Neither of us paid much attention to this, assuming it was the wind whistling through the trees. We quietly congratulated each other, acutely aware of the fact that if a helicopter on patrol were to stop us, we would be gunned down before we had an chance to explain. That was the risk one took, going into the restricted zones outside of the urban area. But it was worth it. It was always worth it. Identical, timeless gray concrete structures stretching on for miles. No variety. No colors anymore. For true beauty, one had to leave, to see the relics of what once were. It also provided a breath of fresh air, both figuratively and literally. Maintenance teams had spent days installing what we were told were industrial-strength air fresheners throughout the city, we were told they would neutralize odors and make life more pleasant. Of course, rumors were going around that they were going to use them to gas the population, with some agent to make us more docile, in the wake of the recent riots. I'm not sure how much stock I put in that, but some teenagers broke one open a few days ago, and hadn't been seen since...
At any rate, the city wasn't the best place to spend time. For those who knew how, escape into the forest was a viable and wonderful opt-
MWAAAGRAHHAHYAGRAH!
The moaning came again, but this time it wasn't the trees. Xeno and I exchanged a glance, and rolled off the water tower's top bulb, landing and crouching silently on the walkway below. The light was dim, but we could see a lone figure stumbling across the clearing, hunched over. "He's gonna get us caught", I hissed at Xeno. Before he could reply, a helicopter rose over the treeline. A spotlight flashed on the figure for an split second, followed by a popping noise. The figure fell down, and didn't get up. The spotlight didn't come on again, and the helicopter flew off in the direction of the city.
Xeno and I crouched for what felt like hours, not daring to move. Finally, after some whispers, we agreed to go check on the shooting victim. Xeno reached for a nearby girder, and clambered downward, followed closely by myself. When we were halfway down, there was a flash of light far to the northeast, followed a few seconds later by a roaring sound, and then silence. Total silence. At that moment, for the first time in three years, we could not hear the whirling blades of a helicopter in the distance. We exchanged a glance, and continued our descent. Once on the ground, we moved low and quickly, moving to the fallen person. Xeno, twenty feet ahead of me, reached the person first, and let out a yelp of surprise. Normally a model of impeccable discipline, I knew it must have been something big to break his stoic outlook. Then I saw the corpse. The bullet had gone straight through the skull, and there was no chance of his survival. But the rest of the corpse...it did not look like that of a man who had been dead for hours, but rather, weeks. Some of his limbs were so decomposed as to expose the bone underneath.
A chill ran up my spine, as I heard another low moaning, far away, and could feel that no wind was blowing...
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