PROLOGUE
Cold sweat was forming on Bryce's forehead. He gulped and started to think of an excuse "That was from long ago - "but before he could finish, Ana cut her off.
"I didn't know you were famous! Why didn't you tell me!" She shrieked excitedly holding the poster to the sky.
"famous? And where are you taking that poster?"
"I'm putting them up in my room! You're just like the characters in the books!"
Bryce looked at her completely flabbergasted. He didn't want to ask but he felt like he should. "What books?"
"You know... the books about those 7 friends who had wanted posters like this. The one with the blonde-haired kid with the talking pig and a walking house!"
"Those are books are illegal to read and have long since been out of print. You're not supposed to be reading them." He reprimanded.
"Then why do you have them?" She puffed her cheeks and walked away in annoyance while Bryce snatched the poster from her hand and stuffed them into his pocket much to her displeasure.
"There seems to be less people here in the capital despite the huge size of the city." Ana noticed.
"Tha'ts because there's limited access to the capital. Only the richest, most influential and most powerful people have access to most of the capital's facilities." Bryce explained.
"That's unfair!" she complained.
"The world isn't fair, kid"
They headed for a quick lunch at a nearby underwater-themed café with fish waitresses in robot bodies. Ana laughed so hard when one of the robots served steamed seafood at their table and looked at Bryce with disgust.
After lunch, they headed towards the outskirts of the capital to hunt.
***
• Outskirts of the Capital, 1st Ward•
"Our target is a silver wolf who recently escaped its confinement" Bryce explained as they trudged through the trees. "We are to kill it on sight, understand?"
"Yes!" She answered, shifting the sniper on her shoulder and strapping handguns at her thighs.
Just as she was about to reload her second handgun she heard a rustle among the leaves. She froze, focusing on the sounds of her surroundings. The chirping birds, softly howling wind, Bryce's light footsteps ahead of her, and then...She heard the heavy footsteps of a four-legged animal. "There." she whispered.
Bryce looked at her, in shock, and amazement. The wolf was more than 50 feet away seeing it from this distance was near impossible to human eyes. Clearly, he was impressed and that made Ana's heart swell up in happiness. She wanted her to be proud of her.
Quietly, they took their positions, lying on their stomachs to snipe their target. Ana aimed her scope at the wolf. It was covered from head to toe in beautiful white fur. It reminded her of the cold winter night when she first met her adoptive father.
She almost gasped when the wolf suddenly snapped its neck towards them. Her eyes met the wolf's eyes through the gun's scope. It was blood red, looking straight at her as if it knew what they were about to do and yet it was accepting its fate. But that was impossible. They were more than 50 meters away from it. As far as she knew wolves' eyesight could reach only up to 22 feet.
It also seemed impossible could smell or sense them. They were wearing state-of-the-art camouflage coats capable of masking the smell of its wearer to a certain degree.
But why does the wolf seem to see right through her? It was looking straight at her with dignity and pride and yet its eyes were full of loneliness.
"What are you waiting for?" Bryce asked pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Shoot it" he ordered.
Ana suddenly felt guilt rise from her stomach. It was slowly eating her up from the inside. Thoughts from her experience escaping the laboratory suddenly flashed back in her mind. The men with guns, the abused children crying for help, the bloodied body of a child shot in the head, and the boy behind the glass. His eyes were full of loneliness just like the wolf's eyes. It was just another being striving to survive. How could she take the life of someone like that?
"I said, shoot!" his voice suddenly grew colder. It was an order. This was a test
Swallowing, Ana cocked the gun. The wolf seemed to have noticed this and growled at her, showing its dangerously sharp teeth.
"Shit, it noticed us. Shoot it down Ana"
Ana's hand trembled. Something inside her was eating her up. She couldn't kill the wolf. But she had no choice she had to, otherwise, the wolf would kill them first.
"Shoot, Ana!" He scolded and the wolf lunged at them. It suddenly disappeared from sight and in an instant, it was 10 feet closer. Barring its teeth, it headed at them at full speed. "What kind of wolf was that fast?!"
"AAAAHH" she screamed and in an instant, the wolf emerged from the bush in front of them. Ana only barely managed to dodge. The wolf growled at both of them slowly eyeing them in circles. She shakily pulled out her handgun and pointed it at the wolf. With trembling fingers, she once again cocked the gun. Ana and the wolf stood like that for a second, staring at each other, only a gun away from ending the other's life.
"Damn it, brat. Just shoot the animal!" Bryce snatched the gun from her. "Wait! No!" But as soon as he grabbed the gun Ana pulled the trigger. It was too late...
Bang!