Thread: District 7 (Rave & darkangel76)

The sky was black as pitch as the stars shone down in all their harsh glory with the rays of the silvery moon as the strange howling growls seemed to rise and then fall from within the walled in zone that would forever be quarantined, a place of exile and danger and god only knew what else. That rancid hell was something of nightmare, or so the rumors went, but they didn't deter Martina Graeme . No. They only fed into her unquenchable curiosity, piquing it to heights even she couldn't begin to fathom or come to understand. Just then, the wind suddenly blew causing her to tug at her thin embroidered shawl that hung about her shoulders. The white, lacey frock clinging snugly to her body as she pulled it closer to help stave off the chill as it tried to bite into her flesh. Bite. Funny that thought should cross Martina's mind. She reached up with a delicate hand, one just barely gloved with a soft leather that only the finest and wealthiest such as herself could hope to affordyes, she was a lucky girl, daughter of a high ranking scientist, overseer of the alchemists of old and deducer of those to be trained in the arts to serve the city and its people with their skill. She then pushed a strand of platinum blonde behind an ear and swallowed, morbid thoughts of what it meant to be bitten by those lurking the quarantined zones, the districtstwenty in allthat had sprung up as a result of an event so severe that her kind had nearly been annihilated completely, not to mention nearly driven mad with despair. But from the bleak hopelessness that surrounded them all was a beacon of light, something so strange and unexpected that none of her kind had even realized their true potential until it was nearly too late. But fortunately for them all, the first alchemist, the first of the magic users, realized what they could do if they tried. It wasn't easy and it never would be, but it gave them all hope and something to strive toward. A goal. After the first fortresses were erected, life was never the same, or so Martina had been taught. She never knew the comforts or marvels of the old ways, only the raw grit of reality now that zombies lurked the Earth, roaming free in the quarantined districts as if they owned the places. She often wondered if any lurked outside of them, but she dared not test that theory, not until the day she realized that magic went further than just alchemy. There were secrets deeper and darker than she could ever hope to imagine, ones her father had kept from her for her entire life. But her ears had overheard him one day speaking of darker things, things she knew she shouldn't be hearing. And now, now she was standing atop the fortified walls of District 7 in the pitch inky black of night, staring down into the wilds below. Martina could feel her heart racing, pounding hard as her adrenaline coursed through her veins. Something inside her wondered why such magic users, those practicing darker arts, ones that went beyond mere alchemy, were exiled to such a fate. It hardly seemed right or fair. She could feel her blue eyes stinging slightly as she thought about the gruesome future that would befall such a person should they be thrown into such a place. She knew what lurked beyond the walls, those creatures, those... those things that once lived, rising again from death only to feed upon the living. Again she shivered, her blood turning to ice at the thought. Biting. Funny that Martina thought of that. Just then there was a strange soundfootfalls. Immediately, Martina looked up and saw the shadow of a figure approaching. Guard, she whispered aloud, though to herself. Damn it. She bit down on her lip, her mind frantically searching for an idea on what to do, where to go. Martina knew she had to hide. Getting caught wasn't an option given who her father was. Not only would she get herself into trouble, but him as well and no doubt it would cause an uprising of some sort on top of everything else. As it was, she was already causing a stir with her incessant questions, having angered her father and his colleagues earlier that very day with all her nosing about. The footsteps grew louder, faster causing Martina to wince in fear. She began to whimper softly as she watched him approach, her eyes focusing on his silhouette and taking in the fact that he was very clearly armed. Panicking, she went into a low crouch and began to run. You! You there! the guard suddenly shouted out. You in white! Damn! Martina muttered. Martina had only wanted to peek and now she had to run and along a wall's narrow edge no less. As she ran, she could feel her legs begin to burn and knowing she'd been spotted, she finally stood up and went into a dead run. It was hard to balance, the darkness making it even more difficult, the strange sounds rising below making it distracting. Whimpering louder, she extended her arms for balance, her hands gripping her shawl so as not to drop it. Suddenly, she felt her ankle give and she stumbled, before she knew it, she tumbled over the wall's edge, her slight body striking the hard stone wall before finally slamming into the cold ground below.