58
You look up at the sky as the sun starts to wane and Haven's omnipresent streetlights flicker to life. Their dusky glow filters a haze of orange and yellow on the cracked sidewalks and pavement under your feet as the long shadows of crumbled buildings crawl slowly eastward.
You've found over the years that the days seem to pass more and more quickly as childhood curiosity gives way to the more mundane nature of adult life. Recent days have been an exception, the hours creeping by with an obstinate reluctance as you attempt to fill the time with distraction to keep the memories of the warehouse experiments at bay.
You're halfway back to your apartment when a commotion erupts from several blocks away. You give in to curiosity and start toward the sound. Curiosity turns to concern as you grow nearer and recognize the barked orders of what could only be the human military.
Unsure whether you should keep your distance, you pause by an alley. Someone nearly collides with you, sprinting out of the dark away from the shouting humans. He turns to you, eyes wild with fear, short blond hair streaked with sweat.
"Lapu?"
"We've got to find help, Klel—the humans have gone mad! They came out of nowhere, threatening us with guns and clubs, demanding that we go back to our homes. Tiva told them what they could do with their clubs, and they started beating her! She told us to run while she holds them back, and I didn't think. I just ran. I left her there, Klel, and I'm too scared to go back!"