Dead End Chronicles (Book 1): Dead End Journal

by Alex San Lyra

  During breakfast, we acted as if nothing had happened. I don’t think anyone even noticed anything different about us. Only Stone kept glancing at me, curiously, but even he looked like he didn’t have much of a clue. It wasn’t until after we had eaten that Singer spoke with me about that letter and it’s contents. He accompanied me to the hut, for the continuation of the Hunting Trials.

  On the way, he asked, “Did you get my letter?”

  “Yes,” I replied simply, “I got it.”

  He hesitated, but then told me, “Look, Dana, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it right now. I don’t want to push you into making any decisions. I just had to put that out there. It was driving me crazy... I mean... I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” I said, in spite of myself, “You shouldn’t be sorry for speaking your mind. It’s more than I can say for myself. I know I’ve been... putting it off, this... thing. I should have pulled myself together and said something already... I just... You’re right, I’d hate to lose your friendship, but... I really dunno what I feel...“

  “Dana,” he insisted, “it’s okay. You need time to think about it. I get it. We’ll talk about it when you’re ready.”

  I accepted his offer and dropped the subject.

  - - - - -

  Once we got to the hut, I spoke with Lexa and Mouse and tried not to think about Singer. It was tough, especially with him right there... and Ranger too. But we posted the list with the twelve remaining names and got back to work on the trials. We didn’t post the scores or any comments about their performances. We didn’t want them to compare themselves to each other. As the entrants gathered round, I announced that we were holding the next round right there, in the hut. There was no need for big opened spaces. The tracking round was mostly looking at pictures Lexa had drawn. I also informed them that everyone else was dismissed. As they checked to see if their names were on the list, some smiled, others left disappointed. Lexa stepped forward and thanked them all for trying their best. She told them that we’d be expecting them back the next year. It was classic Lexa, always finding a way to ease people’s minds. Mimi and Nelly were simply overjoyed to have made it through to the next round.

  As soon as the remaining entrants were ready, we guided them to the back of the hut and got started. The crowd was there again, but they soon realized that tracking wasn’t as exciting as shooting arrows. Also there wasn’t really enough room for everyone. It wasn’t long before we were alone with the entrants. Singer and Ranger were helping us out in whatever way we needed. Yesterday, they were really helpful, but today... In hindsight, I think Ranger might have caught on that Singer said something to me, because he started acting really strange. Singer was still keeping scores. Ranger was supposed to just call out the entrants, but at one point, he started giving us some “opinions”. He thought we were calling them in a weird order or something. I’m not entirely sure I understood what he was going on about. At first it seemed harmless, but then Singer got into the discussion. Ranger got annoyed and cut him off a few times. One thing led to another and...

  - - - - -

  For a moment, I just listened to them, trying to figure out what they were even talking about. But then I realized the entrants were all watching them as well, glancing at each other, confused. Lexa gave me a meaningful look, as if asking me to do something. I had to put a stop to it before they made a scene.

  “Ah, Ranger, Singer,” I called them politely, “May I have a word with you?” Calmly turning to Lexa and Mouse, I added, “Lexa you can continue with the tests, Mouse you keep score. We’ll be right back.”

  Thankfully, both Singer and Ranger stopped and followed me. It was easy to see they were both angry, barely keeping it together. I led them through the hut and out to the street, away from the others.

  Closing the door behind me, I demanded, “Okay, what the hell is the problem here?” I looked from one to the other, waiting for an answer.

  Ranger was the first to try and explain, “There isn’t enough room in the back of the hut for everyone. We keep calling them, then telling them to sit back down. They’re just stumbling over each other back there. We should divide them into two groups...”

  “What?” Singer argued, “Dude, there’s plenty of room for everyone. Just tell them to sit further apart.”

  “I DID,” ranger countered, “I’m not fucking stupid, but they all want to sit close to see what’s going on...”

  “So what?” Singer asked, “You can’t even keep a bunch of trainees under control? That’s just lame.”

  Ranger was about to retort something when I quickly cut in, “Stop it! Both of you!” I felt embarrassed, as I started to realize they were basically just arguing for the sake of arguing... probably over me. “Look, you know what, I think you both need a break...”

  “I don’t need a break,” Ranger cried angrily, “I just need Singer-boy here to give me a break.”

  “Hey!” I said, before Singer could answer. I spoke between my teeth, “Keep your fucking voices down, God dammit. You both said you wanted to help, but this, whatever it is you’re doing, isn’t helping. You’re just acting like two asses, and embarrassing me in front of my future bowhunters while you’re at it.” I glared at them.

  I was pissed at them and they noticed it.

  “Dana,” Singer said, “I’m sorry. It wasn’t even my place to say anything, I’m no hunter.”

  “You got that right,” Ranger mumbled.

  Singer retorted in a low voice, “Man, fuck you. At least I have people skills.”

  “Alright, that’s it,” I said finally, “Out! Get the fuck out of here! Both of you! I’ve had it. I have work to do and you’re just getting in my way.”

  I went back inside and closed the door in their faces, without looking back at them. If there was one thing the hut wasn’t big enough for, it was the both of them.

  - - - - -

  It took me a while to settle down. But back to the tracking round. Lexa had set up a test, with all sorts of animal tracks, things to look for in the woods and sounds to listen to. It was pretty cool. She sat down alone, inside the hut, with each entrant and showed them a set of pictures. They had to memorize them and then, when she’d show the pictures again, they had to tell her which ones were which. We gave them two chances. If they got it right on the first try, ten points, second try, 9 points. There was no third try. We didn’t want them guessing, we wanted them to know the answer.

  Seemed simple enough, but I have to admit, even I got mixed up once or twice. Lexa knew it all by heart. It makes me wonder if I’d be able to pass her part of the trial. Then again, none of the entrants there were expert trackers, so I didn’t feel too threatened. They all got mixed up at least once. Nelly was the one to shine in this part of the trials. She had good instincts. Mimi, on the other hand, didn’t do so well, managing only an average score. Lennard Gomes and Philly Bookman were the ones with the highest scores. They both caught on quick and didn’t waste time guessing at random. Lexa was impressed with them. The simplicity of the round meant we finished before the second siren. We had anticipated it, setting up the third round for the afternoon. We were ready to get it started after lunch.

  At lunch, Singer and Ranger sat at opposite sides of the table. Neither came to talk with me. And it was then that news of another town meeting rippled through the cafeteria. I didn’t think much of it at the time, they’re always calling for those meetings. How was I supposed to know what they’d decide? Anyway, Stone said he’d attend to see what it was all about and the rest of us forgot all about it. Of course, maybe that was for the best. We needed to focus on our trials, make sure we were being fair and sound minded in choosing the new bowhunters.

  Back at the hut, we took only the time to review our notes regarding everyone’s performances, before starting the next set of tests. “Awareness”. It was probably the most crucial round of all. It didn’t just involve looking out for wandering demen
ted. Through the years, we had learned ways of detecting demented, and other dangers, before we even saw them. For one, when there are demented in the woods, all the animals go quiet. It’s a dead giveaway... Just like it had been back in those woods, rescuing Stone. If we hadn’t paid attention to the signs, we would have been desert. I even used that story to stress how important it was to have that kind of awareness.

  The test itself consisted of the entrants enacting a hunting day outing. We put them into teams of three, to get a feel of how they worked together, who were the leaders and who were the followers. They had to figure out how to get geared up, what to take with them, what to leave behind... how to chain the bikes, what to listen to out in the woods, what look for... how to cut the meat after shooting an animal down... what to do if a demented spotted them... how to make sure everyone else was doing their jobs correctly. It was actually quite a lot to take in.

  In this round, our evaluation was mostly based on what we felt about each person. I was mentally crossing out anyone who didn’t look concerned enough about safety. We put Mimi and Nelly in separate teams, to see how they’d manage without each other. I thought Mimi’s overconfidence might be her downfall, but she apparently got the message. She showed deep concern for the dangers of hunting, but also good focus on the job at hand. Nelly did a good job as well, but we all got the feeling her fear of the outside was a bit too intense. If she ever became a hunter, we’d definitely have to work on that. It’s good to fear the outside, but we all have to learn to keep it under control. We can’t afford to have someone panic out there. It’d put us all in danger. The Flint brothers did pretty well in this round. Personally, I thought they outperformed the others, and they never got cocky. They’re were level headed and serious.

  By dinnertime, we pretty much knew who we were keeping for the final round. It was about half of them, with only one that we weren’t sure about. Gregory Jones. He had done relatively well throughout, but his macho attitude worried me a little. In the end Mouse convinced me to give the guy a chance to prove himself out in the woods. I got the impression Mouse kinda saw a potential hunting buddy in Greg, or something. It must be hard, not having another man his age on the team. I dunno. In any case, the list ended up like this (in no particular order):

  - Daniel (Danny) Flint

  - Dennis Flint

  - Melinda (Mimi) Jackson

  - Penelope (Nelly) Carter

  - Lennard Gomes

  - Phillip (Philly) Bookman

  - Gregory (Greg) Jones

  They were the only seven names I felt confident enough about to take out for the hunting round. But anyone of them could still be cut from the list if they didn’t do as they were told in the final round. Mimi and Nelly are the only girls in the group. Come to think of it, I can’t really remember many other girls who signed up for the trials. There was the one other blonde girl... and that short haired girl... I can’t even remember their names. Hmmm... I hadn’t stopped to think about that until now.

  We live in a male dominated society. I suppose most girls are at home, learning how to cook and be a good wife. I don’t blame them, but... it’s so frustrating for me. I wish more women would try being independent... I could never picture myself as a housewife. Of course, I’m just frustrated because they are the one’s behind the decision at the town meeting... the housewives.

  We got in a little late for dinner. It took a lot of convincing to get me to finally add Greg to the list. To be honest, I would have been happy with only the six names. We’ll see how it turn out in the next round. When we went into the cafeteria though, Stone and Bibi hadn’t arrived yet. I went and asked Singer where they were. He was still kind of brooding, but he told us that they were still at the meeting. That, in itself, was unusual. The meeting always took brakes for meal times. We started eating without them, already expecting the worst.

  - - - - -

  When Stone and Bibi finally showed up, they didn’t look too good. They seemed to be arguing about something or other. It seemed everyone was fighting that day. Sure, they always argued over everything, but I knew them well enough to know it was more than the everyday banter. It looked like Stone was telling her to keep it down, and not make a scene. She ignored him, looking around for me. When she saw me, she walked away from him.

  She sat next to me, without even greeting us, and cried, "You won't fucking believe the shit that just went down at the meeting." Fury beamed from her eyes.

  Some of the people around us looked over, from the corners of their eyes. Not that Bibi gave a shit.

  “Easy, Beebs,” I told her, “Slow down, breath.”

  She finally stopped and took a deep breath.

  Stone came and sat next to her. Lexa, Mouse and the others all kind of huddled in to listen.

  “Okay,” I said, bracing myself, “So, what happened at the meeting? Stone?”

  He glanced around and then began, "The guards called for elections again." He stopped and rubbed his eyes.

  My heart skipped a beat. I quickly realized that could only mean one thing, the council had approved the election. New leadership was going to be chosen.

  Regaining my voice, I said, "So, they want Mr. Harper to step down. How soon?"

  Bibi mumbled, in a grim tone, "They don’t fuckin’ know yet, but there's been talk of holding the election in two weeks, Doll... just two fuckin’ weeks..."

  "Damn, two weeks?" I asked, “That’s inane.”

  Singer asked, "But the council approved this election? How? Who voted in favor of it?"

  Stone explained, "The townspeople representative voted in favor. I think it took everyone else by surprise."

  "So, it was the guards, the hunters and the townspeople?" I asked, just to confirm it.

  Stone just nodded affirmatively. The town council was divided into these five factions, guards, hunters, farmers, scavengers and townspeople. The townspeople were the largest group, encompassing all who worked inside the town walls, cooks, carpenters, mechanics, teachers... They were mostly women and children... a lot of wives.

  "I see," Singer considered, "So, we've finally reached that turning point, when the townspeople are mostly the wives of guards and hunters."

  Mouse put into words what we were all thinking, "With the townspeople on their side, the guards are going to win the election without even breaking a sweat."

  "Yeah," Stone added, "old man Harper left the meeting looking like someone had just run his dog over."

  "Fuckin' housewives, man!" Bibi cried furiously out at the cafeteria.

  “Bibi, don’t!” I told her, grabbing her hand, “Come on, let’s not make it any worse than it has to be. They haven’t won yet, right? I’m sure Mr. Harper will be running. What’re they going to call the new leader, anyway? Mayor?”

  “Who knows?” Stone said sarcastically, “King, maybe.”

  - - - - -

  We ate rather quietly. I couldn’t help listening in on people’s conversations around us. Some seemed happy, others were worried... everyone was talking about the elections. After dinner, walking through the streets... the whole town was agitated over the news. I don’t even want to think of the changes that would come with the guards in charge. But we can’t lose hope just yet. If there’s going to be an election, an “honest” election, maybe the guards will lose and we’ll put the whole discussion to rest. In any case, we still have to see how things are going to pan out. They might just end up canceling the whole thing.

  Regardless, everyone was looking down tonight. I just wanted today to be about the trials... but life keeps throwing us curve balls... “curve balls”... I don’t even know what that means. Are curved balls problematic for some reason? It’s ironic. I don’t know where that comes from, but somehow... it fits... and it wasn’t over yet. Stone walked me home again today.

  - - - - -

  On the way to my apartment, we talked about the Hunting Trials, but conversation wasn’t as cheerful as the day before. Stone wasn’t into it, I could
see he was still thinking about those elections. They were going to haunt us until the matter was settled... and maybe even after that. When we got to my front door, we found Ranger there... waiting for me. He had an apologetic look on his face.

  “Ranger?” I greeted him curiously.

  “Hi, Dana, Stone,” he greeted back, “I’m sorry to bother you like this... I um... Dana, can we talk?”

  I glanced at Stone and he raised a suspicious eyebrow at me. He must’ve thought I was up to no good, one day a letter, another a man waiting on me.

  “Is everything okay, kiddo?” he asked me.

  “It’s fine, Stone,” I replied wearily, “It’s nothing you have to worry about, I swear.”

  “Okay then,” he accepted again, “Have a good one.”

  “Goodnight, Stone,” I sighed, “Thanks... for everything.”

  He walked away and I turned to Ranger, “You better not piss me off, Ranger, I’m REALLY not in the mood.”

  “I won’t,” he promised, “I just want to talk.”

  “Okay,” I agreed to it, “Just give me a minute to tuck my brother in, okay? Come, we can talk in the hallway.”

  My brother was already sleeping in my arms, the day had been rough on him... again. I went up, put him in bed and then set my hunting gear in the corner. Ranger waited patiently for me. I was kind of tired myself. It wasn’t a physical kind of weariness, rather it was mental. When I was done, I led Ranger back out to the hall.

  “Alright,” I said, sighing, “let me have it.” I tried to be cool about it, but the butterflies were already starting to take flight in my stomach.

  He stared at me for what felt like an hour. It was probably just a minute. Then he started, “Damn, I suck at apologies... I really am sorry for the way I acted today, at the hut, with Singer. I know he’s your friend and all. You were right, I was being a total ass and... I’m sorry.”