Big Sister Diaries

James was wandering quietly through the ruined streets of the city. For once, it was quiet, and he enjoyed his time without those gabbling splicers who would attack at the first sight of anyone normal.As he walked, he came across a lifeless body, whose pack still lay by his side, and after muttering a quick prayer under his breath, James began to rifle through the contents.

He was used to life in Rapture after the fall now. At first he’d been terrified, but now he simply kept going, roaming the dead city and staying alive, forever hoping, albeit rather pessimistically, that one day he would find a way to leave the cursed utopia.

As he was crouched down by the body, pulling the unspoilt food and remaining ammunition from the bag left behind, he saw one of the few sights that did make his blood turn cold.

It was simply a shadow, cast on the wall by the flicking light of a small fire, but the outline was unforgettable. James looked over his shoulder slowly and saw the very thing he dreaded.

A Big Sister.

She was looking at him intently, or at least he thought she was, it was difficult to tell through the red lens of her helmet, but James got the suspicion that if he did anything stupid, he’d be joining the body that lay propped against the wall.

So he crouched in silence, slowly turning to get a better view of her, raising his open, empty hands in an attempt to show that he meant no harm. He’d never really interacted with Big Sisters before, and he had no idea of their cognitive faculties, but he hope she would understand him.

"I don’t mean any harm," he said with a cracked, wavering voice, "I’ve never laid a hand on any Little Sister. I’m innocent."

Normally, No 4 would have ignored someone walking and meandering, but for some reason, he had caught her interest. Unfortunately for him, this was one curious Big Sister.

She had slowly walked behind him, managing to avoid his gaze when the man looked around. Safety of the Little Ones, safety of the family, safety of her home. She just followed silently, like a stalking predator, and when he finally did notice her, she almost laughed. He, of course, was panicked and whimpering like an animal in a trap. The Big Sister whirred and clicked, communicating in her own way, but instead of moving around, she just stepped back, a little further back into the shadows, the only thing left alive was the faint glow of red coming from her helmet.

She was silent and deadly, and her standing mostly against the shadows of the dark city was intimidating, but she wasn't here to hurt him. The girl was curious, more like a large and overly kitten rather than an ADAM thirsty, killer. She waited, standing quietly and watching, occasionally making a small clicking noise, and when the man didn't move, the big sister waved her hand, ushering him to continue.