out.

Even as the sun was setting and the vision unclear she cannot forget this existence. With its helmet on, there was no doubt about it, it was Gregory the humanoid.

“Interesting, looks like those lab jerks forget to report something” said Gregory

The groups’ jeep and the two bikes drive past him but multiple new earth guards, in head to toe white gears arrive by his side in cars and bikes. Gregory points at Jeremy’s bike.

“Catch the girl.. she remembers!” said Gregory

The guards move instantly in the direction of the bikes. The group accelerates, since when do the new earth guards follow people around? we’re not in their territory.

The new earth guards are now behind them. Gunshots from their side are fired. Disturbing the group.

The three rides divide and start to drive in zig zag. Alina looks back. The furthest back, the bike’s rider is wearing head to toe gear but from the back a long mane like hair is coming off the helmet. Gregory gets on his bike and is now following.

The sight of the mane hair flickered a memory in ALina.

Back at storage Block 7. She is on the floor in shock. Gregory cornered her. The door is closed. She is scared and can’t move. He grabs her arms and points a gun at her head-

“Bang” said Gregory

-and shot. Leaving her unconscious. But in a few minutes she was gaining consciousness back and with a blurry vision, as she was lying down in the middle of the room, she saw the new earth guards walking around her. Getting wires and gears placed on her head. And a needle is injected into her arm. And she was out again.

It was him he erased her memories! And he was to her left. Gregory, still all covered, drove past everyone is now in clear shot of Alina

Fazed, Alina recognizes him from his long mane and his feral eyes. Not more than two meters away from Jermey’s bike he pulls out a gun,

“Bang” said Gregory, muffled by the mask. But before firing, Jeremy closes in with his bike. Grabs a knife that is strategically placed in a pocket below the steering handle and stabs Gregory’s arm and pushes it away in the process. Gregory drops the gun and retreats to the back.

“An acquaintance of yours?” said Jeremy

“It’s him.. the humanoid.” said Alina

Gregory retreats to the back. His arm is bleeding.

“Catch her. She will not step foot in the new world!” said Gregory

The new earth guards shooting intensifies. The three rides swerving in all directions.

Charles adjust his seating and faces backward with a bazooka in his hands,

“Ready!” yelled Charles

Derek drives to the middle. The new earth guard sees the bazooka and stops shooting and just as they turn to avoid it, Charles fires.

Bombing most of them leaving behind only two bikes moving.

Gregory in the back was able to avoid it.

The bazooka sent Charles and Derek flying forward in front of Jeremy’s bike.

The new earth guards and Gregory stopped.

The remaining new earth guards removed their helmets. And Alina, who is fixated on them, sees something. And she sighs.

Jeremy, upon hearing Alina, looks back and is stunned. He turns his bike and stops.

Rudy sees Jeremy stopping and does the same. Still haven’t looked back.

Charles, still facing backward, pats Derek’s shoulder-

“...st...stop!” said Charles to Derek

Derek stops suddenly making Charles fall forward but he supports himself with the bazooka.

The new earth guards, all uncovered now, are humanoids, each looking different with different shaped heads and face marks and manes.

The standing new earth guards walk towards their blasted friends and remove their helmets, showing that they’re still alive and five even stood up.

The group freaked out. They were blasted with a bazooka. Charles is surprised the most and has gotten up from the bike-

“How can this be?!” said Charles

Finally Gregory removed his helmet and walked to the front of the new earth guards. He points at them.

The standing new earth guards walk towards them. The group is puzzled. The new earth guards walk faster and faster. Until they bolt.

The six youths are freaking out. Rudy drives the jeep first and Jeremy follows.

“Charles!” yelled Derek and Charles jump fast on the bike and they all drive like maniacs. The humanoids are bolting at them with their glaring eyes and manes flying everywhere.

“Shit! they’re so determined.” said Jeremy and they were after Alina and she knew it

“They’re after me.. Drop me…somewhere” said Alina, scared as a cat. Jeremy smirks at her but Alina insists, seeing how everyone will be dead because of her. Her family, and the kind boys that helped her.

“Just make sure my family reaches the new earth.” pleaded Alina

“You go ahead, we’ll lose them and meet you at the agreed place” said Jeremy to Charles and Derek

Jeremy drove in the alley and every new earth guard followed him and Alina only.

The rest of the group stopped and they’re all puzzled.

Jeremy didn’t show it but he was freaking out but he hid it so well as not to scare Alina.

“We’ll lose them, don't worry I know a way” said Jeremy in a stuttering voice alerting Alina to his fear.

Even the well adjusted and skilled group are having a weak moment.

She wondered if Jeremy can pull it through seeing that the humanoids are getting closer. But it clicked in her head again. There she is waiting for help again. Alina wanted to do something. For the first time of her life she wanted to control the outcome of her life and maybe even Jeremy’s life. She is confident, maybe she can do it.

“I need a lighter...and turn right” said Alina and Jeremy does as she said

“You wanna fill me in here?” said Jeremy

Alina was taking a leap of faith.

The new earth guards, humanoids, uncovered, charge at them on foot.

The lighter in Alina’s hand, holding it as if her life depended on it, which it did.

“Turn left and slow down a bit.” said Alina

“Yes ma’am.”

The bike stops. A little ahead of a pub, called Allen’s Pub. where Alina’s father used to hang out with his friends. She has come to this pub multiple times to call her father for dinner. Barrels of liquor are lined outfront.

Alina gets off. Walk to Allen’s pub. Hurriedly pushes the barrels down and rolls them. She places 4 barrels before the steps of the humanoids are heard.

“COME ON!” said Jeremy

She wipes the sweat from her forehead. Alina unplugs the bung hole for one of the barrels. Wine pours out. She opens the lighter. The humanoids have come from the turn and are now face to face.

Jeremy is restless. A wine paddle forms and expands. As the wine paddle expands Alina takes a foot back.

“Alina!” Jeremy can’t stop gearing the bike

“I…got it… I GOT IT!” said Alina trying more to convince herself than Jeremy.

The humanoids are 20 meters aways. Alina opens the lighter. She Gets back a little and switches on the flame and places it horizontally on the floor near an approaching wine paddle.

She gets on the bike and Jeremy drives off.

The wine reaches the lighter. The flame burns the vapors first and the fire spreads to the accumulated barrels.

The barrels burn and the humanoids see it but are at such a high speed they can’t stop. They enter the fire and the barrels explode.

Alina has been able to save Jeremy just like he did to her. Did something change? Was it courage, luck, or was it Jeremy by her side. Their meetup might not have taken long but it added so much to her.

“YES!” yelled Alina, unable to contain her happiness.

Derek and Charles comes from the sideway startling Jeremy

“That was crazy! We could’ve been in that fire” said Derek

“I thought I told you to go on ahead” Jeremy said

“Yeah right” sneered Charles

The two bikes drove away.