Through the Ashes

I push harder on the treadmill, ramping up the speed. The belt flies faster and it feels like fire is licking at my legs. I haven't run this fast in a long time and a million thoughts are speeding through my head about as fast as the rubber beneath my feet. Who was that man on the cliff? How did Kasie not see him? Is Buffer's story and my dream connected? Why has Ben returned after all these years? These questions I know I probably won't get answers to. At least not now. The rapid beeping of the treadmill snaps me out of my thoughts, warning me that I need to slow down. I turn the speed down and when the belt comes to a complete stop, I jog over to the water fountain. I take large gulps of water and wipe my forehead with the back of my hand.

Getting water to the Crypts was tricky and took many years to accomplish. Only recently was it perfected. I remember when I was around 5 and 6, the plumbing would randomly cut out and everyone of age would have to go on biweekly trips to get enough for everybody. Now, after years of building an efficient pipe and filtering system, the water is brought in from the ocean. We were told that long ago, people wasted water like it was infinite. We know better now and watch our usage to make it last.

I sigh and lean back against the craggy rock of the gym wall. It seems... altered from the last time I was here. Different organisation, more efficient fans, and new equipment definitely. The old ones were slightly rusty and just plain old, slower and dropped quality. Scanning the gym, I see Kasie working hard on the elliptical and I hold in a laugh at the determined look on her face. She always works way too hard.

"Take a rest break?" I call. She turns her head towards me, smiling and nodding. She hops of the machine and presses the button to turn it off. She comes sprinting over and tackles me in a sweaty hug.

"Cmon Kasie!" She laughs at the disgusted look on my face and slightly slaps my arm. "Oh relax, not like you weren't already sweaty."

"Whatever." I wipe my face with a white towel and when Kasie turns around, I whip it at her back. She yelps and whirls around. I take one look at her face and lose it, laughing like an idiot. She takes a towel of her own and whips it at my feet. I hop back and we begin circling each other, tossing the towels down by our feet.

"Alright, alright. Let's see what you got!" She shouts, rushing towards me with open arms. I grab her left arm and twist it behind her back. She reaches her other arm around and grabs me, flinging me over her shoulder and onto the ground. The wind gets knocked out of me and she sits on my waist.

"That easy? I expected more, Archer!" She pridefully sweeps her arm over her head.

"Good, cause that's what you're getting!" I throw my arms over her shoulder and bring her down on her back. I use her shock to my advantage and slam her right arm down, shifting it into an awkward angle.

"Okay okay! Uncle, you win!" She shouts. I let go of her arms and she cradles it, shooting me a look of mock hurt. I slide off her and stand up, stretching my arms.

"That was actually pretty good Sam. Where did that come from?" She asks. I'm a bit surprised myself. I was tired and out of air and I still managed to win.

"No idea. Just be afraid that I'm getting better!" I lightly elbow her in the ribs. "Wanna shoot some rounds? They probably have a new range."

"That sounds awesome!"

We walk down the familiar path to the shooting range which is indeed, awesome. It used to be a small cramped room with a few targets and a long line to get in but now it's been completely revamped. The room extends much farther back, creating a lot more space, and the targets have more areas to hit and seem a lot more advanced. We walk to the back and push open a door that definitely wasn't here before and gasp. It's a new type of range with boxes to hide behind and more realistic 3D target, like you could compete against other people. "Okay, we are trying this when we have more people!" I shout excitedly, grinning at the long echo.