by Scott McCord
“Jeremy? Jeremy. Oh Jeremy, why didn’t you wait for me?”
A cool tear runs off my chin, splashing on his forehead. He stirs, but only in my imagination. He’s already with his brother and Jack.
I brush the hair away from the innocent young face and wipe my tear from his brow. I have to be strong. I can’t languish—too many others are counting on me.
I don’t care about Will or what happened to his parents. That has nothing to do with me. But Gas and Tommy may still be worth saving…they might want to come with me when I explain…but after them, I have no more attachments in Community.
I drag Jeremy to a bed of moss at the foot of a broad tree. I nestle him down between the crawling roots, so he looks comfortable. If I had time, I’d bury him or cover his body with rocks to protect him from scavengers, but I have to get home. I have to see Cassandra. I have to tell Mary and Rosie, and we have to move the camp. When Johnathan gets back, we’ll decide what to do about Will.
“This world was too small for you,” I whisper, not knowing what else to say. What does it matter? I’m the only one here. Jeremy is gone, and all the prayers in the world won’t do any good now.
Time to go. I’m not worried about being followed, so I don’t cover my tracks as I run along the outside of the Ark toward home. Tommy said he’d surveyed the camp, which means he knows where it is, and if he tells Will…Scorpions will come. The Utugi have to move, we have to hide before anything else happens.
I’m winded and thirsty when I get back, but I keep moving.
“Hey Mim,” Rosie calls. I ignore her, entering Cassandra’s tent without invitation.
If there is any grief in her at all, Cassandra doesn’t show it when I tell her about Jack and the boys. She sits stone-faced behind her table as I speak. I don’t leave anything out. She waits for me to finish.
“I guess we’re fortunate you sneaked out like a thief in the night to look for your friend, otherwise the news of Scorpions would be too late in coming,” she says.
“He’s not my friend.”
“I know.” She leans back. “The Body has become brazen, sending spies so far across Middle Ground. They’re planning to attack, and when they do, they will wipe us out.”
“We have to move,” I say. “We have to set camp farther away.”
Cassandra stares up at me and shakes her head. “Community has over two hundred soldiers. The Utugi are barely two dozen. When they realize we have no army to oppose them, they’ll flood our side with troops and hunt us down like dogs. There’ll be no place to hide. We’ll be captured, flogged, and eventually culled, if we live that long. It will be a big show, and Ayden will write in his book how he was the Supreme that finally eradicated the Slitter threat.”
“So what do we do?”
Cassandra lets out a deep, considerate sigh. “First, I send for Mary and Rosie so I can tell them about Jack and the boys. Then, we pack everything we can, and move to the Edge.”
“That’s not far enough to hide.”
“We’re not hiding.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We’re leaving…as soon as your father and the ferrymen get back, we’ll go for New Hope...all of us.”
“It’s over?”
Cassandra nods.
“It was only a matter of time before some crusader made his way out here to slay the dragon, only to discover it’s nothing more than a paper tiger. I knew it would end, I just didn’t think it would be so soon…not in my lifetime…but it looks like we’re done…retired. Everyone is conditioned, but it’s been a while since most of them have been Outside, so it’s best to wait on Johnathan…if we have the time. Do we have the time, Mim?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then we’d better get moving. Scout a place for us to stage the crossing. I’ll make an announcement for everyone to pack up and be ready to go.”
I’m not sure what I expected, but pulling up stakes and running away wasn’t it. Cassandra is a smart woman, with a quick mind, so maybe she’s run through the scenarios, or maybe this has always been the contingency, but I’m not ready to be done.
“They killed Jack and the boys.”
“It’s a terrible shame, but ours is a dangerous purpose and people die. We make our choices, and we’ve done a lot of good. Jack and the boys...well, their lives weren’t wasted. You have to know that.”
My mouth goes dry. “But if not for me they’d—” I stumble over the words. “If not for me…I mean…I’m the only one who came back.”
“Which makes you special or lucky. Doesn’t matter, we know Community is coming because of you. We have to be satisfied with what we’ve accomplished and be done with it.”
“But I haven’t accomplished anything.”
Cassandra rises from her chair, places her palms down on the table, and leans into my face.
“I really don’t care. If you want to whine about what you’ve done or haven’t done, or cry about what is or isn’t your fault, do it some other time. Maybe someone less guilty than me will give a crap. Right now, you need to get it together, and do what I tell you, or nobody is making it out of here alive. If you feel like we’re running away, you’re wrong. The Ark will push off soon, and if it lands at New Hope…well…then…that’s where we’ll need to be. Now get to the Edge and find us a place to wait for your dad.
34
Will
I reach over and take Tommy’s bow. He doesn’t resist. “And the knife,” I say. Tommy pulls the blade from his belt and lays it across my outstretched hand. “Your quiver,” I continue, but this time Tommy hesitates, realizing I’m serious about arresting him. “Your quiver,” I repeat. He slides the quiver from his back and hands it to me by the strap.
“What do you think it means?” Tommy asks.
“What does what mean?”
“Come on, Will, you saw what Mim did. What do you think it means?”
“You surveyed their camp?”
Tommy nods.
“Did you see anyone else leave the Ark?”
Tommy shakes his head. “Not one.”
“Then all it means is Mim is going to be hard to catch…but I had her. I had her, Tommy, dead-to-rights, and you knocked me away.”
“I thought you were about to shoot her.”
“I wasn’t going to shoot her, I was going to take her back.”
Tommy scoffs. “It’s the same thing. Why can’t you leave her alone?”
“Because she killed Thatch and Knox.”
Tommy’s face falls. “Did they give her a reason?”
“Not enough of one.”
Tommy cups his palm to his forehead. “What did you do, Mim?” he mutters.
“She said her dad was alive. Did you see him?”
Tommy shakes his head.
“Maybe you didn’t spot him among the rest.”
Tommy shakes his head again. “No, there’s hardly anyone in the camp. If Johnathan was there, I would’ve seen him for sure.”
“You remember what he looks like?”
“Of course, and he wasn’t there.”
“So Mim is either lying, or what you saw was an outpost.”
“I thought so too, but I scouted for the main body and couldn’t find one. I surveyed all along the front Edge and back in but came up empty. There isn’t a bent leaf or a broken twig to indicate any more than a few dozen people.”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
Tommy laughs. “I’m not trying to tell you anything. What I am telling you is there is no such thing as a Slitter. It’s a myth. The enemy is nothing more than a handful of indigents living outside the system.”
I thought I was the clever one, but Tommy is playing me for a fool. “Did they take you?”
“What?”
“Two days into the deep survey with Figg, did the Slitters take you?”
“No, I hauled ass all on my own.”
“Why?”
A long, uncomfortable moment passes as Tom
my considers what to say next.
“You heard me tell Mim we need to talk. The three of us need to talk.” He sighs. “I didn’t run off…at least not until that asshole Ven sent along tried to kill me.”
“What happened?”
“He came close, but he’s too stupid to get a jump on me in the woods.”
“Figg tried to kill you?”
Tommy nods.
“And you still completed the mission?”
He nods again.
“Only to show up just in time to help Mim escape and concoct a bunch of bullshit about the Slitter forces not being real. What kind of idiot do you take me for? Why are you helping them—the scum that killed your mom…the cowards who murdered my parents in their sleep? Damn! We’re supposed to be friends. What happened to you, Tommy? You really are everything they say…a traitor and a villain.”
“Who says that? Do you say that, Will?”
“What choice do I have? We’re going to war and Group 14 will be right at the front of it. I’m doing everything I can to protect our people. I need you, and what do you do? You sneak off to go running around the woods with Mim! Where have you been, really?”
“So that’s your problem. You think I’ve been with Mim.” He shakes his head. “Get your head out of your ass, boy. She was never my girl.” Tommy glares hard, trying to make me turn my eyes away from his. I won’t do it. He steps closer and leans into my face. “You know what, Will,” he snarls, “I don’t think I’ll let you arrest me today.”
There’s no fear or hatred in his expression, only disappointment …and that’s what sets me afire when he turns to leave. I swing my bow full force, catching Tommy across the ear on the side of his face. With a sharp crunch of wood on bone, the vicious stroke takes my former friend off his feet. He lies motionless on the ground, silently bleeding from a split cheek. I roll him over, put my knee between his shoulder blades, and tie his hands behind his back. Tommy will be out a while, but I’m not planning to carry him home, so I sit down to wait.
A lot more day drags by, and I get it in my head Tommy is stalling. He’s lying on his stomach with his face turned away from me.
“Are you awake?” I finally ask.
“Yeah,” Tommy groans, and rolls over.
“Dammit, how long?”
“A couple of hours, I guess.”
I huff. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I didn’t see the need, since you’re just waiting around to throw me in a hole.”
I push to my feet. “Do you want some water?” He nods, and I hold a waterskin to his lips.
“What now?” he asks.
I hook his arm and lift him to his feet. “I take you in and you tell your piece. If it’s the truth, you’ll be fine.”
“You take me in and it won’t matter what I say, I’ll be dead.”
“No, you don’t get it do you? We’re not the bad guys in this story.”
Tommy exhales. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Figg is an idiot, but you know how Scorpions are, he wasn’t really going to hurt you. He was just being a jackass, trying to give you a little scare.”
Tommy closes his eyes and winces as I talk. The whole right side of his face is swollen and dry blood is caked over the gash in his cheek. “You weren’t there.”
“Why would anyone want you dead?”
“So I won’t go running around the woods, poking my nose into something other than the official government line. You remember, Ven tried to arrest me the night Mom died.”
“He didn’t want you making things worse.”
“He didn’t want me looking for the killers.”
“Because you’re not a Scorpion.”
“And neither are you. Let me go, Will. Let me go, we’ll find Mim and figure this thing out together.”
I shake my head. “I’m afraid you’ve misjudged me.” I tuck Tommy’s knife in my belt and pick up his bow and quiver along with mine. “You’ve wasted enough of my day. Now get moving. I want to be in Community before dark.”
Tommy doesn’t say anything on the way home. He drags his feet, but I let it slide, and the trip takes longer than planned.
The sun is near the horizon by the time we arrive at the bridges. I look around for Gas, and I’m relieved not to see him. He wouldn’t like me arresting Tommy, and I don’t feel like arguing with the only friend I have left. He’s always here…he must be doing an inspection or taking a whiz or something. At any rate, I shuffle Tommy over the bridge, past the militia guards, and down the path toward Group 14 without Gas ever knowing we went by.
I escort my prisoner through a silent, gawking crowd, past Jeni holding her mother’s hand and some wide-eyed boys who’ve stopped their play to watch. Every face is familiar.
“Sorry, I should have taken you around,” I whisper to the back of Tommy’s head, but he doesn’t answer.
People stare as we make our way through the rest of the groups into Community Center. I walk Tommy to the dry well—dug for this purpose. Under Verick, Community was littered with holes for softening criminals, but with Ayden, there hasn’t been much need…so we only have one. People are happy and compliant, more afraid of missing out on the prosperity of the war-effort than the threat of the stockades or a prison well. Granting modest freedoms, coupled with a new degree of lenience, makes Ayden more popular and more beloved than any Supreme in history.
“Here we are,” I say, shoving Tommy toward the hole. I slide the knife from my belt, and cut his hands free. “I’ll let them know you’re here,” I say, pushing him just hard enough to make him teeter on the edge before spilling over and disappearing into the black. A thud and a shallow groan follow. I peer down into the dark, but the sun is sinking low, so I can’t see the bottom. “Tommy?” I call.
“What?” he says, sounding like the spirit of the haunted hole.
“You sound like the spirit of the haunted hole.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?”
“No. Are you okay?”
There is a long pause. “I seem to be.”
“Good. I’ll get you out of there as soon as I can. Heads up.” I toss my waterskin down before leaving to give Starter my report.
35
Mim
I locate a place on the Edge to stage our evacuation. It has a modest amount of cover, but even so, it won’t be hard to find for someone who is really looking. Outside is a rough go. Getting out of bow range won’t be easy if we’re still here when Will and his men show up. Cassandra wants to wait for Dad, but if he and the ferrymen don’t arrive before sundown, the earliest they’ll be back is noon tomorrow. That’s too late.
We break down camp, pack up important items, and set everything up for a quick retreat. There’s a half-dozen guards who could double as fighting men, but the rest of camp is only cooks, spinners, weavers, medics…people who’ve never held an apache or picked up a bow for anything other than rabbit. They are not fighters, they’re teachers, rope braiders, and candle makers…the heart and soul of the Utugi cause. And now, because of me, they are refugees. I watch them picking over their most important possessions, rolling all they have into neat bundles as Cassandra’s guards walk around relaying her orders.
“There are plenty of supplies at New Hope. Pack tools and whatever else isn’t easily replaced, but you must be able to carry it all in one trip. Make nothing too heavy. Once you’re done, someone will show you where to go for the crossing.”
A stray conversation over a Scorpion attack piques my ears, but no one seems overly worried. They go about their business with terrible efficiency, as if they’ve been expecting this moment all their lives. I try not to get in the way as Cassandra’s men supervise.
Mary and Rosie work together, putting containers of ingredients and concoctions into a crate that won’t be easy to carry. They make an unnatural effort not to look my way as I watch them packing. Rosie raises up once, but turns back when my gaze meets hers. A terrible flood of guilt rushes thro
ugh me, carrying visions of Jeremy in the moss. I have no right to hope for understanding when I don’t even understand myself.
§
Hours later, camp is empty—dead fires and bald spots on the ground where tents used to be. The Utugi have gathered at the Edge in the staging area, hiding like rabbits ready to spring away if the hunter’s dog gets too close. Possessions that will mostly be abandoned along the way, are piled at their feet, and a nervous air hangs over everyone. These people are supposed to be conditioned, but I wonder how long it’s been since any of them have really been Outside. There is plenty of sun left and sitting around wringing our hands isn’t making the day go any faster.
The Outside plain between us and New Hope, stretches to the horizon, and we watch intently for any movement indicating Johnathan is on his way home. Ordinarily two bored boys would be playing some sort of annoying game to pass the time, but Ben and Jeremy aren’t here. Their absence is a heavy one. Rosie sits away from me with Mary. I let my mind stray.
Will has totally lost it, and Tommy is right there with him. Scorpion or not, Tommy found our camp and he’ll tell Will where we are. I would never have expected this from him. Losing loved ones, I guess, twists you in unexpected ways.
My thoughts continue meandering until finally landing on Gas. In all of Group 14, he’s the one I worry about. Leaving him is the same as leaving Ellie, and if I go without saying goodbye, I won’t deserve the affection I keep for either of them. A tear crawls down the crook of my nose and across my lips. I wipe it away. There was so much hope for them, and when the priest announced their pairing…it was the best day anyone could imagine. I run my wrist over my eyes before any more tears push their way out. They deserved better than they got. I decide not to leave without giving Gas the chance to come too. Ellie would want that.
A man leaps to his feet pointing to a dark mass, moving like a detached shadow parallel to the Ark. “There, right there! That’s them.”
The rest of us stand to see. A flicker of hope sparks in the group, but the shadow gets no closer. It only sweeps along the grass like spilled molasses without drawing nearer.
