The Cypher’s Kiss: A Choice Based Short Story

RUN AWAY

"I can't kill anyone," you say. “And neither can you. Please Ammien, run away with me." 

 Ammien explodes with anger. They beg to you see their side. You've never seen your love so upset and your heart aches.

"I can't. I'm sorry." You pull them close and hold them until they calm down. You talk for hours until, finally, they agree to meet you in the Strider Bay at dawn, ready to start the adventure of your new life together.

You're awake all night, pacing and packing. You leave your quarters in the dark, eager to see Ammien again.

As the dawn sun peeks over the fort walls, you wait in the Strider Bay with your javelin and one small bag of sentimental things.

You wait.

You wait.

Your heart drains, so that you can barely walk as you head back into the fort to find your love.

In the courtyard, you find a huge commotion. Everyone is talking. Ammien is in jail. In the dark, just before morning, they were caught holding a pillow over the face of the injured Freelancer. Caught too late. The Freelancer is dead.

Head spinning, reason gone, you rush to the jail. Ammien sits at the end of the hall, staring dead-eyed, as Commander Vule interrogates them.

"No," you gasp, a little too loudly.

Ammien sees you now. They shake their head with a dark, sad smile. "This is all your fault," they mouth, and turn away to face the Commander.

The cobblestone trips you as you race back to your things in the Strider Bay. Your javelin is still there. You climb in and, leaving your small bag of belongings behind, you blast off over the wall and take to the sky -- never to return.

THE END
Return to the “Prelude" to choose a different path..

Special thanks to Jay Watamaniuk, Ryan Cormier, Jeffrey Campbell, Mary Kirby, Amanda Kelsko, and Karin Weekes.