Arcene: The Island

by Al K. Line

  Back down in the church the strange feeling of there being someone, something, watching her returned. A spiritual residue lingering after all these centuries, as if the prayers and the praise had seeped into the walls and was being released just for her — it was unnerving.

  Arcene stared at the message on the wall once more, then spoke to the body beneath it. "Maybe he didn't forsake you. Maybe this was a new start, to make things better, but as usual we messed up, got it wrong again."

  They retraced their steps. Arcene peeked out of the door to check it was clear, then picked another building. As they crept through the street as fast as possible, Arcene felt a strange sadness come over her. What had the people felt when everything changed for them so suddenly? Did they think they were being punished, or that they deserved it?

  The world had definitely been mad, impossible to understand, but it had its beauty too. But that was then, this was now, and she had her own concerns. No time to shed a tear for what once was. She had responsibilities, and letting her energy deflate, and her spirit darken, was no way to go about surviving. She was Arcene and nobody would take away her happiness, her lust for life and its endless beauty. The miracle of being alive.

  "In here, Leel. Come on."

  They stepped inside what must have been an old clothes store. Most of the stock was gone, taken long ago, but a few items remained — torn to shreds, rotten, or strangely still intact, bright colors peeking from under the fallen rails and display cases, broken mannequins in unnatural poses, prone on the tiles, blank eyes staring forever at the lack of customers.

  What a strange world it was. How wonderful it must have been to walk into a building and have your pick of clothes in any color and style you wanted. Then Arcene remembered that you would have to have a job to afford them, and thought herself lucky that all she had to do was ensure what she'd decided was her look was in plentiful supply back home. A huge collection of clothes saved from the rot and carefully stored. She didn't have to pay and she didn't have to drive a car and queue in traffic and inhale noxious fumes if she wanted a new pair of socks.

  They made their way through the store as fast as possible, ignoring the bodies. There were always bodies in stores. The last thing some people had done with their lives was go shopping.

  Time for a Plan

  Above the store, the two levels had been converted into spacious and luxurious apartments. What was even more surprising was that one remained completely untouched. The top floor was a mess, roof partially fallen where a truss had finally given way to rot, but the second floor was almost immaculate. A rare glimpse into the life of city dwellers when hustle and bustle would have been evident by a quick glimpse out of the intact windows.

  The carpet was musty, and moldy in the far corner where rain damage had seeped from above, but apart from that Arcene could easily believe she was coming home from a hard day at work — what kind of job would she have been good at? — and was now relaxing, taking in the view.

  It was only spoiled by the fact they were crouched behind a stupid sofa made of chrome and leather about as comfortable to sit on as a stick. A pointy one. That, and the faint smell of death that was probably more her imagination than coming from the pile of bones and cloth sat at a counter in the open plan kitchen and living area. How the body had remained there, slumped over the upper half of the counter, the lower half still sat on the stool, was a miracle. But there the man was. Even his shoes were still on.

  Leel kept glancing at the body as if she expected him to get up and offer them a cup of tea or something nice to eat. It was making Arcene nervous, and now she was thinking about tea and sandwiches. "Stop looking at him, Leel, he's been dead ages." Whenever she encountered homes that hadn't been ransacked, or in ruin, it always felt intrusive, as if she had no right to enter a space not gone through by multiple pairs of hands long before she was born. Like she was a thief and would get caught.

  Hiding behind a sofa, and peering out the windows at the street below, made her feel even more like an unwanted guest. As though she was disturbing the man's slumber and he'd wake up, ask why she'd rearranged the furniture and had she seen the state of his rug? Didn't she have any manners?

  Knowing the wait could be long, Arcene gathered a few blankets from the bedroom and made a little seating area for her and Leel, then had a change of heart and moved the sofa again, allowing her to stay hidden by the window and peek out to watch.

  As time passed, and Leel fell asleep at her feet, Arcene looked out at the enclosed part of the city and wondered how best to deal with the situation. It all came down to the fence as far as she could tell. Over meant freedom.

  She could run. Keep on running until she got home. Or she could at least have the freedom to pick off her "Hunters" one by one, without risking the others getting her before she had time to make good her escape.

  This wasn't how Arcene normally did things. She confronted her fears, her abusers, and always had her revenge. She had to be honest with herself — running away was out of the question. And besides, if she let them live they'd do it to some other poor soul that happened to get lost at sea, finding themselves in the hands of such evil people.

  The fence bisected the city and she could see it between the buildings each way she looked. How hard could it be to get over? All she had to do was find a weak spot and that would be it.

  Or... Yes, that was it! She knew what she had to do.

  "Wakey, wakey, sleepy head. It's time to go. No point just waiting for them to show up. We need to get out of here and we need to deal with them. I have a plan. Leel, wake up!"

  Leel opened an eye and looked at Arcene expectantly. "No, no food. We're going."

  Woof!

  "Yes, all right. But then we have to go." Arcene fished in the backpack, pulled out the meat, and they each chewed a few slices of dried flesh. At least Arcene did, Leel gulped hers then pleaded with infinitely sad eyes. "That's it, we're off." Arcene checked the street below. "Change of plan, come on."

  She yanked on Leel's collar and they headed down to street level. An Elder, the one called Boehn, the one she'd confronted with her sword, was moving cautiously down the street, searching for them.

  Time to even the odds. Arcene whispered instructions to Leel before they moved through the store and dashed out into bright sunshine — it was a lovely day. Warm, and the breeze had died down. Time to make it somebody's last ever summer.

  Elder Boehn was hyper-alert, all possible precautions taken through his not insubstantial powers over The Noise and his own body. Eyesight was ramped up, peripheral vision as strong as he could possibly make it. Hearing was tweaked to drown out his own quiet footsteps and pick up on anything else. Even the cilia in his nostrils were waving like leeches searching for the scent of blood. He held his short sword in one hand, thick fingers curled tight around the heavily carved hilt.

  He was an expert fighter at close quarters, and he wasn't about to let the girl get the better of him this time. How he would ever live down the shame of her sticking that skinny sword at his neck he did not know, and the thought of it brought a flush to his ears. He simply hadn't thought she would do such a thing. It never crossed his mind, and besides, if he'd had a weapon it would have been a different story.

  Revenge would be his. He would be the one to find her, maim her and call for Talia to deliver the death blow as was her right and her duty. He knew the younger ones thought of him as rather a gruff man, but it was a persona. To close friends, like Vorce who he had been with for so very long, he often laughed and joked. It was the beard, he knew that. Having a face that was long and a little like a horse — he hated to admit but did — and a brown-gray beard, made him look exactly how you would expect a grumpy old man to look. But he was quite a positive guy, he liked to think, if a little jaded by life. By The Hunt.

  So many Hunts over the years. He didn't even have the enthusiasm for such an escape as he once did, until now.

  This was a real adversary. She would be s
lippery, probably take a day or two to find without the camera feeds. Right now she would be holed up in a building, but she'd make a mistake. They always did.

  Was she mad?

  Boehn smiled as he halted. She was a feisty young thing, but did she actually believe she could win against a man centuries older than her with all the experience that entailed?

  Arcene stood ten paces away from him, back to the sun — a clever move — legs wide and that cocky smile on her face like she knew something he didn't. She reached over her shoulder and drew her sorry excuse for a sword. She swished it back and forth in practiced moves, the sound of cut air carrying to him.

  "I must say, you are a bit of a surprise."

  "Yeah, well, you ain't seen nothing yet." Arcene sheathed her sword. The pommel danced like a wobbly sun seen through ill-made glass.

  What was she doing? Did she want to fight him without a blade? He wasn't that stupid. This would be easier than he thought. He watched as she walked casually toward him, features becoming clear as the sun was obscured by a wisp of cloud.

  "I'm sorry about threatening you, I didn't mean it. I've just had a few bad experiences, so hate people I don't know touching me."

  "Apology accepted, although I'm afraid that doesn't mean I can let you go." Boehn was warming to the girl. There was something about her, something that felt right, like she was part of the natural world rather than a human being. Swaying in the breeze, going with the flow.

  He moved his left leg forward for balance and readied himself. There must be no surprises. He would slice a leg, flesh bare above her bizarre socks, then the arm. Then he would call for the others.

  "That's a bit of a silly move, if you don't mind me saying."

  "Eh, what?" Could she read his thoughts? Impossible.

  "I don't have to. I can see it in your stance, in the way you hold your sword. I've been trained by the best, and I've seen a lot of martial arts movies too. Did you know—"

  "Enough! We shall fight, and you will lose."

  "I don't think we will fight. Why bother?"

  Boehn had been stupid, so stupid.

  It was all so obvious. How had he fallen for such a trick? He felt the hot air on his neck but it was too late. As he turned, sword moving to slice though the attacker at his rear, he knew he'd lost.

  The last thing Boehn saw before he died was the gaping jaws of Leel as they snapped at his throat and ripped off half his neck and his lower jaw. He dropped down, dead. His sword clattered beside him.

  Leel walked past him and sat by Arcene. "Good girl. Silly man, doesn't he know who he's messing with?"

  Woof.

  "Okay, one victory bark, but then you must be quiet." Arcene rubbed Leel's ear gently. When she pulled it away there was blood on her hand. "Guess it's apt. The mark of the Hunter, victorious in the chase."

  Woof. Leel almost managed to whisper.

  "Okay, fair enough. You were victorious, but I helped. Come on, we can get back to my plan now."

  A Nice Fire

  Everything burned if it got hot enough.

  After walking the perimeter of the wall for twenty minutes, putting distance between them and the body, Arcene kept the thought running in a loop while she dealt with the death. She felt no remorse. The man, the "Elder," would have seen her, both of them, dead. But violent deaths always left a little hollow spot in her heart, like each one chipped a little off and she had to monitor it, ensure she repaired the damage. If she didn't, she knew the day would come when it would mean nothing, like taking off a pair of socks.

  Life, and death, had to mean something. It was so precious, so she mourned in her own way for what the man could have been in a different timeline if choices had been different. Satisfied, Arcene let his memory fade like a dream, replaced by the plan, or idea anyway, she had decided on.

  It looked like a suitable spot. The fence crept around the back of a row of buildings with just enough room to squeeze past. The narrow space was full of trash, leaves, junk of all description that had gathered and built higher and higher. But it was the buildings themselves she was more interested in. These were very old, not the modern style like most of the others, but ancient buildings constructed of brick and wood that predated The Lethargy by centuries.

  Careful not to give away their position, they crept into a building through a back door that hung by a single hinge. Arcene twisted it off and carried it inside. After moving to the wall nearest the fence she left it there and hunted for anything else combustible.

  There were numerous doors fallen to the floor in various rooms, a few wooden chairs, and all manner of things she could use. It wasn't long before she had jammed as much as possible into the small room, already cramped as it was a storage space for the store that seemingly sold shoes — a whole store just for shoes!

  She added cardboard, crumbly and brittle but dry, at the base of her pyre, and fished out the lighter. Arcene set about making a small fire in the heart of the pile. Leel tried to squeeze in with her, as if she was making a fun den to play in, but she ordered her out and Leel took the hint as the smoke began to rise.

  "I know we've had enough of fire for a while but the forest fire gave me an idea. If we can get this building to burn then... Well, you'll see. I just hope it happens quickly enough."

  With a whoosh the fire erupted into flame, the brittle cardboard and ancient doors catching with ease. The flames licked higher and fanned out across the ceiling. They darted outside. Arcene watched as orange death poured out the missing windows, devoured the wooden frame, and caught the trash.

  The entire back of the building was ablaze in seconds, and within a minute there was an almighty crash — the ceiling was gone, the upper joists and floorboards exposed. The fire consumed everything. It licked higher and higher, ancient, worm-riddled wood consumed at a terrifying rate.

  Up and up, now near the roof, and then the roof itself. Smoke and flame poured out of the upper story windows then the roof. Tiles crashed to the ground, clattering against the massive steel and iron sheets that stood fifteen feet tall, topped with triple lines of razor wire and with a projection at the top that made it impossible to get over even if she had a means of climbing it in the first place.

  Was that why they'd given her the rope? So she'd trap herself, get cut to ribbons on the wire? It didn't matter, the plan was working.

  Arcene tapped her foot impatiently as they stepped further back from the roaring heat. They would be here soon, drawn to the flame and noise, so it better happen soon. Then it did.

  There was no warning. The rear of the building simply gave way. The joists that kept it joined to the house burned through, the intense heat weakened the ancient mortar and bricks until the load above couldn't be coped with and the roof pushed down, the force sending the wall and then the rest of the roof angling out, flattening a section of fence.

  Still the fire roared, but already it was dying down as ancient wood was consumed rapidly. More sections of fence fell, and as one toppled so did its neighbor.

  The way was open.

  "Come on, Leel, time to leave before they get here." Leel looked to Arcene for reassurance. Arcene nodded, and Leel pelted across the hot steel and jumped the confusion of barbed wire with ease. With a look down the street, and the sight of five Hunters heading for her at different speeds, Arcene wasted no time. She followed Leel, scagged a sock on the wire but then she was free.

  They ran into the unlocked city and never once looked back.

  "If we're lost then I suppose they will be too. Come on, let's keep going." They had been running for an hour now and Arcene had no idea where they were in relation to the hunting ground, only that she'd tried to keep heading away from it. The streets made no sense though, repeatedly curving and doubling back. There were so many different ways to go she was getting dizzy. She needed energy, carbohydrates and meat. What she wouldn't give for a glass of milk. Her belly rumbled at the thought, but she didn't think they would be getting a nice lunch any time soon
.

  They were both tiring. The last few days catching up with them again, muscles sending out frequent reminders that they needed time to recover. Rest. So much had happened, and before that even more. It was a busy vacation that was for sure.

  They ran on.

  The city morphed from centralized shopping center to wide streets, and parks with overgrown and wild trees sucking up all the moisture. Little remained green beneath the dense canopy. They passed sad remains of children's play equipment, reminders of how they used to run and scream with delight while their mothers chatted and wondered what to cook for dinner.

  On they went, into the suburbs, the landscape changing once again. Row after row of fallen houses made on the cheap, standing for just a few years before they fell. The endless streets were all the same — nothing but rubble and hunks of rust in the driveways where the cars fared better than the buildings.

  Arcene felt like she could breathe at last, the crowded buildings in the center giving way to two-story homes where she could see the sky and the ground wasn't permanently shaded. There was color too. Gardens gone rogue, the toughest plants surviving, flourishing and sweeping across the once neat lawns of suburbia in swathes of red and gold. Bees buzzed with the bounty they collected, birds caught insects, and animals peered at the intruders from their hiding places.

  This was what Arcene needed — space. To feel the presence of nature and let the activity of the wildlife calm her, center her and put a little of the madness behind her. But they couldn't just keep on running, not forever.

  "Which... way... Leel?" Arcene held her side. She had a stitch and she'd really had enough of running. How far was far enough to get time to allow her to recover? Should they get inside a building? Would Vorce right now be up high in the mind of a bird scouring the ground for them? Or had he followed them all along and running was pointless? Maybe they should walk, save the energy? So many questions. Arcene had no answers.