Our Dirty Hands

The heavy raindrops continued to fall through the black sky. Lightning danced around from cloud to cloud as we both stood there in silence.
I closed my eyes as drops of the piercing icy rain dripped onto my forehead.
My body trembled under it,

'just like that day...'

I'm sure the amount of drugs he took made him forget but, Quarin saved my life when I was just a boy.
I remember it so clearly it was like it was a brand new dream that had just played back in my head-

I could feel Quarin glancing at me over and over. He had been acting stranger and stranger all day. I knew it was from not having his Opperinium.
I had never tried the stuff, being a surface worker, I wasn't exposed to it.

"Would you stop that already? You're freaking me out."
I looked up at him and he stared down at me with those same dead eyes, those eyes that seemed to haunt me every waking minute. They were so piercing but dull. I guess all of the underground workers had that look to them, but looking him into the eyes was especially painful for the worst reason,

~

I breathed heavily as I trudged through the mucky ground, my fathers words playing over and over in my head,
'Her life means everything, more then yours and mine, if you don't come back with the medecine and she dies, you are no longer my son.'
I could feel hot tears run down my blotchy cheeks.
'It's so cold, I'll probably catch a deathly cold and die, but I guess that doesn't matter to my father.'

Early today, he yelled at me for failing my cycle test. I missed the target 8 times, on purpose... I heard horrible stories about how if you're any good with a cycle gun, they take you away to the main cities and make you into a solder for eternity. I didn't want that, I wanted to stay here with my sister, Lilian.
I noticed something during the test, the eldest boy there, was watching me the entire time. It's like he could tell I was missing on purpose. He was the best cyclemen in all of the wastelands, I
kind of looked up to him, his name was Quarin.

I could see the golden glow of my cabin lights from afar. My breathe leaked out from my chapped lips, white puffs of smoke. It reminded me of the tall towers, that polluted our air.

I heard the sloshing of feet from behind me.

It was kind of a wheeze sound that followed after each slosh.

'...please..no...'

In the academy they taught us what humanoids were and how to watch out for them.
It was anyone who breathes with there mouth ajar and wheezes loudly, has pale dead skin, long ears, discolored eyes...

I glanced back and there it was. A Mogg.

I lifted my boot out of the mud and made a run for it, the only thing I could hear was the low hum of a cycle gun beginning to launch it's bullet.

I had no chance...I would die, disowned by my father, and letting down my sister whom I loved.

I heard it fire, but then I realized it wasn't the Moggs cycle gun being launched. I felt my body go numb as I looked back and saw that same boy that I looked up to, Quarin.

I stood there in shock gazing at him, and the blue inflamed Mogg body in the mud of the earth.

He screamed at me,
"You stupid little shit! Get the fuck home, don't let me catch you out here again!"

"T-Thank you.."
I managed to leak out of my trembling lips.

I ran home, and saved my sister from dying that night, all thanks to him.

~

"What are you talking about...you're the one looking at me weird..."
His low raspy voice echoed in my ears.

I smirked and stared down at my boots,

"Hey do you remember-"

"No. And if I do I don't want to."

He looked away out into the city streets lit up by dim lights.
I smiled warmly and thought to my self,

'He does remember....'