Chapter 1 Eladore

Hello, my name is Eladore. I am 12 years old. If I say my last name, people might here it, people in Red Claw. The Red Claw is an organization where people torture other people to death. I am in a world of hiding right now, where you either kill, or be killed. I perfere to hide, I don't think I could even bare watching someone torture anyone or anything. Most people hide inside their house, though I learned that they don't find you as much when you hide outside. That reason is because everyone hides inside, so the Red Claw always knows the people will be inside their houses. So that is my world, a world you do not want to live in!

 

I only have one friend, he is a boy, super skinny, but strong, dirty blond hair, the most blue grey eyes you will ever see. And he does NOT have clean clothes. But I guess no one really does. In this town, your lucky to even get 1 change of clothes! But anyway, back to my friend, he has a pet dog who is brown with white spots, and the dog's name is Rascal. His name? Ok, my best and only friend's name, is Tom. Tom's parents died when this all started, mine died when I was three. Tom found me, and we became friends, then his parents took me in as their own. I am like Tom's only sister, he is like my only brother. He protects me, and I do the cooking, cleaning, and washing. Tom was going to have a brother, but he died in the wohm.

 

Me and Tom live in a sewer, that is located down an alley, behind a dumpster, and down the sewer hole. There is no water in the corner we live in, so we live down there in a small dead end. It isn't as gross as you'd think it would be. There is really no rats, like people tell you, and we live in a fairly clean corner of the place. we hung a big long old blanket at the entery, and we hang towels and stuff on it to dry. Tom does the hunting and gets the food, and no one ever sees where he goes everyday.

 

Most of the time, I am down here, enless I am behind the dumpster getting fresh air, it is not that much more fresh, but it is better than the sewer. I hardley EVER go out of the alley though, I never have to, and I wouldn't want to! Who would if there is a chance of getting caught? Tom doesn't go out enless it is for food, and ussually there is food in the alley. A rat comes in, or we get food out of the dumpster, stuff like that. You probably see us as pigs, but that is how we have to be. Or we would starve to death, no one in this town wants to die. Unless they are misserable. But me and Tom? We want to survive! And we will! I want this mess to stop, and if I can get other people to help me, someday, this mess will stop. We can stop living like pigs, and eat real food, real GOOD food!

Chapter 2 The Outside

"Fine then, if you won't go outside, then I will!" Insisted Eladore "NO! It is too dangerous today." complained Tom. "How do you know that?"

"How do you think? I was just out there!"

"And what made it more dangerous then usual? We have to get food. We haven't updated our food storage in two weeks! We are almost out. And what about Rascal? He hasn't gotten fod for three days!"

"NO is my anwser! I am not changing my mind."

"Fine. We'll send a message to our cousins to get it. Our cousins who live in the morgue."

 

(I know. Creepy. They live in the morgue. But it is actually a good thing. No one ever checks there so they never get caught.) 

"Ok, I am fine with that." So once me and Tom had agreed, we got one of our spare bottles, put a letter about food in there, and sent it down the sewer stream. That is how we get word around. Everyone has nets at there house, so they messages get caught in the net, then when they check there net, they see their message.

 

The message that we sent said,"Dear Roberts family, we were wondering if you could send some food down the river. Tom said it is to dangerous to get food, and we are running low. Please answer back soon with some food. Thank you. From- Your cousins, the Bennets." And we sent the letter onto the stream leading to the morgue.

 

                                                       TWO DAYS LATER

"Oh Tom, it isn't here yet. We have to go out! Please? I will be extra careful."

"Fine, we can go out. We will meet back at the dumpster at 3:30. OK?"

"Alright Tom. Can I bring Rascual this time? You brought him last time."

"Alright, you bring Rascual. Now go. Who ever gets the most food doesn't have to do the laundry!" It is a game we play. It makes the world a little less scary when we make thing into games. This game is a compitition. Whoever gets the most food, doesn't have to do laundry. Whoever gets the least food, has to do all the laundryfor that week's laundry. Me and Rascal went off running, up the ladder, through the sewer hole, around the dumpster, and then we stopped. We were at the town. To get food, we had to go to the forest. It was on the other side of the town... So we snuck through the town with a trash can over my head. Rascual just stayed close by.

 

When we got to the forest, I was suprized to what I saw. The trees were cut down, and the Red Claw was making a big building. Then, a tall, big, and muscley man spotted me. I ran!

Chapter 3 Caught

 I was running so fast, I couldn't see where I was going. I almost ran into three trees, and then I ran into the building. It had a metal cover over the wood, and when I slammed into it, I felt sick. Everything was blury, when it finnally wasn't blury anymore, I saw the man running up to me with a baseball bat in his hand. I couldn't think, and so I ducked down, and I covered my hands over my head. I buried my face into my knees, which caused me to see... a sewer hole lid. It was about 5 yards away. The man was still running toward me, and I decided I had a chance. So I ran, I got to it when I realized I couldn't go in. Rascal, he wasn't here! He must of gotten caught. I couldn't leave him, I couldn't let him get tortured. So I let the man catch me. I know. I would have had a better chance getting Rascal back without letting myself get caught. But I wasn't thinking, I had just ran into a building, Okay? He ran up to me, and I went into the position I was in before. Then he hit me with the bat. On my head. I started going blury, then everything turned black. My last thought was that one day, this would end. It all would.

 

I woke up in a prison cell. My stomacht started to growl. Thats when I realized that I was hungry the whole time, I thought back to the man chasing me, the sewer hole, how I stayed because of Rascal. Rascal. Where was he? What had happened to him? Is he still alive? I hoped he was okay! Then I heared howling, I was so scared that it was Rascal! What if he is being tortured right now? What if I can't save him? What if I am next? Then I heared footsteps comming down the stairs to my cell... And voices, but some of the parts I couldn't hear.

"I know that she will be scared of us."

"Me too, but ... too ask her"

"I ... but I really don't think she will ..."

"She would be good for ... Did you see how fast she ran?!?"

"Ya, now be quiet. She can probably hear us!"

 

No more voices. Then I saw shadows comming up to my cell. Then I saw them. They were two men, one tall, one fat. Both very muscley! They unlocked the door, brought in three fold-up chairs, and motioned for me to sit in one. I sat. Then one asked me, "We have a very important question for you" I stated,"So do I."

"We will go first. Do you want to join?" Even though I knew exactly what they meant, I asked, "What do you mean join?"

"Will you join the Red Claw? If not, you die. We think you would be good for us. Your running could come in handy."

"I will think about that. Now my question. Where is my dog? Is he okay?"

"Your dog? What dog?"

"You mean you don't know where my dog is? You didn't take him? I LET MYSELF GET CAPTURED FOR NOTHING?!?" (I may not be the bravest person, but I had the guts to stand up for myself, and my dog. I also had the guts to yell at the Red Claw... apparently.)

 

"Whoa, wait a minute, you let yourself get caught? For a stupid mut?"

"HE IS NOT A STUPID MUT!" I took a deep breath, "Okay, just tell me if you have my dog, or not."

"We don't. I am sorry. But do you want to join?"

"I... I don't know. How long do I have to decide?"

"You have three hours before you... get... tortured. So decide before then." And with that, they left. I was alone again. 

Chapter 4 The Decision

 How could I join, if  I joined, I would be doing my worst nightmare! Torturing. How could I do that? I can't. But if I don't, I will die. Thats when I heared the knock on my cell. Then someone unlocked the door, and came in. It was the tall guy. "Why are you here?" I asked rudley. "I went through what you are going through. I know it is hard. I didn't want to join either." I stayed quiet waiting for him to finish.

"So, I am going to help you." I started to get frustrated. He just asked me to join, and now he is telling me not to. Can I even trust him? He doesn't even know me. I can't trust him! I'll get killed.

"I will help you escape. Lucky for you, I am nice." Oh yes, he is nice, he is perfect, so very perfect.

"I am not like them. So you will be saved." There you go again, with your perfectness. With all your, "I am so perfect that I will help you. No one else will. Only me."

"There are vents above you..." That part caught my attention, and I stopped thinking that he was bad. He is actually is going to help me.

"I will open one and help you get into it. I drew a map of the way you have to go."

"Wow... You are actually going to help me."

"Yes, of course. I never wanted to do anything that the Red Claw does. I could tell you didn't want to either the moment you ran from me."

"Your the man who hit me with the baseball bat?!?"

"Oh ya... sorry about that. I had to. You were pretty smart running to the sewer hole to get away. I just don't think you should of stopped because of a dog."

"I know, I wasn't thinking."

"Yes, well let me help you up to the vent, I have to go." So he handed me the map, took off the lid to the vent, and lifted me up.

Chapter 5 The Escape

The vent goes about 5 feet straight up, but I had experience with climbing these kind of things. "Yell when you get up!" So I put my back to one side, and put my feet on the oppisite side. My hands on the side with my back, and started to climb up like that. One foot up, set it down above me, other foot up, set it above me, one hand up, set it above me, other hand up, set it above me, scoot my back up, and start all over. I did that for a while until I got all the way to the top. Then I yelled down to the tall man, "I got up!" He yelled back,"Okay, do you have the map?" I said, "Yes, I got it." Then he yelled back, "Okay good. I will leave then. And don't worry about what I will tell them about how you got away! I have it covered!" I smiled and then turned over onto my stomach, and started army crawling.

 

After a while of twists and turns, I saw a light! Sure enough, at the end of the tunnel, was the outside. I checked the map to see if this was the right way, and it was. I pushed off the lid, and looked out. Now was the tricky part, there were people everywhere. I had to sneek past them, go back through the town, back to the alley, and down the sewer, and I can't be seen through out the whole time. How could I do all of that? With out anyone seeing me? How could I possibly do all that? Well I guess a starter would be to get down from here... I was head first to the ground. How am I going to get down? Then I got it. The sewer hole from the time I got caught. That is how I would do it with out being seen! Now how to get down... I wasn't that good, but I had experience with gymnastics. And karote, that would come in handy if I had to get out of a fight.

 

What I did to get down was really risky. I was really high up, in other words, I was close to the roof. I rolled onto my back, stuck my hands out, and searched for something to grab hold of. I finnally grasped the roof's edge, and pulled my self up. Then I set my feet down onto the inside of the vent. This way, I was standing up. Now what?  The roof was flat. So with my hands holding on tight to the roof, I climbed up with my feet, and then I put my knees over the top of the roof, and hung upside down like I used to on the monkey bars as a kid. What I meant to do was grab the roof with my hands, and pull myself up. That way I didn't have to use my arm muscles as much as I would have the other way. But what happened, was my legs started to slip. I fell, but being good at gymnastics, and having good strength, I landed on my hands, tipped side ways, and kartweeled off onto the ground, landing onto my feet. Then I ran toward the sewer lid. Once I got down, I saw Rascal! 

 

"Rascal! What are you doing here? Can you lead me to Tom?" That is when I realized that he was laying down on his side. I went up to him. He was breathing hard, and I could tell he was in a lot of pain. So I started to carry him. I wasn't sure what way was home, but I started walking.

Chapter 6 The Ghost Town

I had been through a lot that day, and wasn't sure how much I could handle. So when I set Rascal down, and went through an unfamiliar sewer hole to see where I was... Well, I started bawling. I was out in a different town, with my home town nowhere to be seen. I realized I hadn't eaten in two days. I was hungry! Then a horrible thought came to my mind. The dog. The dog won't do me any good anymore... maybe I could- I pushed the thought out of my mind. Rascal was family. No. I would not eat Rascal! I needed to eat though. I would go into the town, and find food. But what about Rascal? I would have to leave him. I decided. I hated the decision, but he was to heavy for me to carry him around. I would find something for us to eat, and then come back.

 

The town was a ghost town. No people anywhere to be found. There was nothing, and no one. I went into an old, old, resurant, and headed for the kitchen area. It was spooky here, but I kept going. I found a light switch, and switched it on. The light blinked on, then off, then on, and stayed on for a second, then turned off again. No light. I kept going, when I reached the cooking area, I looked for something, anything, to eat. Maybe some old fish, or a half eaten orange, or stale bread, something like that. I did find some stale bread, it was a little moldy to, but mostly just stale. They were rolls, there were probably about ten. I also found some nuts. I wasn't really sure what kind they were, but I took them anyway. I looked around for something to carry it in. Nothing here though. So I went to a different place. A house.

 

I could tell it was a house because of the beds inside of it. I took off the top quilt on the bed, and folded it up. Then I took one of the sheets from the bed, put the food inside, then the blanket too, and tied it together like a bag. I got the "bag", put it over my shoulder, and then my head. After I had everything I needed, I went back to the sewer. I was crawling back inside, but then heard, "There she is! She is the one who escaped The Red Claw!" I crawled faster. Climbed down the ladder, and grabbed the dog, and ran. Or, I tryed to run. Rascal made it very hard to run. You try holding a dog up and running at the same time. It is really hard! I heard people climbing down, and running to get me. It was at least five people. I would for sure get caught. And I did.

Chapter 7 Finding Tom

 I never knew Tom's last name. Even though he had lived with me since I was two. I never wondered until today. When I didn't know what would happen, and I had been caught with Rascal, and I didn't even know who I was running from, I thought about Tom's last name. Weird huh? But once I realized I had been caught, my mind came back to the present.

"Hey! Hello? I think you blacked out for a minute. How do you feel?" Then I realized that the person that was talking to me... was Tom. I was confused.

"Tom?" I said in a wondering way. "Is that you?"

"Ya! It's me sis!"

"What are you doing here?"

"That doesn't matter. I'll explain later. My question is what happened to you? And Racal?" I started to answer, but then, every thing started going blurry. Then I couldn't see, and everything was black as night would be without stars or the moon.

 

It was probably not because of anything important, just because I was tired, hadn't eaten, was scared, and suprized, but I must have been out for a while, because Tom and the other people with him were asleep when I awoke. So I went up to the sewer top to see if it was night. When I peeked out of the cover, it was night. A little over midnight probably according to the moon. I got scared when Tom came over to me and said, "Hello Eladore. Your awake." I jumped.

 

"Oh, it's you Tom. What's going on?"

"I'll explain later, oh, and sorry about you falling asleep. We had to give you a sleeping shot."

"What?!? What are you talking-" Tom cut me off

"Let's talk about this somewhere else."

"Fine, but the deal is, I tell you my side of the story, then you have to tell me your's."

"Alright. Now follow me." I followed him up and away from the sewer, into the the ghost town, and into one of the houses. Then he told me to sit down on on of the beds, and that he would be right back. So I did, and he came back from, probably the kitchen, with some food. "Let's talk." said Tom.

Chapter 8 The Chat

So we ate and talked. I told Tom everything. About the Red Claw's new building, me getting caught, escaping, the tall man, getting here, and everything else. He didn't seem suprized at all. Then, he said,"Good. You passed." After he said that, Rascal came running in, looking totally healthy! "But... how... why... what happened??" 

"Your ready to join the Red Claw..."

 

 

 

"... What are you talking about? You always hated the Red Claw!"

"That was my act. I pretended to dislike it until you were ready. Then once I thought you were ready, I put you through a series of things to make sure. A test. You had to escape, find food, take care of the fake Rascal that I made, and you also had to go through emotional trials."

"Have you been in the Red Claw all your life?" He paused when I said this, thinking about whether or not to tell the truth probably, then said, "Yes. I have." How could he have done that though? Been so perfect, and nice, and everything, and then showing his true self, he was evil. Then I thought of something. "Why did you give me a sleeping shot?" He stayed silent for a long time as if it were forbidden to say, then he said, "It wasn't a sleeping shot. It was a memory earaser."

 

"What are you talking about? Tell me everything! I am listening."

"Okay. I have been pretending all my life that I haven't been in the Red Claw. I pretended to not like them. Then when I thought you were ready, I told you. I guess you were not ready though."

"No, not that, why did you earase my memory, and what did you earase from it?"

"I have been earasing your memory your whole life." I was completely silent.

Chapter 9 Who, What, Where, Why, How?

 How in the world could he have been doing that his whole life, and I didn't know??? "What did you earase?!" I asked getting mad. He answered, " The truth about your parents, and when ever you find out that I am in the Red Claw, those kind of things. You know, I actually have gone through this conversation alot. I might have to earase your memory again. I mean, you don't seem happy about this. If I earase it, you wouldn't know that all this happened. So maybe I will, and I will wait longer. And then I could-" I cut him off saying, "No! I want to keep my memory! Tell me the truth about my parents! You said they died because of the Red Claw. What really happened?"

"Well, they are still alive. Locked up in a cage, deep in a desert far from here. I have the map. Do you want it?" He handed it to me just like that. I didn't understand how I could be getting so frusturated, but he was so calm telling me about all this, for ,apperently, the 11th time. To tell the truth, I completetly trusted him before, now I didn't at all.

 

"That is all. Any more questions?" He acted like it was a survey instead of a very serious conversation. Which it was a very serious conversation. "Nope." I said and ran out the door. I wasn't sure where I was going, but not here. I was getting away from him before he earased my memory again. Then I knew where I could go. To my parents! So I stopped at the sewer, got my food, and blanket, and headed off. I was going to find them. 

 

 

                                                    my parents....

Chapter 10 The Search

I had food still. I had a little warmth for the night, I was set. So I set off. I followed the map. I didn't even know if it was a trick or not, but I trusted this map. I hoped it was right. I kept following the map until I got to a forest. I didn't know how long it would go until I got out of it. I did NOT have enough food for this trip. What would I do?

 

My grandfather used to say, everyday is a new adventure. Yea, he was right! I decided to risk it and keep going. Well, as I found out later, that was not a good idea. I started walking through the forest, it was quite scary. I heard rustling in leaves, owls, and plus, by then it was night time. Which made it ten times scarier! It was kind of embarissing being scared of owls like in the movies. I remember my mom... Or I guess Tom's mom... read me a book about forests. It said that the warmest place in a forest was a cave. I tried to find one, but couldn't. So instead I thought back to the book. What else did it say? Keep low to the ground to be warmer. So I went up to a big, fat, Oak Tree, and I cuddled up by it with my blanket over me and my head on the tree. The book was right, it was warmer! So that is where I slept during the night. 

 

The forest was quiet the next day. There were no noises, just quiet. It wasn't too strange, because It was always quiet in my home town too. But I wasn't sure if forests were supposed to be this quiet. When I read about it in the few books I had found in the streets, there was always owls hooting, or birds chirping, or crickets singing, or SOMETHING that made noise. I kept walking until I heard rustling noises. This was strange. Because the whole way to this spot, it was quiet. So when I heard the rustling noises, my heart froze. I started to walk faster, the rustling came closer. I started jogging, it became closer, and even louder. I started to sprint, it was becoming even louder. Then finnally, I started to run. As fast as I could. It seemed like what ever I did, the thing would catch up somehow. I was very good at running, Tom was also very good at running... as fast as me..... That was when I realized that it must be Tom chasing me.

 

I stood very still, trying to catch my breath. Then I said in an angry tone, "Tom! If you are following me, come out NOW! I am serious." But Tom didn't come out.

 

Someone else did though.

Chapter 11 The Weird Man

 Someone came out of the bushes. I have no idea who. He is tall, skinny, muscular, and handsome. He has rips on his shirt, like it had been his only shirt for years. Then, he spoke. He was saying, "Hurry, run, must get out of here." I didn't understand. "Why? Why must we leave? And who are-"

"GO! Run! I will catch up! Go!" I did as the man said. I ran. As fast as I could. For as long as I could. Eventually I would get tired, start to slow down, and then rermember the man saying Go! Run! That would remind me to keep going. To run. Finnally I stopped. At the egde of the forest. I had made it to a desert. The one on the map. I sat down. And waited, for the man to come to me. He had said he would catch up. So I waited. For an hour, according to the sun. 

 

He finnally came to me. With more rips in his shirt and blood gushing down it. I stared. "What in the world happened out there?" He wasn't speaking. He was breathing so hard that he couldn't speak! But finnally he said one  word. "Tom." I gasped. If Tom knew where he was, could he somehow know where I am? We have to leave this place. Me with who ever this guy is. I trust him though. So I said, "Come on! We have to get out of here!" Then he fainted. I don't know what to do. I have no experince what so ever with first aid. What should I do? Well I know that you are supposed to wrap it with something. I look around for something. I can't think of anything. Then I remember I can do it with my shirt!

 

I find a pine cone, and rip the bottom of my shirt off, with the pine cone. Now it is kind of like a belly shirt, but I put my jacket over my shirt so that it is still modest. I like to be modest. I wrap the strip of shirt around the worst cut. It is in his leg, and so I wrap it around it twice, then tie it in a knot. It slowes down the blood, but doesn't stop it completly. What do I do? He is going to die!

Chapter 12 Mom and Dad

 What do I do. What do I do. What do I do. What do I do. Was the only thing that I could think of. It was all so overwhelming, I burst out crying. I curled up in a ball, on the ground, crying so much that my shirt was pretty wet. And then, next thing I know, I am being put in a car with the man. It is a comfortable car. The man was in the front seat and I was in the back seat. It is a white car, when you get inside it is a cozy, welcoming feeling. I didn't know why I was so cozy inside of it, but I felt completly safe, and like nothing in here was going to harm me. It was really awkward and quite in the car, until the girl driving the car said, "So.... You are going to be suprized by this, but you are Eladore, right?" I told her Yes, and she said back, "Well than... this is your dad. And I am your.... mom." I Screamed... It was a happy scream, but it made my mom jump. We crashed into a tree, once we made sure everyone was fine, we all burst out laughing! 

 

We sat there laughing for a long time. And every thing turned out okay.

Chapter 13 The End

My dad got to the hospital and was fine, Tom? Well he joined the Red Claw. He is still a member today, And I haven't seen him since the... incident between us, and we moved far away from that town. Turns out my parents were never locked up in a cage in the middle of a desert, and Tom hurt my dad. He was litterally EVIL.... But anyway, We have a small house in the middle of a town called Blanding, in Utah. I go to Albert R. Lyman Middle School. I have lots of friends, Ray, Kay, Lydiana, Tia, Emm, and Jordena. They all call me Ela. My mom and dad found me by Rascal, He showed them where I was, and Rascal is now in the hands of my friend Emm. I get to see him offten, but my dad is alergic to dogs, so we couldn't keep him. So everthing is perfect now. Well BYE for now!

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 21.03.2015

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This is dedicated to my friend who moved away. I hope that her town is not like that!