Unearthed

by Marc Mulero

  Lesh clenched her jaw.

  “Heh,” Nemura huffed, “Well anyway, the guard's expression was nothing less of satisfaction. ‘Alright,’ the guard said, pointing an assault rifle at the brother's head, ‘let's test your will.’ The guard pulled out a pistol and handed it over to the brother and stepped behind him, pointing his rifle directly at the back of his head. Lesh was terrified, if I heard correctly,” Nemura motioned to Lesh for rhetorical confirmation. “’Heh,’ the guard said, ‘now you have a choice,’” Nemura snapped his fingers, “Chase! That was his name!” Nemura shouted. “’Now you have a choice, Chase, kill yourself with the pistol I just handed to you or murder your family in cold blood and you get away scott free,’ the guard said with an intensity.”

  Lesh's eyes became bloodshot and her Cryos tattoo began to glow brighter.

  Nemura smirked when he saw some emotion in Lesh’s face. “The guard said, ‘If you so much as flinch, you’re done.’ The guard stiffened his position and put his finger on the trigger. Groans came from Lesh and her parents. Chase stood still for thirty seconds, which I’m sure felt like an eternity. ‘Time’s up, Chase,’ the guard poked the gun at the back of his head. Chase, with a shaky hand pointed the gun at his own head. The guard took pleasure in the visual. But, a few seconds later, Chase turned his shaky hand slowly, pointing the gun toward his father, who showed no fear. The guard's satisfaction turned to disbelief. Chase, the witty rebel, had absolutely no honor. The guard behind the father quickly moved out of the way, and Chase fired. Lesh couldn't believe it,” Nemura said, laughing, “She must have thought he took a noble shot at the guard holding his father, so he could break free and make a heroic escape. Nope!” Nemura slapped Lesh's face lightly. “Chase shot his father right under his nose, in the top lip. The most awkward spot to shoot someone. It pierced the back of his throat and eventually rendered him motionless, and he bled out on the floor. The groans that came from Lesh and her mother and the expression! That must have been a sight,” Nemura mocked.

  Lesh shook in her chains. If I snap his neck now I'll never get out alive. I have to endure this until the moment is right.

  “Next, Chase pointed the gun to his mother. The guards were all shocked at this decision. Tears ran down the spineless rebel's face. Lesh squirmed then similar to how she's squirming now,” Nemura said, cracking himself up, yet again. “He fired!” Nemura pulled the trigger of an imaginary gun to Lesh's face, “He fired, and this time, he really fucked up. He shot his mother in the stomach, so she bled out slowly. Chase, not being able to see straight from the tears, fear, and shame, quickly shifted the gun to his little sister. Now this is where the coward made a big mistake! He couldn't have known of course. But Lesh here, was extracted by the Hiezers at the age of ten and was trained as ranged special forces for six years. The higher ups got wind of her incredible agility and plucked her from her family for most of every day. Only her parents and higher ranking guards knew. It was classified information. But thank god for that, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have made it this far! Chase took his shot and you shifted, with that unnatural speed of yours.”

  Lesh's mind wandered as she faded in and out of Nemura’s story, recognizing that his version was all too accurate.

  It made me sick when Chase looked at me with his cowardly face. I’ll never forget that moment.

  At the time, Lesh was able to analyze the traumatizing blood spatter all around her. Her training and her adrenaline didn't allow her brain to disbelieve the horror or shut it out. She had to embrace it.

  Nothing but instinct and intuition took over my body. That and the despised thought of my cowardly brother.

  “Chase shot the guard in the lower abdomen, which would have got Lesh right between the eyes if she hadn’t dodged it. Lesh being the instinctive assassin that we all know her to be, unsheathed a knife strapped to the wounded guard's leg and flung it at her brother's face. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and blood from his pierced forehead poured out.” Nemura paused, winded, “Now tell me that's not drama?”

  Nemura's audience had mixed reactions; the teenage girl had tears in her eyes, Morn looked solemn, Nemura's crew looked impressed.

  “I know,” Nemura said, nodding his head, “I lived in awe and in fear of this woman since I learned this story, until now of course.”

  I'll never forget holding my crying and screaming mother before the pain stopped.

  Lesh twitched in her captivity, ready to make her move.

  Nemura looked over at Lesh, satisfied with himself. “If that wasn't bad enough, old partner, your group is done for. My boy right here,” Nemura pointed to one of his larger crew members, “extracted intel that the Hiezers were moving in on your precious new home. They're going to waste anyone in their way.” Lesh held back any reaction. “They're storming by boat any day now,” Nemura warned. “They're going to thin the Sin population and regain territory, two birds with one stone,” he explained slowly.

  “You bled with us Nemura. Why would your tone be so mocking?”

  Lesh questioned, trying to hold back her fury.

  I have to warn the others, even if I die trying.

  “Because,” Nemura shouted, “had I stayed with you and your petty territory battle, I'd be dead in the mansion with you! I represent life! Life that happens to be mocking death!”

  Lesh heard a sound on the second level and glanced up when Nemura and the lifeless woman weren't looking. The others didn't notice because the dust storm caused a similar racket every minute.

  That bastard! How did he track me? Mars is going to have a new owner once I'm done with him.

  Sabin entered and drew his double sided, stringed blades quietly. He motioned to Lesh to be silent, then winked at her.

  Pain in my ass.

  “Nemura,” Lesh said, changing her tone, “you talk too much, old partner.”

  Sabin watched Lesh grab on to the chains with her shackled hands and backflip, gaining height and kicking Nemura in the face in the process. She began shifting her body weight and repeatedly flipping to climb further up the chains that held her captive. Nemura's crew drew their weapons.

  Time to dance.

  Sabin flung one of his blades and ducked down. He tugged on the wire of his blade, which was leveraged over the ledge of the second floor. The blade slightly changed direction, catching the large man in the chest. Sabin jumped down to the main floor as the blade impaled the man. He flung the second blade toward the back of the room with intense force, while whipping the wire of the first blade that stood in the impaled man. The blade retracted like a boomerang, clashing with Sabin's metal glove as he caught it. His instinctive abilities allowed him to multi-task the two blades gracefully. He didn't possess the footwork that Lesh did, but his talent was evident in maneuvering his unique weapons. Sabin's second toss impaled another of Nemura's men. Morn looked shocked, as he followed the blade swing around the man's neck twice before sticking him. He then ducked frantically and began looking for his confiscated magnum. One of the wiry ropes wrapped around Sabin's arm. He spun around twice, gathering enough momentum on one of his blades to fling it back toward him. He aimed the incoming blade at the scarred woman, who was charging him with her gun drawn and began firing, temporarily focusing her eyes on Sabin. At the last second, she ducked the blade that would have decapitated her. Lesh, who carefully observed the massacre unfold, released her grip on her chains and pushed toward the scarred woman. With her chained feet, Lesh drop kicked the woman in the back with the force of her fall, slamming her into the ground. Lesh swung through the air, still harnessed by her chains.

  Nemura, trying to find a clear shot, finally got it once the scarred woman was out of the way. Sabin whistled and ducked. Mars burst through the door and charged Nemura as he fired. One of Nemura's followers jumped in the way with a blade drawn, trying to stab the wolf. Mars lunged forward after a wild swing by the follower. Mars latched onto the back of his arm. Blood immediately started to spew all over his fangs. N
emura looked back and ducked. He refocused his aim to Sabin, who was clearly the greatest current threat. The scarred woman, who Sabin realized would be quite beautiful if not for the abnormal persona, got up and regained her posture. She also aimed at Sabin. The few crew members left standing started to rally alongside Nemura. One tried to help the man being decimated by Mars. Sabin, now in possession of both of his blades, threw one high, causing everyone to duck in fear. The scarred woman shot again, barely grazing his cloaked arm. Sabin jerked the wiry rope in his desired direction while jumping for cover. The blade slashed right through the chain that held Lesh up. The instant she dropped to the floor, she flipped horizontally, catching one of Nemura's men in the face with the chain on her feet. Nemura shifted his aim to Lesh, but she maneuvered around him and took cover, with bullets trailing behind her every move. Sabin exposed himself once he caught the blade. He rolled up the wiry ropes around his arm so they had shorter range and swung them in a circular motion, one trailing the other. He shifted his swing to his left side and swiftly changed to his right, alternating from side to side. The scarred woman charged with her stave, but had to jump out of the way when Sabin's blades picked up speed as he moved toward her.

  Nemura realized this could end badly. “Back out!” Nemura shouted to the remaining four of his crew and the teenage girl.

  They started making their way to the back door of the hut. One of the members had a clear shot at Mars and didn’t want to leave without inflicting some kind of punishment on the invaders. Mars bared his teeth at the man. Lesh and Sabin were too far on opposite sides to intervene. A shot went off. Lesh's ears went deaf for a moment as she was making her way to save the wolf, but someone beat her to it. Morn fired his magnum that pierced the head of the man holding Mars at gunpoint. Sabin stopped his swinging blades while his eyes focused on what had just happened. He stood in shock for a moment.

  Mars!

  Sabin dashed around a cargo crate to get a clear view. When he acknowledged what had happened, he exhaled with a sigh of relief. Sabin dropped his metal gloves, with the attached blades hitting the floor. He then drew a long barrel pistol from his back.

  “I generally use this for long range, but I might make an exception if you don't drop your gun right now,” Sabin said.

  The door slammed as Nemura and the remaining members of his crew escaped into the dust storm. Morn dropped his gun and put his hands up. Lesh stood up straight, still shackled.

  “I saved your pup, hotshot,” Morn said, shifting his eyes to Sabin without moving his body. “You owe me a thank you if anything now, not any death threats.”

  Sabin looked at him curiously, “I wonder what your story is.”

  “It's true,” Lesh said, “he saved Mars.”

  “Listen to ‘er,” Morn pleaded.

  Sabin whipped his gun back into its holster. “Want to chase them, Lesh?” Sabin asked.

  “No,” she responded, as she spit out some more blood. “We have more important things to tend to. We have to inform Blague immediately that the Hiezers are storming by boat,” Lesh said.

  “My transponder is jammed,” Sabin explained, “No communications are getting through.”

  “They're jammin’ the signal. It's obvious,” Morn said in his drawl. “Let me help ya. My store is a wreck now and that's the only thing that was holdin’ me back before,” Morn explained.

  Sabin and Lesh looked at each other. Mars barked, walked over to Morn and sat by his feet.

  “I guess it's already been decided,” Sabin said with a smile.

  Lesh noticed one of her knives held captive in Sabin's belt as he cut her chains. “This will be the last time this happens, thank you, and don't say a word back to me if you know what's good for you,” Lesh said.

  Sabin put his hands up with a big smirk and closed lips, as she put her arms around his back to reclaim her artillery.

  “We're lucky to be alive right now,” Morn said, “I thought we were done for.”

  Lesh let out a laugh. “You have no idea how far away that reality was.”

  “Aw c'mon, no credit whatsoever for that?” Sabin asked.

  “Some,” Lesh said with a smirk, “but enough of that. Let's get to Blague now.”

  Sabin nodded, “We're approximately thirty two miles from the breach point, so let's get moving.”

  “Morn, you can join us for now,” Lesh said in an irritated tone.

  Chapter 8

  Jeck stood tall on the center stage with his hands clasped behind his back. The crowd wasn’t sending pleasant vibes in his direction. “Ladies and gentlemen of Senation, over forty years ago this world was in peril, separated by the devastating Global Quake. The disarray was mitigated and eventually reversed thanks to a community that knew how to act. Today, you know this community as the Hiezers,” Jeck paused to gauge his audience. “It's easy to lay blame on the leaders sitting at the top. But ask yourself this; is there not relative order in your lives? Yes, some of a Sin's misfortune might not be totally justified, but have you not noticed the attempt to properly maintain jobs and food supply?” Jeck motioned around the audience with his hands, “I don't see anyone starving here. Sure, that may be due to hard farming work, but where do you think the initial seeds came from? That's right; we supplied them from the top.”

  The crowd scoffed, each person rehashing their own traumatic experiences with Hiezer guards.

  “I know that we are hated, but if nothing else, I would appreciate an understanding that we strive for the betterment of the people on a grand scale.”

  Someone screamed back, “Bullshit! You're referring to the upper classes. Sins are dirt to you!”

  Jeck put his hand up for the man to settle down. “We do not regard the Sins as dirt, but you must understand that the exiled continents are named as such for a reason. Some of the punishment is a lesser allocation of resources and more guards to keep order.”

  “Those guards murdered my family!” another audience member shouted.

  “Again, people of Senation, guard brutality is not sanctioned. These instances are rogue acts. We are working rigorously to curtail and eventually eliminate these atrocities.” Blague stood behind Jeck in the corner, forming his rebuttal. “We have an entire world to watch over and so the Hiezer's responsibility is never ending,” Jeck explained. “One thing we can strive to improve is hearing the exiles’ concerns and frustrations. In time, we can make Senation, Bulchevin, Hekata, Faltier’s Crest, and the rest of the exiled continents a more livable existence,” he projected.

  Expectedly, the audience was not receptive to Jeck's speech, but they weren't throwing rocks at him either. A civilian doctor loudly told his own story, “I've been stripped from my former life due to a strict, unreasonable rule, which has rendered me, and my family torn and beaten. All of the promises in this world can't erase that.”

  “I'm deeply sorry for your hardship, but the strict rules have been carefully articulated and implemented to maintain appropriate order among the classes. It gives the people a purpose by creating a ladder to climb and a hope to one day enjoy the freedom that each higher class gets to take advantage of,” Jeck explained.

  “That's ridiculous,” Chella yelled. “That doesn't apply to your audience,” she said with anger, “There's no way to break out of exile!”

  “That is incorrect,” Jeck responded. “We have implemented two rules to break through to higher classes. The first is to present viable information to capture career Sin criminals, and the second is to submit the discovery of the Ayelan chemical to Hiezer authorities.” Jeck heard the people mumbling to each other after that last sentence. “I see that I'm stirring some uncertainties. Let it be confirmed that the submission of the Ayelan chemical will result in an automatic promotion of three social classes for the individual and that person's immediate family. Let it also be confirmed that maintaining your position as an uprising against the Hiezers will result in a catastrophic end for you and your loved ones. We have crushed hundreds of uprisings s
ince we've initially maintained order. Is it really worth following this man?” Jeck questioned while pointing to Blague, who stood quietly without a reaction. “Citizens of Senation, come to your senses and help us maintain order and prosper on a global scale. We value all life, but we also understand that our systems were built to sustain the necessary structure. Don't throw your lives away for a futile cause. Thank you for hearing the other side.” Jeck ended as he gave the Hiezer salute to his audience; his index and middle finger rested on his eyebrow and his ring finger below his eye.

  The salute frames the eye, which symbolizes the vision of the Hiezers. The crowd’s reaction was mixed. Some people were angry and some were curious. Jeck walked to the back as Blague moved forward.

  “Not bad,” Blague said with a grin.

  “Fellow Sins,” Blague boomed as he stood at the very tip of the ledge. His hands were open, embracing the crowd. “You've followed me through hell and back this past year. We've suffered, we've laughed, we've lost, but most importantly, we've grown. And as we grow, we share a collective idea that serves as the glue holding this group together. We all feel slighted, crippled by the authoritative power standing tall above us. We all strive for the betterment of our people, our families. Up until this great victory, we have been stunted and discarded by the world. What's worse, even if we have the drive to pursue greatness, we are further beaten down by the guards surrounding us. We are nothing but rats in a cage to the Hiezers. It's evident in Mr. Stone's words,” Blague gestured to Jeck. “How does a Sin rat get out of the cage?” he asked rhetorically. “By finding the cheese and giving it up? And by giving up another rat? If this doesn't sound like imprisonment and oppression, then I don't know what does. The younger generation that was born into this amazing crowd before me, has suffered greater than anyone who has had the opportunity to live a higher quality of life. Since birth, they have been trapped in a forcefully sheltered life, thanks to rules set forth by the egotistical community with the grand scheme of maintaining order.” Blague paced from side to side on the platform. “I will not get overly political at this point in time. I want you all to know that I'm very far from being an anarchist. What I want is a fair shot for all of us. Everyone who has had the privilege to read a history book knows that there was once a time when societies weren't crippled. They may have had an unfair start, but hope was always existent. I stand before all of you today, giving everything I have to bring that hope back for the Sins, whether we deserve it or not.”