NormieVision

"Zini, we've got to go." Glen limped towards her, his friends behind him, huddled together. They had to leave this place, or they would be caught there. "Drones will likely be sent to find and kill us." he said quickly.

He looked like he wanted to leave, and he glanced around and above him like he was wary of the drones and extra soldiers he talked about. His arm was stretched toward her in a bid to help her up. But Zini did not take his arm. Still a little weak, she dragged herself up and looked at the humans around her. She looked like she wanted to do something to help but didn't know exactly what. Zini could not just leave them here to be captured again. The fact that she had just killed all those evil men to save these people and then leave them here only to be captured again did not sit well with her.

But the humans read her mind.

The woman that had thanked her so profusely came forward to speak.

"Dragon girl, thank you for showing much care and concern. The forest is perilous but some of us know how to safely navigate through it. Once we get through it, We could be on our way now and on the sea to get to human-owned territory. We could start our lives over there." She spoke with a new gait in her person. Apart from the ragged clothing and the tear and dirt-stained face she had, one would think she wasn't a slave here, but she witnessed the heroism of the Dragon girl. The lady regarded her as a friend.

At this answer and plan, Zini grew calmer. She knew that they would be in safe hands. She turned to Glen, Mackie, and Kita. They all stood looking back at her as if waiting for a command or a plan.

"We're going to make sure they all get out of this forest alive."

And that's what they did next. Following the lead of the woman, everyone else ran through the forest that surrounded the camp. Once they were clear, they continued west towards the sea. After a short while of searching, they found boats, which were turned upside down underneath a pile of leaves. They were at least twenty in all.

"Easy and quick." Glen said to the people as they started sitting the boats upright and loading the women and children first. The boats were long and had enough seats for at least fifteen humans and before long, thirteen of the boats were filled up.

The boats were pushed out into the sea and floated effortlessly and quickly over the now calm sea. Before the last boat was pushed, the woman from before came back and held Zini's hands and thanked her again, promising that one day, she would return the help Zini had rendered. Before long, all the occupied boats were far out at sea and on their way to human territory. Freedom.

"We're going to the other camp." Mackie and Kita smiled in thanks to her but Glen stared at Zini.

Zini looked back and read his mind. He thought they should not do it.

Zini heard Star's voice. "Why?" she asked Glen.

Glen had guessed that she knew what he was thinking and said, "Are you sure?"

 "What do you mean?" she asked again.

"Well," he glanced at Mackie and back to Zini. The sky had darkened even more, and it got a little bit windy.

"You were uncomfortable with coming here before. I understand if you don't feel like it. Maybe you just have a past with them...I don't know. But are you just sure you want to do this? I'm asking because the first time, it didn't seem like you wanted to." he replied.

Zini looked at him and then down at the sand below her feet.

"Well, I want to. I thought I didn't and would not want to get into anything that would make things worse or me worse..." She glanced up and then looked down again. "Since that is all I ever do."

Zini didn't know for sure if she felt that way, but she knew the main reason why she didn't want to come. The Anomalies weren't people she wanted to see again, and she was perfectly happy with her cabin in the woods on her island. Without her knowing, Mackie and Kita walked towards her. She didn't feel their presence till they held her hand.

"We are eternally grateful for choosing to come for us. No one else would've." Mackie said. Zini gave a small smile.

"Alright. Let's go then." Glen said as they headed east. This time toward London.

"Move along!" An Anomaly soldier screamed at a group of Normies that tried to lift stones on a small hill. Their feet were blistered and opened, and their knees shook from exhaustion. Their sweat never stopped pouring as they tried to move their bodies and finish off the work that they had for another day.

A large and long whip cracked the back of a middle-aged man who looked to be in his late years. "I said, move along!" another soldier screamed again. He barked in a condescending tone at a boy who fell down at the front of the line.

Maryna could smell it. These stones were terrible. She looked at her hands and saw what the stones did to them. They were, of course, blistered. But the latest and most terrifying of the wounds, hot and red sores were all over. She tried not to lay on the ground where these stones were. Also, she tried not to fall when she was whipped or pushed. Her feet bore the same sores and were worse off than her hands. Her skin felt like it was eaten off. Fortunately, Maryna found straps of cloth to keep it from getting worse.

All to no avail.

"Let him walk! Stop it!" Maryna screamed at the soldier when she saw that the boy had fallen. His open chest scraped on the poisonous stones.

The stones were to be carried from the base of the hill to a building that turned the stones into pellets and bullets that were only to be used for the annihilation of Normies. They used humans to dig out these stones unprotected while they wore sturdy clothing that protected their arms and feet. Only to use those same stones to kill them. The angry soldier did not hesitate when he walked over to Maryna and gave her a hard slap on the face, causing her to stumble. As hard as she could, she pushed her arms out in front of her to break her fall and protect her body from scraping against the stones on the ground.

Her elbows shook as she held herself upright and away from the ground. Slowly, she stood up and picked her stone back up, and began to walk, continuing the line. It didn't take long before she felt the blood sliding down her leg. Looking for soldiers that didn't have their attention on her, she quickly looked down and saw her knee. She had scraped it.

"Hold her down! Make sure she doesn't kick the boat off course!" Mackie, stationed at the boat's middle, shrieked into the wind as she tried to steer the paddleboat toward the island in their sights. Glen and Kita were at the back trying their possible best with all their strength to hold stabilize the boat. The waves crashing up against it were trying to flip it over.

"Wake up, Zini!" Kita screamed in Zini's ears for the umpteenth time on the boat as they got closer to the shore but before, it seemed to get worse. And like a miracle, Zini woke up. The storm abated. The tired arms of Glen and Kita relaxed from their hold on the boat's edges.

Zini raised her hand to her head and tried to clear the blurriness from her eyes as she saw something out at sea and murmured. "Maryna?"

"She is right there, Zini! We have got to get her!" Star screamed in Zini's mind.

"Shut up!" Zini retorted and rubbed her eyes. All Glen and Kita could do was stare at each other as they had just seen something crazy after glancing at the sea. Even Mackie turned her head to see what was going on.

Suddenly, Zini found herself on the ground around the burned out campfire Glen made. The others were fast asleep. She looked toward the sky and saw it was dawn.

The brush behind them ruffled. Zini quickly rose to her feat. Out of it came a disembodied figure. "Maryna?" she called out to her. The body formed fully into her friend. Her skin had scrapes and bruises all over her. Her face bloodied with deep cuts.

"Don't let me die." Maryna's cryptic melancholy voice echoed in the night.

"Please hang on!" Zini assured but woke up again. This time it was night. The scenery was the same around the burned out campfire but the forestry placements were different. She knew this time that she wasn't dreaming.

Then it occurred to Zini that she just had a vision! Maryna was in deep trouble. They had to get to this camp now!