by James Holler
John seemed reenergized, and was on a mission to try to figure a way out of this mess. They spent the next several hours talking over various scenarios which might occur. As the night wore on, exhaustion overtook them and they retired to their individual beds. They slept remarkably well, considering what they had been through in the last twenty-four hours.
Early the next morning, hearing a knock at their door, John got out of bed and opened it. There stood a German woman. "They are back. The six who left are back," she said. "Why did they come back?" asked John. "They didn't come back. They woke up in their beds, as if they hadn't left," she said. "I just wanted to let you know," she said, walking away. "Wow! That's not good," said Hailey, sounding a little down. "I'm going to go talk to them," said John, walking to the door. "Now isn't a good time for 'I told you so'," said Hailey. John heard her, but acted like he didn't, as he shut the door.
"Wait," said John, trying to catch the German. She stopped, then turned around and waited, as he jogged to catch up with her. "My name is John," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Karla. Glad to meet you," she said, as she shook his hand. "Which cabin are they in?" he asked. "There," she said pointing to a cabin where two groups of people were standing around talking, that was two doors down from John's.
John knocked on the door, and Isamu opened it. "What do you want?" he asked. "What happened last night?" asked John. Isamu paused, then opened the door wider. "Come in. Please have a seat," he said. "I'll stand, thanks," said John. Again, Isamu paused for a while before speaking. "There isn't much to tell, really. We were about a hundred meters from here, when we all had severe pain in our heads. We don't remember anything after that, until we woke up here," said Isamu, looking down at the floor.
"I've felt that pain before," said John. "Look, I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot, but I think we should work together and try to come up with something. I'm not sure what, but I don't want to give up, and I doubt if you do either," said John, looking right into the eyes of Isamu. "I'll give it some thought. You do the same, and we will meet again this evening," said Isamu. "Sounds good," said John, extending his hand to shake Isamu's.
"Well, what did you find out?" asked Hailey, as soon as John walked in the door. John repeated what Isamu had told him, as Katie and Hailey listened intently. "What are we going to do?" asked Katie. "We can't stay here, but we can't leave. I don't know if I can just sit and wait," said Hailey. "Well, I'm going to meet with Isamu again tonight," said John. "We need to find out more from Rebecca when she comes," said Katie. "Maybe she can help us. Gathering information is as good a plan as I've heard," said Hailey. "Remember, they said they could get in trouble if they talked to us too much," said John.
"I'm getting hungry," said Hailey. "Me too. Let's eat the rest of that bread," said Katie, reaching for the basket. "We still need fire to cook those eggs," said John. "Maybe the eggs are hard boiled," said Hailey, taking one out of the basket. "Only one way to find out," said Katie. Hailey walked just outside the door and hit the egg against the door, finding that it was hard boiled. "Cool, they are already cooked," said Hailey, as she peeled away the shell from the egg.
After finishing off the rest of their bread and eggs, they spent a couple of hours talking about what they might do to get out of this place called E-3. There was a knock on the door, and before they could get up, Karla stuck her head in. "They are coming with food," she said.
The entire group of twenty-one people gathered to watch the approaching group of caretakers bringing food and water. As soon as the caretakers got close enough to hear, they were hit with a barrage of questions. Remaining silent, the women proceeded to the cabins with their baskets, and the men with their water.
After dropping off their items, they were surrounded by the inhabitants of the cabins, who were eager for answers. "We want out of here," demanded Isamu. "Why can't we go back home," shouted Karla. "No questions today," said Rebecca in a calm voice. "Wait. How do we start a fire?" asked John. "I will return later with fire," said Rebecca.
John sought out Isamu, and said, "We've been talking. What we need to do is to gather more information." "How will we do that if they won't answer questions?" asked Isamu. "I have a plan," said John. "I'm listening." The two walked off to the side so they wouldn't be heard, and after much discussion, shared their plan with the other cabins.
Later that evening, Rebecca returned with a pot that contained hot coals. Rebecca was young, tall, and slender. She had long, straight, black hair, and her skin was medium brown. Although many caretakers were short and pudgy looking, she was built more like a modified. She spent a couple of hours getting fires started in each of the fire pits, with wood from the neatly stacked piles behind each cabin. Not a single person asked a question of Rebecca while she was there.
The next day, like clockwork, the group of caretakers came walking down the path, just like they had the day before. This time though, one woman stayed in each cabin. The rest of the people were outside milling about, or putting wood on their fires. The caretakers were a little surprised by the lack of interest from the group. The women caretakers took their baskets into the cabins, just as they had done before, with each one taking their basket to the same cabin. Rebecca took hers to the cabin that Katie was waiting in.
"Good morning," said Katie. "Good morning. Everyone seems to be having a better day today," said Rebecca. "I guess so. If you don't mind, I was wondering....when my baby is born, how long before it will be taken?" asked Katie. "Usually the second night after it is born," said Rebecca. "Oh, thanks. I was just wondering," said Katie. "I'll see you tomorrow," said Rebecca walking away. "OK, see you tomorrow," said Katie.
After the caretakers walked out of sight, everyone gathered. One by one, the women who had stayed inside the cabins to ask the questions, shared the answers. Of the seven questions asked, five were answered. They now knew that babies were taken on the second night after birth. Being taken, doesn't mean that they die. The babies who are taken, become modifieds. Not a single modified has ever escaped E-3. They didn't come directly here, because they had to pass observation.
The new information started a flurry of conversations, with a whole new list of questions that they wanted answers to. The first question for tomorrow....What happens if you don't pass observation? The plan worked better than expected, and gave the entire group a sense of direction and purpose.
Chapter 10
Over the next few weeks, they asked questions, got answers, and learned a great deal about this place. Most in the group were feeling much better about their future here. Although there was still a lot they didn't know, many weren't as resistant to what was going to happen as they once were. They learned that each group of three people would only produce four children. Each level of modification meant a different village, with more privileges and enlightenments. They had to pass observation at each level, and the fifth level of modification meant complete acceptance.
There were even some in the group who had embraced the idea of further modifications. They were mostly pleased with their enhanced physical abilities and wondered what other improvements might come. Being happy with what she knew now, Katie refused to ask any more questions, and Hailey had similar feelings. During their discussions, it became apparent that John and Isamu were the only ones who still had serious misgivings about this whole system of progressive modifications.
After their last meeting, it had been decided by the majority of the group that more questions wouldn't be necessary. They had determined that there was nothing to fear now.
John and Isamu had become close, partly because they both still felt like captives. They agreed to continue gathering information and try to resist. They had spent enough time in Isamu's cabin, that John had gotten to know Olga and Isamu's other cabin mate, Li Jing. Even though they were both quiet, Olga was a little more outgoing than Li Jing, but much quieter than Hailey or Katie. Li Jing was quick to smile and laugh, and was very polite.
Isamu motioned for Jo
hn to come over to his cabin. "We only have a short time left. The women will give birth soon, so we need to come up with a plan," said Isamu. "I'm not going to just let them have the babies," said John. "When it is time, I will stand with you, and you can stand with me," said Isamu. "You got it," said John, extending his hand. "In the meantime, let's go see how far we can walk toward the village," said Isamu.
The two casually began to make their way down the path toward the village. It is a walk they had made before, and each time they were met by men, who had talked them into going back to their cabins. "Let's see if they will physically stop us," said John. Isamu nodded in agreement. As usual, two men met them on the path.
"Do you need anything? We will bring you food or water, if you need it," said the older man. "No, we're just going for a walk," said John, stepping to the side, and trying to walk around him. "Modifieds should stay at their cabins," said the younger man. As they tried to stop John, Isamu walked the other way. The younger man whistled, and a group of eight young men, who were all large in size and stature, came running.
Isamu turned and walked back to where John was. "Let's go back," he said. "Well, that was interesting," said John, as they calmly walked back in the direction of their cabins. "Just for the heck of it, let's walk the other direction," said John. As they neared the cabins they didn't stop, but kept walking toward the direction of the dense vegetation that lie just ahead. Without even discussing it, they both knew they were testing whether they were free to move away from their cabins in that direction. Without a path to follow, it was slow going, and they were soon both starting to work up a sweat.
After a couple hundred yards, they each started to get a mild headache, but neither knew the other felt it too. "I think I'm getting a little dehydrated," said John. "Me too," Isamu agreed. The farther they walked, the worse the pain in their heads got. "My head hurts," said John. "Mine also. Do you want to go back?" asked Isamu. "Let's go a little farther," said John. The greater distance they got from the cabins, the greater pain they experienced in their heads. Eventually, it was unbearable. "You ever hear of an invisible dog fence?" asked John. "Yes. Now we know how the dogs feel," said Isamu.
Eventually, it was time for the first woman to give birth. Karla started to have serious labor pains, and almost immediately, Rebecca and two other women caretakers showed up. "How did you know?" asked Karla. "No time for questions now. It's time to have a baby," said Rebecca as she placed several blankets, which she brought with her, on the floor.
The caretakers helped Karla out of her clothes and onto the blankets. From a small container, Rebecca poured some liquid into a cup. "Here, drink this," she said, holding Karla's head up. "Everyone leave, please," said Rebecca. All of the others knew by now, and were all gathered around Karla's cabin. Waiting for the sounds of birth, they expected to hear Karla screaming in pain, or the wail of a baby's first cry. They heard nothing, and in a matter of only fifteen or twenty minutes, Rebecca came out with the two other women. She was carrying a blanket, held at the corners, like a bag. "You can go in now," said Rebecca.
Karla's cabin mates went in first, and spent about an hour holding and looking at the baby. Next, the residents of each of the other cabins entered, three at a time. When it came time for Hailey, Katie, and John to go in, John stood back, as Hailey and Katie oohed and aahed over the baby and took turns holding it. "What is her name?" asked Katie, as she carefully handed the baby back to Karla. "Katrina," said Karla, smiling, as she held her new baby girl close to her face. "I don't want to let her go," said Karla.
The reality of the situation was starting to set in. She would be first to experience losing her baby. She had thought about it already, but until now, she didn't know how hard it would be. Her expression began to change, as Katie knelt next to the bed where Karla was holding the baby. "It will be OK," said Katie, trying her best to comfort Karla. "It's not OK. It will never be OK again," said Karla. "We better let her rest," said John. Seeing that Katie was getting upset, Hailey put an arm around her, as they made their way out of the cabin.
After everyone had visited Karla and her new daughter, John and Isamu got together between two cabins. "We have two days," said John. "What are we going to do?" asked Isamu. "I guess stay awake all night, and see what we can do. I'm bringing my knife. You can bring yours if you want," said John.
The two days passed quickly, and on the evening of the second day, John and Isamu met at John's cabin. Before leaving, John told Hailey and Katie that he was going to stay up for a while with Isamu at his fire pit. Knowing how close they were, Hailey and Katie didn't object.
John held the knife from his cabin under his arm, as he and Isamu walked toward Isamu's cabin. He placed it on the ground next to Isamu's fire pit. Isamu retrieved his own knife from his cabin.
Once darkness came, and everyone else was inside, John and Isamu moved to the fire pit at Karla's cabin. They added wood, until the fire had healthy flames again. "Now we wait," said Isamu. "We have to keep each other awake," said John. They nervously looked in all directions, not knowing what they were looking for, with their two knives close at hand. As the night wore on, battling the urge to sleep, they both stood and walked around. Back and forth they went, in front of the cabin, adding wood to the fire when necessary.
Waking up to the unexpected wasn't a shock anymore. The next morning, as John slowly opened his eyes, he found that the side of his face was flat against the ground. As he lifted his head, bits of grass and dirt stuck to his cheek. Looking up, he saw Isamu not far away, sitting on the ground, looking a bit groggy.
The door to Karla's cabin was open, and people from other cabins were going in. "The baby is gone," John heard somebody say. Not a single person was really surprised, but most of them were still at least mildly upset. Even though it was expected, it still seemed wrong. Everything about this place seemed wrong. Just days before, most of them were enveloped in the bliss of willful denial, but reality dealt them a cold slap to the face this morning. Before, they hadn't wanted answers, but now they needed them; little Katrina was gone. Inconsolable, Karla sat on the edge of her bed. The group who was gathered were facing the reality that this drama would be played out thirteen more times.
In the meantime, John and Isamu had compared notes about what happened during the night. Both of them had lost consciousness suddenly, while standing. Both remembered having pain, and then remembered nothing after that.
"Now what?" asked John. "I don't know," said Isamu, staring at the ground. John could see that the wheels were turning in Isamu's head, and wondered what he was thinking. "I'm ready to try anything," said John. "We are the only two that will try to stand against them," said Isamu. "Probably so," said John. "I have an idea. I will meet you at your cabin in about an hour or so," said Isamu.
As John and Isamu separated, people started approaching them. "We need to do something," one person said. "I don't want to give up my baby," said another. "It's a little late to come up with a plan now. We will talk about it later," said John. He didn't have a plan, and was hoping that Isamu did.
What can we do? They have control over us, thought John, as he walked to his own cabin, where Hailey and Katie were. He looked at how big their bellies were, and knew it would be their turn to give birth soon. He walked over to the table where they were sitting. "Karla's baby is gone," John said softly. "How is she?" asked Hailey. "Not very good," he said. "I wish there was something we could do," said Katie. "Isamu and I are trying to come up with something," said John.
Still at the table, John heard Isamu's knock at the door. "I'll be back," he said. Standing up, he bent down and softly kissed Hailey, and then Katie. "Let's go," said Isamu, as John opened the door. "What's up?" asked John. "I'm going to try to get all the way to the village. I just want you to watch, in case I don't make it," said Isamu. "I'll go with you," said John. "No, if I don't make it, you will be the only one left," said Isamu. John knew that Isamu was right, but wanted badly to go with him. He had been wanting to
do something dramatic like this for a long time, and felt cheated that Isamu was going, and not him. "OK, but if anything goes wrong, I'm coming," said John.
They walked until they were near the point at which caretakers usually came to stop them. Stopping, they stepped off the path and Isamu extended his hand to John. "You have been a good friend," said Isamu, as they shook hands. "You too," said John. "From here, I'm going to run as fast as I can, until they stop me," said Isamu. As if at the starting line of a track meet, Isamu leaned forward for a few seconds, then sprinted in the direction of the village. He stayed off the path, so he wouldn't be seen as easily.
As he neared the first cabins, four men rounded a corner to meet him, but Isamu didn't slow down at all. Like football players on a goal line stand, the caretakers confronted him. Just before the moment of impact, Isamu reached into his sleeve, pulled out a knife and thrust it into the mid-section of the caretaker nearest to him. Where did that come from, wondered John. The men immediately backed off, and the one who had been stabbed pulled his clothes off enough to inspect his wound. The indestructible fabric had saved him from having serious injuries. The caretakers surrounded Isamu, who turned quickly, trying to keep them from taking him.
John couldn't stand to just watch, so he sprinted toward them to help Isamu. As he ran, he saw Isamu suddenly fall over and hit the ground. As the caretakers turned their attention to him, with no warning he was overwhelmed by pain and fell forward, tumbling to a sudden stop.
When John came to, he was still on the path. He looked to the area where he had seen Isamu last, but he was gone, along with the caretakers who were trying to subdue him. John got to his feet and walked in the direction of the village. In less than ten feet, the pain started. The invisible fence, he thought. How was Isamu able to get so far, wondered John.
Not knowing what else to do, John returned to Isamu's cabin. The door was open, and he could see Olga sitting at the table. "Is Isamu around?" he asked. "I thought he was with you," said Olga. "We got separated," said John, not sure what else to say. Should I tell her now, he wondered. "I'll go see if I can find him," said John, knowing there was nothing he could do.
