Arcene: The Island

by Al K. Line

  "We're up to it," said Erato. "Right?" He turned to Cashae and Talia. "Right?" They nodded.

  "Good. Because I tell you now, you have no choice in the matter. Do you think this girl, this woman, this Arcene, and her dog, will just run and not seek us out if we don't do the same? No. She is a warrior and we must find her. She is out there," he pointed through the broken barrier, "and we must do all we can to finish The Hunt. It is our duty to ourselves, to our people. This day shall go down in history. The tales that will be told. Are you with me?"

  "Yes!" Erato was fired up, face flushed, eager to get going, convinced by Vorce's words.

  "Talia? Cashae?"

  "Yes."

  "Of course."

  "Good, then let us continue. Keep your weapons ready and expect anything. Be cautious, stay alert at all costs, and remain silent when you feel that tingle. Trust your instincts. Be as one with The Hunt. This is who you are now. You are Hunters and you must listen to that silent voice that tells you when to run, when to hide, when to attack and when to deliver the death blow. Come."

  They stepped over the steaming panels and pushed on through into the city.

  So Much Space

  Talia hurried for a few paces and caught up with Vorce. They'd been going for an hour now, not running, just walking briskly. "Vorce, may I ask you a question?"

  "Of course. What is it?"

  "Well, now we are in the... the suburbs," the word sounded strange to Talia, like an underwater kingdom, and she kept having visions of fish swimming in and out of little buildings, blowing bubbles and going, burb, burb, burb, as they swam, "why would people live back there in the cramped streets with all the noise, no space, and where you said everything cost more to live?"

  "Haha, that's a good question, Talia. People lived in the skyscrapers as they wanted to be in the middle of it all. They wanted convenience. To walk to stores, step out and buy a coffee, eat at restaurants, buy things, be close to work and friends and everything else."

  "But why did they want that? Wouldn't it be better to live here where the houses are spread out and they have gardens where you could grow food and keep your animals? How did they do that in the city center?"

  "Gosh, I never knew there were such gaps in your schooling. You are one hundred and eleven and there is so much you don't know of the past. What must it be like for the children?"

  "We never learned anything about this sort of thing. We learned a lot, I know most of the words you use, but this is different. When you see it, well, I can't understand why people would live where it was cramped."

  "You haven't seen the countryside yet, Talia. It was always mostly empty, even though people complained of overcrowding. It was like sacred ground and you couldn't build on it. But to answer your question," Vorce paused as he noted that Cashae and Erato had joined them. Even Elder Janean was paying attention, and she had lived through it, although for less years than Vorce, "it was how people grew up, what they were used to. Many people lived their lives as we do, never moving far from where they were born. Most never went walking in the wild woods, or in the meadows, and most certainly never grew food or kept animals. Even with large gardens they would just have lawns, which was grass, just grass, and that was it."

  "Grass to cut and barter as feed for their neighbors' livestock?" asked Cashae.

  "Haha. No, everyone was the same. No animals, just pets like dogs and cats, not pigs or cows or even chickens."

  "What was the grass for then?"

  "Um, to look nice I suppose. Haha, gosh, I haven't thought about it in years. But do you know, even when I was a very, and I mean very rich man, and I had a home that had acres of grass and there were animals on it tended by others, I still used to go out and mow. I had a lawn in an enclosed area at the rear of the house. It was, um... satisfying. Seeing the stripes as you walked up and down, it was what you did."

  "Oh," said Talia, finding it hard to visualize Vorce living in a large house, mowing a lawn. "What else did you do?"

  "Oh, lots of things. I traveled the world in planes, in my own private plane actually. I climbed mountains, met strange people and learned strange languages. I built houses and I drank expensive wine and..."

  "What? Tell us more, please?"

  "I'm sorry, I should not have mentioned those things. It is all gone now. None of that life remains. Not much of it was good anyway. Just greed, a way for me and others to fill in time, try to find a way to cope with the strange world that seemed to have crept up on us without us having the time to understand or think about what we were doing."

  "It sounds great," said Erato.

  "I suppose some of it was, but not all of it. We lost our way somehow, and then we lost ourselves."

  "To The Lethargy?"

  "Yes, and to each other. It's why I built The Island. To keep you safe, to stop the madness infiltrating and us becoming what so many others did. Separate, not part of a community. Lost, alone and friendless in a city that housed millions of other people. I wanted something different. I'm sorry that I kept things from you, about The Hunt, and more, but I believed it for the best."

  "That's okay." Talia put an arm on his shoulder, something she would never have dreamed of doing before. "We understand, and we are grateful."

  "Thank you."

  They walked on in silence. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all? He was doing what he believed right, trying to give them a different life, but Talia couldn't help questioning if they should be living here, on the mainland, rather than hiding and trying to ignore what went before.

  They could help rebuild. Do it differently. Not leave the few people that remained to struggle and need help. Was it their place, their duty even, to help those they didn't know? No easy question to answer.

  How many people were left now? Would they be scattered, isolated, or would there be groups of people in the city, living together and doing well? Surely there must be.

  Arcene had come from somewhere, after all, and there were signs at some of the houses, where things weren't as overgrown and buildings had been repaired, that hinted at relatively recent occupation. So the world wasn't empty, far from it.

  Soon it would be one girl and one dog down though. Or would it?

  Talia kept on walking.

  No More City

  It was early afternoon, their meager lunch consumed. Vorce had given strict instructions that they were to ration their food, water too, as who knew how long this would take now things had taken a turn for the unexpected. They had chosen what appeared to be one of the last buildings on the edge of the city before more roads than Talia would have thought existed criss-crossed in a dizzying maze that obscured the landscape beyond and sent her mind reeling.

  It was a strange place to build a house, she had commented innocently as they crossed a large expanse of crumbling asphalt and broken barriers, there to apparently stop the hurtling cars crashing into those going in the opposite direction — was there no end to the madness of this world?

  Elder Janean had laughed at her comment, saying that the house was built long before the roads, hundreds of years before. The roads were constructed around it, but she wouldn't have wanted to live there. The noise would have been deafening, cars whizzing by at all hours of the day and night, never any peace.

  Why didn't they move? she had asked. There was plenty of space, wasn't there?

  Yes, but you weren't allowed to just go roaming about, picking a spot and building a house. That wasn't how it worked. Talia had remained silent but she couldn't see why not. Far into the distance, peeking above the partially collapsed bridges and concrete pillars that supported ever more roads, were miles of open countryside, hills lush and green — there was room for everyone, surely?

  Leaving the city had been a strange experience. One minute they were in the suburbs, walking down empty streets past homes that were often beautiful, the houses larger and larger, their grounds more expansive as they got away from the congestion, then they were at a series of wide roads and i
t changed again — tiny terraced houses huddled under the bridges, butted close to supports that reminded her of her own home. A place that already felt like a dream, not where she had lived for a century, a decade, and what, two days now?

  So much for her birthday, they hadn't even had chance for a tiny celebration, just her and her friends. There had been too much to do to prepare for this day. At least she had her gift, the tiny carving of the fish from Erato. It was stored safely in her pack, precious and beautiful.

  Then the houses disappeared and all that remained were roads heading in every direction. Routes that would take you anywhere in the country, Elder Janean explained, but beyond them was countryside for miles and miles, the odd house, nothing else.

  Talia itched to see for herself. She wanted to stand on a mountain, look to the distance and for it to all be land, her ancestral home. Even sat in the long grass that would have once been a person's garden she felt her affinity for true, solid ground growing, felt a connection she hadn't realized was missing her entire life.

  This was her country, where she belonged. Where they all belonged. How could Vorce, and Elder Janean, the other Elders back home, how could they have given all this up? She knew she had only seen the decay so far, but there were hints of what was to come: distant mountains, the lush greenery, trees and plants so very different to the stunted specimens on The Island.

  This was nature at its rawest, reclaiming what had been taken and nothing could stop it — why would you want to? Talia wanted to see more. Ached to wander in fields of grass, dance in meadows, watch butterflies and bees. They had been a revelation, all the insects. It was a miracle. What else was there to see? She wanted to explore this world and immerse herself in the truth it revealed to her.

  It wasn't the sights that dominated though, it was the sounds. Ever since she Awoke, Talia had found that one of her special gifts was the way she could amplify sound easily. Now it was second nature after so many years. She could see and hear so much. The bugs beneath the earth, birds high in the sky, others nesting and cooing to their chicks. Bees that sounded like an invasion of helicopters she had been told about, buzzing loudly. And if she really listened she could hear the butterflies sucking up nectar from flowers that shone brightly in the overgrowth she and her friends were settled in, where they were to rest for an hour while Vorce and Elder Janean discussed what would happen next.

  The three friends sat close together, putting away their equipment and food supplies, strapping up their packs ready for when they would leave. They should rest, try to have a quick nap, but it was obvious to all three it wouldn't happen. It was silly, but Talia felt closer to her friends than ever, like they were back being children again, sat around on The Island, chatting about nonsense, throwing sticks or planning their next big adventure.

  Adventure! Ha! This was adventure. This was what it was to be alive. The games they had played back home, in the limited landscape that now seemed tiny after experiencing the true size of the world, seemed unimaginable now she knew what life was really like.

  Her friends were practically glowing with wonder, faces flushed, eyes bright and shining. They were as surprised by the world as she was, it was written all over their faces. It often struck her as odd they had been such close friends all these years. Yes, they were roughly the same age, but that didn't always equate to friendship. And so different too. She was slender, tall, toned and tanned. Cashae was short, had never lost her puppy fat even after a century, and her bouncy blond hair made her look like a harmless young girl, not a woman that had stopped her body clock mid-twenties but had the experiences of a life longer than many could ever hope to live.

  And Erato. Definitely a man, and quite wise, even for his extensive years. He was often serious, but when he smiled... Oh boy, it would melt your heart. He had the pick of the women and girls back home, but never showed much interest, dallying now and then but retaining his independence. He was a catch all right, with his weathered features, short beard and that mess of curls. Not to mention those green eyes that sparkled when he laughed. And the body. Scrawny, but with lean muscle and prominent veins on darkly tanned arms from the time he spent outside.

  Yes, theirs was an unexpected friendship, yet she supposed they had always had something in common: they simply enjoyed each other's company.

  She'd thought of it often over the years, wondered why she deserved such great company when others shunned her for her mother's unfortunate loss through The Lethargy, and maybe that was it. All of them had either lost their parents or in the case of Cashae just wasn't that close to them. But there was something more. They loved each other.

  Who could explain friendship? It just was. You either connected or not, and for over a hundred years they had been best friends. Never tried to oust one to get closer to the other, never played those childish games of oneupmanship like so many children and adults did. They hardly bickered, sometimes kept a little distance when things got a little intense, but mostly they were inseparable. Three people who loved each other. They were a family.

  Picking them had been a foregone conclusion, the pact made long ago that if any of them became a Judge then the others would be their first choice as Hunters. They had all been extremely excited once The Judgment became a reality, and they awoke to find themselves on the fabled mainland where their ancestors had lived and died for millennia.

  Talia looked at her friends, wondered what they saw when they looked at her. They were like a bunch of little kids, excited to be allowed to stay up late. And why? Because they were pleased to be chosen to chase and kill a young human being because she had been rude?

  No. The anticipation of such an act had long worn off for all of them, although none had spoken a word of their concerns. There would be serious, very serious consequences if they backed out, and a part of Talia didn't want to.

  What kind of world would it be if arrogance and bad behavior went unpunished? Arcene had killed Elder Boehn, well, her dog at any rate, and that was unforgivable. But the edge was gone, the bloodlust faded. All that remained was a grim determination to see it through to the end.

  Then what? Talia didn't want to think about it.

  "Well?" Erato looked at them with those scary green eyes of his, as though he could read their minds. The fact was he might. He had always been quiet about his Awoken abilities, maintaining the "man of mystery" aura even with his best friends.

  "Well, what?" Cashae squirmed a little and looked to Talia for help.

  "Let's cut the nonsense. We all know this is great, if a little scary," Talia checked they were out of earshot, "but we also know something isn't right. This isn't how we thought it happened. It's like cheating. All those cameras, the fence, and this whole world, it feels so empty. The Hunt, it's not..."

  "Not quite right. What you mean is it's wrong. What are we going to do?" Erato fiddled with a buckle on his pack, hair falling over his face.

  "But she was rude and Talia Judged her. She's Prey, we have to do it."

  "I'm not saying we don't, and I'm not saying she wasn't rude and all the rest, but to die? Now we're here, involved, well, it's not like seeing it on the screen, is it? You saw Elder Boehn, that's what it's really like. If you're lucky. All gross and bloody, and you soil yourself and go all blotchy, and..." Erato's hands fumbled nervously with the buckle; they were shaking.

  "And nobody told us how it would feel, did they?" Talia was relieved, glad they all felt the same way. The only question now was what were they going to do? What could they do?

  "Can we leave, go home?" asked Cashae, cheeks blotchy, tears running like the water that dripped off the tattered plastic sheets hung all over The Island to let fresh water from the air collect and drip slowly into the collection chambers. Cashae wiped away her tears and looked to her friends for advice. "Can we?"

  "No, Cashae, we can't," said Erato.

  "No, never. Not unless we finish this." Talia was certain of that. There had never been an incomplete Hunt. Never.

>   "So we do it? We hunt her because she was rude and she did hold a sword to Elder Boehn and she ate too much and..."

  "Hush, it's okay. We're a team, we'll get this done and then that will be that." Erato wrapped his arms around Cashae and hugged her tight to his chest. He nodded to Talia, as if saying that they would work together, do what needed to be done, even if it was scary and not at all what they imagined.

  He looked haunted, but he shook his head. The frown, and serious, strong face of a determined man was back, with the hint of laughter lines at the corners of his eyes. Talia loved him more than she ever had.

  "Dry your eyes," said Talia. "We'll be going soon. Not a word of this to Vorce or Elder Janean. Just do as you are told and we'll be home tomorrow, telling stories of our bravery and the adventures we had."

  Cashae sniffed then moved from Erato. She whispered, "Thank you," hugged Talia and kissed her cheek.

  They finished packing, checked each other over, then walked to the front of the house and stared at the mangled remains of mass travel that had once been taken for granted, stood in their little patch of home surrounded by the madness.

  How could somebody live here? What a strange people they were.

  Get a Grip

  How was it possible for your bottom to hurt so much? Arcene had thought the crashing through the trees and resulting bang on the bum had been about the limit, but that paled in comparison to a few hours on a bicycle. She rubbed it then slapped her head for being so forgetful.

  With a quick adjustment of nociceptors, the pain eased until it was nothing but a gentle reminder to pad the saddle next time she went riding. The bike was abandoned two hours ago now, the tires giving out after centuries of slow decay, unable to be fixed.

  Sometimes, a tiny part of her regretted halting her aging at fifteen. Not much, but when she found herself forgetting to do the simplest of things with her Awoken gifts, or caught herself being silly, even petulant and acting like a spoiled brat and wallowing in self-pity, she wondered what kind of proper, genuine grown-up woman she would be now her real age was twenty-two.