Once obscured by night's veil, the town, Anapauo, revelled under the morning light.
The architecture: timeworn, weathered by the vastness of time. But it was also distinct, not like the style of modern suburbs.
Sunbleached stone made up the buildings, while terracotta brown tiles composed the roofs. Remnants of tapestries, which once told stories through vibrant blues and reds, now remained as scattered records rubbed away by countless downpours.
A culture lost to time, as one might say.
What now remains is the old residential district of a town where the scent of food mixed with the salty breeze.
A cosy atmosphere lost to time. Long gone was 'Anapauo'.
Although... from a perspective more familiar with the town known as Anapauo, perhaps one would say 'it hasn't changed at all'...
...
Ruth carried herself down the stone-paved streets, looking around cautiously.
The slight limp in her steps as she trudged along, paired with her damp, dishevelled clothing and messy hair, gave her a frail appearance, somewhat like that of an injured lamb.
She travelled around the northern area of the town, recalling the information the male figure had recited to her,
"If you're around the Courier's Waterway, then head down into town. The Square is mostly surrounded by trees, er... well, dead trees, but you'll know it when you see it."
And so, Ruth wandered the town inwards, loitering around houses, and always throwing a cautious glance over her shoulder.
Till eventually...
The streets began to open, with the weeds decorating the walkways.
Before Ruth was an open space, a dry fountain standing in the centre, with the husks of trees lining the perimeter.
A stone man stood on the fountain, waving a banner. His head was missing, and his body: timeworn.
The meaning behind his banner was lost to weathering, but at first glance, one would see the will in those stone arms and the power and ideals conveyed by the still, fluttering banner.
"Hey!" A shout echoed through the square, and a gloved hand waved from the fountain.
There, sat on the edge of the fountain's basin, was a man of tall stature, fully robed in a reddish-dark brown overcoat with fur lining the collar, framing his sleek black clothing underneath.
"You must be the voice from the 'other end', right?" He continued to call out.
And Ruth replied, just not with as much volume,
"Yes! You're actually here!" She hurriedly approached the man, her voice more frail than his, but also slightly excited.
The two of them stood in the desolate square, the fountain looming over them. Glints sparkled from a distant building.
"You aren't injured, are you, little lady?"
"Oh, hardly... a scratch on my stomach is all, really..." Ruth lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing the bloodied makeshift bandage underneath.
The man scrutinised her expression for a moment, an unreadable light in his eyes. He shifts, gesturing with his hand,
"If you say so... Anyway, this is the person I was talking to you about."
Laid within the fountain's dry basin was an unconscious woman. Black hair sprawls along the bottom, and the warmth of the sunlight almost masks the slight grey tone of her skin.
"This is..." Ruth sounded curious, her tentative voice warranting the man to raise a brow.
"You recognise her?"
"No... Well, kinda? I've seen people like her on my boat."
"Have you...? Are you accompanied by anyone else? Other survivors?"
"Also no... I haven't seen anyone else besides you, here..."
The man paused before nodding. Taking a step back, he grabbed his chin, assuming a contemplative look on his face, his eyes slimmed as he looked down at Ruth,
"That communication device, can't you use it to contact other people, as you did with this woman?"
"It depends... I have tried, but only you picked up."
"I see..." He sighed, though he kept his gaze on her face, "So there aren't any other people in this town, huh?"
The man scratched his chest, his hand withdrawing something from within his coat—
Bang!
One of the distant buildings exploded into chaos, a window burst open, wooden shrapnel flying, curtains billowing, and a male figure tumbling out.
"What!?" The man whipped his head around, watching as a man, dressed in the same reddish-dark brown overcoat, was cast down a two-story fall.
"So there was—!"
'Someone else' was what he wanted to say, but he jerked his body around again, extending his arm to reach for Ruth, who had already begun to flee.
'It has to be a Cleaner...! She must've been accompanied by a Cleaner!'
His thoughts were laden with bewilderment and a sense of urgency. All formalities were gone, and his body moved with desperation.
The distant, sickening thud rumbled through the air; the falling man finally met the ground.
Ruth caught sight of her pursuer behind her, his gloved hand seeking to entangle itself in her hair.
"Damn you, Carpediem—" Pop!
A faint, muffled sound could be heard in the distance, followed by a whistle that erupted into a 'crack'!
"Argh!" The man collapsed to the ground as all the strength left his legs.
Blood seeped from his lower back, waves of pain emanating from a bullet embedded in his spine.
'S-Shit...!' He cursed internally, throwing a glance over his shoulder, the hatred and betrayal in his gaze shot towards a distant building.
Ruth stood over him, glaring downwards with silent intensity, as if assessing something.
He looked up to meet her eyes, recognition flashed in his blurry eyes; those cold, brown pupils stared down at him.
Gritting his teeth and sucking in cold breath, he spoke his last,
"To hell with you, Carpediem scum! And to you! You traitor—!"
Bang!
A sickening fountain of blood sprayed into the air, droplets splattering on Ruth's uniform.
Chunks of flesh and brain matter erupted with a violent display, the air reverberating with the sound of a muffled gunshot, as the scent of iron wafts in the air.
"Took his own life, huh..." Ruth commented bluntly.
She kneeled, reaching down and shifting the ruptured head, retrieving the handgun that was doused in enemy blood.
"No matter," she returned her gaze to the man on the ground, a soft sigh rumbling in her mouth,
'Let's see what they have to offer.'