“Tom… Tom, wake up. C’mon Tom… we… we have to go.”

Tom slowly opened his eyes and stared up at Anne. Long shadows were cast across his face as dead tree branches tried to hide the setting sun. Anne’s bright green eyes were tearing up as she peered in the direction the sun was disappearing, hoping to see an end to this lifeless forest.

  “I still can’t see far past these trees. C’mon, the sun is almost gone. We need to try and make it as far as we can. It will be better once the sun is down.”

They reluctantly got up and shook off some dirt and leaves. Their joints and muscles were stiff from the walking.

It had been three days since they escaped from the mysterious facility. The sun proved to be too hot during the peak of the day, so they would find a crack or crevice of the biggest tree trunk or stump to hide from the sun’s scorching rays. Before long the full moon loomed over them. At night it gave enough light for them to see where they were going, and the cool air was a welcome change from the dry heat during the day. Even though they did most of the walking after dusk, they could not stop their feet from blistering.

Tired and thirsty they continued their journey through the silent deadness. Hours had gone by and the moon had moved halfway across the sky.

The depressing terrain around them seemed to be ever static and unending.

Anne felt her thoughts getting increasingly heavy as Tom’s pace slowed, making him fall behind.

  “Hang in there, Tom.” She said while giving him the biggest smile her cracked lips could handle.

  “You know how intense our feelings flow to each other, especially when we are this close. You can feel mine, can’t you? I need you to stay hopeful.”

Anne pulled Tom closer by his shirt and hugged him, holding him tightly.

  “I bet there are lots of water right there over that small hill.” She gently whispered.

  “Cool refreshing water. And food. More than we could eat.”

She let go and looked intently at him.

Tom turned his face curiously to look at the approaching hill that appeared to shrink smaller at Anne’s words.

He could feel it. The emotion that flowed from Anne made him feel warmer and hopeful indeed, even though they both knew that nothing was certain.

With renewed hope, they pressed on.

The long quiet walk in the pale glow of the moon gave Anne a lot of time to think.

Why were we in that… that place? Who are we? Anne thought as she looked at the strange markings she found just below her wrist. She only noticed it a day after they first set out from the facility.

Tom’s has the same mark. And… these. She grasped her shoulder, then ran her hand down until she felt a small round metal socket, about an inch deep, embedded in the back of her arm and just below her shoulder. The socket was cold to the touch and wide enough for her fingertip to feel inside, with a slight protruding ridge around the outside edge.

One, two… three.

Then she continued down her other arm.

Four, five, six. Six more on my legs. She slipped her hand under her ragged shirt.

Two more just above my chest, and two just below. One on each of my sides, above my hips. And… behind…?

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Tom, stop!”

Tom froze, startled.

  “Turn around.”

Tom turned with his back to her, and she lifted his shirt.

  “No!” she squealed, making Tom jump away.

  “Sorry! Sorry, it's ok, it's ok.” She took a deep breath and lifted his shirt again. Higher. His whole back was exposed.

Anne’s heart dropped. She moved her shaking hand over two rows of sockets that ran down his back on either side of his spine, gleaming horribly in the moonlight. More startling were the last two sockets about a hand’s width below his neck. They were much larger than the rest. Anne made her tiny fist and fit it in one of them.

Thirty-one… thirty-two.

She dropped his shirt as a shiver ran down her back.

No doubt mine are the same.

Tom looked worried and curious, then turned in place a few times as he tried to look over his shoulder at his back.

  “C’mon Tom” She sighed and started walking again, pulling him by the shirt. The image of Tom’s back burned in her mind. She tried her best not to let the worry overwhelm her now that Tom had calmed down.

The scene around them was finally changing. The dead trees were now smaller and less dense, making room for smaller shrubs and bushes.

Crunch.

Anne yelped as she stepped on something too crisp to be withered. It was a small green fern.

What is this rush?

Happiness.

Tom suddenly ran up to her, shaking her arm and pointing excitedly ahead.

  “Leaves! Look at all the green, Tom. And flowers! The plants, they are alive!”

The dead forest ended very abruptly as if a line can be drawn where death ends, and life begins. The faint moonlight was enough to see the rich foliage and diverse plant life that plastered the world before them. A few fireflies were hovering over a big orange flower just a few steps further.

The change in scenery was overwhelming and almost uncomfortable.

The ground is so soft. It is making my feet tingle.

As if on shared impulse, they lunged forward and embraced the touch of the long grass and the soft leaves against their faces. Some of the vegetation still had dew droplets glistening around them, and soon Tom and Anne were wet and sticky.

The landscape dropped to a steep decline, and at the bottom, a silver stream could be seen flowing into the distance. Anne pulled Tom closer as he started crying at the sight.

His sobs were in stark contrast to the relief and gratitude beaming from him.

Their muscles were weak and exhausted as they made their way down towards the water. The downward climb was slow and tedious as their small bodies struggled through the thickening vegetation, yet the past few days suddenly felt like a distant, hopeless memory.

Anne also couldn’t hold back her tears when they finally stood on the edge of the water, staring at their reflections on its pearly surface. It took a while before Anne finally managed to mumble something, her lips trembling.

  “W-we should… drink f-first. Then wash up”

They drank their fill from the cool, clear stream. Thereafter, they discovered a few shallow pools just off the main flow of the stream, so they each picked one to wash up in. Tom jumped in without a second thought, letting out a giggle as he struggled out of his wet rags in the water.

Anne neatly folded her scraps of clothes on a flat rock on the edge of the pool. A stray cloud moved in front of the moon, casting them in a patch of darkness. Anne tried her best to scrub all the dirt from her hair while she listened to Tom playing in the other pool next to her. She got out after properly washing up to stand in front of her reflection once more. The moon broke free from behind the cloud and its glow was thrown across the landscape again, giving her pale skin a slight shine as she stood exposed to the moonlight. She stared at her reflection and ran her hand over her chest, stopping on one of the cold metal sockets just below her left breast.

Who did this to me?

She turned around to look at her back in the water mirror.

So, I do have all of them too… Whatever these are. Why are we even here? Why can’t I remember anything since we came out of that dark room? All I know is that Tom is my brother. Not just a brother. We shared a womb. I must protect him. Why do I feel so alone? It hurts so much.

Her thoughts are interrupted when she noticed Tom staring at her from his pool. His face displayed the strain of her internal monologue.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…

Tom got up halfway out of the water and turned around, gesturing to her to wash his back. She gave Tom a small grin and joined him, using his wet shirt that was drifting nearby as a cloth.

  “You better wash my back too you know,” she said as she started.

Tom gave an enthusiastic nod. They spent the rest of the night in silence and soon they were both dressed and looking for a place to sleep. They had washed their rags, which brought out the orange color even more.

No markings could be discerned from the cloth. No writing.

No badges or identification.

The night air was not too cold and their clothes dried quickly, so they each made a big pile of leaves next to each other to form improvised beds.

They both tried to capture and cherish this moment: they were happy. They were relatively clean, and the refreshing water was bringing back much-needed strength to their bodies and minds. They slept soundly within minutes. No dreams.

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