**Chapters 3 to 7 are being narrated as 'Parallel Story-line', both are indirectly connected.**
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[the Year 2193 – September 19th, Speranta – Lands of Elpida]
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A young woman in her mid-30s barged through the entrance door and then locked it behind her.
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"ALEXIS, ASTA!"
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Her blond messy hair was glued to a large stain of blood covering half of her face while slowly dripping down towards the floor.
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A young boy around 14 slowly walked down the stairs.
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"What is going on outside?" Alexis asked his mother.
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She put her finger on her mouth, signaling him to be silent, and then waved for him to come over.
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"Mom, what is wrong? You are bleeding! What is going on?" He asked.
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She crouched next to him. "The village is being attacked."
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Alexis tried to look outside of the window. "Don't! There is nothing there you should look at." She stopped him with her hand. "We must distance ourselves from here, immediately."
"What is going to happen with the others?" He asked.
"I don't know, and we have no time to think about the others until both of you are safe." She explained to him.
"But!" He insisted.
"Please, do as I say, we don't have time to argue." She nervously whispered. "We've talked about this, and you know what to do." She gently pushed him away.
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"But..." He realized the gravity of the situation but things happened too suddenly. Eyes puzzled, he walked back upstairs, as his mother called to him again.
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"Alexis! You can do this. I count on you."
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Immediately after sending off Alexis, Pipola rushed to barricade the main entrance with everything she had.
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A few minutes later, Alexis stood in front of her with two large backpacks attached to his chest and his back. His younger brother who looked around 4-5 years old was holding his hand.
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As soon as she saw them she jumped towards them and made them sit on the floor.
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"Asta, listen very carefully - Some bad people will come here and try to hurt us... We cannot stay here anymore." She announced. Her breath came in small spurts, hot and nervous.
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"Mommy but I like it here, why can't we stay?" Asta asked.
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"Because it is dangerous if we stay." She replied.
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"But this is our home..." Asta mumbled.
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"We will find a better one." She replied, trying to sound reassuring.
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"And all of my friends, are they coming with us?" Asked Asta as he looked at his older brother who immediately looked away the second their eyes met.
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Alexis remained completely silent during their conversation.
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"We will talk about that later." She replied to him.
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Pipola grabbed both of their hands and took them to the cellar. She carefully closed each door after them.
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Everyone sat in front of a small wooden door that was located on the other side of the house. "Asta, sweetie, I am sure that everyone is doing fine, for now, I need you to pay attention to what I am about to tell you; Remember how I taught you to count to five? This time we will count only until three."
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She used Asta's finger to remind him how to use them for counting.
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"One, two, and three. When I say "three" I will open this door and as soon as it opens I need you to run as fast as you can in the direction of the forest, I know it is a little bit far, but I am sure that you will make it in no time. Your big brother and I will help you." she explained.
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"I will do my best! Can I take "Mister Bear" with me?" asked Asta.
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"Alexis? Do you have it?" She looked at the older brother.
"Of course not! You are being too soft with him!" He got mad. "Why don't you tell him the truth?!"
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"Because he is barely five years old! I want to protect him from all this... As much as I can, you must understand." She said.
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"No, I don't understand! How many people are going to die tonight, my friends, their families... I can't just pretend that everything is fine, it's been years that we keep running away... Why can't they just leave us alone?" He started crying. "We did nothing wrong, we don't bother anyone."
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She hugged both of them. "I know... I am sorry..."
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"Asta, sweetie, come over here, I need you to wear this." Whispered mother and tied a black ribbon around Asta's eyes.
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"What is that for?" Asked Alexis.
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"I need you to wear this for a little while, okay?" Said mother to Asta.
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"Okay, but why?" Asked Asta.
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"Some bad things are happening outside, it is better that you don't look until we arrive in the forest".
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"Mommy, I can't run if I can't see anything." Explained Asta.
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"Don't worry, I and your big brother will help you." Said mother while patting his head.
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There was the noise of the front door being opened or rather busted away, as something heavy fell on the floor, making a blistering sound that resonated everywhere. Multiple foot-steps could be heard, the old wooden floor making unusually irritating squeaks as each of the intruders crossed the door entrance.
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"Let him in." Said a man with a rough voice.
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"Pipola forgive me! I Had no other choice! They said that they will free Alina if I cooperate."
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"That's uncle Sandu!" Whispered Alexis.
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"Pipola, I know you are here, please, come out. I am sure we can find a way without anyone getting hurt. The life of my little girl depends on you!"Begged Sandu.
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"Mom, we should help him!" Alexis said, putting his bag on the ground.
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"Don't! We can't help him..." Said Pipola.
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"But if we don't, what is going to happen to Alina? She may be in danger!" Argued Alexis.
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"If you go up there, all three of us will be in danger!" Replied Pipola.
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"Then what should we do?"
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"Nothing...We cannot help him." Said Pipola.
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"He is your brother!" said Alexis.
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"If you go up there, you won't be able to come back...I don't want to lose you, why do you always complicate things? It is already hard to deal with..." Said Pipola.
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The door leading to the cellar where the mother and her sons were hiding was suddenly opened.
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"What is in there?" Asked another male voice.
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"That's the cellar." Said Sandu.
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"Pipola if you can hear me, please, help me out! I don't want anyone to get hurt, I am sure we can find a way! I am doing this for Alina's sake. You are a parent too, you must understand my feelings! Please, help my daughter." Sandu cried.
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"How dare you come here and ask me to understand your feelings..." mumbled Pipola.
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One of the intruders could slowly be heard making his way down the stairs.
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"Asta, are you ready to go?" asked Pipola
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"Why does it have to end that way..." sobbed Alexis.
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"Alexis! Look at me! We will get through this like we always did before! Come on, help your little brother", said Pipola.
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"Let's go...", Alexis emotionlessly pronounce to his brother.
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"Don't forget what I told you; Whatever happens, do not look back!" said Pipola. "Almighty Father, please, protect us", prayed Pipola before throwing herself and her children forward with a greater abandon of everything that they ever had. Tanned fingers curled into their sweaty fists, swinging forward as if it would make them faster.
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"I SEE THEM! A WOMAN WITH TWO KIDS, RUNNING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WOODS" Shouted a male voice coming from the backdoor.
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"Don't need her, get the kids!" Said another voice.
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"Father be with us, Father within us, Father behind us, Father before us, Father beside us, Father to protect us, Father, protect us because we take refuge in You. I beg you apart from my children...", Pipola prayed while running.
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Her lungs and heart were pumping, the air didn't seem to be enough as she sprinted forward.
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Behind them, they could hear the people screaming from pain and agony, baying howls of the dogs and jeering laughter of their aggressors. Dirt smeared Pipola's sweaty face as muddy water dripped from her blond hair.
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"DO NOT STOP!" She shouted.
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Protecting her children by creating as much distance as possible between them and the intruders was all that mattered. Pipola wasn't stopping for anything. Her eyes glued to Alexis and Asta, as the kids ran ahead of her in the direction of the woods.
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Chaos was the only word that could describe everything going on at that moment. Death was everywhere, familiar faces lied silently on the ground bathing in their own blood, some of them treated brutally, limbs cut apart or crucified, and then burned alive.
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"Somebody...Anybody...Help...Me..." Cried a female voice nearby.
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The familiar voice made Pipola suddenly stop, terrified. She slowly moved her head in the direction of the incoming voice. Her childhood friend, Celia, was lying on the ground, barely breathing, her stomach stabbed with a large metallic fork.
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"Who... is there? Please... help me..." Said Celia while coughing up her own blood.
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"Heavenly Father! What did they do to you...", said shocked Pipola while covering her mouth.
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"Who is there? Pipola? Is that...you?" Asked Celia.
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The sorrow began to consume Pipola's heart as she knew that she could not stay there any longer or she would be treated the same way as Celia; The realization of the fact that she could not save her childhood friend was tearing her apart, tears streaming silently down her face.
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"I am sorry...I am so sorry...", said Pipola while moving backward from her dying companion.
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"Help...me..." Celia called for help, but her voice could barely be heard.
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"I can't...I just can't...I am so sorry!"
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Pipola turned her back to her helpless friend and started accelerating, covering her ears so she could not hear Celia's voice crying for help. Old memories of her friend played like a desolation melody in her head repeating itself for what seemed like an eternity, eight years of friendship flashed back within a couple of seconds. Small pieces of her life were falling apart or being taken away; Pipola knew that she would never get that back.
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"MOM! What are you doing?! HURRY!" Shouted Alexis from a distance.
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In mere minutes three silhouettes were rapidly making their way through the dark forest. Blackened corpses were scattered across the ground, steam coming from their bodies, the smell of blood and humid grass reigning over the area.
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"Mommy, I am scared." Said Asta.
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"I promise you, it will be over soon. Just hold on a little bit more..."
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Pipola could not shake off the feeling of guilt for having left her friend like that, as she could barely keep herself from crying in front of her sons. Deep down she realized that all of these efforts of running away were nothing more than trying to escape the unavoidable despair. She gazed out at the burning village far in the distance for the last time before they disappeared into the dark wood.
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"FIND THEM!" Screamed a distant voice.
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The mud and icy water poured into their boots making them heavier to lift from the ground.
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"What now?" Asked Alexis.
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"Can I remove this, my forehead hurts." Complained Asta.
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"Yes, you can remove it now." Replied Pipola while gasping for air. "Alexis! Listen to me...If I fall...take your brother and run straight ahead, I will buy some time for you to escape!"
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"WHAT?! There is no way in the world we will leave you here!" Said Alexis.
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"Maybe we can rest a little bit? My leg is really sore...", groaned Asta.
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"Listen to me...", said Pipola.
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"NO! Out of the question!", shouted Alexis.
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"Mommy, I can't run anymore...", said Asta.
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"I am sorry we can't stop just yet, we are almost there" Said Pipola while genuinely slowing down.
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"We will get out of this together!" Said Alexis while giving his mother a shoulder.
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"You know that I will only slow you down, your safety is my priority." Said Pipola.
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"Don't say that! You have no right to say that!"
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"I am your mother! If I need to offer my life to protect you...You must understand that I won't...", said Pipola, but was interrupted by Alexis.
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"Say no more! Don't you dare say it!" Screamed Alexis while bursting into tears.
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Exhausted by the constant running, all three of them stopped in without saying a word to each other, the voices from behind getting closer and closer.
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"COME BACK! YOU FILTH! YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN."
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"Your face is all covered in blood." Said Alexis.
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"I am fine, we must make more distance...Let's get going" Said Pipola.
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"Okay, but just stop moving for a second!" Said Alexis while using his sleeve to wipe the blood from his mother's face.
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"You are all grown up now, taking care of your mother. I am so proud of you!" Said Pipola.
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"That's because you were always here for me, you made me what I am today...", mumbled Alexis while crying.
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"I don't want to lose you, you two are my whole world, I love you so much", said Pipola, bursting into tears.
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"Me too," Said Alexis, hugging his mother and his little brother as hard as he could.
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The red-orange sunlight was making its way to the ground. Some sun rays were reflecting on Pipola's white pale skin. Exhausted she made one step backward and then crumbled like a puppet as if her bones could not carry her own weight anymore.
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"We are going to force our way through the border!" Said Pipola.
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"But you always said that we should never go there!" Argued Alexis.
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"I know, but that was before our life was in danger... I understand your feelings, I really do, but I still need your word that if anything happens to me you will take care of your little brother."
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"I told you that I can't!" Yelled Alexis
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"I will never forgive myself if something happens to either of you because of me! Please, understand my feelings too!" Mother said in a hysterical voice.
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"I..."
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"Nobody is going to follow us if we get through the border, that's our only chance, there are no other options left. If the worse will happen I need you to live!" Said Pipola.
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"I promise...", said Alexis with a hollow voice.
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"Kid, get up...We must go." Alexis tried to grab his little brother's arm but failed to do so.
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"I am staying here, I am tired, and I am not happy!" said Asta.
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"Cut the shit out! Don't you understand the situation?!" Shouted Alexis.
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"What is wrong my heart?" Asked Pipola
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"You are always treating me like a baby, I have eyes too!" Painfully squeaked Asta.
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"ASTA, if you don't stand I swear I will..." Alexis yelled to his brother.
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"Calm down both of you! Asta, sweetie I know it is painful, I didn't mean to ignore you, I am sorry. We are all very tired, but we need to leave this place, please!" Begged Pipola.
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"Mom, they are getting closer, we must go!" Warned Alexis.
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Multiple men wearing dark hooded outfits were approaching from all sides. All of them weighed down with their electrical batons that were generating so much electricity the whole forest was flashing with light-blue colors.
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"JUST STAY THERE FUCKEN BITCH! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF CHASING YOU."
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As the group of masked men began surrounding their victims, they were so close that Pipola could clearly hear them panting with the effort.
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"SURROUND THEM!!"
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"We must leave, now!" Yelled Alexis.
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Three dark shapes tied with their hands rushed towards the end of the forest that was visible some 800 meters away.
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"DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!"
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Each second the distance grew between them and the pursuers, the salty sweat stinging their eyes, ankle shackled out of fear, they had to advance towards the only possible hope she could have counted on at that very moment.
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"THAT BITCH IS GOING FOR THE BORDERLINE!
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"STOP HER BEFORE SHE CROSSES THE BORDER."
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The forest was closing in, the bloody sky pressing down. Half blinded by the glare of the sunset they kept running.
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"No matter what happens, keep running!" Screamed mother to her boys.
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The blood from the wound on her face coming all the way down to her hand was squirting on Asta's face with each movement of her shoulder.
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The trees that once offered a shelter to so many with their spreading canopy, were now lifeless sticks of charcoal beating down the face of Pipola as she advanced forward. The old, yellow, and brown leaves hustled in the wind like the sound of the dead that was slowly approaching them. Far in the distance, somewhere on the other side, Pipola hoped to find their salvation, driving her over the edge of the physical limit she could bear as her feet followed the narrow strip that stretched towards the last rays of the hidden behind the metal...