Edge of the Breach by Halo Scot

Author:Halo Scot [Scot, Halo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-07T16:00:00+00:00

21 Drifter

Julian Kyder, Age 17 October 16, 7017

I’m drowning.

The canal was a bad idea. I’m half-drunk and exhausted from the pub. No chance of survival.

I thrash against the onslaught, but I’m too weak, and the water’s too strong. Like a wraith, it ensnares my body, coils its shackles around my limbs, drags me into its darkest depths.

I’m going to die.

That’s my first thought.

Do I want to?

That’s my second.

Zawad has not gone as planned. The city isn’t a land of opportunity, a bastion of success. It’s a shithole, a wasteland like the Shelf, covered with glamour but brewing with decay. There’s nothing for me here or anywhere in this dying world, so why not die myself?

Because I’m afraid, I admit to myself. But I’m not afraid of darkness. I’m not afraid of nothingness. I’m not afraid of my fire turning to ash.

I’m afraid of more. I’m afraid of an afterlife. I’m afraid of judgment. I’m afraid this pitiful existence will never end, that I’ll have to start fresh, roll a new pair of dice and take my chances with another absent father, another abusive mother, another negligent society. I’ve already put my stake here, climbed halfway out of the cesspool here. I know who I am, and I don’t want to waste time searching for it again.

No, I don’t want to die.

So I fight.

My limbs flail against the turbulent water, swinging and kicking and writhing like snakes. But I lose track of direction. I don’t know where sanctuary lies or where death is guaranteed. I’m afloat, suspended in purgatory, body aching for oxygen. Breathe, it tells me. Breathe. But I can’t. My mind knows this, but it won’t hold off the reflex for long.

Panic sets in. Quick as a match to gasoline. My robe covers my head, blinding me. My heart races in my chest. My fingers tingle as life leaks out of me. Dizziness washes over me in waves. Chills ripple through my body. Terror constricts my chest, strangles my throat. Fear floods my soul and pulls me under.

Something tugs at my robe. My head slams against the canal wall. Stuns me. I almost breathe in. Almost lose consciousness. Almost lose it all.

Arms wrap around my stomach. Pain rockets through me like fire to a fuse. My broken ribs scream in agony as someone lifts me out of the water and dumps me onto the sidewalk.

As soon as I’m free of the water, I gasp. Gulp in mouthfuls of air. Steady my riotous heart. I’m alive. Holy fucking Ra, I’m alive. Let’s not do that again. I roll away from my rescuer, yank the robe off my head, and pause.

She’s just a kid. No more than fourteen. Strong as Hel, though, with the muscles to show it. Her silvery hair drips with water, braided with an assortment of beads, jewels, and silk. The moonlight silhouettes her dark skin, caresses her with a surreal glow. I recognize her. The girl’s a Roofer. One of the top ones. She stares at me with eyes like sapphires and considers me without pity, without judgment, without expectation.

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