6 Roses Are Red

130727

21:00

D A Y 2 7 2 2 S.P

D A Y 1 1 3 2 S.A

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All of us are survivors, it's a known fact. It's also obviously known that our own kind will remain even more deadly, than a monster that kills everything that moves in its sight. My brother taught me a person with smarts can outwit anyone with strength. 'You think of a way out', he'd order. He'd say it almost as if everybody knew that, but a villain would always get caught eventually. Kicking the bucket when all seems to be lost, and when violence seems to be the only answer, 'Violence is never the first choice. Never lose your thoughts in any situation, just because someone tells you to forget', 'because they don't know that', I would respond, thinking I was going to grow up as a super spy that always won battles and defeated the villains. But only the people who have been forced into hell can really understand the meaning of 'mind over matter', only those who've lived through it have the right to speak.

They're leaders. Each and every person is a leader in their own shape or form. A woman gets raped by seven men, walking out alive. She has the right to hate men, but also has the power to teach others the dangers of such situation, whether it be conducted by a man, or a woman. To keep their guard up. Electric acid and water appear identical, so it's wise to not drink at all.

A man gets his family kidnapped and stolen, by a bunch of thieves who enslave them and force them to do their dirty work for three years. That man has the right to hate thieves, and assume one any be the thief. He also has the ability to learn, and teach others of how to prepare for such a situation if one where to come.

A man loses his best friend, after a man with a badge and gun pulls the trigger. He has the right to hate the police. He has the right to not trust in the law.

The night is warm, influenced by the hot day that occurred earlier. Luckily there isn't anyone coming in or out of the clinic, so standing in the entrance doesn't bother me as much. Tiffany had left me a pair of blue sandals at the end of the bed, I of course had to take some over dramatic measures and make sure the room was spotless before I left. Or else I may have gotten out to see the sun set, but the sky is full of stars tonight, not a cloud in sight. Chatter surrounds me, of people who have guns strapped around them, slung pointed towards the ground and the back of their heels. The crowds are lively, this is considers the early morning to us now so by sun rise we are all tired and ready for bed. In the mansion, it was different. We didn't see outside, so we worked nonstop not knowing when we were allowed to sleep. The guards wouldn't tell us on purpose, to see how quickly it'd take for our minds to slip. 'Stop thinking,' I growl at myself, gazing upon the strange faces around me. I hope to recognise someone, but also pray to not know anyone here from three years ago. Denom isn't as big as the other states in Alland, and the people inside liked their home and keep very sheltered lives from the cities and high populated areas. So seeing a familiar face here wouldn't be surprising, although most would be in Three as that giant safe zone is the most updated digital technological settlement in all of Alland.

I feel like I'm back in primary school, as there isn't much to remember in high school. Waiting by a sign for someone familiar to arrive so I'd have someone to walk into school with, even if I didn't know them very well. As long as I knew them, I was fine. Starting convocation never was something I found hard to do, Angel taught me to speak first in situations that I know would affect me in the future, and social anxiety wasn't something I was fond of having when I grew up so all I did really, was talk. Although he also would say, when I got a bit too annoying, that talking too much would get me and possibly others in trouble. Things I don't want to remember, out of spite of the words coming from my brother specifically, but I need to remember these things. My brother taught me how to survive.

To my left, in front the entrance to the clinic where I stand, is a tall and wide sign. It has a big black painted on 'Winterlen Medical Clinic' splotched on the front of it. From what I can tell on the back of the sign, it used to be a park or reserve sign.

Winterlen being a somewhat recently made settlement, hence being called Four – the fourth major settlement made in Denom, last minute plans were decided to simply build a settlement over a large park that won't be need during the apocalypse. Big enough to fit thousands of survivors and places for them to rest and heal. Tiffany wasn't the original boss of this place, there had been a few over these last three years. Tiffany seems to be doing very well, as she's maintained this place brilliantly and all the people within Four love and respect her. It was told that the first man who come up with building Four caught the Xina virus, cause of the four year pandemic. He gave ownership to his oldest son, he had lost two of his younger daughter so his son was his only choice obviously. He who decided to kill on site anyone who had or was presumed to have symptoms, a harsh but working strategy at the time. Six months passed with him as king and a proper tested full poof vaccine created by Three and their brilliant equipment and stock of science students created. Although like any other vaccine, it had to be taken regularly. Not every few years, but once every three months. So when they started rolling up to settlements approved by what's left of the Alland government. The constant put down of those with symptoms here in Four became shunned upon, and hated as the creator's son continued the strategy instead of supplying his people with the vaccine. He didn't trust enough after his father had passed. So Tiffany strolled into the playground, personally sent from Three to improve the settlement but instead took ownership the Four, and titled it Winterlen, the name of the original park that was destroyed in its place. Everyone accepted her and dubbed her the Mother of Winterlen, a strange title, and those who sided with the creator's psychotic son got banished and not allowed in any other settlement in case of a murder occurring due to their beliefs. Tiffany, being a doctor and a leader really benefits Winterlen. She's only in her early thirties as well, and has the elderly loving her.

"Sarah Williams," A voice speaks softly next to me, the kindest voice I've ever heard. I could feel every emotion pour out of two single words, heartbreak, sadness and relief. Although it mustn't be directed at me.

"I have loved the stars too fondly, to be fearful of the night," she speaks again, a bit louder now. The tone and genuine sound overall of her voice. The way it would break sometimes and glow when more enthusiasm was expressed.

All of the air in my body forces out of me and I feel my feet go numb, but my head automatically cranes slowly over to who the voice belongs to. To who spoke such a familiar line.

It's Rosé.

Not a word breathed out between us, not a single sound. It's almost as if everyone around us had stopped breathing, everything went mute. My mouth opens, but nothing comes out. I feel like if I say anything at all I'd be breaking a see-through wall between us, allowing us to interact and hear each other talk and breath and exist. Do I want to break that wall, though? I knew being in Demon meant I'd have to run into familiar faces eventually, but why so soon.

"You're here," she speaks, still in her soft tone. Like she is trying to communicate with a rabbit in fear of it suddenly fleeing. Except I'm not going anywhere. I've decided now I have to stay. I've spent all this time in the Barricade, that I've come to realise I actually have no idea what I'm supposed to do now. How to live normally with other people, who, when and where I am allowed to stand, touch and interact. I'm a slave.

"Rosé," before I can finish another word her arms furiously wrap around my neck, forcing me in a tight hug. I can't feel it but I know her heart is beating just as fast as mine is. She caught the rabbit before it had a chance to run away.

"What the fuck!? What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck!" it doesn't matter how long it's been, swearing will never suit this girl. "Where have you been?! I haven't stopped looking for you! Every day I'd spend my missions hunting and voyaging, looking for you. Any signs of where you went. I tried so hard not to forget what you were wearing, what your hair and face looked like, but every year that passed I couldn't…" she stops, I can sense the guilt fortress built up inside of here. Walled off in steel with no gate inside.

"It's okay, Rosé," I finally manage to choke out the words. The words I should've told my brother too. But I was too overwhelmed with the whole situation I'm in, and have been in that I didn't know how to react when I saw him. I almost didn't believe I was looking at him at all. But the longer I spend standing in the door way looking up at the night it all becomes so real to me now. "I'm here now. I'm here." And just like that she breaks down into tears, and now I'm the one holding her. She's gotten lighter, which reminds me of the food shortage these guys supposedly had. Well that's what I had heard from the three men I encountered in the forest.

"How long has it been?" I ask, trying to find an excuse to hear her voice more.

"Since you were taken? Or since you got here?" Her face lifts up from my shoulder and only then do I realise I've also been patched up there as well, the pain doesn't hit until now thought and Rosé notices the vein pop up in my neck and steps back. Wiping her nose with the sleeve of her under shirt she has under her black and grey vest. She leaves the tears on her face as she refuses to lose sight of me.

"Since I got here," I respond.

"Six days," she sniffs in front of me, slightly bopping on her feet in pure joy, "but it would've almost been seven days now if you hadn't woken up an hour ago." She laughs, hearing laughter around me fills something in me, like a whole. A reminder that I'm finally out of Bullet's grasp. And I'm never going back.

"The boys told me." Yeah, right after they got told to stop eavesdropping on me. "They came straight to me when they saw that Ang was at your room's door. They must've figured you were his missing sister and came to me, who was your best friend three years ago! I'm still your best friend right? You haven't forgotten me, right?" She sees that I'm a bit taken about by all of this, and takes me slowly to a park bench built at the edge of the farm, that surrounds the tower that sits in one of four corners of Winterlen. From the giant 'N.G' spray painted on the gate leading to the outside, we must be in the northern side of the settlement.

"It's only early, so I hope you don't mind if we hang out for a bit, right?" She's always been like this, never losing the energy she was born with, to just keep talking about stuff and her beliefs and dreams. Things she works hard for and things that bother her, although things rarely bother her so when she'd speak about something that was. I'd always listen. There was never a mute button one her.

"How have you been, Rosé?" I stupid question to ask in a world like this, but she understood that I had no idea how to react to this after. Even her knowing I was here – knocked out from probably getting my hand surgically removed and recovering from my arm being infected and other wounds on my body, which I've probably never picked up on. She answers anyway. We talk about what she's been up to, journeys she and my brother had taken back to Louiton to try and tack me down again. Retracing every step they took after the monster took over our home. The fights she's had with him, and others. She and Andre's close friend Luka seem to have sparked a romance, although aren't official. I can already tell by the way she talks about him, that she's head over heels for this boy. I never got a good proper glimpse of him, but from what I saw in the forest he wasn't ugly.

Then she started questioning me, something I knew was going to happen. Normal questions like where I was, and what happened to me, who took me, what I did to escape. But I couldn't bring myself to answer any of them, and Rosé was getting uncomfortable with me answering with simply a stutter or 'um'.

"Tianna, you can talk to me. You know that right?"

"Can I? I know I'm in Denom, far away from the Barricade. But they can come a find me again, how else would they have taken me in the first place three years ago. There were Bullet's men here in Denom-Hills. Near Louiton. Can I really be here?" My thoughts, again formed into words coming out of my mouth. "They'll come back."

Rosé's mind tries to process all of the information I'd just blurted out, she wants to answer my questions with more questions. I'm so sick of questions.

My heart can't take it anymore, I need to get up. I need to walk. I need to be alone. Always around people who either want to know about me or don't want to know about me, I need silence.

My feet pick up the pace and I start walking, Rosé stands up from the seat, but doesn't follow. She crosses her arms and bites her lips. If not her, then definitely the farmers tending the garden and resting on the wall, could tell that even I am not my old self. But then again is anyone anymore?