5. ARCADIAN

Arcadian (Adjective)

Idyllically innocent; simple and untroubled by fear or worry.

Chapter 5

(Mako P.O.V)

I open my eyes at the sound of harsh hisses of heys. I lift my neck and hear myself groan at the stinging pain of the position I dozed off in. Not sleeping for a day or so has knocked me out even though I'm in the company of cannibals, rain was my lullaby as I drifted off. I look straight up at the boy in front of me, I think it's the twin who was in the tracksuit. The way he narrows his eyes at me gives it off.

"Come, uh... need you to do something." He stutters looking away not meeting my eyes at his request, not asking a favour but not demanding too. He stands up and steps out the door leaving it wide open behind him. I push myself up rubbing my blurry versioned eyes and giving my neck a rub to ease the cramp. Giving the door a pull, I step out into the furniture empty room.

They both sit across each other on the floor fiddling with white papers in the middle. They both dressed in black clothing and seem absorbed by the papers in front of them. Seeing ghouls with human associated things like paper and sitting composed makes me rethink of everything I was told about them by father. But that somehow makes me remember how that man was laying on the street bleeding on the ground yesterday... now that I think back to the images in my head...the bucket boy was using a knife? He stabbed him with a knife? I thought ghouls have nails or use their teeth... why was he holding a knife?

"Come here." The first twin I met calls out to me. I walk over and seat myself next to them looking from them to the papers laying on the floor. They said they were looking for some kid or something, could they be out here in the city with a goal? Not just to live free....like me?

The second twin...I think pulls a paper shoving it before me sweat trickling down his forehead. " Here, read this." He orders me. I glance over at the main flat door, shouldn't I be making my way out? I'm sure that won't happen even if I tried now. I take the paper in my hand and examine it. Something about a government official, truly boring.

"Read it out loud." The bucket boy orders me. I look up from my paper meeting his demanding tone,

"What are you looking for? Reading all this is too much." I prod motioning at the paper files on the floor.

"Looking for an address, home address." The other twin tells me. I sigh turning my eyes back on the paper. My judgment about ghouls not living in good conditions and being unable to read seems to have proven right. After examining a few papers about some official named Jasty, I find his home address. Keeping my mouth sealed as I stare at the official home address doubts creeps inside me. Are they trying to kill an official that has something to do with shutting them outside the city? I'm sure whoever put them in that prison is still around as it was only recently done...was it?. Maybe they are on a revenge spree? I don't want to be a part of it, maybe even try to stop it.

"Why are you looking for this person's address?" I ask them hiding behind the paper not wanting to meet their short tempered comebacks. I hear them scoff and sigh.

"That's our business." One of them says. Taking down the paper I face them head on,

"Agreed. Reading this is none of my business." I remark placing down the paper with the other pile. Strangely, I have grown immune to the fact they are ghouls. The second met twin pick back the paper with the address and shoves it at me.

"This person knows where something we want is, we're simply going to him and ask about it." He says in a controlled confident tone.

"And maybe... hurt him in the process?" I ask not taking the paper yet.

"If he asks for it." He shrugs expressionless. If I help them they might help me settle in here in the city, they might be better of help than the police. I can't overthink this as I never know what might happen, doing what I can do now seems like my best option.

"Okay, I found the address. Should I take you there?" I offer, sure if I did favours they will return them or at least I can run away from them while we're outside.

"Just tell us and we'll go." The bucket one orders. I shake my head,

"How will you find the right road? Everything is named around here so you will need me to read on the way." I reassure them nodding. They pray at each other to come to an agreement, I'm drawn at the back of the room my eyes watching the blue curtains flow as the breeze blows at it from the slightly open window, letting in a thick warm mist inside the damp empty apartment.

"Okay, let's go." They hurriedly scoot to their feet before I could take my eyes away from the window.

"What? What time is it? It seems dark outside." I say holding on to the address in my hand. Zipping his jacket he heads to the door,

"Yeah, like we'll wait till the sun is out and everyone out of their nests like ants." The second twin mocks sarcastically. I sigh getting up. I can't complain, this is quite fun. Rooming around at night with ghouls, dangerous but not boring... interesting actually. Pulling on my shoes on I hurriedly tie my laces as one of them stands at the door waiting for me. I just get up and out before I finish in case I annoy him with being slow. The door is locked and we stride down in silence out the building. Outside, the other twin is waiting in a car in front of the building entrance. I thought ghouls are mindless cannibals who kill and run wild their whole life, who knew they could sit like normal people and drive a car? I want to snap a picture of such an insight but the second twin opens the door at the back and shoves me in. Glaring at the door as it's slammed in my face, the leather fabric seats stench enters my nose and I'm hit with a sudden loneliness. I ski down to the middle of the seats as the twin gets in the front and slams his door. I swallow my growing sadness as memories flash in my head, the light pole giving orange lumpiness at it's surroundings as rain falls down with passion at the ground as if coming for vengeance.

As if pictures on my camera, shots show in my head of the one time I've ridden a car before... I was feeling sick that day but still decided to take care of my few surviving plants in the back garden, they were one of the things I was allowed to do, and the seeds have been brought from the outside. I was growing plants that have come from the scary outside world I was told about. While me and my brother fight over who's plants are growing faster I collapse, next thing I remember is being hauled in the car and everything is blurry as I doze off on the elastic warm leather sears.

"What's the address?" I snap my gaze from the orange lamp to the twin who's in front of the steering wheel. Again, who would have thought a ghoul can ride a car. I look ahead at the screen in the middle of the front of the car, I lean forward brining myself forward by pulling at the seats in front of me. Tapping on the screen, I found where I can input the address just because I can read and not because I have used such technology before. A map appears as I input the address and it tells them to head straight.

"What is it like... in the dot?" I blur out before I could stop myself. It's a sensitive question, it's like asking someone how is life in a pot of insects, but I can't hold my curiosity anymore. I came out to learn about the outside world, the big city...who thought I could learn about the dot too?

"Nothing you fshek can live through." The second twin spits in an arrogant tone. I can't imagine what it's like, a place full of ghouls closed and shut out from the world. They can't expect humans to open doors and make a feast party for them either.

"Yeah? What makes you think you know what I'm capable of living through?" I whisper, he might be right. I don't think I'm capable of doing much but my pride won't let me admit it publicly. I get no answers which I'm relieved for.

"What's wrong with your language... I mean, there's nothing wrong with it... It's... it's just things I never heard before, and not quite understand." I ramble.

"Language? What language?" The bucket boy speaks nonchalantly, uninterested.

"I mean like... I don't know... fshek? And other words." I let out.

"I don't know, I thought everyone speaks like this." The bucket boy glances at his brother who's scowling ahead at the road.

"Of course not everyone speaks like this you modeflick! Did you think humans out here speak the same as us back in the dot? Didn't I tell you to stop using our talk!? People will know we're not from around here! You should..." He reprimands his brother who cuts him off.

"Oh clog it! You use the same talk! Don't throw the told you shlock on me!" He shouts back at his brother. I find myself smiling, remembering my fights with my own siblings... after a few seconds of silence, the bucket boy glances over his seat,

"I don't know... it's a way we talk. Move on." He says flatly. I find myself rolling my eyes at his diet explanation. Did I really think a ghoul would sit here and properly explain to me... I'm an idiot.

After telling them to go this way and that with the help of the map we make it there. Trusting my instincts, it must have been around 30 or 40 minutes. The tracksuit twin's hands stroking the wheel along the ride, the almost soundless changing of the gears, the pattern of traffic lights... I had fought sleep with great effort.

Mistaking the zipper's route a few times, I pull out the paper with the address from my bag groaning as we had just parked the car since the map says we arrived at the location, we evacuate the car and I start looking for a road named "Guy's road"

Walking here and there as they follow me like lost kids I point at a blue sign lighted with white harsh light, a few flies circulating at it as if dancing in triumph at our finding.

"It's on this road. We need to find a residency named Donr's House." I tell them confident. Showing them the paper and how it's spelled, they rush around looking for it, memorising the letters like drawings.

"Hey! Is it this one?! Looks similar to me." The bucket hat boy calls me pointing at the sign placed in front of big house gates. Grass looming over the cement house premises.

"Yes! This is it!" I hiss at him as his brother comes towards us. They give each other reassuring looks nodding at each other and I shake my head to perfect my vision at their mirroring image. A shrill goes down my spine watching them curl their hands in fists sucking in their teeth and almost a soft sadness washes over them, as if this reminds them of something hurtful.

"Stay out here till we come out okay? Don't follow us in." The tracksuit brother tells me softly but it makes me not want to do otherwise. I nod. I swallow as they jump over the gates and head towards the door. I turn around, my eyes darting at the empty street. The ground beneath me shimmers as the looming white lights shine on it. My breath and leaves tapping each other as the wind passes are the only noises I can hear. I'm alone, I have nowhere to go, no one to go to. I can't run away from the only people who might even slightly help me. Yes, they're ghouls but neither did humans ever help me, might as well try my luck with them. Facing the big house I don't spot the twins nor do I see a broken door, did they get in? if so how?

After a while nothing happens and my legs are cramped in my squatting position. It's cold and I'm only wearing a thin white body shirt under my jumpsuit. Standing straight to stretch my legs for the fourth time I hear whistling... police cars! my heart jumps. Did they find me? am I going be taken back?! Is the police really coming here? For me?!

"Run! Go to the car!" I jump at the sudden screams coming from behind. I watch as a police car pulls up to the street we're on up ahead. I break from my thoughts and break into a run towards the car. My heart races as I hear them panting behind me, stomping at the wet ground with me before them. Slamming my hands on the car door, it beeps and I pull the door open. Throwing myself in and hearing other doors slamming shut que with mine as I pull it with great effort.

"Is the police after us?!" I ask out of breath. The car is pulled out and is being turned the opposite way we came, where the police is coming from.

"Yeah, the hastard's wife called them." The twin on my right says as the other is quite and driving away. I let a breath out relieved it's not after me personally. As the car zips through the streets, I'm jerked from left to right,

"Do you have a driving license??!" I scream as I begin to feel sick, swaying back and fourth as we run away, turning my stomach sour with nausea. I want to vomit, but nothing came up. Pulling myself to the seat, I place the seatbelt on as I don't want to die like this.

"No, we don't usually go about having a stroll learning how to drive back in the pit." The twin driving spits his remark sarcastically as I slightly hit my head with the window on my left. It will sure be embarrassing to die in a car accident when I had the chance to die in the hands of ghouls.

"Give Carly a call or something! Can't lose them!" The one driving tells the other. The driverless twin takes a phone out of his pocket and it falls out of his hand to the floor and he scrambles for it. Finding it between his feet, he taps and taps. Placing the phone on his left ear, I glance away as the image of my father in the same position back at home, phone against his face. Outside the window it's empty, dark and windy. The sirens loud and manicking , I just want it to shut up, we get it, you're coming after us! No need for the loud obnoxious wails.

"Hello!? Carly!?... Help us out! The police is after us and we can't lose them!" He says to the phone looking behind to check the police cars, his bangs wet sticking together on his forehead. His presses his lips turning around taking his phone away from his ear.

"She said she can't do nothing." He tells his brother sounding annoyed but not as angry as I thought he would be. An angry ghoul would growl like an animal and attack anything or anyone leaving them in shreds...I was told.

"Should we stop and ..." The driving one drifts off giving his brother a split second glazing look of unsettling disturbance. He wants to fight them? Hurt them? ... kill them?

"Just keep going, I got an idea!" I announce undoing my seatbelt. I search for the opening in the seats beside me and I push the seats down crushing them on each other folding them. I have a full view of the empty trunk. Playing with my brother in our parked car in the basement, we had found many gimmicks that back then didn't mean much but play.

"What you doing?" The driverless twin asks me. I pay him no attention as I pull at the flat surface revealing the spare wheel. I hope this won't make enough damage to hurt anyone and just enough to let us flee. I use both hands to pull the wheel out of it's warm spot and I grit my teeth as my knees squeeze between the left and right seat, keeping me steady straight. Holding the wheel in my hand vertically,

"Open the trunk!" I shout at the one driving. Without further notice, adrenaline rushes through me and my heart starts beating. My stomach wrenches and again, I wonder is it nervousness or excitement.

With the queue of the flapping trunk door as it ascends open, my hair flies away from my face and I feel the cold sweat behind my neck freeze as the wind slaps me. My eyes are pricked with blue and red light but I force them to stay open as I push the wheel in my hand and let it out of my grasp, I let it go free.