Selection

[Niall]

Hi. So I've started writing a novel of sorts. Well, thus far I've written the first chapter for a project at school but I'm hoping to continue and finish it off eventually in my own time.

The title for it ('Selection') is something I've just thought so that'll probably change a bunch of times. It has a lot of relevance to the rest of the story (or at least my ideas for it) further down the line.

All criticism is welcome as nobody who's seen it has had any major critiques so far, so I'm trying to show it to more people to see if they point out problems in it that I've somehow missed.

Anyway I'm going to stop rambling and just post the damn thing:

Laughter and shouts are what woke me.

Most of those in this building preoccupied themselves with endless partying aided by drink and drugs. They acted as if the world wasn’t over. Trouble is, the world is over, and has been since nuclear fire swallowed up most of organised living 300 years ago. I just wished they’d all wake up and realize that.

I sighed and wrenched myself out of bed. I guess my apartment could be worse. There was only three rooms: a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen/living room. It wasn’t much, but it was a far better than being homeless.

My inconsiderate neighbors and I lived in a crumbling London apartment complex. Somehow a fair few of them survived the nuclear war. Their tall, thin stature allowed the entrance to be easily guarded, and most blocks had a dedicated security team funded through rent paid by residents. It was where the sane in this world lived. The insane roamed the lawless sprawl of rubble below. Preying on the weak and defenseless.

A growl from my stomach alerted me to my hunger. I dashed to the kitchen and cut myself a slice of bread. Hopefully, there was still some butter left in the pantry. But no such luck I opened it up and found it empty.

Aly. My little sister. My lovable, but selfish sister. Butter was a luxury in this world. A luxury that I looked forward to. She’d always eat nearly all of it. I slammed the pantry shut in frustration, and took an angry bite of my plain bread.

Where is she anyway? She’s never out this early. A pang of worry washed over me.. Even though she was nearly 16, I didn’t like the thought of her walking round on her own. Some shady characters lived in the Block. I shoved on my shoes, shrugged into my jacket and headed out of the grubby little flat.

The hallway was filled with the acrid stench of alcohol and drugs. It took one breath of the air and I was coughing and spluttering. I stumbled over to the stairwell and took a minute to compose myself. The air was fresh here. Thank God those heavy doors kept the fumes out.

The ‘School’ was on the 23rd floor of the building. It was set up a couple decades after the war by a few surviving teachers. I don’t know how they managed it, but they cobbled together a few textbooks and blackboards, and turned the floor into a set of classrooms. The kids were mainly taught about practical stuff, survival skills, how to defend themselves, things that they’d need to know to stay alive.

I checked my watch. 7am. Alyssa didn’t start classes for another 20 minutes. What could she be doing? I pushed open the door to the 23rd floor and scanned the hallway.

And I spotted her. She was sat against the wall, reading a battered old novel. Lord knows how she got her hands on that thing. She was always reading.

I jogged over to where she was sitting. “There you are. I was wondering where you went. Why are you down here so early, silly?”

She looked up, eyes still on her book for a moment before fixing on me. “I came down here because I can’t get a moment’s peace with those hyenas next door. Do I have to go to school today? It’s so dull. I’d much rather go to the market and trade with you. At least that’s interesting.”

I shook my head. “Aly you need to go. They teach you important stuff. You know that.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah I know it’s important, but that doesn’t mean it’s interesting, does it? Besides, it won’t matter if I miss just one day, will it?” She raised her eyebrows and smiled.

“Aly c’mon you know that-”

“Oh please Adam, I won’t be any trouble, you know that.” Her eyes grew wide, and her face contorted into a picture of childlike innocence.

I grimaced. “Fine. But you keep your mouth shut when I’m trading, and you aren’t to leave my side no matter what. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.” Her face broke into a wide grin, which I couldn’t help returning.

We left the hall, and jogged down to the ground floor. We were headed to the market, which was around a 5 minute walk from the block. The place was no more than paved square littered with makeshift trading stalls. But the thing that was special about it, was that it had some protection for the traders. The merchants cobbled together some money every month and paid a few people to be hired guns. It kept the place safe, unlike other markets in the area. It was the only place where I’d trade when I was with Ally. I didn’t like putting her in danger when I could avoid it.

We shoved through the doors to the lobby of the block. Everything always looked nice down here early in the morning. The big glass windows (well the ones that still had their glass) let in lots of sunlight. It helped me look past how dingy and rundown this place was.

People swarmed around various salesman, who were peddling unusable junk. Only those who were scared of the wastes beyond the gates bought from there people. Traders that came into lobby generally sold stuff like broken pots and pans, and ‘armor’ made from sheets of jagged scrap metal. The markets with real goods were scattered across what used to be London, and dangerous though they may be, it was the only place where you could get stuff like butter, milk and other perishables of a good quality.

Upon reaching the other side of the crowd, I shoved through the heavy lobby doors, with Aly following shortly after. We made our way across the courtyard (which was really no more than a large space of dirt where the emaciated livestock was kept along with some poorly kept crops) towards the gate. The watchman took our names down and the time giving us the usual warning that if we didn’t return within 48 hours we’ll be assumed dead and our apartment rented to someone else. Following that they opened the gate and we walked into the wastes.

I’ve been told that the dingy brown land here once used to be filled with buildings and people, bustling with life, that London was one of the most vibrant cities on the planet. but I just can’t picture that. Not when nothing but brown ground with the occasional patch of rubble lay before me. It felt like it had always been like this. A wasteland.

“So what are we buying today? Anything fun?” chirped Aly as we trudged along, snapping me out of my reverie.

“I have to buy more butter since you ate it all this morning.”

She gasped in mock horror. “Me? Why I would never do such a thing. It was obviously that cat who lives with that couple down the hall. It must of snuck in and ate it all.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Okay fine. I ate it. Whatever. I’m sorry.”

“I know you did. Look you need to be more careful about how much food you use, okay? You know how difficult it can be to get. Don’t take so much next time.” I never did like being the authority figure. But since our parents died it wasn’t like I had much of a choice in the matter.

Frowning, she looked up and sighed, “Okay. Okay okay I’ll try to be more careful.”

We passed another patch of rubble, the market came into view. It sprawled out in a rough circle, with armed guards standing guard around the outer perimeter. The stalls themselves were arranged randomly, with vendors fashioning them out of whatever they could get their hands on: rusty car parts, slabs of concrete, ragged sheets of fabric.

The guard raised his gun as we approached, “Hands up.” He gave us a quick search and let us through. Weapons weren’t allowed inside. It kept the unruly out of the place.

“We get the milk from Wilson, right?” queried Aly. Wilson was a kindly old man who sold milk and cheese. He owned several cows which he always kept well fed so his produce was good. He always gave me a good price so I made a point of buying milk only from him.

“Yeah. Take a left up here and he’s the third stall along on your right.”

“Awesome.” She flashed a grin at me and dashed off.

I traipsed along behind her, still weary from sleep when I felt something grab my ankle. Looking down, I saw that it was an elderly man clad in filthy rags who clutching onto me. The unmistakable stench of alcohol filled my nose.

“Get off me!” I hissed.

“No. No no no. You must liste-”

“Look I don’t have time for whatever cult you’re part of.”

“I’m not part of a cult! I have only a warning for you and everyone here.” His eyes never left my face. He looked desperate.

I sighed. “All right. just make it quick.”

“Thank you. Thank you for your patience. But you must leave this place. Leave now. Go and take cover. Just get as far away from here as possible. It’s not safe!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” It was perfectly safe here. Security had the place well defended and kept undesirables out. What could possibly be wrong?

He looked away, lowering his voice, “They’re coming.”

“Excuse me?”

“They’re coming. To invade and use us all for slave labour. We’ll have no freedom. Just run, leave, escape while you still can!”

I scoffed and tugged away from his grasp. He was obviously drunk, and didn’t know what he was saying. I left his increasingly incoherent shouts behind me as I spotted that familiar dirty blonde hair that could only belong to my sister. I came to a halt next to her, but something in the sky caught my eye.

Thats when I saw them.

The strange floating objects in the sky, planes I think they were called, flew in by the hundred leaving tiny, deep blue packages floating down to the ground in their wake.

I squinted up into the sky, trying to get a better look.

No. Those were not packages. Those were people.

Hundreds upon hundreds of people, each carrying long black rifles in their arms. The confusion in my head suddenly assembled into a frightening realization - this was an invasion force.

Everyone around me was gaping into the sky. The merchants had stopped trading, children had ceased playing. We just stood. Frozen. Staring in horror at the enormous army descending before our very eyes.

A cold, mirthless laugh broke the silence. It was the man who had warned me earlier.

“I told you! I told you all! I told you this was going to happen! Looks to me that you all tossed away your own chance at survival! Get ready for something even worse than todays crappy existence, friends!” He yelled, before allowing another humorless cackle escape his throat, and staggering off.

At this, the crowd seemed to snap from its trance. People began to scramble from the scene? Oddly enough I felt nothing. My legs stayed planted on the floor, and my eyes fixed on the point where those once tiny blue figures now making soft thuds as they hit the ground.

The alien soldiers began marching towards our little market. Their feet moving in a constant rhythm. They wore helmets, making it impossible to gage how they felt.

Beside me, Aly was near hysterical with fear. She was tugging, shouting, and shoving me in an attempt to get me to leave but I felt oddly detached from it all. Almost as if my body had shut down and all I could do was stand here, helpless. She eventually resigned to the fact that I wasn’t going to leave and sat down in an anguished daze.

The blue soldiers had reached us now. I vaguely registered that I wasn’t alone, and that the more fearless of merchants had remained behind to try and defend this tiny piece of civilization. The security force also remained behind, moving forward into a defensive line with guns raised at these strange people. The foreign soldiers returned the gesture, moving into a defensive line and raising their own weapons.

The next few moments seemed to slow down, almost as if they stretched on forever. The tension was almost palpable, it filled the air and weighed it down, it’s heavy silence forcing everyone without a gun into a sort of terrified paralysis, waiting for some sort of resolution.

I stared at the stand-off when I noticed a deep blue boot move forward. The loud clatter of gunfire began.

Sorry about the weird paragraphing. TiBB doesn't allow indentations at the beginning of each line, so I had to separate with a space. Now I'm going to run and hide because people seeing my work is something I find incredibly terrifying.

[GypsyGoth]

I thought it was very enjoyable, great job Niall :love:

It's well written and exciting, I think it's an interesting world you've created, I'd like to read more :D

[Niall]

I thought it was very enjoyable, great job Niall :love:

It's well written and exciting, I think it's an interesting world you've created, I'd like to read more :D

:amazed: Thank you, Claudia! :love:

I'm starting work on the second chapter and I have solid ideas on what I'm going to write, it's just a matter of if I'll get the time. Hopefully I'll be able to get some of it written.

I love writing creatively. It's something I don't really get a chance to do at school.

[King Gizzard]

I actually felt I was reading the works of a young Shakespeare

[Ammi]

..there isn't any reason to hide Niall...it's very well written and captured my interest from the first sentence...I hope you carry on posting it...and how the title 'Selection' comes about....

..Well done Niall...I think creative writing is something you should definately think of pursuing....

[Niall]

I actually felt I was reading the works of a young Shakespeare

:suspect: Not sure if serious

..there isn't any reason to hide Niall...it's very well written and captured my interest from the first sentence...I hope you carry on posting it...and how the title 'Selection' comes about....

..Well done Niall...I think creative writing is something you should definately think of pursuing....

Thank you Ammi! :blush2: I definitely am gonna carry on with it, and with some luck I'll be doing English at Uni so hopefully I'll get to do some creative writing when I'm there. :D

[AnnieK]

I really enjoyed it too. Well written and captured my interest quickly. I love novels like this though about post apocalyptic worlds so just my kind of story. Hope you post more when you write it.

[Cherie]

A good read Niall, ... look forward to the next chapter.

reminded me a bit of "The Road"

[Niamh.]

That's brilliant Niall, really well written. It had a hunger games feel to it

[Niall]

Right I've just finished the second chapter, and I apologise if it sucks:

Everything was happening so fast. Just seconds before everything had been so silent, and eerily serene. But now bullets whistled past in every direction, wreaking violent destruction on everything they touched. Somewhere to my right a bottle shattered, peppering me with sharp flecks of hot glass.

Ahead of me, the battle between both sides raged on, but those terrifying soldiers were winning with startling ease. In under a minute they’d decimated at least two thirds of our makeshift defensive force, whose corpses lay strewn across the ground in bright crimson patches of blood.

I looked over at Aly to see her curled up behind a Wilson’s disheveled market stall. The fighting still raged on, with the combatants too involved in their own conflict to notice anything else. If we were going to escape we had to do it now. This was our only chance.

I lunged for Aly’s arm, dragging her up to stand with me. She was trembling head to toe, never taking her eyes off the fight. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was rapid. Panicking was something she couldn’t afford in this situation. I’d have to force her back to her senses.

So I tugged her arm hard and we ran. Bullets whistled past, shrapnel tore through our clothes, the constant hail of gunfire was unrelenting in our ears.

For two minutes we kept up our sprint. I wanted to put a good distance between us and that war-zone before we slowed down. The incline leading toward our apartment block had tired us out, so we perched on some rubble before carrying on.

Below us, the fighting was largely done. Bodies were scattered around what was the market, marked out easily by the pools of blood they lay in. Some of the soldiers were dealing with the leftovers of the defensive force, shackling those they hadn’t killed. Others milled about randomly in the market, their attitudes so casual that if it weren’t for the dark red spattered across their uniforms, the idea that they had just committed mass murder would be preposterous.

Aly put her head in her hands, quiet sobs racking her body. I hated it when she cried. I felt like I was never all that good at cheering her up. Mum used to do that so well. She used to make everything better when things got bad.

I took her in my arms, hugging her gently, “Hey, calm down. It’s gonna be fine, Aly. We’ll be okay. We’re gonna get through this. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you.” As I sat there comforting her, my mind began to wander. Our entire life had been turned upside down. Until now I’d had a fairly stable existence set up for us. We had shelter, we had food, and we were safe. But how long would that last now?

“You’re bleeding.” she croaked, staring at the blood streaked across my right arm. I hadn’t noticed before, but it really did start to sting now that I’d lost my adrenaline rush.

“I’ll be fine. Only a bit of glass. Are you ready to go now? We need to get back to the apartment and figure this all out, okay?” She sighed and nodded wearily, so we trudged back to the block.

As we neared the gate, a crowd came into view. Around a hundred people stood in front of the Block’s fortified entrance, begging to be let in. Most were those that had fled the market, likely seeking last minute shelter. Some were crying, some were yelling, others tried to bribe the gatekeepers to no avail.

We shoved through the tumult. People yelled at me, and glared in my direction. I guess I was shoving a little too hard, but I didn’t care. I had but one thought in my head at that moment: get Aly to safety. I would not let anything bad happen to her.

The metal wall that was the gate was right in front of us now. I called up at one of the guards in the makeshift watchtowers and he clambered down. On the other side of the gate he slid open a panel to speak.

“Name?”

“Adam. Adam Strauss,” I gently pulled Aly a little further forward, “and this is my sister Alyssa. We live in apartment 3216.” I was breathing heavily. I wasn’t sure if that was down to me panicking or all the exercise I’d been doing.

Through the slit in the metal I could see the guard’s eyes darting this way and that. He was probably looking over the list for our names. This was standard procedure, but with a crowd of hysterical refugees behind me, it felt more than a bit tense.

“Okay, I found your names. Wait there. We’re gonna have to get some more people down here so those other people can’t storm in.” At this the clamor around us seemed to swell, the other people obviously offended with his words. Several shouted profanities at him. The guard mumbled and slit the panel shut. I squeezed Aly’s hand, smiling at her. She gave me a weak smile back.

The gate then gave a loud groan as the metal was forced forward. We moved to stand at the far end where the opening was when five armed guards walked out in front of the entrance. They pointed their guns out at the refugees, who shrank back immediately. A sixth guard, the one we had spoken to just before, then emerged. He waved us through whilst the others kept the crowd at bay.

Once through, the first thing I did was take myself and Aly to see Sarah on the ground floor. Sarah was the medic for the entire block. She was a miracle worker, and had taught herself what she knew from some dilapidated pre-war medical volumes. I didn’t want to take any chances with mine or Aly’s health. Especially after taking hits from so much shrapnel. Infection was the last thing we wanted. Antibiotics were few and far between in this world.

Passing through the entrance hall, I could see Sarah’s door on right ahead of us marked out by a big red cross on a white background. I walked up to it and knocked twice. A chair scraped across the floor on the other side, and then the door open. There stood Sarah, brown hair messy and a weary expression colouring her features.

She looked down at our blood streaked clothes and sighed, “I guess you two better come in.”

Sarah’s apartment was bigger than most, mainly to accommodate the various patients she received. The place smelled strongly of antiseptic mixed with damp, and was dimly lit with a few candles and a some flickering fluorescent lights. Electric lighting was only ever allowed from 8pm till 12 for most residents, but Sarah needed it all day long to treat people.

“Adam if you’ll sit down on the table first I’ll take a look at your arm. Those cuts look pretty nasty. Aly I’ll take a look at you after.”

I sat on the bench and Sarah took my arm. She took a damp cloth and wiped away the blood. I didn’t feel any pain, which was odd. Then her expression began to change. She looked confused.

“What’s wrong?”

“I.. I can’t find any wounds. It’s almost as if this blood came from nowhere.”

“That’s impossible. A bottle got shattered and the glass hit my arm..” I trailed off as I looked for myself. Sure enough there were no wounds. Just unbroken skin. “I don't understand..”

“Well,” she said, running a nervous hand through her hair, “lets check your other wounds, okay?”

“Sure.”

The cuts across my chest, legs and other arm were all the same. The blood was there, but the gashes weren’t. It didn’t make any sense. It was physically impossible for a wound to heal that fast. What was going on?

She checked over Aly, finding only the same thing with her. Sarah looked utterly bewildered. “This is medically impossible. I really don’t know what to say to you two, put it down to a miracle maybe, but you seem fine. I won’t charge you for anything, but if you have the slightest-”

The door flew open and a guard from the front gate burst in, a panicked expression painted across his features.

“You three need to come out to the courtyard now. That army that attacked the market earlier? Well their commander is here. He’s got some sort of announcement. Wants everyone to hear it.”

So we followed him out of the building and into the courtyard. A massive crowd had gathered. The blue soldiers stood at the gate, many of them still covered in blood. I felt sick. That old man really was right. They really were here to subjugate us.

One of them walked forward and removed his helmet. Beneath his short brown hair, stretching across his face was a smile. I felt even more sick. He was taking enjoyment out of all this? First he slaughters hundreds and then gleefully enslaves many more?

“Good morning, friends! Good morning indeed! I’ve come here to make an announcement to you all that concerns both our futures.

“My name is Christopher Roker, and I’m the commander of this army division. We come from a place called Arescet, but I assume that you’d rather I get to the burning question on most of your minds: why are we here?

“Well we’re here to free you. Free you from squalor, poverty, and lawlessness. We’re here to help you, to give you civilization again, to rebuild the world to it’s pre-war glory. Since that conflict 300 years ago, Arescet has managed to rebuild and thrive, and we want to help the world do the same.

“And with your co-operation, we could recreate the former glory of London. This could be a place of wonder rather than horror. Wouldn’t you like that, friends?” He grinned a little too widely.

“So let’s start now. Let us begin your liberation from anarchy.”

k gonna go hide now by e

[Ammi]

..well, you better come out of hiding Niall..so I can give you one massive hug...don't make me have to come and find you...

...I'll talk to you later...

[AnnieK]

Another great chapter Niall, looking forward to the next one already.

[Niall]

..well, you better come out of hiding Niall..so I can give you one massive hug...don't make me have to come and find you...

...I'll talk to you later...

:hug: :lovedup:

Another great chapter Niall, looking forward to the next one already.

Thanks. :blush2:

[Marcus.]

that was very fab

[Niall]

Thanks bb :love:

[Marcus.]

Thanks bb :love:

that ok

[LemonJam]

no need to hide, this is really rather good. :bigsmile:

[Benjamin]

Nice effort. Niall. Quite well written, don't be embarrassed.

[Black Dagger]

This is great bby <3

[Petershaw1984]

Mate thats such a good read so far. I love apocolypse type tales and your book fits that mould. As i was reading it all i could envisage was burnt out cars littlered across the shameless estate and a high rise tower. I got so into tjis book. Please dm me any more you have written.
Also when you are a famous writer then please send me a copy of your book.

Again wow what a good read. Please post more

[Niall]

Thanks guys! Thank you so much! Idk why I said I'll hide I just get quite shy when other people see my work so yeah.

But the positive feedback does mean a lot to me and it does shock me to see people liking it. :blush2:


Mate thats such a good read so far. I love apocolypse type tales and your book fits that mould. As i was reading it all i could envisage was burnt out cars littlered across the shameless estate and a high rise tower. I got so into tjis book. Please dm me any more you have written.
Also when you are a famous writer then please send me a copy of your book.

Again wow what a good read. Please post more

Yeah that's the kind of image I was going for! I'm glad it's working. :D

And I'll post it in here as I go on writing it. It might take me a while, but I will keep posting it.

I'll send you a copy if I ever do finish it let alone being published. :laugh: :love:

[Shaun]

I like it Niall, but one thing that's probably just a personal gripe with me - I don't like sentence fragments :D (for example just saying 'No.' in the narrative)... it's something I slip into quite often on here because we're all chatty, but when writing it can feel like you're reading a diary rather than literature :)

Other than that, I found it really interesting and well done on pursuing this :D

[Niall]

I like it Niall, but one thing that's probably just a personal gripe with me - I don't like sentence fragments :D (for example just saying 'No.' in the narrative)... it's something I slip into quite often on here because we're all chatty, but when writing it can feel like you're reading a diary rather than literature :)

Other than that, I found it really interesting and well done on pursuing this :D

Oh I hadn't noticed that! I'll try to cut down on it. :tongue:

And thanks Shaun! :bigsmile:

[Jake.]

Niall.. that was a fantastic read man, keep at it! Terrific! :love:

[Niall]

Niall.. that was a fantastic read man, keep at it! Terrific! :love:

:amazed:

[Niall]

I just finished writing chapter three. It's all very exciting to be writing this now because I have so many ideas for it and I'm slowly getting there and I have so much more to write and ugh yeah. I'm gonna stop rambling so here:


The moment Roker ceased to speak, the armed ranks that had amassed behind him launched into action.

The first thing they did was relieve the guards of their duties. Weapons were confiscated, and destroyed with their owners being placed under arrest (even though most of them offered no resistance). They tried to placate us, telling us all that they would simply be interviewed and nothing more. None of us believed that. The blood that still marred their uniforms screamed nothing but brutality and oppression.

Secondly, all points of entry to the compound surrounding the building were blocked. No-one was allowed in, and no-one was allowed out. Several tents were quickly erected, and more soldiers flowed into the crowd. They swiftly began corralling us into several neat lines for the ‘registration’ of each individual.

I grabbed Aly’s arm before two of the malevolent figures roughly shoved us into line. Her wide blue eyes were fixed on the dark canvas tent ahead of us. I grabbed her hand and held it tight. There was little I could do to reassure her now.

As the queue shambled forward, an atmosphere of unease had settled over the courtyard. Most people clung to those they knew in fear. Others glared at the menacing soldiers who paced here and there.

A scream erupted from the queue to our left where a woman was refusing to enter the tent. Soldiers rushed towards her, but didn’t manage to pin her down. She thrashed and made a run for the front gate, but her attempts were obviously in vain. I shoved my hand over Aly’s eyes just before gunshots once again sprayed vivid red over dull brown. No-one made any attempt to resist after that. Fear choked everyone into mute obedience.

I pulled my hand from Aly’s eyes and grab her hand again. We were only a short distance from the tent now. A panic began to rise inside me: what was going on in those tents? What if they were just trying to distract us before executing us all? I start breathing faster and my thoughts become scattered. The world looks hazy. Like I’m watching things happen from a distance.

“Adam are you okay?” Aly is looking up at me, concern and fear written all over her features. I have to keep it together. I have to keep her calm.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” I force a smile.

“Next!” barks a voice from the other side of the tent my heartbeat kicks up a notch as we approach the dark structure. For a moment I don’t think I can face it. Part of me just wants to cut lose and make a run for it.

The canvas swings to one side and a brown haired woman glares out at us. Her cold grey eyes take a long sweep of us both. “One at a time.” She grabs Aly’s arm and turns back to enter the tent. Aly looks back at me, her face pale. Her eyes fix on mine in a sort of pleading gaze.

I try to move, to stop her but it’s like my limbs have turned to ice. I swallow and a strangled cry escapes my throat, “Wait! Wait, please” The woman turns back to me, her frigid eyes meeting mine. “Please, just let me through. She’s my sister. I’m not going to do anything I just want to make sure that she’s safe. Please. Please I promise.”

For a second I see her eyes flicker to one of the guards and I think she’s going to call for help, but miraculously she seems to relent, “If you dare make one move against me and what I’m doing, I will not stop myself from getting them,” she inclines her head at the nearest soldier, “to shower you in a hail of bullets. Understand?” I nod. “Then get inside and sit down.” she hisses, holding back the heavy canvas for us all to pass through.

Inside, there isn’t much. A steel chair and table stands to one side of the room with various complex medical instruments laid atop of it, across from it is a thin looking bed with a small yellow bin standing at it’s foot, and other than the dull gray light from outside a small fluorescent bulb casts a harsh blue-tinged glare across the space. The room also has an overbearing scent of detergents. My stomach churns. I do not like this.

The woman pulls Aly over to the bed and directs her to sit down. She pulls the chair up to the foot of the bed and grabs a clipboard from the desk, and begins a complicated interview with Aly. I try to pay attention but the questions are mundane things like, “What’s your name?”, and “How old are you?”

I look at the desk more closely. Rows of spotless utensils have been placed along it but I can only recognize some like a scalpel, syringe, and gauze padding for wounds. Many of the other instruments however, are completely alien to me. Large plastic tubs have been placed toward the back of the table with names that offer little meaning to me like “Sleep”, “Relief”, and “Regenerate”. The woman seems to be very involved in her line of questioning so I take a step closer to get a better look inside the strange pots. Within them are numerous small white packages with strange symbols on them. I frown. All the medical equipment I’ve seen has not even closely resembled this.

Next to the pots sits several unlabeled jars with liquids of varying shades of gray, neatly ordered in a line. In front of them lays a syringe much longer and much more complex than the others I noticed. Across it’s barrel is written, “FOR USAGE WITH NANOROBOTIC CONVERSION GEL ONLY.” I tilt my head to one side. What the hell?

The chair squeaks behind me and I turn around. The woman stands up, approaching the table. Her hands hover over the small gray jars for a moment, fingers fluttering over them before her right hand delves into one of the plastic tubs at the back. “I’m going to need blood samples from both of you.” She produces two small white packets and rips one open. A small white square with rounded edges tumbles onto the table. She curses and picks it up. The closest thing it looks like is some kind of plaster. I don’t understand seeing as all the blood samples I’ve ever had taken from me have involved a maliciously long needle, and several painful pokes to find a vein.

I look over at Aly. Her face is contorted into a picture of confusion. “What’s she doing?” she mouthes at me. I shrug and take a seat next to her.

The woman moves to stand in front of us, holding one white square between two fingers. It’s only now that I register the name Andrea sewn into the upper right-chest of her uniform in small, neat stitching. On her arm is a patch saying “Arescet armed forces medical staff”. Her clothing is all tinged in various shades of brown, for camouflage probably. Not that these people would need it, as their strategy of brutal murder in broad daylight so openly displayed.

Andrea holds out her left hand to Aly. “Give me your arm.”

“What are you gonn-”

‘I said give me your arm.” Aly frowns and gingerly offers her right arm to Andrea. She sticks the patch just below the crook of her elbow, and it lights up softly with the rim gently glowing blue. Andrea grabs a tube hooked up to a small clear pot and hooks it into the patch. The light then pulsates, turns bright green and dark red starts to flow down the tube. My mind fails to understand how that is even possible. This technology is beyond anything I’ve seen.

“What the heck is this thing?! How is it taking my blood?! I thought you had to use needles to do this sort of thing.” She runs her fingers over the small plastic patch in a sort of awe. Aly always hated needles.

Andrea moves over to the table and rips open another packet. “I’m afraid I didn’t design it, so I can’t tell you how that blood extraction patch works.” She returns to us, another plastic square pinched between her fingers. “But I can tell you that it’s far less invasive or painful than anything you people use.” I catch the note of disdain in her tone. Hatred coils tighter in my stomach.

She places the patch on the same part of my arm and it begins to collect my blood. Andrea goes through the same mundane questions again with me, frantically scribbling what I say on a clipboard. Strange. I would’ve thought pen and paper to be a bit primitive for these people given their technological prowess.

Then she checks our patches. Both of them have stopped glowing. “Okay these are done. I’ll get rid of them.” She pulls each one off and throws it along with the plastic tubing into the small bin by the bed. The pots have somehow sealed themselves. I ask her how and she gives me a haughty look before launching into some rambling, complicated explanation of something called ‘smart plastic’. I don’t listen.

Andrea fills out more papers on her clipboard. The three of us sit in silence. I grab Aly’s hand and give her a grin. She smiles back at me weakly. Guilt momentarily replaces the hatred that has so deeply settled in my stomach. She’s seen so much today. She doesn’t deserve this. None of us do.

“Right, so you two will have to report back here in two days time once your blood tests are done.” says Andrea monotonously.

“Why?” I say.

“For a full physical evaluation. The blood samples going to be analysed and from that we’ll be able to detect any diseases or conditions in your bodies, and we’ll cure them for you. There’s nothing sinister to it. I promise.” She seems to brighten up at the last to words. Sincere. She sounds sincere. “Oh but there’s one last thing I have to do.” She thrusts a hand into her pocket and produces a small white pot, one that usually has pills inside. Unscrewing the lid, she tips two deep purple ovals onto her hand. “You’re gonna have to take these.”She extends her hand.

Apprehensively I take one and swallow it. Aly follows. We don’t really have a choice in the matter. Andrea returns to her clipboard, scribbling more stuff down. “Would you mind telling us what those are?”

“Uh yeah sure,” she says, eyes still fixed on the clipboard. She finishes off another sentence and looks up, frowning slightly. “They’re really small compute- you know what computers are, right?” we both nod, “Well that’s what they are. Only so small you can’t even see them. They’re going to assemble themselves into a tiny computer inside your palm that tells us where you are. A tracking beacon is what we call it.” She returns to her clipboard again. Anger flares up within me, white hot and seething. I feel filthy for letting them anywhere near me and my sister. We’re no more than livestock to them. Things to be used and killed. Objects and nothing more.

There’s the sound of paper ripping and Andrea extends her hand once more. Two small pieces of paper are clutched between her fingers. “These are your identification numbers. Don’t lose them. You two are free to go now.” She returns to her seat with a tired sigh.

I grab Aly’s hand and pull her through the tent doors again once more. The lines outside had gotten longer and people gawked at us. I tug Aly’s arm faster and we half-walk, half-run into the safety of the block. Inside the musty air which I usually loathed gave me a strange comfort and reassurance. It was familiar. Familiar and safe.

We enter the stairwell and we ascend the steps. Everything is silent apart from the sounds of our footsteps reverberating across the walls.

I shove through the door into the our floor and even the vile smell that lingers in the hallway seems mildly comforting to the point where I don’t even notice it much. We reach the door to our apartment and I put the key in the lock and turn. We’re home. They can’t get us here. For now anyway.

Aly kicks off her shoes, laying down on our battered, threadbare couch. “So, what do we do now?”

I shut the door and turn to take my own shoes off, “I don’t know. We’re just gonna have to do as they say for a while. There’s not much else we can do.” I catch sight of myself in the cracked mirror on the wall. Dark brown hair is jutting out from various angles on my head. I run a hand through it. It doesn’t help much.

The couch creaks and I turn to face it. Aly stares at me skeptically. “What d’you mean there’s nothing we can do?”

“I mean that there’s nothing we can do to escape these people right now. Unless you want a hail of bullets to rain upon us?”

Her expression is incredulous, “We can’t just sit here and let them walk all over us Adam we have to do something! We can at least try to escape!”

I place a hand over my eyes and will myself not to lose my temper. Keep it together Adam, keep it together. “Look I’ll try and think of something. It’s just been a really long day so can we just forget all this until tomorrow, please?” She opens her mouth to speak but then thinks better of it. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I move into the kitchen and open the pantry. All we have left is a half loaf of bread and a half dozen vegetables. I sigh and grab them all. We’re running low on food. If only I’d gotten to the market earlier..

We spend the rest of the evening in silence. It’s times like this when I wish our parents were still around. They’d know how to get us talking or cheer us up or forget our troubles. Everything was so much simpler when they were alive. My mind flicks to happier times, times when they protected us, played games with us, tucked us in at night.

But the pain of those memories is too much to bare so I push them down, deep down inside myself and lock them away and throw away the key. I take long deep breaths and will the pain away.

Through the windows I see that the sky is now an inky black. Over on the couch Aly has already fallen asleep.

I lay on the floor and shut my eyes, too exhausted to move to my bed. Maybe she was right. Maybe we should try something and it’s then that I decide: tomorrow, we run.

[Me. I Am Salman]

I like it but there's one or two Americanised words? Or is that intended?

[Niall]

I like it but there's one or two Americanised words? Or is that intended?

Thanks! :D

And that's just my Mac being a douchebag. :laugh: I have Pages (Apple's version of Word), but I can't seem to set it to UK English, hence the Americanisms. It takes me a while to go and fish them all out so half the time I tend to not bother. /lazy

[AnnieK]

Yay Niall...still really enjoying it....keep the chapters coming...it really is good :hugesmile:

[Ammi]

1. .......:lovedup:
2. 'Fear choked everyone into mute obedience'...:love:
3. ..when is the next chapter..?..
4. :love:Niall:love:



..Niall, I do have more to comment but I'm going to read it through again tomorrow when I'm less tired...I can say that's the best chapter yet though and I love it...maybe I can talk to you about it more after I've had another read if that's ok..?....

[Niall]

Yay Niall...still really enjoying it....keep the chapters coming...it really is good :hugesmile:

Thanks! And I have a big string of my ideas in my head now so it's only a matter of writing them all out - there's plenty more to come yet. :D

1. .......:lovedup:
2. 'Fear choked everyone into mute obedience'...:love:
3. ..when is the next chapter..?..
4. :love:Niall:love:



..Niall, I do have more to comment but I'm going to read it through again tomorrow when I'm less tired...I can say that's the best chapter yet though and I love it...maybe I can talk to you about it more after I've had another read if that's ok..?....

Thank you Ammi. :blush2:

The next chapter won't be for a while I don't think. I've got lots of exam work to do from school and it's all piling up so I have to get that out of the way. I'm gonna try and write some more over the February half term though!

And that's fine! I don't mind at all Ammi. :love:

[Glenn.]

Just read this Niall.

Its amazing :love:

The whole thing has a Hunger Games vibe to it.

[Niall]

Thanks Glenn. :lovedup:

[Jake.]

Fantastic chapter :love:

[joeysteele]

Really good in my opinion, from what I have read so far,I would buy it.

[Niall]

It's been ages since I updated this, but I finally got around to finishing the fourth chapter. I was so swamped with exams and revision and school crap before that I never really had the chance. But now that I don't have any of that going on, I've got all the time in the world to write so I just finished it off today. :D

It's probably kinda crappy but I'm just pleased that I've gotten somewhere and finally finished it. Hopefully I'll be able to write more often and actually get a lot more done with this. So without further adieu...

Pale light streams in through the streaky windows, illuminating the room. I’m still laying on the floor, and on the couch Aly is still asleep, breathing softly.

My mind takes a few moments to pull itself from the haze of sleep, but when it does I remember my decision.

I rise slowly and carefully. I’m glad woke up when I did - it’s only a little after dawn, so we should have enough time to escape. If my plan works that is.

I move into the bedroom that Aly and I share. There isn’t much inside: just two mattresses on the floor with tattered bedding and an old wardrobe placed in between them. On the right wall is the door to a small closet, on the left are a few more dirty windows. I have to be fast. The sun is almost all the way up.

I open the closet and the familiar smell of mildew greets me. I sweep aside the various pieces of clothing inside and grab a duffel bag from the back. I’ve always kept it for carrying larger amounts of food back from trading. Never did I think I would use to escape an entire army.

Scooping up an armful of t-shirts, I dump them into the bag. I do the same with trousers, underwear, and pretty much anything else we’ll need. I swing the bag onto my shoulder and I creep back into the kitchen and place it carefully on the counter. In the kitchen, I’ve been smart enough to build up a stash of long lasting food in the cupboard under the (broken) sink. A couple of years ago I discovered a loose floorboard underneath, and now it’s mainly filled with canned goods, dried fruits and meat which is the sort of stuff that expensive and rare. My whole reasoning for it all was to keep it as a sort of insurance should Aly and I not be able to trade for food. I remove the plank of wood and take all that I can fit inside the bag. Whether it will last us long enough to escape I do not know, but at least it’s something.

When I dump the bag onto the counter, only then does it strike me that no matter how many supplies I bring with me, we won’t be getting far at all with those ‘tracking beacons’ in our hands. I stare at my palms, looking at them closely, feeling each one carefully. I press my fingers down gently in the palm of my left hand and meet the unfamiliar resistance of a tiny square of hard material. This must be it.

Grimacing, I open a drawer and pull out a long knife. The blade is long, and glints menacingly in the weak dawn light. I bring the tip to rest just beneath the tracker, and take a deep breath. Never have I had a high threshold for pain or gore, and the ghastly visions I’m having of blood spattered walls and a knife wedged into my hand aren’t exactly helping me.

But I have to do this. I have to. It’s the only way I’m going to survive. With that firmly lodged in my mind, I shut my eyes tight and roughly shove the blade in.

Instantly I feel a pain so blinding I almost let go of the knife, but somehow I keep the presence of mind. Gingerly, I open my eyes to survey the damage, and what greets me is a horror show of red, beige, and grey. My first instinct is to drop the knife and throw up, but I force myself to wedge the chip from my hand. Though it takes a few moments, eventually I manage to work it free, it and the knife then hitting the floor with a loud clatter somewhere near my feet.

I’m hunched over now, and it’s taking all the will I have not to scream from the pain. My right hand is clamped over the left but it isn’t stopping the blood. I can’t see much near me that can be used for a makeshift bandage either.

Then the bag on the counter catches my eye. I rest my arm up against my chest to slow the bleeding, and wrench opend duffel bag. I grab the first thing I see - a T-Shirt - and wad it up around my left hand, and place it above my shoulder. Hopefully that will help the bleeding too.

“ADAM WHAT THE HELL?!” Aly is standing over me, hands on her head and incredulity written across her features.

I’d really hoped she wouldn’t see me like this. “I-I can explain really I-”

“Then why is your arm covered in blood?!’ Her eyes dart to the knife, still slick and dripping. “Why is that knife there?!”

“I-I-Look, I’ll tell you In a sec, just help me bandage up my hand first okay?”

Exasperation plays across her features, “Fine.”

Aly grabs another T-Shirt from the bag (so the other one can soak up the blood), and tears off a long strip. I’d made a point of teaching Aly how to bandage a wound before. She’d always get cuts of scrapes somehow and I wanted her to know how to take care of that on her own if ever she needed to. This situation isn’t exactly the one that I pictured however.

We then worked the garment free from my hand, and the waves of agony I expected never came. In fact, there was nearly no pain at all. “I doesn’t even hurt that much now.” I say.

She looks at my hand more closely, “There’s still a lot of blood on here.. maybe if we was that off we can see how to fix this…” Confusion clouds her tone.

As Aly dabs the remains of the torn T-Shirt across my hand, I think of how we had no wounds after we got back from the market, even though both of us were bleeding before we got back. “..it’s almost as if this blood has come from nowhere..” Sarah herself had said that. There were no marks, no scars, nothing. What if the same was happening now? A deep sense of unease swirled within me.

“Adam.. there’s nothing here. No wounds or anything. Is this some sort of joke?” , and sure enough, my hand is spotless. I trace the spot where I had wedged the knife minutes before, and the unease swirls faster within me.

“No no at all.. I-I was trying to get that tracker thing out of my hand, so I cut open my palm, and I, I don’t know..”, my eyes are still fixed on my palm. I don’t like this at all.

“Well at least you got the tracker out,”, she holds out her palm, and nestled within is a tiny green and grey square, “now would you mind explaining why you went and did all this?” I catch the faint note of terror in her voice.

Through the windows I notice the sun creeping higher and higher.. Sighing, I fix my gaze back on my sister, “I’ve had a change of heart since last night. I want to get out of here, escape.”

“So that’s why you decided to wedge a knife into your hand?”

I roll my eyes, “How else was I supposed to cut out the tracker?”

“Touché. I’m guessing that’s why there’s a bag of supplies too?”

“You guess right. Now if we’re going to escape we have to get your tracker out.” My eyes flicker toward the knife.

“No. No way. You’re not jamming a knife into my palm-”

“Do you see any other options here?” For several moments I can practically see the cogs in her head whirring together to concoct another plan, but she comes up short just as I expected, and gives me her palm.

“Just.. Just do it quickly, alright?” I nod. Trying to make this a little less messy than my own handiwork, I make sure to keep Aly’s arm raised at first to slow the blood flow a little. After a little while I have us sit opposite each other on the floor, her palm in front of my knees and the knife poised above it.

“Okay, on the count of three: 1… 2 … 3” Aly lets out a shriek as I bring down the knife. I try to be fast, so I make a small cut and gently flick the tracker out.The torn strip of t-shirt is still on the counter so I grab it and make a quick bandage across the wound. Aly whimpers quietly so I give her a hug, “It’s done now. You took it much better than your jackass brother.” She lets out a strained laugh and I pick up the tracker from the floor and place it with the other on the kitchen counter. They look peculiar, two small green squares criss-crossed with hundreds of tiny gold and silver lines. They look like old computer parts that people scavenge ruined buildings for, and they’re often extremely valuable.

I pick one up and turn it over in my hand, it’s stained with blood but otherwise it’s pristine, “These could be our ticket out of here, Aly” I murmur. If I trade these with the right person, we might just get out alive, and hopefully trick the occupiers into thinking we haven’t left in the mean time.

“Well we should cover them in something. Keep them safe y’know?” I nod. I tear another strip of fabric (first cleansing them of the blood) and we tie them up in a neat bundle before placing them in the bag. “So.. What now?” Aly’s head is tilted to the side, a quizzical look plays across her face.

I look back at the duffel bag and wonder if there’s anything else that we could possibly need: clothes, food.. Water and shelter are the only things we don’t have but if we escape the city then that shouldn’t be a problem. I turn back to her, “We have everything we could need for now.. the next thing to do is to find a way to escape.”

She shuts her eyes gives a quick nod. We move around the apartment and grab some last minute things. Aly pulls her shoes on, I raid the cupboards for any food we have left, even if it is perishable. Once we both finish I shoulder the duffel bag and grab the keys and we leave. Oddly I fail to feel any sentimentality toward our little flat at all. I lock the door and as we exit down that filthy hallway, and descend those long concrete steps, my mind is focused only on escaping. Everything other than that is a blur.

The heavy doors at the end of the staircase greet us once more, and we push through. On the other side, the entrance hall is quieter. Curiously, these people from Arescet have still allowed us to have control over this area. Beyond the dull glass fronted entrance I can see that they’re still ‘registering’ people outside. If we’re quick, we might be able to slip out before they invade the space even further.

I look around and decide that maybe seeing Sarah is the best option. Being on the ground floor this whole time might’ve given her the chance to see where other escapees might have gone. I jog other, Aly in tow behind me.

Her door is shut, so I bring up my fist and knock sharply three times. No answer. I knock again, “Sarah. Sarah it’s me, Adam, just open the damn door for a second I nee-”

The door swings open, “Shutup! Just get in here okay and be quiet Adam, for **** sake…” She disappears back into the room and I frown. Sarah never did like being bothered.

Aly and I follow her in and shut the door behind us. For several seconds there is an uneasy silence. I open my mouth but Sarah cuts in first, “I know what you want. You want to get out of here, escape.” she lights a cigarette and takes a long drag before speaking again, “and yes I can help you, but no it’s not very safe, and yes you might get caught. It’s your call.” She looks at us expectantly.

Aly’s eyes narrow, “But.. But how did you know I don’t ge-”

“Oh please, Alyssa” another drag from the cigarette “look at what your brother has slung over his shoulder. That massive bag just screams ‘I wanna escape’ now doesn’t it?

“I.. I guess..” says Aly.

“Well we’re definitely leaving so yeah, we’ll do whatever you say,” I reach into the bag and grab the small bundle, “I just need you to take these, Sarah. They use them to track where we are.. Just hide them somewhere in the building. Move them every so often. Fool them into thinking we’re here.” She eyes the small white bundle suspiciously, but sighs and grabs it anyway, giving me a nod of assent.

“Okay” says Sarah “this is how we do this, further back in here is an old sewer tunnel. You two climb out and follow the tunnel until it veers left. You’ll have to walk down there until it stops. Then you’ll climb up a ladder and that’s it. You’re free. Any questions?” We remain silent. “Okay. Then lets go.”

Before we go, Sarah has me push a battered old bookcase filled with medical items in front of the door to stop intruders. Then she walks to the back of room and opens what I previously thought was a closet door. In actual fact, it opens out along the side of the building. Luckily, the wall surrounding the block is so close here that no-one should see us.

Sarah leads us a little way down the side and then stops around circular piece of metal lodged in the ground. I’ve been told that before the bombs fell, these pipes are where sewage and waste was transported. I feel slightly sick.

We pry the metal cover off and place it to one side. Below there is nothing but a dark tunnel, and a very rusty ladder. Sarah hands me a torch. “It’s dark down there so you’ll be needing that. There should be enough juice in there to last you the walk.”

I sweep her up in a big hug, “Thank you. Thank you so much” I let go and Aly pretty much copies me. I hitch the bag higher on my shoulder and begin to descend the ladder but Sarah stops me.

“Wait just one more thing: stay there until sunset. If they can’t see you, you’ll have a better chance of getting out.” I nod and carry on climbing down.

I continue climbing down and Aly joins once there is enough space. The metal lid clangs shut over us and all there is now is the clank of our shoes against the rusty ladder. For now, we are safe.

[Jesus.]

That's really well written, as always. You're really talented, but more importantly than that, you're putting the effort in to follow a path you wish to follow. Lots of people have talent, but not everyone gets off their arses and writes chapters.

Keep going.

[Niall]

That's really well written, as always. You're really talented, but more importantly than that, you're putting the effort in to follow a path you wish to follow. Lots of people have talent, but not everyone gets off their arses and writes chapters.

Keep going.

Ah thank you Jesus. It means a lot to hear that. :lovedup: Writing is draining after a while but I still love doing it. :D

[Jesus.]

Ah thank you Jesus. It means a lot to hear that. :lovedup: Writing is draining after a while but I still love doing it. :D

Well it's the truth. I'm not really someone who anyone could call an arse licker. If I say something positive, it's because I genuinely mean it. Keep going. If you ever need a manager to negotiate you a good deal, then I'm your guy!

[Niall]

Well it's the truth. I'm not really someone who anyone could call an arse licker. If I say something positive, it's because I genuinely mean it. Keep going. If you ever need a manager to negotiate you a good deal, then I'm your guy!

Gosh. :blush2: But yeah thank you so much! And I think I will have to take you up on that offer at some point! :tongue:

[Tom4784]

I've been trying to write a lot lately but I just can't get started on it, I ****ing hate writing beginnings.

[Niall]

I've been trying to write a lot lately but I just can't get started on it, I ****ing hate writing beginnings.

Yeah the beginnings always the hardest part. There's so much to get right and it's so hard t get it perfect I always take ages with it. :bored:

[Ammi]

..Niall, I'm going to read this later but I just KNOW it's going to be epic..I've been so excited about the next instalment and am so glad you've carried on with it...:love:...

[Niall]

..Niall, I'm going to read this later but I just KNOW it's going to be epic..I've been so excited about the next instalment and am so glad you've carried on with it...:love:...

Ah thank you, take all the time you need, honestly. :lovedup:

[Ammi]

..:lovedup:...Niall, a brilliant chapter..it was so worth the wait and I'm so pleased you're continuing with the story after your exam break...I'm going to message you my thoughts if that's ok...not telepathically, I will PM them..but it's seriously good Niall..you have a great writing style and I would definitely read this as a novel...so well done :love:.....

[Ammi]

I've been trying to write a lot lately but I just can't get started on it, I ****ing hate writing beginnings.

..yeah, they're not the easiest Dezzy..beginnings and endings are the hardest but please don't give up because I have a feeling that you would write so well, if you do get it started and it would be worth persevering...

[Niall]

..:lovedup:...Niall, a brilliant chapter..it was so worth the wait and I'm so pleased you're continuing with the story after your exam break...I'm going to message you my thoughts if that's ok...not telepathically, I will PM them..but it's seriously good Niall..you have a great writing style and I would definitely read this as a novel...so well done :love:.....

Thank you Ammi so much bless you I just

http://media.tumblr.com/4288226b9e3c5fc7671c706f4c1cc773/tumblr_inline_mpicxfFNTQ1qz4rgp.gif

..yeah, they're not the easiest Dezzy..beginnings and endings are the hardest but please don't give up because I have a feeling that you would write so well, if you do get it started and it would be worth persevering...

Yeah. You always have been a great writer, Dezzy. Darkwood Isle proves that.