I groaned softly, my consciousness slowly coming back to me as I shifted uncomfortably.

My entire body, chest down, was in extreme pain. It ached like I had been hit by a bus, and I stirred as I woke up. I could tell just by the smell of the area that I was no longer in the First District. It smelled like dirt, a dry and earthy scent that made my nose burn. I squinted my eyes open slightly, taking in the world around me, trying to make sense of it all.

It was a familiar, abandoned timepiece shop. This meant that I was somewhere in the outskirts, which hardly had any visitation besides scavengers. I often came here to loot what looked expensive, but most of the time there was nothing left. The walls were left bare, with imprints of where the timepieces used to be made with shadow-like stains on the walls. I finally noticed a warmth coming from my right side, and I looked over cautiously, trying not to hurt my already bruised neck.

It was Lucas. He was leaning against me with his head resting on top of mine, fast asleep. At first, I didn't remember what had happened before, but it was slowly coming back to me. The chandelier fell...and then what? I didn't even remember being in pain, but I certainly felt it now. I looked down to realize that my chest and legs had been properly bandaged and wrapped tightly to prevent bleeding. Lucas stirred slightly as if sensing that I was awake. He took his head off of mine and looked down at me in concern.

"I'm surprised you're already awake..." he murmured. I nodded in agreement, but I still felt like I was in a daze. Staring back down at the bandages, I realize something.

"Who bandaged me?" I asked.

"I did..." he replied, looking away as if he did nothing wrong. I suppose he didn't, he did save my life after all, but I'm pretty sure I felt my face go red. An awkward silence filled the room as we both looked away from each other in embarrassment. I didn't know how to feel about it, but I suppose there wasn't another choice for him. He wouldn't have done it unless it was necessary, right? Right? I was beginning to overthink things as I contemplated the odds. I look back over to Lucas and don't make eye contact.

"Um, thanks, I appreciate it," I said, playing it off as if nothing was wrong.

We left it at that.

"So...what are we doing here?" I ask. He sighed.

"Well, after you got hit, I dragged you out to the outskirts so that they wouldn't come looking for you. We now both have bounties over our heads," he explained. I blinked twice.

"How long was I out?" I ask, panicked.

"About a day and a half."

I groan, "You've got to be kidding...." I look down at my hands and notice something peculiar. The very tips of my fingers were black as if permanently dusted with dirt. Examining my hands, a worried expression took its place on my face.

"Lucas...it's gotten worse..." I murmur.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Are you serious?"

I nod, showing him my hands and he examines them in awe.

"It's only been two days..." he mentions, "It shouldn't be this bad."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, concerned. The corner of his mouth twitched downward as if he were upset about something. Meanwhile, I was freaking out. Normally, symptoms were gained over time, not overnight, so this was concerning.

"I think you might have the new variant...." he says, finally deciding to speak.

"The new what now?"

He looks away guilty, "There's been a new variant going around, it's very new. The Council has just started researching it...but it makes the host more susceptible to symptoms. So..."

"...We have a lot less time than we originally thought." I finished. He nods solemnly.

I begin to do the math in my head. If I had already had all of the most common symptoms in this short amount of time...how long would that give me till the next stage? It would be less than a month if it's already this severe. I give myself two and a half weeks at best till the next stage. Then probably another month after that till the final stage. That was not a lot of time.

A large and repetitive thump shook the entire building, kicking up dust. Following the sound, a massive shadow overtook the window, leaving Lucas and me in complete darkness. I sighed.

"Strider..." I murmured. Lucas looked a little freaked out.

"Are you serious? Why do you look so calm?" He asked frantically.

"First of all, calm down, they have very acute hearing." I paused, "Second of all, this is not my first encounter with a Strider..." I said, getting up to peek out of the window.

"What on earth are you doing? It's going to see you!" He whispered.

"They have terrible eyesight, plus they can't look down very well because of their size." I explained, moving the curtains out of the way, "Oh great.."

"Don't tell me..." He sighed.

"It's the lion Strider."

"Damn it."

I gazed out at the Strider that was a million times my size. There are many different types of Striders, the one that I had encountered before was an elephant Strider, however, this one happened to be the one that destroyed most of Edoris, more than the rest of the Striders. It was quite literally half lion, half machine, and about three times the size of an elephant. Its massive claws dug into the dirt, kicking up the dust covering the ground in a thin sheet. One thing I didn't mention before, they have an impeccable lifespan, most likely due to the fact that they are part machines. Their one weakness was their size itself.

It hadn't seen us though, and I doubted it would, however Striders have amazing hearing, so it was best to play it safe and keep quiet.

"What if-" Lucas began to say, however, and I clapped a hand over his mouth to silence him. He gave me an annoyed look but didn't do anything to stop me. The pounding footsteps of the Strider shook the very earth, and the popcorn-textured ceiling flaked off with every step, powdering over us like snow. My hand remained over his mouth as we crouched low to the ground, staying out of view to the best of our abilities. I felt almost nauseous as we sat there in complete silence, the Strider slowly stalking off, growing disinterested. I let out a sigh of relief, and I felt Lucas relax beside me, so I took my hand from his mouth.

"That was close," I whisper, just in case it was still near us.

"No kidding..." he murmured, hand brushing against my bandages accidentally. I flinch back, and a jolt of pain shoots through my body. He immediately jerked his hand away, "Sorry....we should get you proper healing bandages..."

"I assume there's no way that we would be able to go back to District One for them. Or Edoris at all." I guess.

"That would be correct."

I thought for a moment, trying to think of a solution, and then it came to me, "I know a guy." I said, my expression turned hopeful. Long ago, Todd was trade partners with a guy who sold marked-down medical supplies. I always thought it was kind of odd, however, I never questioned it.

"Well, I think it's about time to collect my inheritance," I murmur. Lucas looked confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"We're going back to The Slums."