Once It Gets Dar

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Hi everybody :)

There is lot of Veril language in this one. I put the list of German and Veril words in my profile for everybody who wants to refresh their memory and brush up on their vocabulary.

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TW for blood and violence

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CHAPTER 11

An escort, he had said, nobody had talked about an entire platoon! I was fidgeting and looking out of the window as we drove towards the exit on the muddy road. The enchanted hedges around Volkspark Friedrichshain parted for our convoy, revealing the checkpoint and the gray buildings that lay behind them.

As soon as we had left the park, the military vehicles fell into formation around us, framing the car I was in. I estimated that, in total, the General had sent around twenty of his soldiers to accompany me on my shopping trip. I was concentrating hard on and keeping my heartbeat steady, breathing in and out deeply, but surely the three warriors in the car with me--two in front and one to my side, leaving the middle seat unoccupied so as not to contaminate me with his scent--were completely aware of how nervous I was, and I really hoped that they wouldn't guess that reason.

All around us human cars, returning from work in the afternoon traffic, were quick to make space, driving to the sides of the road, some of them even onto the sidewalk, disregarding all rules in the urge to get out of the Veril's way as quick as possible.

While we were causing complete chaos outside, the interior of our vehicle was silent, the only sound coming from the low and strange whirring of the engine and my beating heart.

I forced myself to keep my fingers still and stop fidgeting, but I saw my chances of escape dwindling with each glance that I stole at the grim guard to my right, who was not letting me out of his sight for one second, holding his assault rifle in front of his chest, thankfully pointing it to the ground and away from me. I couldn't see his eyes through his dark-tinted goggles, but felt him watching my every movement.

Like all members of our

shopping excursion

, including myself, the guard was wearing a daylight uniform, cut wide and made out of a black fabric that felt cool and light on my skin and reminded me a bit of the blanket I had been wearing as a dress. The headpiece resembled a loose-fitting scarf wrapped around the head and face, leaving only a slit for the eyes, which were, for their part, covered with a type of tinted military safety goggles. It was evident that the attire had been devised above all to protect the Veril's sensitive skin from the

cursed sun

as the General called it.

Even I was wearing the leather chest and shoulder plates for protection today, and I was once again grateful for my breasts' humble size that fit comfortably under gear that had clearly been designed with a masculine body in mind.

I thought that we looked like we were on an expedition through the desert and expecting some major sandstorms. I giggled a bit--a sound that made my guard shuffle in his seat.

"Where are we going?" I asked before he could get more agitated or think too much about why I was so nervous.

He looked at me, unmoved, a dark ghost under his uniform. He probably didn't even speak English.

"Where is Officer Kinich?" I tried another topic of conversation.

He just kept fixating me with no reaction while we turned onto a smaller road, forcing the escorting vehicle that had been next to my window to fall behind us.

"Kinich Vol?" I repeated with my very best Veril pronunciation, frustrated that I didn't even know simple interrogative pronouns like

where

.

This time, I was more successful. When he heard the soldier's name, he shook his head.

"Vrunkil Kinich Vol leksh',"

he said, and my stomach clenched as his tone told me all I needed to know.

I turned away and looked out of the window, massaging my sweaty palms, and despite my anxiety, I couldn't help but feel my heart jump at the sight of the city bathed in light. I took my goggles off, ignoring the slight hiss of disapproval to my right. With everything that had been going on, I hadn't even realized how much my body and soul had been craving the sun.

I took in the scenery, trying to center myself in the moment and calm my treacherous pulse. No city in the world is more beautiful than Berlin in the summer! The capital had an almost tropical feel to it, with the humidity of the thunderstorm already evaporating from the streets and saturating the heated air. Everything was lush and flourishing; plants were growing everywhere, even between the smallest cracks in the pavement. A desperate abundance of life, as if the flowers knew that the warm days were counted and would soon again turn into a short fall and then a long and gray winter.

And where would

I

be by then? I felt nausea rising up my throat and tried not to think about it as I looked out at the vibrant colors. The residents of the adjacent houses had planted tomatoes and wild flowers in the little patches of earth surrounding the trees framing the road. Many of those improvised gardens were decorated lovingly with toy windmills, little figurines, and hand-painted signs. A display of human love and playfulness.

This is the side of us that he doesn't see,

I thought, remembering how rightfully disgusted the General had been about what we humans had done to the wilderness in our lands.

The General,

Vo'ren

. I reflexively put my cold hand over the mark on my wrist, ignoring the slight burn from the unhealed binding--his essence inside of me, connected to the dark magic he had awoken in my chest. Even the thought of this was unbelievable, unreal.

If I wanted to escape all this madness, I needed to be one hundred percent alert today and watch out for even the most minuscule of opportunities. I would not get a second chance like this again.

Our convoy forced an oncoming car to the sidewalk, making it crush a little fence, while a woman in the bicycle lane was barely able to stop from being run over.

"Be careful!" I hissed at the driver, relying on my tone to make my message clear, and received a low chuckle in response.

I glared at the veiled warriors and wondered what the General would do if I complained to him about them. Would he take my side? Would he punish them for me? I shook my head. If everything went well today, I would never see the General again. I would never again have to endure his humiliations; I would never again have him hurt me. I felt a sting in my heart as my mind took me to places I didn't want to go. I would never see his smile again; I would never again feel the strange safety when he held me in his arms as if this was the very place where I had always belonged.

We turned onto a big avenue, and in the distance, the Television Tower with its distinctive ball-shaped sphere came into view. I swallowed. These feelings I was starting to have were exactly the reason why I needed to get away quickly. There was no time or place for doubt right now. The General could be nice, charming, and even gentle, but only as long as I obeyed. In the end, and above all, I was nothing to him but his little price, his spoils of war, his

toy

untouched by anyone but him waiting in his tent, ready for him to take me whenever and however he pleased.

We drove onto a pedestrian area and crossed the rails of the cable car as we were approaching Alexanderplatz. The gray, wide square, with its dirty fountain in the middle, was full of people shopping, listening to music, or basking in the evening sun. But it was as if an invisible wind had blown through the crowd when we came into view. Everybody started moving, trying to get away from us as fast as possible.

We took a sharp turn to the right, bumping over a step as we were heading straight towards the fountain. I winced, the rattling making me acutely aware of the new bruises that were already forming between my thighs and on my hips, and I pressed my eyes shut.

I didn't have any idea yet how I was going to shake my guards off or what I was going to do then. I just hoped that some opportunity was going to present itself--it simply

had

to. And then I would run, run, run as fast and as far away as I could to the next metro station and deal with the rest of the problems later. If I thought too much about all the possible problems now, I would discourage myself and never dare to run.

We came to an abrupt halt in front of the big department store at the end of the square, and a soldier who had been riding in the vehicle to my left opened my door. The smell of sun-heated asphalt wafted through the car, and I dug my fingers into the seat somehow, wishing I could stay inside forever so I wouldn't have to face what was about to come. So I wouldn't have to act.

"Sushrul tersh!"

The warrior made an impatient gesture, and I thought he would probably have liked to pull me out of the car.

He didn't, of course, and I gave him a smug smile even if he couldn't see it under the face scarf. I knew that the General would be able to scent it if he touched me, and then he would have to account for it.

I breathed in deeply, grabbed my bag, and stepped out. The daylight uniform worked surprisingly well at shielding me from the humidity that was rising off the heated buildings all around us. As soon as my boots touched the ground, the soldiers silently fell in formation around me. They were so tall and massive that, for a moment, I couldn't see anything but black fabric and leather-clad backs and shoulders. My heart sank. How would I ever be able to flee from an escort like this?

But then they dispersed a bit, and the two warriors in front of me stepped to the side. I felt all their eyes on me, watching me through the tinted goggles, waiting for me to lead the way. It made me strangely self-conscious, and I took a tentative step towards the big glass doors of the store.

The rectangular blocky building had seen better days, and, like all of Alexanderplatz, it was a little worn down, and the pillars in front of the entrance were adorned with graffiti.

Wir sehen uns in Hoffnung -- FMD

, said one of them.

We see us in hope -- FMD

.

Someone else had written,

Früher oder später holt uns alle der Metzger

--

Sooner or later the Butcher will get us all

.

I had to chuckle a little. I hoped that this fatalist phrase was not some kind of bad omen for my escape plans. I inhaled and pushed the door open, followed closely by my eerie escort.

The cool, conditioned air penetrated my clothes, a stark contrast to the sweltering heat outside, and I shivered as we stepped into the glittering artificial lights of the department store. I didn't know who had picked this destination for our shopping excursion, but it had been a good choice and especially convenient for me since I had been here before. The four floors of the building offered all types of high-end goods, from clothes to food to electrical appliances, and I would surely find everything I needed without having to visit a different place later on.

It felt surreal to walk through the shiny halls of this palace of consumerism in the company of my grim guards. Everything in this store seemed obscenely wasteful compared to what I had glimpsed of the Veril's frugal way of life. But even in here, the war had left its marks, and I saw half-empty shelves that had formerly been stuffed with imported perfumes and makeup. The place was almost completely deserted, except for some scattered people here and there rushing towards the exits as soon as they saw us.

I scanned my surroundings for possible escape routes. There was the main entrance behind me, consisting of three large glass doors, a side exit to my right behind the cosmetics section, and a staircase with an emergency exit to the left. In the center of the hall, large escalators led to the upper floors. I reminded myself to keep track of all the possible ways at all times so I wouldn't lose precious seconds searching for them when I got the chance to run.

There were no employees in sight either, and I wondered how I was going to pay for my purchases. I didn't want to steal, especially since, thanks to the General, I had more than enough money.

As we were walking down an aisle filled with expensive handbags, I ran my fingers over the soft leather pouch that was attached to my belt, right next to my new dagger.

When I had been woken by the guards this evening, the small purse had been sitting atop a pile of fresh clothes--three sets of day and two new night uniforms--at the foot of my bed. I had gasped in surprise when I saw the number of banknotes inside. I wasn't sure if the General didn't know how much things cost or if he simply wanted to be generous, but I estimated that it must be over five thousand New Marks.

I crunched the pouch in my hand, and despite my nervousness, I couldn't help but smile as I heard the satisfying rustling of the bills inside. I actually had my own wallet with my debit card in my tote, but after all he had made me endure, I definitely didn't feel any scruples spending the General's money first.

In the absence of other human noises, the steps of my boots were loud and clunky, contrasting with my guard's silent and graceful movements. I was walking around kind of aimlessly, too nervous to remember what I had wanted to buy or where to start.

And then I saw her. She looked just a few years older than me and was standing behind the cashier's counter, her name tag and white shirt identifying her as an employee of the store--the only one who hadn't fled or hidden. She turned towards us, her chin tilted upwards in an almost challenging expression, her posture rigid, and the corners of her mouth drawn slightly downwards as if she had smelled something disgusting. And then, slowly, not averting her gaze from us, she tucked her long black hair behind her right ear, revealing a circular mark glowing like smoldering blue embers under her skin.

I gasped. Was this the opportunity I had hoped for? Her eyes narrowed, but her defiant look faltered a bit as she watched me approach, as if she picked up on my otherness even beneath the uniform that covered my human features.

My heart began to race. I wanted to run to her, take her hands, and implore her to save me, but of course my guards would catch me as soon as I made any rash movement.

I halted. "I need to ask where their stationary section is," I said to the group of warriors, hoping that one of them might actually understand some English.

The only reaction I got was some shuffling and what I thought was an annoyed hiss.

I tried again. "I," I pointed at my chest. "Ask." I mimicked a talking mouth with my hand. "Her," I pointed at the young woman behind the counter, about ten meters away from us. "Kuchun?" I added hopefully.

"Itil rimtersh, ichkun sushrul tersh," answered the warrior next to me.

I thought that he was the one who had been by my side in the car, but it was impossible to keep track of the veiled figures.

Itil

, I recognized the word for

yes

and inclined my head in gratitude.

She held her head high, but I saw her dark brown eyes flicker a bit, and she almost imperceptibly took a step backwards. A natural reaction to a platoon of almost two dozen Veril soldiers all armed to the teeth with nasty-looking weapons and covered from head to toe in their black uniforms. I felt guilty for involving her in this, for reminding her of her past trauma, but she was my only hope. My heart was racing, and I closed my eyes while I was rummaging around in my tote. I needed to be calm, or my guards would become suspicious.

"Schwester," I said to her, and, while my left was occupied in my bag, I used my right hand to lower my face cover just enough so that she could see my own mark beneath my right temple.

Her eyes widened, but to her credit, she quickly adopted a neutral and professional expression.

"How may I help you today?" She said in German, using a typical customer service tone.

I simply had to count on the assumption that no one in my escort spoke German. Luckily for me, they didn't seem to be too interested in our exchange anyway and were currently scanning our surroundings--but who knew what their heightened Veril senses were able to pick up?

I found what I had been searching for, and I kept my voice calm as I leaned on the counter, my right arm hiding the package of tissue paper currently containing my phone.

"Please help me charge this." I moved my arm a bit, revealing the blue and white plastic wrapping. "And please pretend you are telling me where the stationery section is when you answer. Please?" I said, trying to make it sound like I was asking for directions.

My palms were sweaty, and I prayed that she would not tell me to fuck off for getting her into danger with our occupiers.

"But of course," she replied in German in the same singing tone as before--had she understood what I was asking from her? "We keep the stationery on the second floor next to the book section. Just turn right when you leave the escalators."

My stomach was incredibly tense as the Veril assumed their former positions around me, giving no indication that they had noticed anything suspicious. I put my hands into my pockets to keep them from shaking as we stepped onto the escalators.

Now I needed to stall. My phone was relatively new, and its battery charged quickly, but it would still take some time, so every extra minute I won counted. My guards followed me through the first floor while I was wandering around between clothing racks, touching beautiful evening dresses as if I were on a shopping trip with my girlfriends. There were still some people on this level, and they ducked behind the different luxurious displays or dashed to the stairs, their fear a surreal contrast to the light and pleasant classical piano music playing over the store's speakers.

As we passed through the sports supplies section, my eyes fell on a black backpack made for hiking, and I thought that its many pockets and practical design might actually come in handy. It was definitely more functional than my messy tote.

I picked it up and handed it to the guard next to me. He hissed and twitched as if he were suppressing the urge to jump backwards, but took the bag from me nonetheless. I smiled; it was kind of nice to have my personal carriers.

I strolled around a little bit more before heading up to the next floor. I glanced back at my escorting soldiers and wondered why they seemed even more tense and ill-tempered than usual. Taking their General's little plaything shopping was probably not the most exciting or prestigious of tasks the Kirtim Shenk had to offer, but there must surely be much worse duties as well. Maybe they were grumpy because they had been forced to get up before sundown?

I peeked down to the floors below us and felt my stomach flip--I didn't like the height. I quickly looked up again and gasped. I hadn't known they had such a big and well-stacked book department--it stretched almost over the entire floor. The typical bookstore smell enveloped me as soon as I stepped off the stairs, and I couldn't help but smile under my headpiece. If I didn't manage to escape today and were to stay in the General's tent for a bit longer, I would definitely need something to read. And this was an

excellent

place to play for time.

Word about our presence must have spread by now because we were completely alone. I strolled through the aisles, picking up every book that somehow caught my eye and handing it to one of my guards. If I hadn't been sick to my stomach with fear and anxiety, this would have been a dream. But with every minute that passed, I felt the warriors around me getting more and more agitated.