In the last part of this story, Cutter's parents were visited by off-worlds. While they spoke he was sent outside. While out he joined some other kids to go to the barracks to see what was happening. After a speech by the Director of the colony, the Director was assassinated by a mob of civilians which has caused fighting to occur on the streets. Cutter, afraid, had no choice but to travel through the chaos alone, to get back home to his parents.
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He jumped from the tree hitting the ground harder than he thought he would and twisted his ankle, there were no other options of a place to hide, other than a nearby bush. He scrambled over to it, attempting to rub the pain from his ankle, which didn't help all that much. All Cutter could hear around him were the sounds of, shouting, gunfire, screams, and crying. As well as the low but, persistent ringing in his ears. It got too much for him after a moment so he covered them, in an attempt to block out the chaotic noise.
The pain in his ankle subsided after a short time and he stood up still ducking behind the bush, then he began to run. Looking to the laneway he had to go down, he noticed a soldier following some of the crowd and while he plotted out his course home he was distracted by one of the other kids, who was laying on someone from the crowd crying. The pile of people was alive with slight movements, but, so slow and still, that he knew most of them were dead.
He decided to run the long way back home weaving his way through the back alleys and lanes between the buildings, as he made his way through he could hear the echo of gunfire all around him. The night felt much colder than it had been previously, people lay on the streets here and there and he could only ignore them and run past, pretending not to see when someone grabbed at him asking for help. What could he do?
Finally, he was on his road and ran into his house. "Hello!" He called out, but, there was no answer. Through the closed door, he could hear the chaos outside. Even though he was afraid, Cutter knew that he had to leave the house and look for his parents.
He stepped outside slowly and took a look around the street, people were running past him. Then his whole face got so hot that he felt his skin would melt from his bones if he didn't raise his hands to shield himself. He heard a sound overhead, looking up, Cutter saw the biggest ship he had ever seen. Which traveled slowly above his town. As it passed by he saw something flying towards it from the ground and it then exploded on the ship's surface, so close he could feel the heat from the blast. Within a few moments, more flew towards it and the ship opened fire on the town. He had no idea what was going on or what he was even doing outside.
As he made his way up the street the ship let out an earth-shattering blast and began to fall from the sky, crashing as it did into the buildings below, only a few streets away from him. Dust and smoke erupted and he covered his face from it. But, it didn't help to keep bits from hitting him in the eyes and mouth, he even inhaled some of the bits of sand and debris, which made him cough.
As the ship settled into the ground, a silence came over the area. There was no shouting or panic, just a calm and still feeling over the whole settlement. "Cutter!" He heard the familiar voice of his mother shouting. He tried to call back, but his lungs were full of smoke and dust, his mouth felt dry. As he opened it, he tried to spit. But, he couldn't, because of the coating of dust which covered his tongue.
All he could do was walk in the direction the shouting was coming from, blindly. Swatting at the air as he did he could see the odd silhouette of a person running through the smoke past him. The shouts continued from each of his parents now and they continued to get louder with every step he took. The smoke settled down a bit allowing him to open his eyes and through the clearing, he could see them both, they were covering their mouths in between shouts but, he knew it was them. He kept on walking towards them, and as his mother locked eyes with him, it filled his heart with joy. He felt safe knowing they were with him. He was so close to them now when he could hear the gunfire through the deafening silence. He watched helplessly as each of them fell to the ground. He let out a scream that cut at his throat. As he tried to run to them. He felt himself being grabbed and picked up, as he got close enough to hold his parents.
He watched, through tears, as their bodies disappeared behind the smoke. He kicked and punched, but, it was no use, he finally broke down and began to cry silently to himself, as he did the chaos around him had nearly gone away, completely. Feeling as though he was floating nothing else to him mattered, he began to think it would be better if the soldiers just killed him too.
The smoke was gone when he was finally set down on the ground, it was cold to the touch and the noise that was all around him was now so far away that it was just a distant whisper. That lived somewhere beneath the loud buzzing.
He started to hear some unfamiliar sounds now, mechanical churning and the odd chatter from people with unfamiliar accents. It was only at this moment that he looked around and realised he couldn't see properly. Everything was a bright blur. He started to rub his eyes which kind of helped him, looking down at where he was sitting he saw that the ground was steel as well as the walls. Looking up at the two men who had visited his parents earlier on today.
His parents. He'd almost forgotten. Cutter began to cry once more. "Stop crying." One of them said in a gruff voice as Cutter continued to stare up at them.
End of Part 2
The 3rd and final part is out now and can be read here.