He didn’t care, he had transitioned into very results focused person as he had grown up and didn’t mind what people thought. After all, what could they do about it?
Zeke and Simon walked past Tyler as they passed the cafe. They were exploring the new Karn and marvelling at how it had changed. Zeke felt a chill, like he had seen something, but not quite at the same time, and turned back. Tyler was already gone, moving to the next shop.
He stopped for a second, feeling someone staring at him, and turned back as well. But Zeke had already continued, having dismissed his intuition.
Tyler shoved the nagging thought to the back of his mind and hailed a cab to take him back to the tower, he had a job to do, and he couldn’t spend too much time chasing ghosts.
* * *
Derek had wandered off by himself, giving him some time to think. He was used to being alone all the time, but this was different. He was in a big city, it was bigger than Soltair and much bigger than Pesque, and he took in the sights. There were large, white towers everywhere, with an especially large one in the town centre.
Signs everywhere advertised the upcoming Summer Festival of Life, an annual occurrence apparently. From what he could gather, there were parades, and food stalls, and all sorts of similar things.
“A parade? You’ve never heard of that?” West had shown perplexion at his query.
Derek had shook his head. Where he had grown up, there weren’t things like parades.
“I see,” West said, “Well then, a parade is something like a party where people have fun with a lot of other people. Even ones they don’t know. I suppose you could say that it’s a rare thing nowadays. Maybe if I had succeeded in my dream, we could have a world where parades were plenty..”
He had trailed off then, getting lost in his own train of thought. Derek had wanted to ask if one could truly have a good time befriending a stranger — then he realised he already knew.
He still hadn’t experienced the parade for himself. Though he wished he could, they’d have to move on soon. They were here for Simon and Zeke, and they would move on. However, he was sure even the duo would not begrudge him a day or two spent in Karn.
For him, it was a city of dreams. The first place he had travelled to that struck him as beautiful
“If you could travel, where would you go?”
“I don’t know many places,” Derek had said. “I was born in Naran, but we had to leave in a hurry, and then there was the accident.”
“Ah, Naran.” West said, “Well, what about travelling away from Vive?”
“I haven’t even been all over Vive yet — why would I want to leave?”
“There are so many things you can learn just by travelling,” West had said. “For instance, Vive. You know, it didn’t always have this name.”
“Of course not, I’m not dumb. Places change names sooner or later.” Derek had said. After a pause, he added. “So what did they call it before?”
“Back in the days before the war, a few hundred years ago, they called it — Africa.”
He stood on one of the balconies placed around the town, seemingly for people to bask in and enjoy the view and became lost in his own thoughts.
In just over a week, he had gone from being alone to having a team of people who were helping him. The path to finding the Arche looked clearer than ever. Though he reminded himself that he was in the lion’s den. From what Douglas had told them earlier, the Nephilim’s efforts were in this very town and permeated the very fabric of its existence. Though he thought to himself, it couldn’t be all bad. Everyone looked happy, and the place was beautiful. Something tugged at the periphery of his awareness and he looked up as another young man walked up to him and leaned beside him.
This one was plain looking, unremarkable, the kind of person you could walk past and not have noticed at all. Not just once, but multiple times. He wore baggy clothing, but Derek could feel he was someone who was used to physical confrontation.
“I’m Taylor.” He volunteered, “Are you enjoying the view from the Grace Balconies?”
“Ah, so that’s what they’re called,” Derek nodded as he took in the other man, “It’s my first time here.”
“Is it? That’s nice.” Taylor said, “I’ve been here all my life, it’s gone through so many changes, but there’s almost nothing I’d like more. So, whereabouts are you from?”
“Soltair.” Derek answered, without thinking, “It’s a small place, we don’t have all this beautiful stuff, but it was home for a while, and I liked it.”
“Nice. Never heard of it.” The man said. He straightened up. “Just to inform you, I’m one of the Order Squadron.”
“The Order Squadron?” Derek repeated. Damn! He remembered Douglas’ warning to stay away from the Order Squadron at all costs. They were the equivalent to the police in the town, and he was trying not to draw attention to himself.
“Ah, the Order Squadron. Good job guys, I’m a big fan of your work.”
“Thank you,” Taylor said. “So, how did you get into Karn?”
“The normal way.” Derek said, “How else?”
“Well you see, if you had come in the ‘normal way’ I would already know,” Taylor said. “We’ve had no records of anyone from Soltair coming, and I’ve personally never heard of it.”
This was bad. They hadn’t planned on this. It seemed that Karn was a little more paranoid that it appeared at first.
“Oh. That’s too bad. There must be an issue with your systems then, ” Derek began to walk away briskly.
“Where’s your tourist card?” Taylor called out.
When Derek didn’t respond, Taylor continued, “You seem like a nice man, but you’re going to have to come with me. Now.”
There was no question he expected to be complied with. Too bad for him.
Derek continued walking, but Taylor had pulled out a baton, energy crackled at the end of it.
“I mean it, you’re going to have to stop or this might get ugly.”
Derek turned around quickly, “I don’t have to do anything.”
A stream of web fired from his palms, enveloping the other man and forcing him to a wall.
“A Godspark.” Taylor observed drily, “Oh, I really wish you hadn’t done that.”
More Order Squadron members came out from the corners of the balcony. Taylor hadn’t come alone but had brought about 10 others with him. They had electrically charged batons as well.
“Take care of his arms and legs first. We can question him later.”
The men rushed at him, intending to pincer him and then jab him into submission. Derek was too fast for them. Leaping into the air, he fired a web line, grabbed onto it, and pulled himself through the air. He rarely did that as a method of travel, it was uncomfortable, and used up too much energy, not to mention, his webs needed to be refilled if he did that too much. Nevertheless, escape was his priority. One of them pulled out a gun, rare in these days, fired and missed. Derek was safely out of range.
The men searched and searched, but they would not find Derek.
Taylor rubbed his head. This was odd, no one had snuck in and evaded the Order Squadron in years. It seemed unlikely that someone would also be able to get past the gates, yet someone had.
This was puzzling. He would report this to Georgina and Richard as he was supposed to. He had heard reports of a woman without a tourist card as well. For a single person to get in was odd, for two people, it was concerning.
Still, it was out of his hands now.
* * *
Derek scuttled across a rooftop, using his awareness to determine that he was unseen.
He looked around. Still, Karn County was a nice-looking place, but the nagging feeling of unease he had felt was only growing.
“The Order Squadron.” West had taught him that names like that were never good. “So this is the story of ‘The Tempting Town with a Dark Secret’, or something.” Derek muttered to himself.
What darkness was Karn County hidin
g under all that gloss and pomp?
Chapter 12 - Impending Crisis
Douglas was far warier of Karn County than the others were at first.
Yes, he too was exploring, but his eyes and ears were open. He knew what to do, and what not to do. Who to avoid, and how to blend in. Though he was somewhat infamous, he was counting on people simply thinking he looked ‘like’ Douglas, rather than actually being Douglas. His demeanour? Markedly different. His acting skills were still decent. A life spent hiding your true self would do that to you, he mused.
He had eschewed the fancy centre of Karn, opting instead to walk in the areas that looked slightly more impoverished.
It was slightly more real, and the people here had a sense of worry around them. This was where he could find the real Karn, and perhaps see the signs of what had made Zeke and Simon. There were less Order Squadron members here, Douglas had learned to identify them on sight. It was something about the way they stood that gave them away.
He noticed he had picked up a tail, though not an entirely unpleasant one.
A child wandered behind Douglas, staring at him, with a basket in his hands.
He ignored him and kept moving. The child walked up to him, it was a young boy of about 12. He appeared to be selling hats, but as Douglas was already sporting one, it was nothing he wanted to buy.
Still, the boy followed him regardless.
He ignored him, not wanting to contribute to beggar children. He had enough troubles without being embroiled in some internal ethics scandals, and there wasn’t enough money in the world to make him happy in these situations. The boy would not be shaken off. Accosting Derek, he excitedly displayed his wares.
“Mr. I’ve got flower themed hats, and cake themed hats and books themed hats,” the child said, “What do you want?”
“That’s some strange assortment,” Douglas replied, “I don’t want any.”
He continued walking. From his brief glance, he was about 15 years old. There were signs of malnutrition which had made him look younger, and he was the first street hawker Douglas had seen in Karn so far.
The child made to follow him, then turned away.
Douglas was surprised to hear sobbing. The boy had tried to hide it, but he was breaking down into tears. He felt guilty.
“Hey kid,” He spoke again as he approached him., “I’m sorry I didn’t want anything, but you can get from others as well can’t you? It’s not exactly a life or death thing is it?” As he spoke, he winced. Poor children trying to sell on the street was most likely a life or death thing, so that was insensitive.
The child perked up, “So, do you want to buy some?”
“Not really,” Douglas replied — then he reconsidered, “Maybe just one or two then?”
“How about all of it?” the child began to sob again, “If you don’t help me, I’m going to die. ”
“What…” Douglas was confused by the outburst. “You can get food from someone, I’m sure even Karn doesn’t have…”
Then it hit him. He hadn’t seen any street hawkers or really poor people in Karn. Either Karn was a magical place with only one poor person around, or there was something else going on.
“I haven’t managed to sell much over the year. They say my hats are wonky, but it’s because grandma has a hand problem and can’t make them so good anymore,” He sobbed, “You’re the first new person I’ve seen in a year.”
Douglas’ cursed inwardly at this. If a child could notice he was a stranger, then surely others had as well. Already, he became painfully aware that the street had become deserted, with no one but the two of them on it. Footsteps inched around them in corners, and in shadows.
The child hadn’t noticed this yet, but he continued his sob story, crying.
“I know that I’m not supposed to say this, “But If I can’t get more money, I’m going to be purged tomorrow.”
“Purged?” asked Douglas. “What do you mean by that…?
“Every year, the poor and undeserving are taken out back,” a voice came from behind him, “We like to keep our Karn County nice and clean, and people who don’t meet our standards are taken away and punished, Timothy’s orders. Who knows what happens to them after that, no one ever returns.”
Order Squadron members began to show themselves. Stepping out of the corners, out of the shadows, and into the light. There were 10 of them, armed, with blunt weapons and some with fists alone.
Douglas was sure he could take them, at least if he was by himself. If the kid could get away from them, then he could act.
“You. Child,” The first man appeared to be the leader,” You have spoken far too much. We’ll execute you today, and fast track your purging.”
He grinned menacingly.
“And as for you sir, you have no need to get involved in this nasty business.” He was now more genial, “Just show us your tourist card and you can be on your way.”
Douglas glared at them. “Kid, get behind me.”
“Ok, so that’s how you want to play it.” The leader said, “End that fool.”
They made to move, but never stood a chance.
Butterfly Style: Whipping Tornado.
Douglas dashed around almost faster than their eyes could see, knocking each one out with a swift blow to the spine.
As the last one passed out, Douglas eyed the kid again.
“Ok kid, do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?” Douglas asked.
“We’ve gotten notice, we have two days to make up, or we’re dead.” The kid sobbed again. “The new town mayor, Timothy, made up that rule.”
The penny finally dropped for Douglas.
“Unbelievable, a town that gets rid of their unwanted. But it looks so beautiful and happy.” Douglas said, mostly to himself. “It’s no wonder, all everyone ever sees are the good things. No one ever sees the bad things that happen to the losers. It’s like some fantasy wonderland that shows the bright sides of being ruled by one of the Nephilim.”
“A child shouldn’t need to fight so hard to survive,” Douglas said to the kid, “Come with me, I’ll get you out of here.”
“But my family. I have an uncle and my sweet grandmother. They work so hard, they don’t know I’m doing this.”
Douglas considered this. “Then we’ll get them too, if the Purge is in two days, we can’t afford to waste any more time! Take me to your home.”
* * *
Zeke and Simon continued their walk through the town.
It all looked so strange and so familiar at the same time. They recognised the parks and the fields, but the buildings had been redone, rebuilt. Zeke figured out that if the town had been razed to the ground, then a rebuilding would most likely have happened. He couldn’t say he didn’t find it appealing, but something about it, just felt off.
They stopped at the field they used to play in as children.
“Hey,” Simon said, “Do you remember when we swore to become brothers that one day? It was here.”
“Even though I had an actual one?” Zeke asked. This was the first time he was acknowledging Tyler as his brother in years.
“Yes.” Simon said, “Even though you had a brother and I was an only child — you became my brother here.”
“What happened to us? ” Zeke asked after a period of silence. “What happened?”
In truth, both knew the answer to that question. It was a long story, and it started 15 years ago when Karn County was a very, different place. A warmer place, without purges and squadrons and trackers.
Chapter 13 - Brotherhood of Yesterday
15 Years Ago.
Karn County.
Like many independent towns on the continent, Karn was semi-rural, surviving on a balance of external trade and agriculture. It was neither rich nor was it poor, it just was. The town retained its independence by paying money directly to the Nephilim from a portion of the taxes. Sometimes the Mayor would take a pay cut to keep the town safe, it had worked for generations, hence
it was reasoned it would work for many more.
In this small, messy, human town, Zeke and Simon found themselves as children. Much like the town itself, their families were neither rich nor were they poor. They just were.
Their parents would work hard to provide a life for their children, Zeke’s father ran the town newspaper, chronicling the history of the town for all and sundry. His wife worked with him, she was their most prized reporter, picking up on local interest stories and digging into stories of town heroes and nipping local corruption in the bud before it spread.
Two years ago, Mr Lovasz, one of the school teachers had been selling papers to students who wanted to pass without doing the work. The newspaper had exposed it.
The local market head, Mrs Ellis had been charging exorbitant fees to some shop owners, running a racket in collusion with other traders who wanted their competitors gone. Their story was told.
The Davidses were —in their own way —heroes of the town, and Zeke and Tyler were their prized possessions.
In contrast to Zeke’s prolific family stood the Aarons. Simon’s family was a modest family of three. Mr Aaron owned his own grocery store and provided food and sustenance for some in the east end of the town. Mrs Aaron ran a small mechanic shop, she and her team would fix up broken cars of harried parents, bicycles of small children, and motorbikes of the daring young men. They were nobodies in comparison to the Davidses, yet, their children would fast become friends. The Davidses eventually moved closer to the Aarons, occupying a house that sat next to the latter family’s apartment building.
Zeke Davids and Simon Aaron would grow closer, as Tyler grew up and found his own friends, but the bond between their families would remain.
* * *
It was a warm summer day in the County, Zeke and Simon had the part of the nearby field to themselves as they often did. Others, from strangers to people they knew from school were playing catch or swimming in the leisure centre, but the duo often played by themselves. The twelve-year-olds were best friends and running themselves ragged in the summer days was one of their favourite past-times.
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