2_Hope
They looked like beasts with their monstrous vehicle and their very thick clothing, with masks covering their faces.
They had a mean look and she could clearly see guns tucked into their jeans.
Well hidden behind a stump, I watched from my vantage point as two men stepped down from the vehicle, there had to be about three of them in there.
I could make out the shape of a woman still seated at the back.
She looked pissed, like she never wanted to be here in the first place.
The woman poked her head from the window and shouted
"Johnny be careful, we don't know what is out there"
The man in question looked back and nodded.
What do they want?
I was beyond stressed.
The second man, who looked younger was holding onto a device that looked like a small box with a glowing blue light encased inside it. He had a black hat on so I couldn't see much of his face.
He held out the device and whispered to the older man
"They are here somewhere, the device doesn't lie, It's glowing brighter"
"Just stay close, they can attack from anywhere"
The box suddenly started beeping frantically and the blue light started blinking.
"They are so close, we have to be careful" the older man said looking around.
The woman suddenly came down from the vehicle...
"I'll help out, we need to get back before it's dark. We are not save out here"
"Get back in we've got this" the older man said
"Of course you do"
They walked closer to where I was hiding, the younger man holding the box out like an offering.
What could that be?
A power detector?
I almost laughed out loud at my thoughts.
The blue light kept blinking rapidly, I sensed danger, so I decided to move away from there. A very terrible mistake.
I barely moved from my hiding spot when my leg stepped on a twig and it made a loud snap.
" Who's there?"
I held my breath for a while, praying they would forget all about the sound.
I heard guns cocking, at that moment I knew it was over.
"I'm not going to ask again, who is there? Show yourself now" the woman shouted.
With my hand raised high above my head, and the other hand clutching my rifle behind my back, I stepped out from the woods.
The sky was very blank, no single cloud was in sight, the red streaks of particles left behind by the gas still faintly visible.
As soon as I stepped out, the weird box started beeping widely.
"She's one of them"
The younger man said, his eyes wide open as he stared me down.
I chose that moment to pull out my rifle aiming it at the woman.
All three of them pointed their guns at me but I did not relent.
"We come in peace. We don't want any trouble" The elderly man started casually.
"Just put down your gun and show me where the rest are hiding. We are here to help"
Help? What could they possibly do?
Take away her powers and make her normal again?
Or carry her to a Lab for tests?
I've heard stories of mutants being whisked away from their houses, to be used as test subjects, but they never returned.
"I am no Lab rat, go and find someone else"
"Wha..what?"
His eyes were wide open staring blankly at me.
His mouth opened in an "ooh" when realisation dawned on him.
"No you're not. We're not here to take you to a lab to be killed. We are here to save you"
My lips curled into a smile which turned to a full blown laughter.
The laughter died down as soon as it started. With a deep frown I looked the man dead in his eyes.
"Save me? And why exactly do you think I believe you?"
"Where are the other mutants that stay here?" the woman asked
"I live here alone. So back off because I won't hesitate to shoot"
"That's not possible, the light only shines brighter when there is a large concentration of power" The woman said pointing at the box in the young man's hand.
I shrugged
"Maybe your device is broken. How sure are you I even have powers? I might just be normal like you guys"
"A normal person won't stay in the forest alone for this long without running mad"
"Maybe I'm mad and as I said earlier, I won't hesitate to shoot"
"Hey, calm down. We are here to help you out. Just trust me"
"Why exactly should I trust you?"
"Because I know where your Mum is, Keturah"
°°°°°°°°°°°°
Down on her knees the woman searched "The documents have got to be here somewhere"
She kept on saying to herself, drawers after drawers of strewn papers and empty sheets.
Katherine stood up hands on her waist, her light skin glistened with sweat.
Katherine owned one of the largest science institutes in the world.
Now that the world was crumbling, everyone was depending on her to come up with an antidote to this madness.
She could not afford any scandal now. It would ruin everything.
Where could the documents be?
She remembered putting them inside her dresser cupboard and locking it with a key. Now it was missing but the key was with her.
When she signed the deal years ago, she had guarded it with the whole of her life, knowing that if it got into the wrong hands, it would be all over for her.
Everything she had worked for will be gone.
She remembered the meeting clearly.
She was seated before a large board of scientists, she could feel her struggles finally becoming over.
As a scientist locally, it was always a struggle.
Maria, who was her best friend then and her partner had the biggest smile on her face, the first genuine smile she had since she lost her husband and found out a little human was growing inside her.
"You must keep this a secret until the gas is launched. It will be a life changing moment for the whole of humanity" Mr Richardson had said.
He would be so disappointed if he finds out the truth.
After they had signed, they got to work immediately.
Maria is good, even better than her. But she will be dead before she ever admits it out loud to anybody.
Maria helped, she tried to tell her exactly what to do and she didn't like it.
On that night she decided to finish the project on her own, everything had gone so wrong.
"I must find that document," Katherine said out loud, bending down once more to look through the pile of papers.
A young assistant walked in, taking in the state of the room, he pushed his glasses up his nose and cleared his throat.
"Ma, you sent for me"
"Did you see anybody entering this room?"
Her mind immediately went to Maria. Could she have taken the document?
"No Ma. Is there anything you're looking for in particular?"
"The documents containing the deal that led to the production of the gas is missing"
The assistant's eyes shot up, and he started visibly shaking.
"What does this mean Ma?"
"It means we must find it, if not we are dead because no one would spare us if they find out the truth"
Listening outside the door, Maria shook her head. This was her opportunity to leave this place. All she had to do was get to those documents before they did.
The world must know how it got ruined.