Scene 3

Daisy's eyes lock on him:

He fits the description perfectly, the wanted stranger with black coat and round hat.

The swordsmen lunge. The man stands.

He weaves through the steel with impossible, silent grace.

BAA.

A hole blooms in the first man's temple.

Poof.

He vanishes and reappears between the last two.

Two shots.

One heartbeat.

They fall.

The floor thuds.

The man looks at Daisy. "Kid, what are you doing out here?"

Daisy stands, shaking. "I'm looking for... Antar."

"It's dangerous. Find somewhere safe."

He turns to leave.

His footsteps click. He halts. Looks back.

What about your parents?"

"Never knew my mother. Antar told me she died the day I was born."

"Father?"

"Barely knew him. He's really busy I don't see him at all."

"Come with me," he says. "Let's find you a place to stay."

Daisy brushes her gown. "But I want to find Antar."

"Don't be stupid. Haven't you seen enough? Your best option is to stay alive. Survive. Find a town and hide."

A beat.

"Otherwise, you'll die before you even get close to the person you're looking for."

He starts walking. Daisy follows his shadow.

"Um... can I know your name?"

"It's Johnny."

Their footsteps pound the paving as they move into the woods.

Daisy's eyes dart to her side:
He's too quiet. I can't hear him breathe. Is he even real?

"Johnny... why are you haunted?"

Johnny furrows his brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"I heard about you. You wiped a gang. Now everyone is looking for you." She touches her jaw. "The description fits."

Johnny chuckles once. A dry, humorless sound. "Seems like my little hunt paid off."

"What hunt?"

Johnny stays quiet.

"I am from the Soviet village," she starts. "My home was attacked. I escaped... because others didn't."

"Who's Antar? Big sis?"

"No. She's like an Aunt. I don't know where she is, but I won't stop."

Johnny scratches his brow. "In this world, ignorance gets you killed. There is trafficking in the East. You'd be a slave before you hit the border."

"Trafficking?"

Johnny shakes his head. "You're a kid. You don't know what the world is. It turns people like you into things. Slaves. Garbage."

Daisy folds her hands:

The world is dark.
I'm already in it.
Might as well walk through it.

"The world is a chaotic place, Kid."

Daisy's mind flashes to Gomez:

But don't ever try to leave this place. Out there... it's chaos.

The memory fades:

I was beginning to taste the outside world, now I know It tastes like blood and beer.

The woods thin. They reach a clearing. A wide, open space of short grass.

A river roars to the left, a violent white noise. A large tower looms ahead.

NEW SAGE BORDER.

The morning sun begins to bleed over the horizon. They reach a gate.

Johnny stops.

"Kid, go in there. My journey with you ends here."

Daisy's eyes widen. Flashes of Gomez shooting. Flashes of the bald man dying. She grabs his hand.

"I want to go with you, Johnny..." Her voice cracks. "It's not safe... please..."

Johnny laughs softly. "You're safe here. They need citizens. Build a life."

Daisy tightens her grip. "But I want to go with you."

Johnny sighs. "I'm looking for my niece. She's your age. My path is full of graves, Daisy. It's no place for a child."

He places a palm on her shoulder. "Live here. Adapt. Don't wander alone."

A beat.

"The world punishes the weak. Don't be weak."

Daisy lets go. Her hand feels cold the moment she releases him. She nods, swallowing hard.

Johnny smiles, a brief flash of humanity, and turns. In a second, his form dissolves into the morning mist.

Daisy stands alone in the grass:

So this is it. Everyone leaves. Everyone dies. Everyone abandons me because I'm not strong enough to keep up.

She curls her hands into fists:

I'll get stronger.

The leather bag of coins feels heavy in her pocket:

I'll get so strong that no one can ever leave me behind again.

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Thanks for reading. The second chapter will be out soon.