First Month of the Awoken Age

  ‘May the Triune bless me with his wisdom, may the Matriarch bless me with her intelligence, may the Maiden bless me with her sensitivity and may the Amazonian bless me with his savagery.’ An old prayer, one used across the entire world and somehow seeping into the Enlightenment. It felt, poignant to be using it now as he prepared himself. ‘I also beseech the souls for forgiveness for the sin of massacre that I am about to commit.’

  Lifting himself up from his prostrate position on the ground, The Bloodied was greeted first by the suffocating smell of charcoal and death pungently chocking the very air inside his body. In front of him, the rubble carcass of a spent pyre littered with jaw remains, far too many remains not to bring about heartache as even the people of this town seemed to feel the wrongness of their actions and kept a wide berth away from the pyre at the very center of their town.

  -Look at what Eurosea has become, a hotbed for genocide-

  The sorrow and anger raging inside of The Bloodied’s chest a tempest, the anticipation rising as he felt that familiar itch for blood. This wasn’t the wanton destructive urge common to savages but that of justice needing to be served, of atrocities laid against peoples that needed to be repaid in full… That is why I am The Bloodied after all.

  He didn’t need to think about the pain of being chosen or the actual pain of being stripped of his tattoos that had been with him since childhood, his tall rakish lean muscled frame still hurt with a phantom pain of his flayed skin, his completely clean-shaven skin and head another mark of his charge in life.

  And then he heard it, the faint rustle from behind him, footfalls on the asphalt ground and the quieted shoed sneakers, the clank of some sort of metals and the loading of a rifle.

  They were quicker to act than he thought they would be, he was semi expecting to have to take the fight to them rather than this way. He felt his primary arm move involuntarily creeping through his oversized coat that was more a dress on him, passing over the small of his back until he felt the knife holstered at its center the leather straps fixated over his shoulders. Fixed to his offhand was the metal circle-shield that was no bigger than a trashcan lid. His two weapons of choice both ready as he was.

  ‘Heretic! Turn around now!’ Someone called, so The Bloodied done as he was told facing the group of ten as one stood out in front of them. ‘Praying directly at the foot of a pyre where we purified heretics, it’s a bold statement to make, to mark yourself as an infidel. Even for one such as yourself, tall and lanky and weak.’ The man stated, barely standing at average height with a mop of hair and bespectacled face with little else of note, yet he stood there wearing far nicer clothing than others in this place as he held a machete pointing tip down.

  The others behind the small man were far less clean with their appearance as they wore dirtied jackets and pants, the cold of the northern hemispheres winter setting in. And all of those behind him looked like they were bloodied themselves, some would be sure with their weapons most of which were melee as only two held rifles thankfully as he could manage twelve with only two guns. Most carried bludgeoning weapons some being bats or steel tools, one had even draped himself in a chain with a weight at its end.

  -How he can maintain that kind of weight is beyond me, but in this new world with all these new mutagens who knows what is going in with that man-

  ‘I am not a heretic sir, nor were those who you put to the pyre. We just believe differently, but even then, our divisions are small really, different Denominations of the same religion as we all believe in the bounty of the Enlightenment and its lessons upon the Cosmic Soul of the Universe.’ The Bloodied replied, his voice breaking at the heartache of the cruelty.

  ‘Ha… Not anymore, all of that is changed, all those people disappearing without a trace changed that! Now there is only one way to Enlightenment and that is the way of fire and blood, and jihad of the Orthodox way that will save us.’ The bespectacled man replied, his conviction vehement. He was a true believer in his own way and not a two-bit despot like The Bloodied had come across many times since that day of great change.

  ‘We threw all those oddities in that fire freak… All the witches, Vermillion and Sapphire Pathers… We even found Ashen Pathers.’ One of the men stated, a fat man built as if he could lift a cow with little effort. That chainsaw he held could be dangerous.

  ‘Yet now we get to add another to that pile guys!’ The bespectacled man announced, wicked smiles flashing across the faces of these barbarians.

  Meanwhile a small crowd had gathered to watch, none of them looking scared or enthused, they just looked husked and ready for what they had been lacking for so long. Order. The chaos of the past month had been detrimental and now people flooded to those who held power and security in whatever way they chose.

  The group slowly peeled out encircling The Bloodied, none getting ready for an outright attack, but they certainly felt the same anticipation that he did, they certainly knew that the fight was just about to begin. As natural as possible The Bloodied felt his primary hand grazing the blade at his back whilst his offhand clenched multiple times as the metal of the shield pressed again his wrist.

  With a single motion the dagger came out ready to strike wherever he guided it. The slowly advancing force halted at the motion thinking that something more dangerous was about to happen, but those wicked smiles became hyena grins when they realized that he only held a dagger, its entire body more like a spearpoint with the limb of a tree acting as a handle.

  ‘I would prefer to ask that you all seek repentance for your actions, taking so many innocent lives… But that is not my duty, I am The Bloodied and my way is to seek your death for justice. The only thing that I can ask is that you all bow before the souls of those you killed begging for forgiveness before you leave the Physical Plain of Existence.’ The Bloodied ask of them.

  ‘Ha… Kill him!’ Grunted the bespectacled man, disbelieving.

  In the moment between those words The Bloodied took up a deep hum, his vocal cords singing in a haunting tone of deep stopping and starting in the frequence hertz of a drum. Taking up the Rhythm of War.

  The first person came rushing in with another on The Bloodied’s opposite side rushing at the same time, a coordinated dangerous strike. They were practiced. Swinging to one side he felt the impossibility of his movements as he needed no moment to be at full speed dodging widely away from the path of his attackers, swinging around as he pushed a mental command to the hilt of his dagger erupting into a spear haft.

  The entire time he kept the rumbling tone going even as his body glided and his mind was focused on the fight.

  The attackers already midstride were too late to act, their quarry out of their path and a long reach weapon in his hand. The first one fell to a thrust into the gut as The Bloodied jumped over him, the second attacker able to reorient himself came in, his bat colliding with the shield before the spear ripped out of the first attacker and slicing through his legs leaving deep lacerations hitting major arteries. The tune he sung now taking on bloodthirsty resonances.

  The next flashes of violence erupted as six men rushed in to dispatch him, The Bloodied with haste made his movements at the peak of physical perfection outperforming and parrying away most of the attacks, his body contorting and dodging in ways that were only for acrobats.

  The precision made him a hard target to land a blow upon as he danced his way around the six attackers dodging and weaving between blades and bats, yet there was still six of them and The Bloodied was taking hits, most of them landing either against his shield or parried away by his spear. Yet one got a lucky swipe, a blade grazing the side of his chest causing a flair of pain but thankfully not deep enough to cripple his abilities.

  -A Vitae Ointment will help seal that wound but that does nothing for me right now-

  With the pain at his side, the sadness meshed with anger from the horrific imagines that flooded his mind of his brethren that he couldn’t save and those others who were also burned at the stake, with the very inevitability of his own death all rushing through his mind. The Bloodied felt everything change inside of him, his world tinged with crimson and orange as he felt hatred bloom inside of himself, he watched as areas of his attackers’ bodies began to glow and instincts, he never knew he had surfaced.

  Hatred turned into bloodlust, his hand tightened against the wood of the shaft whilst his jaw set tight shut, his teeth bared like a wild hound so tight that the sane part of him was concerned that he would damage to himself. And with the surfaced instincts of a trained fighter and hunter The Bloodied stopped fighting on the defensive, stepping past an attack with his speed and grace then striking out like a viper The Bloodied’s spear tagging one of the attackers. Then another, and another, and another as he continued his evasions and parries yet struck out far more using his shield as a battering ram smacking in one man’s kneecap, using both ends of his spear in large sweeping motions slicing one attacker’s throat as the other end knocked down another.

  Keeping the in-time rhythm even in pain, even as he was on the defensive and close to being out fought. Yet it was like the tune kept him fluid and soldiers, as had been drilled into him from a young age before he could even remember as he’d learned to keep the tune even if he was losing.

  Taking down two attackers with a single smooth motion their numbers breaking whilst he was lost to the Berserkery, and then gunshots rang out within quick succession of each other. In the throes of his bloodlust, he hadn’t noticed the few other wounds he had taken yet now as one of the bullets nicked past his shoulder, he once again became aware of the two with rifles.

  The three who were left kept distance afraid to fight someone who had fended off six attackers at once and gave him wide enough berth that he glared at one of the rifle men, his panicked hands shakily reloading the rifle meant for hunting rabbits with its tiny bullets that were almost falling out of the man’s hands.

  Breaking away from the group, just as one man came in for a swipe The Bloodied thrust his spear through the attacker’s throat before bounding over to the rifleman, whose hands finally fumbling a bullet into the chamber, and within reach as he arced through the air launched the spear through the man’s eye socket. The gun collapsed with the man and the spear with it, leaving only the last two attackers the rifleman and the bespectacled man. The ferocity of rage beginning to fade, that bloodlust parting once again for The Bloodied’s natural emotional spectrum whilst leaving him heavily exhausted whilst his nerves felt fried.

  The rhythm now reflecting that.

  Yet still in the thick of battle he reminded himself that those left were still a danger, they could still kill him if he was careless or made a mistake, hell all the nicks and cuts that littered his body were proof of the many mistakes he had made in this fight alone.

  He flew to grab his spear when through the absolute edge of his peripheral vision he saw something cannoning towards him. Turning to see the weighted chain being flung at him and at the absolute last moment did his shield manage to bat away the kettlebell crumpling the impacted area of the shield but saving him.

  The Bloodied barely had a moment as the fat man with the chainsaw dashed over on feet unnaturally fast for his girth or even for a normal man, he was unnaturally fast. The roar of the machine was scary unto itself enough. The chainsaw came down upon The Bloodied’s shield, the vibration of metal stripping away metal caused his entire arm to twist and deform as his bones ached and his muscles screamed, his hand now burning under the intense heat generated from the chainsaw meeting the steel of the shield.

  Only at the last moment did he throw down the chainsaw making the fat man follow with the bulky device. Before he could reorient himself though the other man threw out the kettlebell again and again it only just met the shield in time, but this time all the force was passed into The Bloodied and he was sent flying just missing a bullet that would have hit him.

  He needed to grab his spear. The deep-chant erupting from his throat like a volcano calling to the object.

  Gaining his footing with fear in his heart as the two approached again, one moving with unnatural speed and the other with unnatural strength for his frame. Now everything was starting to fall into place, and the two bonded men stood out to him like signal flares in the dark.

  The fat man flew in and The Bloodied matched the fat man’s speed with his own ducking under the swipe and contorting himself, so he was opposite to the weapon as he passed the man, shooting the lip of his broken shield like a blade against the fat man’s stomach causing him to roar just as the other man came into range with his chained kettlebell. Doing the only thing that came to mind The Bloodied twisted the fat man around as the other launched the kettlebell, the solid piece of iron colliding into the rotund belly just as a shot took the man’s shoulder putting the big man out of commission.

  A rumbling of a landslide tune in-between guttural growls coming from the Bloodied.

  Wasting no time, The Bloodied threw himself over to the last surviving fighter, his kettlebell still laying near the ground of his comrade and that look of surprise at what he had done soon followed with surprise as The Bloodied fell upon him. Arching back his shielded arm he launched it with all the power he could muster, the lip of the shield colliding into the man’s throat, the damage locking the broken shield into place. He was dead.

  He watched as the last rifleman was already racing away his legs powerful and quick taking him as if the Helhounds were at his heels. The bespectacled man stood angry his face flush, his hands fisted and that machete in hand ready to be used yet his face changed when his two enhanced friends died.

  ‘You fucking barbarian… You are a heretic. How dare you-’

  ‘-No. How dare you cause so much pain and suffering. I simply dare as I am told to do so.’ The Bloodied admitted his voice cracked and throat parched as he felt as if he could lay down right now and sleep for a week.

  Instead, he took his spear from the rifleman’s eye socket and turned towards his prey. The Rhythm of Revenge coming from his vocal cords announcing his intention.

  ‘Fuck off… really? No way… Has it already been a month?’ One of the apprentices Sadia Marshes retorted, the husky redhead dressed in her high-vis wear making her look manlier that Ayer could have ever hoped to be. Even whilst they were both covered in muck and grime.

  ‘I know. I was just as shocked when Daven told me.’ The other apprentice Leyland Haise replied, the sleeves to his high-visibility shirt rolled up to show off his arms of sleeved tattoos that even peaked out from underneath his collar whilst his shirt was buttoned down to his breast to continue showing off the tattoos that littered his lean frame. He was only a year older than Ayer, yet he still sported acne marks with the hair all the women seemed to like a pair of orange-tinted sunglasses that Ayer never saw him without.

  ‘That is so fucked...’ Sadia said, turning from the conversation to pick at the muffin in her hand leaving everyone else to finish off their lunchtime break as well.

  The entire crew of twelve sat close to each other as they worked upon the rooftops of Durrahan’s main street shopfront. The midday sun making for a slight discomfort as sharp winds broke up the heat of the day intermittently, yet Ayer didn’t want to say anything -I never wanted to say anything as of lately- That however allowed him to watch and listen instead.

  He watched as the odd chemistry between Sadia and Leyland worked meaning that there was something going on between them or something would happen between them sometime soon. He watched as the six senior electricians spoke amongst themselves, none of them speaking about work instead they spoke about who they were sleeping with lately all of them bellyaching that since that day when so many people just disappeared no one seemed to be interested much in sex with only one of the senior electricians able to say they had had sex at all.

  He watched as Juries stood off to the side of the building speaking with the familiar face of Daven Millard… Ayer had always liked Daven, he was simple yet likable and even right now as everyone who Ayer saw daily ignored him when Daven came up to speak with Juries he came over to pass the niceties with Ayer, the only thing that annoyed him about Daven was just how every woman swooned for him.

  As Ayer took in everything, he noticed Sadia and Leyland and the others all cast short and quick glances his way yet none of them lingered and none of them ever tried to engage him in conversation, even right now as they all had their food clustered together yet in certain groups, he was a man apart entirely.

  -A man alone. Someone who deserves it after what I done-

  His mind flashed with events of that night, how dark everything was, the taste of poison on his tongue then the taste of blood that was something pleasanter. The shadowed figure, the flash of white as the bat collided with him. How he scrambled to hide the evidence ripping up carpet, breaking down cupboards and tables, wrapping the body in sheets and anything else that could have indited his complicity in murder before placing it all in his father’s ute and racing to the Old Quarry which ate everything Ayer gave it leaving no trace to the world.

  He thought of everything and was brought low again, he was reminded that he was a monster, he was also reminded that he sometimes saw things that weren’t real. He knew that this was his penance for killing Adrian, he knew that his is the least of what he deserved as a demon itself was tormenting him.

  Then there was that guy who had come up here with Daven standing close to his and Juries conversation yet just far enough away to know that he wasn’t a true part of the conversation.

  The Polar-kin man appearing sickly-lean with his casual black shirt and jeans hanging loosely, his face marked by a million things whilst a single eyebrow and a pair of snake-bite piercings protruded from his face taking attention away from his grey eyes and broken nose. The only thing that suggested this guy gave any thought to his appearance was his red-ish hair that was cut into the current style as everything else about the guy announcing him as a rough probably even feral guy, the kind of person who couldn’t go a sentence without swearing or who would have such a small world it wouldn’t even be worth speaking to him at all.

  Juries and Daven finished their conversation shortly after with Daven leaving immediately although he said goodbye to Ayer before disappearing off the roof, this left Juries who said a few words to the other man who had apparently been left up here. Juries then walked into the thick of the group catching everyone’s attention.

  ‘Okay everyone, smoko is over. And this guy is Boulder Thrall Jones, he’s been sent to help us with wiring the solar panels and shit. Whatever small jobs we have will go to him basically and given some time he might be able to do something useful, but we’ll see about that.’ Juries announced making the new guy glare daggers, Ayer was just thankful that Juries didn’t see otherwise they would have been trading punches already. ‘Now let’s get to work.’

  *

  The afternoon sun was roasting everything within its ire, and unfortunately that meant Ayer as he held three cords in his hand each with their wires exposed. His job was simple enough, when he remembered how to do it properly but apparently Juries innate knowledge of this trade hadn’t translated to Ayer, instead it was like Ayer was completely unsuited for it.

  -Who would have thought that. Ayer Bradshaw not cut out for the trades, so fucking shocking-

  Looking to either side he saw the other electricians and apprentices getting their work done and yet here was Ayer falling far behind, and for some reason he didn’t care as it felt hard to truly care about anything. Then a shadow fell upon the light he was using making Ayer turn around to see Juries standing behind him, his face a mess of creases and a sneer upon his face.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing Ayer you idiot. Don’t touch any of those fucking wires otherwise you could kill yourself or worse cause a blackout and fry the solar panels.’ Juries raged in front of everyone, he snatched the cords out of Ayer’s hands after giving him a softened slap across the head. ‘Go and do something useful and bring up the other cord-rolls from the truck. And don’t fucking kill yourself while doing it!’

  Apparently, Ayer was thinking out his arse before as he could feel emotions, looking around seeing the attention of the other electricians Ayer felt embarrassed, yet that didn’t stop Ayer from skulking off to do as his brother told him as he rushed down the stairs of the building until he was on the ground floor.

  The swell of people inside this structure had ordered the café into a servile housing unit being a menagerie of furniture and bedding as this group had claimed this place eagerly, a few of them he recognized as the art kids and by the mass of canvases and splotch works, they’d made their place here.

  Walking outside Ayer was immediately met with the work vehicles all parked at the sidewalk in a neat row with a flatbed truck and two vans on either side all plastered with the same logo from a company that was no longer functioning since the Arrhenius -God people are going crazy if they are really saying that we lived through the apocalypse- He was quick to get his hands on the coils of wire, all the while wondering if he should even go back up there, but then again what else did he really deserve than this.

  ‘-A drag?’ Came from a voice making Ayer look around and dragging him out of his self-emulation. Yet Ayer found nothing, nobody was close enough and nobody was looking at him as a vague stream of people continued to move past him, but that didn’t explain what he heard.

  He walked to the back of the truck before peaking around the van finding Leyland and Sadia lounging on the vehicle looking across the road to Durrahan’s central square with its rectangle-parkland and further across the street, whilst barely any vehicles moved at all giving Leyland and Sadia no fear of the road.

  ‘So how do you know that new guy anyway?’ Leyland asked passing the cigarette to Sadia who took a drag leaving a moment of complete quiet until she was finished.

  ‘I don’t really know him; I just know of him… Or more like I know of his group.’ Sadia explained getting no response from Leyland who just looked at her. Not wanting to interrupt Ayer took a few steps back placing the van between him and then with a sharp ear listening. ‘The Thrall’s are bigtime feral’s from Gitlow, mostly petty crap, they’ll break into your house, steal from you or even hold you up with a knife but some do have ties to organized crime. And of course, in a town of only ten thousand they standout like a sore thumb, but thankfully most of them would have disappeared with everyone… But I know a hundred of them survived and are here now.’

  ‘Shit, sounds like he’s a great guy.’ Leyland remarked. ‘At least he should fit in with the Bradshaw’s then.’

  The comment flayed at Ayer, the stillness of his emotions rising yet not to the crescendo they should have, it was his own stupidity and inadequacy that created this blockage of emotion that would have sent anyone into a rage that their family was being attacked.

  ‘What Juries is great, he is nice and knows what he is about.’ Sadia argued.

  ‘-And he is like… so dreamy…’ Leyland mocked going as far to mimic a feminine voice.

  ‘Oh Ley. You sound almost jealous.’ The response made him laugh wildly.

  ‘Maybe a little.’ Leyland flirted with Sadia responding like a giggling like a schoolgirl. ‘Was more so talking about all the shit that follows their family around, by all the hells Juries himself has punched most of the people I know. In saying that I do get along with him… He is hard on his little brother.’ As if feeling seen for the first time Ayer felt himself blush, actually blush, he felt as if someone was about to empathize with him, that someone was going to talk about actually doing something for him. ‘Too be fair Ayer is so weird though?’

  ‘Oh, hell yeah, so weird. My sister was in his year and said the exact same thing.’

  And with that comment whatever he was feeling collapsed in on itself and he was once again blank of emotions, not forgetting that this was the least he deserved after what he had done… After killing Adrian… After feeling pleased that his parents were dead.

  ‘Shit really? So did she get the vibe that he was going to murder people in their sleep as well?’ Leyland joked finishing off the last of the cigarette to which Sadia gave a disputed look as she obviously wanted another drag.

  ‘Nah, at least she never said that. She said he basically would either ignore you, apparently if you were a woman he would either ignore you or flirt with you and if you were a guy he would probably just ignore you.’ Sadia remarked, Ayer himself wondering if he was ever really that confident to flirt like that or to simply ignore people. ‘Which to me sounds like a very Bradshaw thing, Juries basically does the same thing although he is a lot more friendly about it. Did you ever meet Juries twin Sil? She was basically the exact same, she would only speak to people when she wanted something and for some reason people always seemed to give in to her even though they knew she is only out for herself.’

  ‘Oh yeah, I definitely remember her.’ Leyland dreamt getting a scoff from Sadia leading him to reply. ‘Look whose jealous now.’

  Having himself and his family so easily eviscerated Ayer left the two, done with listening to their talking, their casual flirting and searing comments. He grabbed so many cable rolls that the idea of them breaking him crossed his mind multiple times, and each time he smiled at the prospect. Still somehow, he made it up the stairs without incident and was able to drop them to their respective places until he was directed to help the new guy.

  *

  Ayer was quick to notice that the new guy was trying to lift a hefty solar panel by himself obviously expecting it to be as light as it looked, Ayer had made that same mistake weeks ago resulting in Juries giving him a slam across the head. The guy seemed insulted that he was told to come over to help but that also meant that they largely worked in silent solitude with each other, no need to say a word unless it was necessary which Ayer was thankful for.

  Placing one of the last solar panels onto an adjoining rooftop which they had to get to across a rickety plank of wood the two moved back to the central hub where all their tools and most of the work was happening on. And together they looked at another panel with Ayer bending at the knees whilst his fingers found their place underneath for better grip, he then watched as Boulder gripped the panel whilst his back tilted ready to hoist up the heavy either of machinery.

  ‘Hey, you really don’t want to bend with your back, you will definitely hurt yourself. Maybe go from the knees.’ He said breaking the long silence the two had maintained for fifteen minutes.

  ‘How about you never tell me what the fuck to do again!’ Boulder threatened, his eyes unwavering as he glared at Ayer without any change in his posture.

  It seemed that Ayer was not going to have any sort of respite, even when he thought he was. Yet in his own mind he knew it was deserved; he knew that his crimes deserved so much more than someone talking back to him.

  Time marched on it seemed, even when the world itself was turned upside down. The news shocked her; she hadn’t been paying attention to the passage of the days instead she was focused on everyday minutia against long-term planning and somehow in all that time she had never realized that a month had passed.

  ‘Jez, that can’t really be true.’ A very-very old word to invoke just how shaken and surprised.

  Indra gave the briefest of head-nods with eyes glued to her sisters unshakingly, saying in their silent language "Why would I lie, it has been so long, so long since mum and dad and everyone else disappeared." Or at least something akin to that, maybe just Indra telling Kailey that it had been a month.

  ‘How has it been so long, and we still have no answers?’ Vicraera Don Wicks asked in a thoughtful tone, the girl was growing on Kailey as she proved herself multiple times to be studious and attentive even though she pretended to be apart from everyone else.

  It was because of Vicraera that the makeshift hospital had become as useful as it had, she worked as both a manager, attendant and nurse, whilst Dahl was the doctor, he was kept in check by Vicraera who was already reading university level textbooks just to catch up leaving the others who’d been assigned there in the dust. -Including Lysander Don Dean, I thought she would have been one of our best assets, yet she seems to be getting worse the longer time goes on-

  ‘We’ve had people come in from all over the countryside, hell people from as far as the Outback and all of them have no more to say other than what we already know.’ Indra replied making that already bleak living room worse as the hot midday Tyrsea sun shone down harshly outside casting ominous shadows into the large home with its white-tiled floor and unclean interior.

  -I wish I was able to keep the house in better condition- Kailey found herself thinking as he looked at her home, the place she had grown up only now realizing how things had begun to accumulate. How the garbage bin was now overflowing, how spills had been left to harden across the walls or benches left without being wiped down. She blamed all the people who now lived at her house, the Ciaran mic-mansion packed to capacity with females and evidently none of the ten could lift a finger to clean, she was generally so busy that she didn’t have time to clean and even then, it was her house, why should she have to clean.

  ‘The dangers aren’t in what happened, that will get figured out with time… What we really need to be worried about is the roaming gangs and renegade groups we’ve been hearing about. It’s only been a month, and some people have already taken to stealing or killing.’ Kailey said, finishing the last piece of toast that anyone had in the entire area. The off taste making her savor as much as she could.

  Both Indra and Vic gave awkward eyes to Kailey as they sat both in singlets and pajama's shorts finishing off the last of their breakfasts. The marbled island-bench covered as it was with boxes and papers from a range of different purposes and left behind as they were now deemed useless, yet nobody had cleaned them up. -These people, I swear-

  Creaking of the front doors announced someone, the footfalls of two people made their way into the house into the kitchen Maya Wainwright showed herself hours into her day as she was dressed and alert whilst Braden Cali walked in just behind her, the short-statured man smiling to both Indra and Vic as he greeted them warmly before his eyes came to Kailey and turned into a glare.

  ‘How did you guys go? Did you find any sign of Adrian?’ Indra asked standing up embracing Maya in a deep hug.

  ‘We went down to Kasule but there was no sign of him, we spoke to a few people along the way and no one said they had seen him at all. But we were thinking maybe he just didn’t see or speak to anyone and slipped passed going to the city.’ Maya explained. The two-hour long trip extended to be an entire day and to see that they were only just getting home now irked a little.

  ‘Why would he be going to Por Hollis? From what we heard that place has become a warzone?’ Vic asked aloud watching as the words assailed Maya with her eyes batting and her arms going into a guilty caress.

  ‘I have no idea.’ Was all Maya said, her voice calm and cadence wistful as if she too really wondered.

  -She knows why he left, or at least knows something more of why he just suddenly up and disappeared-

  ‘We would have found him by now if we were allowed to actually search for him!’ Braden argued, his attention firmly on Kailey.

  ‘We don’t have the resources available to find one person who apparently doesn’t want to be found. Yesterday alone you guys used more fuel than we use in a day around here and the food we gave you could have been distributed elsewhere.’ Kailey replied flatly, a glare of her own fixating on the Stone-Kin, a warning to let him know that she was not going to backdown.

  The others felt the tension as no words were spoken, nor did anyone shift in the slightest as Kailey and Braden fixed their glares at the other. Both trying to exert their own willpower over the other, but he was a stupid child in basically every way Kailey could name, he knew nothing and he ultimately deep-down knew it Kailey would just have to coax it out of him.

  Glaring at him, she realized how odd of a person he was. He was short with a bulky body as if he was trying to overcome his short stature by having a developed body, then there was his buzzcut brown hair which framed his blocky face into a sneer. He wasn’t by any means attractive, but he also wasn’t repugnant, yet for some reason he out of all the others of his group he was the one who called the shots, he was the one who was considered the leader of them.

  ‘Hey Kae, don’t we need to get moving?’ Indra said, throwing out a lifeline to break the tension.

  ‘Yeah, you are right we need to get ready and go soon.’ Vicraera added shooting off her stool.

  Kailey shrugged in agreement, Indra giving her a brief look of anxiety whilst Kailey responded with vexation. Placing the last piece of bread in her mouth Kailey acted nonchalantly, placing the dirtied plate in the sink before marching away from her own kitchen and up the fine staircase into the second story where all the bedrooms were found.

  Thankfully the showering process wasn’t an absolute nightmare as the combination of water tanks, purification systems and the solar panels allowed for the water in the house to be recycled which meant that they had no need to be part of the Durrahan grid, although that was generally how all houses in Ciaran were designed really.

  Once they were finished and dressed as sharply as they could be to project an air of authority and governance the three of them left the house, Kailey’s and Indra’s parents Cadillac Ciel being a far better drive than Kailey’s little shoebox car as they glided out of Ciaran and across the bridge. Their route taking them down the main street of the far larger yet far dirtier and crowded place that was Durrahan, Kailey saw the results of her ideas as the storefronts that would have been empty were packed to bursting as many of the windows were covered by linens or showed common areas and a horde of people in each building alone.

  ‘What would the population be at now?’ Vicraera asked. ‘Before the Arrhenius the entire region was at a hundred and twenty-seven thousand. If we account that most of that dropped off it probably was down to ten thousand, but now with the influx of people from all over the state I’m thinking it’ll have shot up by a significant margin.’

  Indra bemused why that mattered at all, yet Kailey believed she could see what Vic was getting at, the idea of how drastically the population has fluctuated and in such a short amount of time. So far, most things had worked themselves out yet how much longer would that last.

  -How many more people can they take in, when are we at capacity- These were not the best thoughts right now however.

  They moved on through Durrahan’s CBD moving onto the suburban housing estates until they were out of the city, the driven to the point where a range of overpasses and highways crisscrossed over each other being the central junction of the Hollis Basin State leading to the cities in each direction, to the industrial complex of Jarak Jean to the north-west, whilst the bustling port city Rhaetia sat to the north-east, or the tourist city of Mirabeau to the south-west, to the failed metropolis of Por Hollis gutted by an earthquake that the city never recovered from at the southern quay.

  Just out of the underpass Kailey pulled the vehicle to a stop at the makeshift checkpoint of vehicles as two trucks parked across the road made for a barricade, whilst a group of six lounged. To Kailey’s surprise someone had brought out a luxury caravan as one of the groups manned a smoking barbeque as if this was not their job instead being a vacation that they were on.

  ‘Kailey, hey there.’ Daven called, wandering over as they exited the car.

  ‘Hey, Daven, have you checked the other checkpoints?’ Kailey asked as this was their entire purpose for coming out here, she still massively believed that having the three checkpoints guarded constantly as they were was a massive waste of resources but she had easily been overruled especially when people had started flooding in to the area as this so far had been the closest thing to a stable governing body that survived and organized itself.

  ‘Yep, I have checked in with the other two and both had nothing to report. None of them have seen unfamiliar people for the past few days, and these guys have seen no activity other than the farming that has been happening here.’ Daven said gesturing to the area around them which was a hive of activity with the effort to increase their food-stores and avoid completely relying on scavenging for long life foods. ‘The only thing that stood out I would say is the guys to the north, they said a few days ago they thought they noticed someone up in the mountains watching them.’

  The remarked surprised Kailey, enough for her brain to have a cascade of adversarial thoughts to the news.

  ‘How did they notice someone from the mountains, they are a good ten kilometers away and covered in trees, how did they notice anything?’ Kailey huffed.

  ‘On the viewing platform from the mountain, they said that they saw a glint from the sun hitting glass multiple times so eventually they got their own binoculars and looked back seeing a car pull away.’ Daven replied, as always not seeming to see that Kailey was irked by the news or that she was being aggressive. ‘Since seeing that the guys have asked if they could have some more people stationed there, and also asked for materials so they can make a defensible position.’

  -If Daven wasn’t so attractive I would be seriously concerned about his life considering how little he seems to use his brain-

  ‘That could have been anything. I really don’t see why we should think anything more about it.’ Kailey replied, her hand flushing to relieve the strain her eyes suddenly felt at the pang of annoyance people seemed to like putting upon her for no reason. ‘Next thing everyone is going to be saying that the Yowie’s will be coming down from the mountains or the Trog’s will be coming up from the deep earth… or better yet, that a dragon is overhead instead of being on the shoreline.’

  Stupid, incomprehensible all of them. She couldn’t believe how some people quickly feel.

  ‘So… that is a?’ Daven queried.

  ‘We are not reinforcing anything that doesn’t require it. We are lucky that bushfires haven’t started yet and we are in the middle of sowing seeds so we will have enough food to survive for some time. Anything that isn’t directly tied to that goal means very little to me.’ Kailey clarified as clearly as she could.

  ‘So, you’re not going to give supplies to people protecting us. But you’ll give Juries everything and more, and you’ll give those Natives whatever they want.’ Daven pushed back, surprise washing Kailey, but he also wasn’t anywhere close to being correct.

  ‘Juries is keeping the lights on. That alone is our biggest issue. And as for the Natives I’m meeting with them soon but nothing has been agreed upon, they barely want anything to do with us and that first day they basically entrenched themselves in The Treaty and haven’t moved.’ Kailey espoused leaving the conversation at that.

  Pained at the reminder that she would soon need to communicate with the local Natives who had made it clear how much they wanted nothing to do with whatever was happening in the Twinned-Cities. Yet Kailey saw no other course, they needed to be brought into the fold risking having an opposite force on their doorstep and in the other case that could cause racial tensions between the city-dwellers and the Natives which had always proved disastrous of their population. All of which Kailey wanted to avoid.

  The hum of the motorbikes racing along the forested stretch of highway was a beautiful symphony Torrand had always thought, that was why he got his motorbike license before he got his actual license. He had never had an interest in driving as it had always felt wrong to himself, how you were boxed away from nature where instead on a bike you were with nature as the wind and rain wiped and tore at you requiring you to have complete awareness of the earth beneath your feet whilst you literally controlled fire in the engine.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  -That might make a good poem or something, maybe I should tell Ayer or Eerden, they always seem to know how to speak and word things-

  From the front Boss Man looked behind giving a few hand gestures telling them that they were coming up to Kirigunya of the Crags, coming at the perfect time as Torrand’s thighs felt stiff and ready to be stretched. Roaring through the main drag of the small town Torrand only counted a handful of diverting roads and counted even less houses beyond as they rode up and down the town three times looking for anyone or anything obvious before parking out the front of the local supermarket. The entire group of seven moving off their bikes as some including Torrand stretched whilst some immediately lit up a cigarette, whilst the Boss-man peaked through they windowed sliding doors and into the building.

  ‘Why the hell are we all the way out here?’ One of the other rides asked, taking his helmet off showing a pudgy flat face and shaven head. ‘Isn’t nothing in Kirigunya, even the chicks from here aren’t worth the fuel you spend getting here.’

  ‘I don’t think we are here for the town; we’d really be here to check out the mills and refineries all throughout these hills. If they are untouched there will be resources that can be brought back home.’ Another one of the riders remarked with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth destroying the youthful Sun-kin face.

  ‘If anything, we are out here keeping an eye out for the creatures up in these back-hills. Yowies are crawling over this place and who knows what else at this point.’ Another said, perhaps the eldest in the group as his hair was a healthy ginger-raven whilst his hawkish nose alluded to the man’s Native heritage.

  Torrand doubted everything they said. Like everywhere they went their jobs were simply to scout out the environment, that meant they done a little bit of scavenging, they done a little bit of predation and seeking out what dangers might be around, they also done a little bit of courier-work taking things from one place to another. To say they were doing one thing, or another would be limiting Torrand figured, instead it would be best to have a wide view of what they were doing so far in the back-hills.

  Walking back to the group their leader took off his own helmet revealing a Stone-Kin whose heavy features worked in cohesion to make him good-looking if Nerissa was any judge of who was hot and who was not. The mountain of muscle that was Boss Man stole all attention towards himself as he wandered through the group and took a quick scan of the area.

  ‘What’s up Boss Man?’ The rider with platinum hair asked.

  ‘The supermarket has food taken out of it. Not ransacked but enough stuff gone to be noticed but like someone was just doing their shopping.’ The Boss Man bewildered. ‘Grab your weapons and stick close.’

  Scrambling to do as their leader said everyone including Torrand was quick about their task, for the short time that he had known Jimi or as Torrand preferred to call him Boss Man he had shown himself to be a wise and cautious leader. And due to these traits Torrand would ride to the very gates of hell with him.

  -Something I could never say I would do for any of the group from school. Hell, I haven’t spoken to half those guys in weeks now. That shows how much our friendship really meant-

  Taking a hunting rifle from his bike, Torrand made sure to inspect the rifle seeing the small bullet cocked and ready but he knew very well that this gun was for hunting low fauna like rabbits or scavs not for anything that would pose a threat. The worn spruce wood of the gun had a few warps and splits whilst the butt was tapped together from a massive split, damaged but Torrand had come to trust her over the past month they had been put together.

  Unfortunately, Torrands own weapon wasn’t the worse or oldest in the group as each of them had some sort of rubber band solutions applied to keep them functioning, like Boss Man’s repeater-shotgun where the lever-action had been replaced by the group due to the other one falling off constantly, or how one of the others crossbow couldn’t fire through the trigger mechanism instead requiring him to fire by releasing the bolt through a screwdriver. Not that any of these were like the automatic weaponry found throughout Anglesea but now those would have been preferrable.

  -Damn Braden and his friends, they took all the good weapons and gave us the literal scraps-

  Pushing on as Torrand preferred not to dwell on any thought that caused him pain, he walked up to Boss Man as the last of the group policed up their weapons from their bikes. The small group of three congregated close to the supermarket and Torrand just stepped into the circle when a shot rang out, yet he swore he didn’t hear it, instead he felt it whizz past his chest the violent vibrations of the air feeling otherworldly before the bullet broke through the supermarket doors causing a cascade of glass.

  Pandemonium broke out quickly after, the group barely had time to duck and find cover when a barrage of suppressive fire aimed right at them enveloped the small town. Torrand barely made it behind a waist-height brick wall with chips flying off it and a handful of them dragging themselves across his exposed face even has he lay prone against the barrier, right behind him another rider rushed to the cover barely moments away from throwing himself against the ground when a bullet tore through his head. Torrand watched stupefied, shocked and frozen as he witnessed his friend flooded with a litany of emotions and necessities to complete and utter stillness of mind and body, he saw it all through his friend’s eyes which went dead and grey.

  Fear turned his blood cold, and the realization of his cowardice froze his muscles into place, he heard the cries and agonies of his friends over the aggression of the conflict. He pried open his closed eyes that were so afraid to see anything, his attention fixating on Boss Man who was behind a similar waist-high wall yet he was fighting, his gun was peaked over and he was releasing a torrent of bullets at their attackers.

  At the sight a fire took place in Torrand. He clocked his gun before peaking over the barricade yet all he saw were the rarest glimpses of people further up the street from them, most of them appearing to be in one of the double-story buildings ahead.

  Seeing a shooter racing down the street getting closer and closer to their position Torrand threw himself up taking aim with his rifle before releasing a shot that took the attacker in the thigh, all whilst his vision seemed to trek along with his thoughts decreasing how far they were looking away instead hyper-focusing on this person. The bullet sunk deep and the attacker tripped and stumbled his face colliding with the ground and a sharp yelp escaping from the man... or as his enhanced eyes saw… this boy.

  -A kid, barely older than twelve. How the fuck could I shoot some kid-

  Bullets and arrows and bolts began targeting him forcing Torrand to retreat behind the barricade once again, this time he could feel the vibrations and destruction they were doing to his protection and how fragile the wall itself felt. He looked over to Boss Man whose face showed his own shock. -And maybe, is that just a little bit of fright of what I done-

  Across the way the other biker released a bolt, the moment the arrow let slip a flurry of rifle bullets tearing through his stomach. Boss Man popping up after reloading his last five shells sprayed further downwind with a bullet taking his head, ending the man that Domal had come to respect deeply but also taking whatever hope he’d had that he was going to walk away from this situation.

  Clocking the rifle in hand, Domal swung up taking sight to see a group of various ages creeping their way towards him. Taking aim as a crackle of return fire echoed, he found someone exposed enough and squeezed the trigger, feeling the jolt of the gun and the jolt of his body as those metallic pieces of shrapnel planted themselves across his body. Collapsing forward, the pain seemed to dissipate overwhelmed with the sensations of a creeping death as his body raced down a bank leaving him ajar awkwardly as the last breathes became hard to dragging into his body.

  -The only thing I’m graceful about is at least I’m dying under the Tyrsea sun. She is very bright and comely today, like the warmth of my parents… Hells maybe I’m about go see them again, I need to be happy about that as well-

  Sitting in the Council Room, the large open space with the titanic table in the High School Complex the group sat in timid anticipation. A month in these uncertain times and all Kailey could think and hope was any day now they would find a trace of those who disappeared, that tomorrow when she opened her eyes her parents would be home, and everything would be back to normality.

  -I can go back to university. I can get my Political Science degree with my minor in Civic Engineering, and I can make my mark on Tyrsea-

  To her left Indra and Vic gossiped amongst themselves both complaining about Karesha Don Lee for some latest infraction as always seemed to be the way of their group. On her other side Archie was deep into whatever mechanical device he brought with him to this official meeting, completely oblivious to what was happening around him. Down from him were the twins who both had taken up being useful supporting roles around taking complaints and helping people. Next Vicraera was Braden Cali who looked anticipatory, as if he didn’t want to be here and just wanted to out on the streets, but at least his heavy-handed tactics had done the needed outcome and put to rest a lot of issues that people tried to start. Across from him Sarika Mews-Gimbutas was ready to take notes, the prim-proper woman taking all of her appointments far too serious considering how she’d barely cared about anything five-seconds before the Arrhenius.

  A soft creak of the door allowed entry to the prime participant of their meeting and in meandered Devoreaux Tokharian. The Middle-Kin pudgy man with unblemished skin and perpetually disarrayed hair who was a year older than Kailey and somehow survived in abject surprise, here was a man who’d gone straight from school to university part time and into his father’s accounting agency which seemed to boom with his arrival as he carried with him a knack of mathematics, with that knowledge the Council endowed him with the responsibility as their Statistician.

  ‘Okay. Let us begin.’ Devoreaux addressed; quiet confidence mixed with nervous energy. His posture slightly hunched but his focused eyes gave an undeniable determination about him.

  Braden scoffed at that aggressing. ‘About fucking time!’

  Indra and Kailey looked at each other, their deep unspoken conversation pushing Kailey’s wanting to reprimand Braden down as her sister gestured to push it to the side. Devoreaux unsure what to do pushed on, turning to the whiteboards he’d set up with a range of information only useful to himself more than the rest of them.

  ‘Okay. Given everything that has happened and this time of uncertainty I have done as you wanted and calculated our stocks that we amassed from the region. We’ve used most of the perishables with unfortunately a lot of wastage.’ Devoreaux admitted, Kailey grinding her teeth at that notion of wastage. ‘Our resources are finite, yet we must find a way give our population everything they need to survive.’

  ‘How are we doing this when our population keeps growing with all the fuckers flooding in from the surrounding areas?’ Braden attacked forcing Kailey to act.

  ‘Braden! Enough. Let Devoreaux speak or you can leave and be left in the dark on what we are trying to do!’

  Braden reluctantly agreed, and in thanks Devoreaux nodded to her before continuing. ‘The good news is that we have the food. We have a complete surplus of food which will be aided and let us push out our numbers because of this Council’s decision to get farming up and running which pushes out our food rationing to an entire year even with our numbers climbing. Energy resources have halved but due to our prospecting crews we keep seeing a consistent flow into our depots… Our biggest issue now is water security, our current estimates give us one month of water before we have no reliable sources left.’

  As he spoke Devoreaux ’s arm and finger pointed wildly at different graphs and charts, colored and highlighted with many downward trends but some consistent throughlines.

  ‘Oh, I have already thought about that and have a solution!’ Kailey and Indras cousin randomly announced. ‘Right now, I am making a prototype for Water Purifiers that we can put on the beach of University Strait. This will be up and running by the end of tomorrow and more to come.’

  Devoreaux stumped just like the rest of them was washed away with Archies profound confidence. ‘Well, um. If we have purifiers that will massively change our water issue. Can we get him help?’

  ‘Agreed!’ Kailey and many of the others announced assuring that Archie would have people, prompting Kailey to prompt. ‘Okay. So, our resource scarcity is well in hand?’

  -That’s going to be a shitshow for anyone who we put with him-

  The Statistician made a face to that, taking a moment before continuing. ‘If we keep handing out resources to people for food to cook, energy to cook and water to drink. However, think of the resources we have in wastage by these streams of dispersion. I have been thinking on this and ways that we can massively increase our retention of resources which can help us if something unforeseeable happens.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Now was Sarika turn to prod aggressively; no doubt she wanted things to go back to normal immediately so she could go about frivolously living.

  ‘Preparing now for events none of us can predict is key to insuring our future. The disappearing of everyone, whatever you want to call that, was an unforeseeable event. What I’m saying is that should we be concerned that some new type of event might happen?’ Devoreaux explained putting the fear of something new and unknowable into their minds.

  ‘What are you thinking?’ Kailey spurned on.

  ‘We are already in resource scarcity and rationing. What I am thinking is centralizing it so this Council holds the assets, and we can distribute them as necessary, and to keep track of this we can introduce Ration Chit System which also allows us to increase our workforce.’ Devoreaux explained passing around a set of chits each their own specific colour.

  When they finally came to Kailey she looked them over, these things looked like coins but of varying colours as one was Green, one was Blue, and one was Red.

  ‘Green chits represent food. Blue chits represent water. And Red chits represent energy.’ Devoreaux continued. ‘For those who come seeking food from a centralized food bank or say from the Water Purifiers, we can have people there who can distribute the resources and can mark it all down. For those who don’t have chits they get the bar minimum to survive, for those that have worked for the Council on the many projects however, this can guarantee them a little extra.’

  ‘So, by working for us. People will get more?’ Indra said, disgust entering her tone.

  Kailey agreed with her sister, the thought about giving some people more and others less was a stinging pain. ‘My sister has a point that this seems to be an unfavorable situation where people will lose out because of us. I can agree to centralizing things, that is a great idea, and to making a paper trail for things. We can even use tablets so there is an electronic paper trail.’

  ‘Welcome to a scarcity economy First Councilor.’ The chubby man snobbishly pushed back on her. ‘If we keep going the way we are, this opens us up to huge loses. If we are conservative and forward thinking, we might get a few scars, but we will make it through not just to next year, but the year after and the one after that.’

  ‘That I agree with. Why be dumb now and keep giving shit out to people who aren’t even doing anything for us.’ Braden added in vehement support, a complete transition from his earlier outbursts.

  The next three hours were spent deliberating about this topic. No matter how much Kailey and Indra pushed back though it seemed to be a losing battle, the twins and Archie were the first to jump on board starting a back and forth until Indra prompted her friend Vic to speak believing she was going to support them. She did not, confidently admitted that she sided with Braden and Devoreaux and had from the first moment which shook Sarika making her vote change as well.

  So now they had the Ration Chit System, her opposition to it had been fierce but their will to power to make it happen had been stronger and in a rare moment Kailey realized that she needed to take the loss on this one and go in front of Durrahan to announce this new system which would completely alter how they go their food and water and energy. She hated this.

  The summer sun beat down upon him, suffering almost a month on this was grueling with a body so spent from the day that he would go home and sleep whilst his days were spent as Juries whipping-boy, even now as he uncoiled the wires getting ready to fuse them into the panels all he thought about was the idea of saying screw it all.

  -But why. This is what you deserve isn’t it. You killed someone, you hurt him first and then he came after you and instead of being a man and accepting your fate you murdered him because you couldn’t face the consequences of your actions-

  Knowing that his life was worthless used to be a freeing concept to him yet now knowing how worthless he was because of his actions it was debilitating.

  He knew life wasn’t worth it, yet he felt obligated to live it to somehow make up for killing Adrian, even though he was the victim who had been assaulted first and Adrian had gone out of his way to kill him. These incongruent thoughts clashed like titans in his mind and refused to backdown from each other, his inability to allow either one of these ideas to win making him this shell. Or more likely he was always this shell of a person, but the current predicament and his recent actions brought it all to the forefront.

  -Maybe I just need to smoke the last of the Juana root, I’ve barely touched it since. Maybe it’ll be enough to decide something. At the very least it will take the edge off life-

  Hearing across the rooftop a strangled grunt Ayer went looking, putting down the wires and tools before coming around the array of panels to find Boulder once again struggling with a panel. His hands spread eagle to hold the thing whilst he used a leg to balance the wide sheet just off the pile of others, not even close to the anchor the thing needed to go on.

  ‘Careful, you’re going to break it or hurt yourself.’ Ayer said marching over to lend a hand.

  He watched as Boulder’s eyes caught him, the expression on his face changing from struggle to anger and right as Ayer extended his hands to help the vagrant released the solar panel dropping it onto the pile causing a crack to echo. Looking down in disbelief, unsure whether he meant it or not the only thing that went through Ayer’s mind being that it was a simple fix, but Juries wouldn’t see it that way and would get enraged no matter what. Moving his gaze up from the devices he met Boulder’s eyes, finally seeing the hatred behind them.

  ‘It’s okay. It’s an easy fix. We just can’t tell Juries otherwise he’ll spit the dummy.’ Ayer posited after a deep gulp, everything about him shrinking from the smaller and skinny man before him as that rage behind those eyes scared him.

  ‘I DON’T GIVE A FUCK WHAT HE’LL DO! I told you to leave me the fuck alone and never tell me what to do or I’d kick your fucking ass!’ Boulder fired on all cylinders with a rage Ayer had only seen matched by Juries himself, the smaller man getting up into his face as each word released spittle, and being so close to the man Ayer could make out a great man minor scaring and marks that had never healed properly. ‘I will break you, you little pissant!’

  Without any warning his vision went white, pain erupted over his face as immediately his hands went to his nose, his vision slowly restoring realizing Boulder had punched him in the face. Shock was the only description that fit him, this was not the first time he had been punched but this was the time that took him the most by surprise. Every time when Juries had punched him, they had been body shots with the unspoken rule that the face was off-limits for both, then there had been the three times that Braden had punched him, but all of those times had been when they were in primary school together and Ayer had fought back, or when that exchange student punched Ayer as part of a dare. Yet this one still surprised him the most for some reason, out of all the times he’d been hit this should have been the most obvious really.

  All those thoughts racing through his mind instantly Ayer’s body reacted naturally as Boulder gave space before charging back in, Ayer for his part sidestepped the man and upon his next reaction pushed the far smaller rabid dog away using his height against the other man.

  On the third time he managed to kite Boulder everything erupted even worse than it already had as out of nowhere a figured pounced into view with Juries now squaring off against the small man, their stances shooting up now that it was a proper fight and a breath later they were both rushing in for a fight with Boulder pulling his head just out of Juries jab and launching his own fist into Juries stomach.

  Seemingly unaffected Juries let loose a hail of his own punches as he followed the failed jab up with a haymaker that connected with the back of Boulders head, the little man himself didn’t seem to be affected at all by it. Their punches degenerated as they lost the space that would allow them to launch such devastating attacks as both had the innate instinct of getting in as close as possible with their tussle turning into grappling as the other apprentices and laborers raced over.

  Yet none of them had any interest in stopping the fight, instead they all took up hooting and calling encouragement to prolong the fight. Watching them all in an odd state of detachment Ayer realized that none of them were calling for either to win however, they were all just excited and calling for bloodshed making him realize how little these people cared about anyone else.

  -They’re all just here to entertain themselves-

  *

  His body was softened into a mellow state of discomfort as the invisible pushes and pulls of a phantom massager coursed over his body. Sitting on the steps of the Durrahan pavilion Ayer was incredibly high as all the pains of life were for now at least pushed far to the back of his subconscious smothered entirely. He was spared the stinging afternoon sun yet felt the bountiful warmth from his vantage under the pergola.

  The flow of people traffic attracting his attention as the barest minimum of things moved through his mind at a snail’s pace. His gaze moving over the crowd as he watched every aspect of them down to the finest innocuous detail, both people he knew and people he didn’t, interspersing his hawk-eye stare with sips of the apple juice at his feet.

  He watched as the sporty group loitering at the entrance of a storefront, Braden playing ball with three others whilst Viking in-between casting death stares at Ayer spoke with Lysander Don Dean. It took far too long to realize wherever Lysander was then so would be Maya, and it was a shaking experience seeing the beauty coming out of the building with her pale skin announcing her presence where her eyes looked puffy with defeat.

  Seeing this Ayer turned away quick. The trip threatening to turn bad as the next flow of thoughts a calamitous array of self-effacing truths, she was hurting because he had done that too her, Maya was distraught because Adrian had disappeared in the first night and for his part Ayer done nothing to alleviate anyone’s concerns.

  To put himself in a better mind-frame Ayer’s with great effort quieted himself, turning his attention across the field with its verdant grass and near glowing Radiant-Tree as the beauty of a woman that was Nerissa led a small group through yoga poses, the complexity of which astounded Ayer who had no faith in his ability to do any of them or for as long as they had been doing them. At that perfect time, she moved into a position that emphasized her ass sticking out in Ayer’s direction. A smile peeled across his face whilst he felt a stirring that had been quiet since there was first talk of demons.

  Then it followed Kailey Don Caldera and her group, as she for the third time in four hours came back to the main street and left shortly afterwards, her walk always a practiced cadence of self-assuredness and if she was pressed for time then it would be a lions stride that none could match as she went all over the map, and with each different direction she went Ayer was left wondering what she was up too.

  Whilst she seemed to take off in a ostentatiously luxurious car his mind failed to see that her sister had stayed, his influenced mind not noticing Indra coming over with another woman flanking her side until they were upon him like vultures.

  ‘What happened?’ Indra softly ordered the moment she was close enough with all her attention on him, a camera directed at him. ‘Fuck, your high aren’t you!’

  ‘Very.’ Was the only response that Ayer could and wanted to give.

  -Please. I don’t want any part of this historical record shit that she is trying to push everyone to do-

  ‘Well fuck it I guess.’ She remarked seeing aside the camera gesturing for the bong. When it clicked, he done as she told him, handing over the small kettle-like object Indra inspected it making sure there was still Juana Root packed in before breathing in a deep breath of the stuff for a shorter period than Ayer could do. ‘There now we are both on the same page. And I won’t get your interview yet. But I need to know what happened earlier?’

  ‘Nothing.’ Hoping that would end the conversation entirely, the burning glare she gave him said differently though. ‘Me and one of the guys at work got into it, Juries got involved when he didn’t have too.’

  To the side he noticed the awkward friend who had trailed Indra over here, her thick-wavy brunette hair cascaded whilst her Middle-kin appearance announced nothing of note other than the oceanic blues eyes… Like the oceanic blue eyes that Ayer had. Noticing how she clutched a sketchbook to her chest but had a direct inquisitive attention fully upon the drugged-up man in front of her.

  ‘One of those Thrall’s, right?’ He nodded. ‘Do you think you could have taken him? Really Ayer? He’s a Thrall for Angelyn’s sake.’

  ‘Fuck up Indra!’ Ayer spat, his eyes turning to iron.

  -I held my own better than anyone could have ever expected with Adrian. Yet I can’t say a fucking word about it, I can’t explain that I killed someone who was so much more athletic and dangerous than myself-

  ‘I am speaking the truth. By you doing this that could endanger so much, we are keeping this together as best we can but we can’t have groups fighting each other and you starting shit with the Thralls is exactly the kind of stuff we’re desperately trying to avoid.’ Her words stung and rasped with annoyance as if she didn’t even really want to be talking to Ayer.

  ‘Leave me alone. Now!’ Ayer threatened.

  He was more surprised when Indra stood up leaving, out of spite alone he suspected that she was going to stick around. Watching her leave was a bitter moment as in the grips of the vibrations that coursed over his entire being and the usually soothing nature, they pushed countering the internal chaos that his sister had just inflicted upon him, yet he knew that she was also correct, and it was after all the least he deserved after killing Wainwright.

  These conflicting thoughts, feelings and sensations enraptured him internally for the longest time as at the borderline of his spatial reasoning he felt the afternoon heat rising to a blistering height whilst the sun began to shrink now half hidden behind the mountains. He continued drinking his juice with its exotic taste of salty-sweet fruits he had only seen in videos, even after all this time out in the elements it remained chill to the taste buds, each sip an invigorating explosion upon his mind and body.

  Ayer’s attention absently drifting over the surroundings once again passed the group of Braden and the others as the figures of them standing over Boulder past his view, and without any further thought his gaze continued to scan. And then the concept of what he witnessed struck him, Ayer’s eyes returned to the group as Braden in all his tiny-beefy might glared up to Boulder who was just a head taller with a return glare to match a demon.

  ‘Fuck!’ He whispered gliding off the pavilion, his body degrees lighter and quicker than it should have been as he made it across to them within ten seconds.

  His movements barely felt like his own instead he felt as if the world around him was gliding him to his destination grabbing him in a kindly embrace until he was there and he was back to feeling his actual weight. He froze for a moment wondering what just happened but chalked it up to the Juana Root even if he’d never had that experience with it before.

  -Onto bigger things Ayer- He reminded himself before jumping in-between the two scowling figures, both of whom were far below his height yet gave off multitudes more menace than he could ever hope to put into someone.

  ‘Braden fuck off and leave him be!’ Ayer said turning to the tiny crewcut man.

  ‘What the fuck did you just say Ayer! You’re sticking up for this little asshole who kicked your ass you little pussy!’ Braden taunted.

  ‘He didn’t kick my ass, he just punched me!’ Ayer explained, surprised that Braden and by extension the group would have heard this rumor as well and no doubt would delight in it. ‘Anyway. Just fuck off and stop trying to terrorize people, you’re not good at it and you come off as a cunt.’

  ‘Says the little bitch who admitted he was afraid of me in year eight.’ Braden brought up paining Ayer, he’d been joking around with Viking when he said that but instead Braden had taken it as a concrete truth and never changed his mind even when Ayer denied it.

  ‘You’re taking your evidence from some crappy joke I made seven years ago.’ He snapped back, strangling his urge to outright deny it as he knew Braden outright would ignore it.

  Falling quiet with a direct glare at Ayer, Braden stepped up to him with Ayer immediately shrinking back his body frozen in fear with the threat of violence. Instead, the small man stopped himself as he got as close as possible to Ayer’s face even though he was only at Ayer’s chest, that deep hateful glare however more intense the closer they were. Making it worse was the way his lips peeled into a predatory smile at seeing Ayer’s reaction and how he shrunk.

  ‘You know, for the longest time I have wanted to kick your ass, but I haven’t because Viking really liked you. I see how you treated everyone, like you were so much better than all of us and I let it go! I see you hitting on Maya and I let it go because of Viking and Maya saying that you were a little puppy who followed her around even though she had a boyfriend. But now all gloves are off!’ He threatened in a low whisper laced with unbridled hatred Ayer didn’t realize Braden felt for him.

  ‘-But I’m not just leaving it at a few punches, no, I’m going for your head motherfucker. Adrian disappearing that night, I fucking doubt it. But what I don’t doubt is you having something to do with or knowing something about it!’ He continued ranting, even pushing himself into Ayer causing Ayer to stumble back. ‘I know it. And the moment that I can prove it, I’m coming for your head!’

  And with that Braden left trailed by the others who each gave their own disgusted looks upon Ayer. And left Ayer reeling as someone verbalized the truth and out of the entire universe it of course had to be Braden Cali.

  The silence of the world was long as Ayer watched Braden leave, a cacophony of emotions swirling in his chest that threatened to take him under. Remembering what brought him over, Ayer looked to see Boulder staring at him with a profoundly confused gape. To hide his deeper emotions, he forced a small smile along with a head-nod before he began walking away finding himself back at the pavilion with the bong in hand and the hope of a deadening of the brain.

  Seated on the steps his gaze shot up as a shadow fell over him and the figure of Boulder was there, his mannerisms a little awkward as he shuffled his feet yet kept a rigid upper body. And for some reason Ayer wondered if he was here to now yell at him for interfering in that fight that was about to breakout.

  ‘Um. Thank you I guess for getting that midget away from me.’ Boulder acknowledged, his voice completely serious with a hint of sarcasm or aggression. Yet that might have also been the man’s stunted accent but even the long silence afterwards suggested that maybe he was being genuine.

  ‘That is okay. I know you could have kicked his ass, but he is just like an annoying small dog that barks and bites at everyone to prove how tough they are.’ Ayer responded, watching as Boulder’s disposition eased and his posture became relaxed.

  ‘What are you smoking up?’ Boulder asked, taking a seat on the step next to Ayer.

  ‘Just some Juana Root, although it’s from the deep south so it’s perfectly cultivated-’

  ‘-For cerebral somnolence, decreasing brain activity for the duration of the high without destroying any braincells or causing forgetfulness.’ Boulder explained going far beyond what Ayer himself even knew. He was just going to say that it was designed to put people to sleep. ‘Did you know that Thrall monks in Tsar use this stuff as part of their rituals.’

  ‘Holy shit no, I didn’t know that. But sounds cool though. Why do they use Juana Root though?’

  Ayer asked after taking after hit then offered it to Boulder who after a moment of consideration agreed doing a drag three-times longer and deeper than any Ayer could do, releasing a bellow of smoke that was nearly unbelievable. And with that they spoke for three hours until the night had nearly completely descended.

  Gliding down a parse stretch of land heading towards the Farmstead out in the Meadows passing the first checkpoint taking a turn before the junction leading to the sprawl of land, once multiple farms which had been amalgamated together. The Cadillac Ciel driving to the ranch house perched atop a mound of earth that looked over the area, the remains of a long-deconstructed fortification hundreds of years forlorn marking the boundaries of the farmhouse proper and being a defining feature as she pulled the vehicle next to a school bus that carted in some of the workers.

  Stepping out a group moved over to meet them, a sporty figure with stylish brown hair whose Middle-kin features immediately made him stand out as Indra greeted him calling the old teen “Eerden” being someone who had an aura around him. Familiarly next to him stood someone Kailey took as a youth barely reaching his teen-years from his small-frail frame and Sun-kin features until Indra also greeted him readily calling him “Willis” turning out to be another senior who inherited a world they were not prepared for.

  ‘Thank god you guys got the message, we were unsure if it got through or not.’ Eerden reference, explaining nothing of why they were brought out here. ‘I’m just saying but we need you guys to send Juries out this way to set up a radio tower, that one on the Pretty Valley Mountains does seem to be working anymore.’

  -Another Angelyn be damned job to the list-

  ‘Some other people have told us the same thing but at the moment we can’t spare anyone to go up there and fix it.’ Indra replied with all the stark familiarity expected of two people who knew each other but weren’t close. ‘But why did Megana need to talk to us, coming out here is precious fuel.’

  Hoofbeats stole all attention as a staunch shire horse galloped in, the heavyset rider of Polar-kin features and red hair came to a stop as Megana Marshes dismounted with the dust and grim of farmwork heavy upon her. A serious woman who was a year older than Kailey and was the stereotypical farm-girl, which did mean that the two women almost never spoke to each other. Leaving her to wonder how this interaction was going to go.

  ‘Hey there Megana, we heard through the grapevine that you needed to speak to me?’ Kailey started walking up to the woman whose visage was like lighting as the recognition between the Marshes sisters was stark and striking.

  ‘Thank you for coming. But who I wanted to talk about are on their way.’ Megana said drawing their attention towards a group breaking away from the work in the fields.

  Fifteen of them all with the worn attire of the lower socio-economic groups with wild hairstyles of braids and beads littered across their heads including in their beards. Above all of them one man took the lead to announce himself as their leader, the vagrant who was known across the Hollandia Basin for a slew of misdeeds.

  ‘HEY! CUNT!’ Cutter Thrall-Bry announced. The tall creature appeared with a gaunt face like his pale-skin had been withered down to the bone somehow retaining his youthful baby face even as a litany of small scars marked his face including the jagged-scar that crossed over his lips. His hair was short spiked-gold on top with three zigzag like waves meticulously shaved onto his sides which was a current-culture-thing that had been perverted by people like Cutter. But what stood out the most of Cutter’s appearance was his eyes that where huge and always alert as he gazed out onto the world through the icy-blue hues.

  The fear that flashed through Kailey petrified her, wearing a sundress seeming like an incredibly stupid idea now that she thought about it as she felt incredibly vulnerable against the world as even her flat shoes would do little to support her feet if she was to try and run.

  ‘Cutter, what a surprise. What do you need?’ Kailey forced out through a false smile that any of her friends would have picked out instantly. Hell, anyone with half a brain would have picked out, but thankfully these Thralls weren’t that smart.

  ‘Don’t patronize me bitch!’ Spat from his mouth in backwards creole, shocking the Caldera sisters whilst drawing attention to all of them. ‘Why the fuck do you have us doing your dirty work!’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Kailey asked, trying to hide her fear of the man who now stood just outside of arms reach. She was starting to wonder if she always needed Braden or Juries around her.

  ‘Here me and mine are slaving away on this fucking farm for no reason when you and yours have horded all of the food in your town yet keep us stuck out on this spit-fuck of land!’ Cutter screamed, his movements like a caged animal that was ready to chew off its own leg or attack anyone who came too close.

  -He is high, isn’t he? He has all the hallmarks of someone on stimulants and knowing the kind he traded in it would be incredibly dirty so who knows the side-effects that he would be going through. But that makes him three-times more dangerous-

  The logic flowed and now that she scanned everything about him, she was certain that Cutter was on some sort of dirty stimulant, from the way his eyes were near completely red with veins hazed in blue to the way one of his legs shook uncontrollably.

  ‘Everyone is and needs to pitch in. We don’t know where everyone went or what happened, tomorrow everything could go back to normal, or we could be looking at a whole new world order because we lost swarths of civilization. The food we policed up is going extremely fast and we need to focus on long-term solutions.’ Kailey educated, the fear of a food shortage whilst their population was still climbing making for sleepless nights.

  ‘That is absolute bullshit! We both know that you gave us the hardest job here because you think we’re your slaves like every other prick thinks of us! But we are fucking done with this crap, we are Thrall’s after all and eventually Thralls overthrow those above them!’ Cutter chanted getting a loud raw from those around him.

  ‘CUTTER!’ Came from beside the crowd before the Thralls could reach for their armaments stealing away whatever thunder their leader was able to whip them up into. The figure turned out to be another one of them, this one covered in small scars and a pair of snake-bite piercings. ‘What are you doing!’

  ‘Fuck up Boulder! We are about to fulfil the Promise of the Thrall and break the oppressors under our boots for all the shit they’ve done to us.’ Cutter shot at the newcoming.

  -He’s the one who got into a fight with Juries. I didn’t realize we shipped him to work in the fields-

  ‘Why? Because they have you working. People are installing solar panels on roofs all day every day directly in the sun. If you want to swap jobs, I’d gladly take the fields any day of the frigging week.’ Boulder announced, the exchange surprising Kailey as she had no idea there was such division amongst the Thralls. ‘Do you want to work in town where people will hold you accountable or out here where you can largely do your own thing. I’ve chosen to be out here personally!’

  ‘Your fucking dead Boulder!’ Cutter screeched animalistically after a dramatic moment of tension where that shaking leg began to stomp the ground, and his head shot around the landscape wildly without cause. And then he was bounding towards the newcomer.

  She watched at the man named Boulder met Cutter without fear, immediately they began trading punches. Both showing what a lifetime at the bottom had taught them to do as they ducked and dodged and absorbed what they could, with each landed punch echoing a type of damage that would have crumbled Kailey if they’d ever hit her. Both combatants fighting with a raw bestial capability with none of the refinement she had seen from her peers as they’d been taught proper forms, yet she doubted any of them could have held a candle to the viciousness before her.

  ‘GET THEM OFF EACH OTHER!’ Kailey screamed to everyone.

  The Thralls went straight for Boulder grabbing him in a vice-grip that allowed Cutter to batter him as five brutal punches to the face were released before another group of several pounced-on Cutter with more waiting in the wings for how erratic and violent Cutter was, shaking them off with unbelievable strength and agility matched only by someone in the worst of meth-trips.

  More people came to peel the other Thralls off Boulder as the group had turned to attack him themselves creating two massive pools of people in a devastating brawl. Pulling Indra away as the tussle spilled out in all directions, Kailey continued to yell at the dumbasses to stop yet all of them seemed to be in the grips of the most primitive of struggles with their entire reality narrowing down into the fundamentals that right in front of them.

  At some point all she could do was watch from the sides until the boys had tired themselves out, the fighting ending when Boulder threw the last punch out of pure spite decking one of the last Thralls who’d been skirting the edge of the brawl only coming in at the final minutes yet still going down.

  With a rugged huff Kailey unleashed. ‘Fucking boys!’

  *

  ‘Can you believe it. Those bloody idiots, they fought each other for ten minutes instead of talking the situation down, why did they do something so stupid.’ Indra quizzically derided to the universe. ‘So, what do we do now for Spirits sakes? The Thralls are dangerous with their numbers alone and we’ve screwed ourselves by putting them all together in the Meadows. And now the Natives are finally agreeing to speak to us but what in hells are they going to want.’

  ‘It’s okay Indra. We deal with everything one at a time.’ Kailey tried to reassure; her eyes glued to the road as the car glided down those Durrahan roads with those suburban brick houses covering the scenery.

  Trying to deescalate her sister whilst she thought over the exact thing Indra was bringing up.

  ‘-The fact that guy started challenging Cutter gives me reason to think they will be internally focused for a while if today was any indication. Cutter is dangerous in isolation; he’s known across the basin for committing petty crimes and being a drug dealer but those aren’t exactly the qualities of a good and organized leader. He won’t be able to keep control of the Thralls for long, especially if he fights every one of them who challenges his word.’ Kailey deduced, working through the logic. ‘If it were someone else, I’d be concerned.’

  ‘So, by that rational what if someone rises amongst the Thralls to take control over them?’ Indra pushed, that questioning glare she gave whenever she wanted to drive an issue.

  ‘Who amongst them could do that? The only one of them who has any name recognition is Cutter, the others who could have led them disappeared with the Event-’ Kailey started.

  ‘-Arrhenius!’ Indra interrupted.

  -Of course she’s using that fucking name. The religious aspect people are placing upon this is infuriating as all hells breaking at once- And yet she had to be careful about her responses to that, Indra did not seem to take the religious route, but she did refer to whatever-happened by that religious name. Kailey wondered if Indra’s insistence was because it was her friend Lysander Don Dean’s belief as such.

  ‘Yes… That… But we don’t need to be concerned as far as I can see. If you are really concerned, then you can keep an eye on them and make sure nobody rises in their ranks.’ This was the best alternative she could give to her sister and an easy way to end the conversation.

  Gliding down main street the two watched the milling masses many of whom had come from the surrounding areas seeking some form of stability, passing the sandstone triple-story town hall they saw Juries Bradshaw’s efforts to equip the grid with solar panels.

  ‘It’s good to see that they’re getting further with those panels.’ Indra offhanded, her attention obviously elsewhere yet bringing Kailey’s attention to the workers only to see the youngest Bradshaw.

  Her heart skipped a beat, air left her lungs at the sight of the despondent teenager.

  ‘Yeah, they are really making a snails pace.’ Kailey snarked back. Indra raising an eyebrow. ‘Juries has been fighting this every step of the way. He has a lot of verbal thoughts about the “uselessness of renewables” and has been pushing that we look at something like the hydroelectric dam.’

  ‘The place that has been out of commission for a hundred years?’ Indra observed. The dam being shut down during the Great Wars from unknown sabotage that dragged them into another war where the lack of manpower meant they couldn’t repair the issues as everything else fell into disuse they never recovered from.

  ‘The exact one.’

  Down the next length of pavement with the hot sun raging outside she was reminded of how dead everything was, large portions of this once bustling place had meagre inhabitants now. The Link Bridge coming before them at pace as the dread of speaking to the Natives was starting to dawn on her, if there was anyone who was going to show even more resentment to Kailey it was the Natives for good reason.

  ‘So, Juries doesn’t believe in climate change?’ Indra inquired.

  ‘Considering everything do we even know what might still be happening and what might be completely different?’ Kailey responded to her sister.

  ‘Why would the degradation of the environment change all of a sudden!’ The younger her pushed back.

  ‘Why did people mysteriously-magically disappear. No science. No reasoning. Nothing logical at all.’ Kailey felt the weight of her own words. Her sister seemed to concede to this notion although both had the same reservations, both understood how little they knew.

  Passing into the pristine streets of Ciaran gave them the stark macabre notion of everything that felt wrong as they knew this place to be a paradise, but the emptiness infiltrated everything. By this time the hints that lawns were starting to overgrow seeing their once pristinely trimmed hedges now spilling across the concretes that boxed them in. This morose kept up until they came to the predetermined meeting spot of interior parkland that all of Ciaran had developed around with the reconstructed wooden fort at its center that was barely the size of one of the local mic-mansions.

  And standing there in mass was the Natives, a dozen of those earthy grey skinned aboriginals of Tyrsea who came over in times undocumented and unremembered to all of humanity. And standing at the forefront of the group was the only woman, stepping out of the car to meet them Kailey made sure to gulp down what saliva had been pooling inside her mouth and releasing an anxious huff.

  ‘Wynona it is great to see you.’ Kailey remarked to the woman she was familiar with from their time in school together, Kailey could recognize their near absolute parallel to each other just under differing cultural circumstances and how in their time at school they disagreed on basically everything seemingly out of spite for each other.

  -And I have to work with her. She is beautiful as all hells though-

  ‘Use proper titles!’ The woman snarled back. She had all the hallmarks of the Natives from the ash-grey metallic skin to silky raven hair and hawk-like nose as she brought them all together in beauty showing a naturalism that was hard to match with an arrangement of necklaces all knew as the Tribal Honoring meaning that she had ascended as leader for her people against modern clothing. Her hair was streaks of red to accompany those charms.

  -Not unexpected. She was the only one who showed interest in leadership and politics whilst her parents being the last leaders placed her at the forefront no doubt-

  ’I apologize; you are right. Honored Wynona of the Seventh Treaty.’ The decorum seemed unnecessary but if it kept them moving forward Kailey would do it and by the dimples that came to Wynona, she was made happy by this. ‘We are happy that this meeting was finally set in stone, we understand that with everything happening the world is in a very unknowable and dangerous state of flux and well we of the Council wanted to guarantee that your people will be okay.’

  Wynona left them silent as she pondered these words, a common tactic she used all the time. Kailey even remembered seeing her addressing the state-government in Por Hollis and using the same methodology, yet what it meant was always a mystery.

  Now with time to focus elsewhere Kailey took note of the Natives, seeing how blended modern clothing with leathers that holstered bow and arrows on their backs whilst all of them vaunted their cultural kukris as the earthen colors gave the impression that they were ready for survival against all odds.

  ‘And what guarantees do I have from you, so my ass isn’t the first one put into the stocks?’ Wynona finally demanded.

  -Angelyn, she is vulgar-

  ‘You have our protection of course. We are hoping that people won’t revert to barbarism but if so then we already have a functioning police force who are ready to keep the peace. We are ready to share our foodstuffs and make sure your people are well fed, even use of our medical center as we are hoping to get the hospital back up and running to full efficiency very soon.’ She figured those were the three pillars that basically all people wanted in times like these.

  ‘And in return you’d want my people to?’ Wynona queried, the Honored showing her acumen as that was Kailey’s intention. The hopes of an expanded skilled workforce meaning they could do far more, not that they already didn’t have enough people, but she also needed people she could trust and if she bought Wynona then that bought the Natives.

  ‘For right now we are only interested in helping the Treaty.’ She reinforced.

  ‘Those are some tricky words there Kailey. “For right now”. They don’t stick well with me to be honest, and if history has taught us anything it is that the Commons use tricky words to ram a rather large dildo into my people!’ Wynona’s words sent Kailey spiraling as she was about to start talking to emphasize that she was being honest. ‘-In the four hundred years since your people’s arrival clever words have eroding almost all of my culture and what little we have left is suspect to those outside beliefs and words that have infiltrated everything holy that we Natives held deeply.’

  Seeing what was happening a moment of sheer dissociation came across Kailey compelling her to buttress. ‘So, you only brought me here to win a symbolic victory!’

  ‘You can see it that way Kailey. The truth is I brought you here to set down the terms of the future. We of the Seventh Treaty aren’t afraid of what is happening, the world is a battleground so our families disappearing does not destroy us the way it destroys you. We don’t need your so called “aid” nor do we need any protection that you could not give. My people can do all of that for us. You couldn’t even find us to set up this meeting so that tells me your so-called crack Police Force isn’t that good.’ Honored Wynona orated her words hard and precise to their very core. ‘What I’m saying is that we don’t need you!’

  ‘But… Are you suicidal! We don’t know what the hells is happening and you’re willing to risk it out of spite!’ Kailey shot back.

  ‘We aren’t risking anything. The world has changed as its want to do. My people were made to be natural weapons shaped by the harshness of these lands and that endured even more under the iron boot of your people’s colonization and degradation of the Natives. We are going to survive with ease, and for whatever happens with yours I could not care in the least.’ Her words left Kailey stumped and shocked. ‘The only demand I make is for all non-Natives to leave the Treaty, this peninsula is by all legal rights ours and Ciaran as well as the University was your lot doing as you pleased. That Ends!’

  Kailey was a moment away from arguing back when she felt Indra’s hand wrap around her wrist to stop her older sister from creating a feud. This brought forward Wynona’s twin Rowtag, the hunky figure hiding somewhere off in the background but not striding forward his leery-muscled figure stole Indra’s breath away.

  Stepping forward this woman, this beacon came upon Kailey, stepping in close and sharply saying. ‘What I’m tell you. Is to fuck right off!’

  -Straight women. The moment they see a hot guy they are useless-

  ‘We will give you and the others who still claim places in Ciaran as their homes time to leave. But once we want you gone you will know, and we expect you to leave immediately. Be Gone!’ The man demanded leaving little choice as the sister retreated to the car decimating so many of the plans, she had thought of now dust in her hands and further troubles that she would need to deal with.