"Hey, aren't you gonna say something?" Hannah asked, looking at Noah's face. He looked away, brushing his hair over his eyes. Hannah huffed, frowning, but she said nothing more. "Let's go. I don't really have a plan right now, so let's go find Emma or something?"
Noah didn't respond.
"Hey, kid, what's your name?" Noah shook his head, pointing to his mouth. Hannah sighed in defeat. "Whatever, I'll just call you 309." She tossed him a knife from his pocket and he caught it, flipping it in his hand and looking around, trying to find where in the world she would have taken it from. He held it out to her, cocking his head in question. Hannah shrugged.
"I got it from that girl, -nine, I don't know." He nodded, but before she could turn around to continue walking, he grabbed her sleeve. With the other hand, he grabbed a handful of leaves and bright yellow flowers from a pot, throwing it on the ground and bending down to shape the letters of his name.
N. O. A. H.
"Your name is Noah?" Hannah asked. He nodded. She smiled a little. "Well, my name is Hannah. Nice to meet you, Noah." She held her hand out and he took it, and she pulled him up, shaking it and giving him a grin. He nodded silently, brushing the dirt from his pants and looking around.
Hannah went one way, and Noah followed her, only after thirty minutes realizing that she was most likely completely lost. He looked up at the clock, reading 67 now. It had been three hours since, and they were yet to find anybody. The sky was slightly orange now, around seven at night. It didn't feel like three hours. In fact, the whole process only felt like an hour, though the clock and sky had already passed five hours. He started to get slightly impatient as they kept walking, getting most likely more and more lost.
"Ugh, I give up," Hannah groaned, stopping suddenly and snapping Noah out of his trail of thought. "Hey, Noah, are you hungry?" Noah shrugged, but he pointed towards the tree, only separated by a wall of glass.
"Yup, it's right there," Hannah muttered. She pressed her face against the glass, looking closely for an entrance to the tree. She pulled back, surprised. "Wait, there's no entrance to this thing." Noah stood beside her, nodding. She rubbed her head, laying on the glass and sliding down to a sit.
"Wow, we just did all that walking for nothing." Noah nodded in agreement, pointing at the clock and holding up three fingers. Hannah's eyes widened and she sat up. "What? Three hours?" Noah nodded again. He looked around, grabbing a shovel, almost as tall as he was, and motioned for Hannah to move aside. She stood up, backing away and sitting on a table between a pot of grass and red petunias. Noah raised the shovel, stumbling a little with its weight, and brought it down. It sounded a dull thud, but barely made a dent. He raised it again, bringing it down harder.
"Hey, whatcha doing?" They spun around, facing a tall man. He smiled, combing his dark black hair back with his hand, his glasses reflecting the sunlight directly into Noah's eyes. He squinted, shading the light with his hand.
"What do you think, sir?" Hannah asked. He laughed.
"My name is Ansel, ma'am. If you're gonna try to break the glass, you might as well forget about it. That tree is just there for show." He got beside her, their heads only a few inches apart, pointing his finger towards the tree. "You see that figure?" Hannah squinted her eyes, shaking her head. Noah turned to look too, but there was nothing.
"There's nothing there, Mr. Ansel," Hannah replied.
"There's a girl there. You don't see her, hanging from the branch?"
"I think that's a tire."
Ansel shook his head. "It's a girl. See, that's her body. That's her head, and her arms…" As he said those words, he pointed, his fingers moving slightly. Noah had given up, instead only staring into his glasses, through it, his blank brown eyes.
"That's her skin, and her bright pink dress." Hannah moved away a little. "Her blonde hair looks golden in the sunset. The rope at her neck is brown, a little bit short." Noah's eyes widened as he lunged towards them, a sound forming from his mouth but not completely coming out. Hannah spun her head around, raising her arm to protect herself, but it was in vain with the ax aimed towards her head. Noah yanked her away, the ax slicking the side of her arm.
"What are you, insane?" Hannah yelled as Noah pulled out the knife. Axel scoffed.
"That knife is Isabella's. So it's true, you did kidnap them." His face was serious now, his mouth curled into a frown. He was much bigger, though there were two of them. "Please, come with us without struggle."
"Us? There's only one of you." As soon as Hannah said that, she looked around, as two others, each holding a weapon, surrounding them. She sighed, relaxing her arms. She pushed Noah's hand down, raising her hands up. "Fine. We'll come with you."
"Hey, aren't you gonna say something?" Hannah asked, looking at Noah's face. He looked away, brushing his hair over his eyes. Hannah huffed, frowning, but she said nothing more. "Let's go. I don't really have a plan right now, so let's go find Emma or something?"
Noah didn't respond.
"Hey, kid, what's your name?" Noah shook his head, pointing to his mouth. Hannah sighed in defeat. "Whatever, I'll just call you 309." She tossed him a knife from his pocket and he caught it, flipping it in his hand and looking around, trying to find where in the world she would have taken it from. He held it out to her, cocking his head in question. Hannah shrugged.
"I got it from that girl, -nine, I don't know." He nodded, but before she could turn around to continue walking, he grabbed her sleeve. With the other hand, he grabbed a handful of leaves and bright yellow flowers from a pot, throwing it on the ground and bending down to shape the letters of his name.
N. O. A. H.
"Your name is Noah?" Hannah asked. He nodded. She smiled a little. "Well, my name is Hannah. Nice to meet you, Noah." She held her hand out and he took it, and she pulled him up, shaking it and giving him a grin. He nodded silently, brushing the dirt from his pants and looking around.
Hannah went one way, and Noah followed her, only after thirty minutes realizing that she was most likely completely lost. He looked up at the clock, reading 67 now. It had been three hours since, and they were yet to find anybody. The sky was slightly orange now, around seven at night. It didn't feel like three hours. In fact, the whole process only felt like an hour, though the clock and sky had already passed five hours. He started to get slightly impatient as they kept walking, getting most likely more and more lost.
"Ugh, I give up," Hannah groaned, stopping suddenly and snapping Noah out of his trail of thought. "Hey, Noah, are you hungry?" Noah shrugged, but he pointed towards the tree, only separated by a wall of glass.
"Yup, it's right there," Hannah muttered. She pressed her face against the glass, looking closely for an entrance to the tree. She pulled back, surprised. "Wait, there's no entrance to this thing." Noah stood beside her, nodding. She rubbed her head, laying on the glass and sliding down to a sit.
"Wow, we just did all that walking for nothing." Noah nodded in agreement, pointing at the clock and holding up three fingers. Hannah's eyes widened and she sat up. "What? Three hours?" Noah nodded again. He looked around, grabbing a shovel, almost as tall as he was, and motioned for Hannah to move aside. She stood up, backing away and sitting on a table between a pot of grass and red petunias. Noah raised the shovel, stumbling a little with its weight, and brought it down. It sounded a dull thud, but barely made a dent. He raised it again, bringing it down harder.
"Hey, whatcha doing?" They spun around, facing a tall man. He smiled, combing his dark black hair back with his hand, his glasses reflecting the sunlight directly into Noah's eyes. He squinted, shading the light with his hand.
"What do you think, sir?" Hannah asked. He laughed.
"My name is Ansel, ma'am. If you're gonna try to break the glass, you might as well forget about it. That tree is just there for show." He got beside her, their heads only a few inches apart, pointing his finger towards the tree. "You see that figure?" Hannah squinted her eyes, shaking her head. Noah turned to look too, but there was nothing.
"There's nothing there, Mr. Ansel," Hannah replied.
"There's a girl there. You don't see her, hanging from the branch?"
"I think that's a tire."
Ansel shook his head. "It's a girl. See, that's her body. That's her head, and her arms…" As he said those words, he pointed, his fingers moving slightly. Noah had given up, instead only staring into his glasses, through it, his blank brown eyes.
"That's her skin, and her bright pink dress." Hannah moved away a little. "Her blonde hair looks golden in the sunset. The rope at her neck is brown, a little bit short." Noah's eyes widened as he lunged towards them, a sound forming from his mouth but not completely coming out. Hannah spun her head around, raising her arm to protect herself, but it was in vain with the ax aimed towards her head. Noah yanked her away, the ax slicking the side of her arm.
"What are you, insane?" Hannah yelled as Noah pulled out the knife. Axel scoffed.
"That knife is Isabella's. So it's true, you did kidnap them." His face was serious now, his mouth curled into a frown. He was much bigger, though there were two of them. "Please, come with us without struggle."
"Us? There's only one of you." As soon as Hannah said that, she looked around, as two others, each holding a weapon, surrounding them. She sighed, relaxing her arms. She pushed Noah's hand down, raising her hands up. "Fine. We'll come with you."