The Heroes
The Raven fluttered across the dusty room, its voice sharp and urgent.
"Caw caw! There are people here! Caw caw!"
Luke turned quickly.
"Where?"
"Caw caw! Bearded man! Caw caw!"
Luke froze.
"You know the Bearded Man?"
"Caw caw! Yes! Caw caw!"
Before anyone could ask more, a loud thump echoed from a nearby utility closet.
"Caw caw! Intruder! Caw caw!" the Raven shrieked.
Ice stepped forward, blade ready. The others drew weapons, tense and silent. He opened the door slowly, expecting a threat.
Instead, he found two boys, maybe twelve or thirteen huddled inside. They looked similar, but not quite twins.
Ice narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
One boy grinned.
"Can't you see? We live here. Duh."
The other boy stepped forward, nervous.
"Sorry, sir. We didn't mean to trespass."
The first boy rolled his eyes.
"Hey, don't say that. My friend here doesn't know what he's saying."
He tried to sound casual, but his eyes darted around.
Ice gestured them out.
They stepped into the light.
Sophie smiled.
"Twins! How cute."
The first boy frowned.
"We're not twins!"
The boy with glasses nodded quickly.
"We're not, sir. Or ma'am. I mean sorry."
"Don't be sorry," the first boy said.
"We didn't do anything wrong. You guys are the real trespassers."
He pointed at the heroes.
Ice chuckled.
"What's so funny?" the boy asked.
"You remind me of someone I know," Ice replied.
Luke stepped forward, blade half-drawn not to strike, but to make it clear they weren't playing games.
"Names. Now. And how did you get here?"
The boys froze, then started mumbling over each other.
"One at a time," Ice said calmly.
The first boy straightened.
"My name's Riot."
The boy with glasses whispered,
"I'm Stuart."
Ice studied them. Riot was bold, charismatic, and fearless. Stuart was shy, cautious, eyes full of worry. The contrast was striking.
Luke asked,
"How did you get here?"
Riot answered,
"We were running and hiding for days. Then some nice people found us and led us here. They took us to the survival village, they went out to find other survivors but… they haven't come back."
Sophie's voice softened.
"How long have they been gone?"
"Two weeks," Riot said.
The heroes exchanged glances. They knew what that likely meant. It wasn't the boys' fault.
Luke leaned in.
"You said survivors?"
Riot nodded.
"Yeah. You guys don't think we're the only ones, do you?"
The room fell silent.
Survivors. Could it be true?
Luke asked,
"Where are they?"
Riot's eyes lit up.
"A little village. Under the city."
Everyone stared, stunned.
"Where exactly?" Luke asked.
"I'll take you, we would have gone before but we will die if we go outside just us two." Riot said.
"Just don't let us get hurt. You guys look tough."
Luke smiled.
"Don't worry. Just lead the way."