Hey guys! I finished the first chapter of my very first series. I would appreciate any constructive comments and criticism but please, go easy on me. ;D This story and it’s contents are a pure work of fiction and any similarities are a coincidence. This story belongs to me and may not be claimed by anyone else bladiblahdiblah and any other necessary formalities. Enjoy!
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Septimus did not approve of the current situation. Not at all.
He put down his pair of old binoculars and sighed as he ran his fingers through his long, white hair. He had been on the run from The Opt-Force for several weeks now and had actually succeeded in dodging the regular search troops quite well, until now. There was a group of 5 individuals crossing the scorching hot sands toward his hideout at a rapid pace. There was no point in putting up a fight, since they had started arming themselves more heavily, after having been humiliated by old man Septimus often enough. He chuckled at the thought.
Septimus hurriedly grabbed his M4 Carbine, slung it over his back and scanned the nest for anything useful he might miss later before jumping down the ladder and running for his trusty cross-bike. He quickly started mashing the kick-start. On the fifth try a familiar roar escaped from the rear of his bike. Before roaring off he felt for the tiny tin locket around his neck and froze.
It wasn’t there. He swore under his breath and jumped out from behind the steering-bars. He vaulted up the ladder and started frantically searching for the familiar glint of the grubby metal. He threw a quick glance out of the camouflaged window at the scouts. One minute at most.
Suddenly, he noticed something reflecting the glaring sunlight in the corner of his eye. He dove for the shine and gave a sigh of relief as he felt his hands close around the metal chain. Septimus would never have left without it. He flicked the locket open and looked at the miniscule picture inside it. A pretty girl smiled back at him from a tattered old photograph. She seemed to reach out to him with the look on her face. Septimus smiled weakly and his mind drifted for a moment. Memories came back to him. Memories he had almost forgotten he had.
Rose.
He and Rose would visit the circus whenever it came to town. She adored the circus and so did he. He just loved the smell of the popcorn, the feeling of excitement in the air. She was especially fond of the knife thrower. Not like the other girls, who would go wild over the cute horses or be intimidated by the big elephants. She was a rather peculiar little thing.
Suddenly, he was ripped out of his daydreams by his Blackberry going wild in his pocket. He whipped it out and looked at the screen: One of his laser tripwires had been triggered. It was high time to get out of there.
***
Septimus was racing across a desert whose name he could not think of at that point in time. He enjoyed the feeling of the wind flowing through his long, white hair and across his leathery face. The monotonous blaring of the two stroke engine was soothing to his ears. The seemingly endless landscape made him feel infinitely small and also lulled him into a false sense of security, whereas he knew perfectly well that the Opt-Force “agents” – he wondered if one could even call them such a thing and laughed at his own joke – would by now be sending bad news back to their HQ. He would have to be cautious.
But there was one question nagging at the back of his brain: Where to now? He had a very rough idea of where he could be and there wasn’t another hideout prepared anywhere near his potential location. Bluntly said, he was lost and homeless. He smiled, amused by his current situation. It wasn’t the first time he had been lost, and by the look of things it definitely wasn’t going to be the last.
He reached the top of yet another sand dune and already saw the mountain range bordering the desert. The sun was starting to set and the temperature was dropping already. He would have to reach the foot of the closest mountain before nightfall if he was to survive the icy temperatures.
After ten minutes, Septimus reached the foot of the mountain range that seemed larger than ever. He quickly scanned the area for a suitable place to pitch his tent with his trained eyes and soon found an overhanging rock under which he could make a fire without it going out too quickly. He sighed. Tomorrow would be another day with another challenge. He would get some sleep, he needed it dearly.
