Chapter 15

Today I had noticed that Mirai was looking a little pale and a tad bit shaky.I was concerned for her.

I get up and make an excuse of wanting to go to the rest room and I head straight to Mirai's room.Im about to knock on her door when I hear voices... Mirai's voice and I think…..a man's voice.I place my ear on the door but I can't hear much,it's all too vague.After a few seconds I can't hear anything at all and I get a little confused.

I hear the door unlock and I quickly remove my ear from door and stand properly.Just in record time the door swings open revealing Mirai staring at me with a suspicious look.

"I came to check up on you,you didn't look so good today" I try to say as plainly as I can as I skillfully try to steal glances at her room for any traces of a man

"Thank you,you may leave"she says seemingly unbothered.

"Okay I'll just go now"I say about to leave

"Wait"says Miarai all of a sudden

"Is it still dinner time?"she asks smiling weirdly at me

"Uh yes"I reply confused

"Let me go downstairs with you then"she says flashing me a smile and follows me downstairs

"Hello Ada"she says with a weird looking grin on her face.It looks rather unnatural, something about it makes my stomach flip.I guess Jasmine isn't the only one here with the bad case of oddness.

"You're back so soon"Mrs Ada replies still eating as Mirai takes a seat apparently still grinning questionably

"Of course,how could I stay away from dinner"she replies as her eyes flashes a tint of gray then back to brown in record time before I even get a chance to blink.She turns to me and winks.

"Just how could I ?"

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Mirai's pov:

I wake up to the voices of people screaming along side the smell of heavy smoke.I struggle to keep my throbbing eyes open trying to stay alert as to where the explosion is coming from and cough bitterly at the choking amount of smoke in the air.I find myself trying miserably to get up from the bare soil of the earth in a state of both panick and confusion.

I'm outside the gates…..but how?

I twist my body to where the sounds of terror and fear is coming from and I find myself just meters away from the mansion's gate with the mansion itself engulfed in fire and heavy smoke.

There is a huge explosion and glass and cement scatter all over the place.I finally get up and sit there in total awe of just what is going on not finding any words to explain my current confusion.How I got here and what ever may have led up to this I do not know all I know is I'm scared

"Mirai….Mirai"I hear a voice call out to me I cant really make out who it is or where to find them but I now for sure that it's a woman's voice.The smoky air is dark making my vision even more blurry than it already is.It feels like I'm in a trance.

"Mirai"The ear piercing voice yells as it comes closer to me

When the owner of the voice finally reaches me,I feel her kneel by my side as her hand grabs my shoulders and shakes my aching body viscously as she shakes till she's sure I'm fully out of it and tries to hoist me up.

"Mirai we need to snap out of here,Mirai can you hear me?"she says and I can feel the panic in her voice as she pants.

"Ashanti"I whisper now knowing who it is as another big bang takes place.

I squint my eyes and struggle to look at her but only end up instantly regretting as my eyes throb even more and I shut them.

Just then I hear footsteps of someone running towards us from an undefined direction

"Please help me carry her she's injured"I hear Ashanti cry.

Immediately I feel strong sturdy hands lift me up and make out what this person looks like but then the world turns pitch black.

I find myself in a world of nothing but pitch black and total silence.In seconds I begin to hear screams from all directions and the inky blackness shatters crashing in all directions.I shut my eyes and shield my head with my arms for covert eyes gush open and I find myself laying in a row of seats of what I think should be a bus.The doesn't phase me,it's definitely not the first time I'm having a dream like this but what does surprise me is where I am.

"Oh she's awake"I hear Ashanti cry as she comes close to me and stares down at me with kind but tired eyes.

My vision is better now and I can see her far more clearly.She has a small cut on her lower lip,her once carpet cut head is now filled with many strands of wavy brown hair,she looks a little older now…. different even.

When she notices that Im looking at her cut she touches her lip and gives me a nervous smile

"It's nothing...just a little cut"she says sheepishly

"Anything wrong back there?"a musculine voice asks

"No everything's fine"Ashanti replies

"Just rest we'll soon get you to safety"she tells me as she gives me a curt smile before going to take a seat next to the mysterious driver.

Out of curiosity,I sit up wincing occasionally mentally bracing myself for more pain as I limp as quietly as I can to the front row of the bus but not too close to Ashanti or the driver.

The driver is slow but steady in his pace as we drive passed the train station….the same one that got me here.As he drives he takes a U-turn that seems like we're going back to where we came.

"Are you taking us back?"Are you taking us back I ask mostly out of panic making Ashanti turn her head towards me looking a little shocked then worried.

"I thought I told you to rest at the back"she scolds which is weird because she's never done that before.

"Go back now"she continues

"Come on Ash she's just a little curious,it's okay to questions"comes the mysterious driver trying to control the situation.

They seem to be very familiar with each other especially with the way he had addressed her.

"The road to where we're going is a bit….uh complicated,but don't worry we'll be there in no time I know exactly where we're going, you're in good hands"he continues matter of factly

So where are we going?

"Okay satisfied?now go back and rest go,go,go"says Ashanti as she lightly drags me away but all the while I'm struggling to have a good look at the driver while occasionally stretching my neck.

I finally give up and let her guide me to the seat I was in before and she sits me down and goes back to the front seat.

I can hear her and the driver's whispers as she sits.

"Give her a break"

"A break?she's injured and apparently stubborn"

I ignore their whispers obviously having more things to worry about.

I look out the bus's destroyed window and stare at the different people walking by along side the building.Everything seems so peaceful you'll never even know that crazy psychopaths actually live here,I shiver at the thought of that.

Not long after the driver drives us into a dark tunnel and I can feel us go down a slope then up something like a hill,then the bus goes up and down like it just crushed a couple of big rocks and to be honest I feel like vomiting.The bumps finally stops and we're riding on a smooth road.After a few minutes we're out on an open and lonely road in the middle of the forest.

It's been two hours and it feels like the road is never ending.Im getting tired of looking at dried trees and falling leaves,his slow driving isn't helping either.Soon enough I spot a brown old sign post up ahead as I get closer I read the words out loud

"Welcome to Vegetable city"