The below is probably the first chapter to something I thought up, we'll see if any sense of commitment overwhelms me as I sleep tonight. I do have some character names and a partial plot in mind, we'll see what it becomes. It could just be a series of shorts that get posted...
No title yet....no, seriously, this isn't the title lol.
Hecht could feel their eyes on him in the small dark space. Each pair was different and special, somehow he knew that. What he couldn’t figure, was why he had been put in a transport ship with five children. To his knowledge, most of the children had been killed in the beginning. Either the five huddled against the cold metal of the ship were lucky, or extremely important. He weighed the information available in his mind, taking care to consider everything before making his decision.
The older girl blinked coldly at him. She sat slightly apart from the rest of the group, as if she would catch something lest she be too near. It was odd, seeing a person single herself out in such a way. Most humans grouped together now, it was safer that way. But there she sat, straight backed and defiant. Hecht couldn’t decide if he was envious of her prideful youth, or if he should take pity on her ignorance.
A boy about her age cradled two younger children in each of his arms. He looked strong, but less confident than the girl. It appeared that he had an idea of what would happen to them. Though he wasn’t shielding the younger children, he was trying to make an attempt at compassion, for he would surely share their fate. His eyes lingered on Hecht, he knew better than to trust anyone new.
The last boy seemed to be in the middle of all their ages, most likely fifteen or sixteen years old. His eyes were downcast and shoulders slumped. It looked as if the weight of the world had been laid upon him, and would smother him within moments. He didn’t look much different than the majority of the people Hecht had seen over the last year, except for one thing. One incredibly important thing. Hecht glanced down at the boy’s hands and noted that they were not shaking. None of the children’s hands were.
He looked down at his own steady hands. Until that moment, he had not met anyone else with his condition since the invasion. Hecht had never been a big believer of fate or destiny, but all of them in the same ship had to mean something. He just wasn’t sure how much longer he would have to figure it out.
Hecht was a smart man. He had been quite the professor before all hell had broken loose on the planet. Since then, he had taken to using his mind on other things than books and theories. Instead of writing papers, Hecht had started to formulate plans. Just like the one he intended on using in the next few moments.
He took a deep breath, steadying his voice so that he would not sound too imposing or authoritative. He had to remember how to speak to children in order to get them to do what you wanted them to do without them knowing it. “If you little chicken shits want to get out of this dump, I suggest you follow me quickly.”
The surprise on their faces was enough to tell him that they would at least consider his plan.
He pointed to the older boy. “I will need your help with the latch. The rest of you, get ready to jump.”
The boy was hesitant, but moved slightly towards Hecht. “How do we know we can trust you?”
Hecht leaned forward, grinding his teeth together and scowled at the boy. “Because I am human, and I don’t want to die,” he watched their unease, “and because we have something in common.”
He held out his hands. They were still, and the children stared. Realization passed over their faces.
Hecht winked at the older boy, who moved forwards to help him. “Smart boy.”
Their fingers bled as they pried open the latch. Once it was open, they kicked out the small container door, revealing the scenery whizzing by at an awesome speed. He looked back at the ragged group of children. “Make it a good jump, you need to get past the railings.”
They nodded, gazing out at the electrified railways that hummed and glowed with a blue aura. Almost everything on the planet looked like that after the invasion. It was a constant reminder of what had been taken from them.
With grace that he could only attribute to their condition, Hecht watched as each child jumped from the train without fear or hesitation. He followed them out, knowing he had found something that was never meant to leave the invaders’ sight. He had found something that was not supposed to live, because it was dangerous. Because, these children were different.
They could save everyone.
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