by Perrin Briar
She shook her head.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this,” she said.
“Instead, we should do what?” Quinn said. “Sit back and watch as the Controller, or someone like him, takes full control? No one will be able to stand against him if we do nothing now.”
“You said so yourself—you’re not strong enough to face him,” Siren said. “And there’s nothing I can do either. He’s too powerful already.”
“We have to try something,” Quinn said.
“Why do you care so much about helping people anyway?” Siren said. “What have they ever done for you?”
“Because if we don’t fight for them, and ourselves, who will?” Quinn said.
“The people won’t help us,” Siren said. “People are as selfish and stupid as they’ve always been. They won’t help each other. They’re too busy helping themselves.”
“The people here aren’t selfish,” Quinn said. “They’re working together to create a community of safety.”
“No,” Siren said. “They’re working together because they’re being forced to. That’s not the same thing.”
“Whitegate was different,” Quinn said. “A real community of people working together.”
“That was Whitegate,” Siren said. “This is Arthur’s Port. Whitegate is small and everyone knows each other. Here, it’s like a big city. People don’t mind if they tread on others’ toes, just so long as it gets them closer to what they want.”
“It’s in the human condition,” Quinn said. “We just need to give them hope things can be better than this.”
“The people here have it good,” Siren said. “They don’t look like they mind giving up some of their freedom in exchange for security.”
“They do mind,” Quinn said. “That’s why Hope stood against the Controller.”
“And look how that turned out,” Siren said. “These people are afraid. Every day the Controller gets stronger.”
“Which is why we need to act now,” Quinn said. “Look, the Controller is going to meet with all the leaders of the most powerful communities in the country in two weeks. They’ll meet here. In Arthur’s Port. We need to make the Controller see reason before then. To give our idea a shot.”
“You’re crazy,” Siren said.
“Maybe,” Quinn said. “But maybe that’s what it takes.”
Siren was silent a moment as she considered the situation. They were almost certain to fail. But since when had that stopped them before?
“I hate you,” Siren said.
“I hate myself too, sometimes,” Quinn said.
“We’re going to need to find another way to meet him,” Siren said. “There’s no way of getting into his keep without him or his guards picking up on us. They’re probably out there looking for us right now.”
“Then we won’t try to meet him at the keep,” Quinn said. “We’ll get him to come to us.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?” Siren said.
“By drawing him out,” Quinn said.
Chapter Twelve
Siren and Quinn left Arthur’s Port under veiled hoods, working their way against the early morning traffic. They approached one of the orbiting smaller villages called Second Chance. It was the same village the family they had helped by rescuing their daughter Alicia from the Raiders had gone.
Second Chance wasn’t altogether different from Whitegate. It was an enclosed community with two rows of houses facing one another. Many of the shops had been repurposed for their needs, though many still sported the same signs they’d possessed in the old world. There was no denying the frenetic energy. Even if it wasn’t bustling, there was an excited feeling matched only by the level of happiness on the people’s faces. It must have been what it felt like living in New York or Boston when hardworking immigrants came from foreign countries to begin a new life again.
Siren and Quinn approached the village community center and entered. This place, at least, was bustling, especially for such an early time in the morning. Voices were raised and fists were waved in the air—not in violence, but in protest. An argument of great import was taking place. The moment Quinn pushed the doors open, they made contact with the backs of a couple of men on the other side.
At the front of the room sat a man on a chair. He had the appearance of a man who looked more comfortable behind an ox and plow than here in front of all these people. The two men arguing before him were discussing the shape and size of their land and pointing at maps to elucidate their point.
Siren and Quinn spotted Jethro, the father of the family they came to this village with. He looked tired, but content. They approached him, tapped him on the shoulder and said hello. It took a moment for him to place their faces.
“Hey!” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Not bad,” Quinn said. “What’s going on here?”
“It’s a land dispute,” Jethro said. “The decision here will affect us all at one point or another.”
“And who’s the man in the chair?” Quinn said.
“That’s Palek,” Jethro said. “The community leader of Second Chance.”
Having heard enough, Palek stood up. A hush came over those present as he turned to address the two men in a loud, booming voice that he carried to the back of the room for everyone to hear.
“We are each of us here for the same reason,” Palek said. “To provide a safe haven for our children and families. We need to work together if we’re to survive the Undead and the Raiders.”
When Quinn looked upon this man, he could see a great deal of his father, Greer, in him. He supposed great leaders were each proficient in the same skill areas.
“My decision on the issue of this land dispute is this,” Palek said. “Who farms the land is unimportant, so long as it gets farmed. The original owner of the land is Joseph, but he is already producing enough food for his family. Kevin has a larger family and requires more food to feed them all. His original allotment of farmland is not big enough for his needs. So, Kevin will lease the land from Joseph.”
“But how, Palek?” Kevin said. “I have no money, no possessions he would accept.”
“You will pay by providing one meal every two week to Joseph and his family,” Palek said. “The families will come together and enjoy the meal. Is this acceptable to the two of you?”
Joseph and Kevin nodded, shaking hands.
“Just so you know,” Joseph said, “I love corn on the cob, and everyone here knows how well your Marie cooks it.”
Kevin laughed, breaking the hostility between them. With the show over, the crowd dispersed and filtered out of the community hall and back onto the street.
Quinn and Siren turned to Jethro.
“We came here to get set up,” Siren said. “How do we do that?”
“You’ll need to speak with Palek,” Jethro said. “He’ll get you sorted out. Lucky for you, I work with him. I’ll introduce you and put in a good word.”
“Thanks!” Siren said.
Jethro pushed through the remaining few stragglers in the hall, nodding to each of the men he’d already grown acquainted with, and approached Palek.
By the time they got to him, he was already in deep discussion with a thin man with glasses. He had to be the bookkeeper, Quinn thought. Funny how people fit the stereotypes. Whitegate’s bookkeeper looked the same.
“Excuse me, Palek?” Jethro said.
“Yes?” Palek said. “How can I help?”
“A couple of my friends just arrived here and would like to settle in,” Jethro said. “They were wondering if you might give them a few pointers.”
Palek eyed them up and down.
“Welcome to Second Chance,” he said. “I didn’t choose the name. You’ll want to speak with Earl, my main man here. He’ll give you everything you need.”
Earl turned out to be the bookkeeper. Another stereotype. He was scruffy and unkempt. Not the kind of man you would expect to be good at keeping accounts in order. And y
et, a glance at his ledger showed just how organized he was. Everything was in its proper place. Nothing had been left out.
“You’ll be needing a place to stay as well as jobs,” Earl said. “Everyone here works and pulls their weight. No exceptions. So, tell me about your trades. What can you do?”
As Siren and Quinn filled Earl in on their skills, another figure entered the community center and approached Palek, who is surprised when he sees the man’s face. The new man spoke in a low whisper.
“Certainly,” Palek said. “Please refer to Earl, our bookkeeper. He’ll get you sorted with what you need.”
Siren Pushed and Pulled against Earl. She was desperate not to be landed with latrine duty. In the end, Siren ended up with the cooks, Quinn with the guards.
Earl looked up with his watery blue eyes to see the third man who had entered. His expression also registered surprise, but his tongue wasn’t as well-guarded as Palek’s. He called the guard by his full name and title: “Captain Hamilton!”
“Captain no more, I’m afraid,” Hamilton said. “I’ve been demoted and sent here to head the guard.”
Siren was on high alert. She recognized him as the man who had come out of the Controller’s office just before she and the other girls were ushered inside. Clearly, he had had an altercation with the Controller that couldn’t be overcome. Dare she even believe it was because of her that he had been demoted and reassigned to this place? She was the one who had all the guards rushing to the Controller’s aid when he did not require it. She was the one who had gotten in to see the Controller one-to-one.
Hamilton had failed the Controller by letting a young woman escape. Siren could only imagine the fury that must have released.
Siren turned away from him, slowly, so as not to get Captain Hamilton’s attention, but she was too late. He was already passing his eyes over her. A single flicked of the eyes, before he moved onto appraising the next person.
He had a blank look on his face, one that then turned to curiosity. Siren massaged his emotions into doubt. He turned his attention away from her, but there was still that thread of curiosity poking at the cloud of doubt she had smothered over his mind. No matter how hard she tried to dispel it completely, the doubt poked back out again like a child’s lolling tongue.
“It’s good to have you with us, Captain,” Palek said, extending his hand to shake.
Siren tied the weaving of doubt off, so wherever the captain went, he would have that murky cloud of doubt hanging over him. But it could only be a matter of time before it dissipated and was gone. Then, he would know who she was and the part she had played in his downfall. How he would react then, she didn’t know.
Siren turned to Quinn and spoke in a rushed whisper.
“We don’t have much time,” she said. “We need to act fast.”
Chapter Thirteen
Siren, Quinn and Hamilton walked down the street, led by Earl the bookkeeper.
“Welcome to Second Chance,” Earl said. “This is a small, but well-functioning and hardworking community of people. The kitchen is located here, next to the community center, which is beside the main residence of the villagers. We have separate quarters for different families. As you’re friends, you’ll each be staying in the men and women’s quarters. Captain Hamilton will be in the guards’ quarters along with their families. We find there is better integration this way. It’s where everyone comes to eat three times a day, save those who are working the farms and fields or doing guard duty. We arrange for someone to take food out to them. You’ll find Palek is a strict, but fair, leader. He will see anyone who comes to him with a problem, no matter how small. You don’t need to fear him. Captain Hamilton, I’m sure you know where the guard barracks are.”
“I always find it’s good manners to introduce myself to the community leaders before taking my position,” Hamilton said.
“Of course,” Earl said.
Earl was obviously nervous around Hamilton, and kept darting furtive glances at Palek, who stood outside the community center speaking with a group of women.
Hamilton tapped the brim of his white hat in farewell to Earl, Quinn, and Siren, and took his leave.
“Will you two be okay?” Earl said. “Do you know where to go from here?”
“Yes,” Quinn said. “Thank you.”
Earl left them. As soon as he was out of earshot, Siren spoke.
“I think Hamilton might recognize me,” Siren said. “He’s the captain of the Controller’s special guard. He was the one who came out of the Controller’s quarters and said it was okay for us to enter.”
“Then why didn’t he say anything?” Quinn said.
“Because I made him doubt who I am,” Siren said. “He doesn’t quite recall who I am, but eventually he will. I’m the reason he’s stuck here, remember.”
“Great,” Quinn said. “Just what we need. I’m in the guard now, so I’ll keep an eye on him. If he looks like he remembers you, I’ll give you a signal.”
“By then it’ll be too late,” Siren said. “I’ll try to keep out of his way. You just focus on the plan.”
“I guess this is where we part ways,” Quinn said.
They shared a nervous smile. It was the first time they would be apart from one another in weeks.
“Be careful,” Quinn said.
“I’ll try,” Siren said.
Siren broke away. Quinn followed Hamilton.
Chapter Fourteen
Siren followed her nose to the kitchen. It wasn’t hard to find. It was the place where most people in the village went three times a day and there was constant foot traffic heading in its direction. There in the kitchens, Siren would have full access to practically the entire village population. The perfect place to sow seeds of doubt in the community’s psyche. That was her part of the plan. To sow the seeds of dissent.
People sat at long benches eating, another long queue waited with their own trays to be served.
Behind the counter, standing like mighty Zeus over his kingdom, was a fat woman with multiple chins. She wore a white chef’s hat with a tag that said: Cook. She ran a beady eye over her congregation, hands on her hips. The kitchen was well organized, and those who wanted to eat had to wait for other diners to stand up and move on, thus leaving a space for the new diner to go sit down.
A pair of men finished their meals, stood up, and carried their trays to the washing up counter. They scraped what little was left on their plates into a special bin that would later be used as compost, and handed the tray to those on washing up duty. Meanwhile, two diners received their meals and then sat down in the previous diners’ seats.
“Excuse me,” Siren said to Cook. “I’ve been assigned here, to the kitchen. Where would you like me to work?”
“Don’t just stand there then, girl!” Cook said. “Pick up a spoon and stir the soup!”
Siren didn’t jump. She had expected that kind of response. It was the way Cook was, the only way to get the kitchen running as smoothly as it did. As Siren stirred the soup and ladled it out to the new diners once others had left, she got busy with her real job.
She Sensed the people eating. They were generally content. They felt safe here. And why wouldn’t they? None of them had seen an Undead in months. They had food in their bellies and each of them had a job to do that contributed to the overall purpose of the town. It was going to be very hard work to make them feel miserable and unhappy with the arrangement. But Siren would do her best.
Chapter Fifteen
Quinn and Hamilton approached the barracks. Even here, the guards recognized Hamilton. They whispered to one another as he passed. What must it have felt like? Quinn wondered. As a man who had been at the top, to now have to come work with the normal people. And yet, Hamilton didn’t strike Quinn as the type of man to hold a grudge, but preferred to knuckle down and get on with the job in hand.
Hamilton entered the barracks, the other guards filing in behind him. Quinn stood at the back of the room as Hami
lton took position at the front.
“Good afternoon,” he said to the men. “In case you don’t know who I am, let me introduce myself. I am Gareth Hamilton. I used to work in the keep. But those are the old days. I failed in my position and now I find myself here, with you fine people. I wish to make it clear I am still in service to the Controller. If, and when, he decides to call upon me again, he will find a faithful and willing servant.
“It is my intention to turn this barracks of guards into the pinnacle of success. I am already aware of your excellent leadership, which is why this will be a challenge for me. What is life without a little spice? So, go about your usual duties while I go about making the relevant changes. It may take a little time for you to get used to it, but I am sure, with your patience, we will become a superior fighting unit.”
All the guards stood up straight, standing a little taller. Guards and soldier were proud men. They didn’t fight for money or power. They fought because they believed in what they did. To protect others, to stand up for the weak. Under Hamilton, they had a leader they could believe in and trust. They all understood that with him being posted here, many more guards would flock to them. They were at the very beginning of a brand-new age.
Hamilton turned to his new assistant. They began discussing defense protocols. Quinn crept up close to listen, but was blocked by another guard.
“Can I help you?” the guard said.
“I’m new here,” Quinn said. “I was told to report to the barracks.”
“Follow me,” the guard said.
He led Quinn to the resources wardrobe at the back of the room. He took out Quinn’s gear, holding it up to check the sizes, and assigned him a bunk.
“Get changed,” the guard said. “Your training begins in ten minutes.”
“Where should I report to—?” Quinn said, but the guard had already spun on his heel and headed away.
