While J.S. Riddle is working away to bring you the next in her tales of Tessa et al, we know you are dying for another taste of their world. Here is it, darlings… enjoy.

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   The sloshing through the depth of the sewer felt heavy on Emma’s lanky legs. Every step felt as if ten pounds were being added each time. Her breath deep; her body tired.
“Faster! We can’t risk for them to catch up to us.” The strapping man in front of her said, he did not turn to look back, only showing the brown hood that covered his head.
“I’m going as fast as I can.” She wheezed in between words. “I have to rest.” She stopped, leaned against the cold concrete wall, and bent over breathing heavily.
Her liberator sighed and stopped to turn around. “I will not risk my life for you. As much as I hold allegiance to your mother, my life is still my priority.” When she saw his face she tried her hardest to not stare at the burn crossing three quarters of his face.
Emma sat up, leaned her head on the wall, and caught her breath slightly. She wiped the sweat from her brow and noticed a foul stench just before she realized that is was coming from her sleeve that was soaked in the putrid sewer they had been traversing through for what seemed like hours. “Okay, I’m ready.”

 […]

Once emerged from the sewage pipe the brightness of the sun felt like burning lasers on Emma’s eyes, leaving her blind for a few moments. Her leader extinguished his flame and helped pull her out of the slimy waters. When her sight became much clearer she was shocked at her surrounding. As she walked through the dirt and gravel she looked around at the rubble of what must have been houses at one time. She saw people sitting on the ground, children were playing quietly with a beat-up ball, men were sitting on buckets playing cards on a tree stump. They all wore raggedly torn clothes, looked dirty, and each one had emaciated bodies, some looked like they had not eaten in weeks. This was not the world that she envisioned.