by H. J. Lawson
“So am I,” I murmur, as I place my arms around her and hold tightly.
I look over my shoulder, and the intruders are together. Some are on the grassy ground and some are standing. We are all waiting for the black object.
Zuri also looks toward the men, then back at me. We stare at each other as if our eyes are having a conversation ... this is our only chance.
I give her a subtle nod. We’re going to make a run for it.
Zuri starts to pull at the chain connected to the collar around her neck. It moves toward us, away from the intruders, like a slithering snake. I hold my breath, as if the sound could alert them to what is happening.
They don't notice … they are too mesmerized with the horizon and what is coming.
I help Zuri, and the chain comes toward us faster. I feel like my pounding heart is going to give me away. She gathers the chain up in her hands and we rise on our raw feet.
Growing up, we spent our lives running together through the jungle. Today we’ll have to do it chained together.
We look at each other for a split second, and I take a deep breath. My eyes widen. It's time.
We sprint forward as though our lives depend on it … because they do.
Adrenaline and fear flood through my veins, pushing me faster forward. They haven't realized we’ve left yet, but they soon will.
The green of our home is getting closer, but it’s still so far away.
Zuri’s pace slows us both down—the metal chains are too heavy for her. Sweat pours down her face from the heat of being under the naked sun and the stress and exhaustion our bodies are under. But I fear it will be a lot worse if we stop.
My chest begins to tighten again, but not from running. He is here … Death is here with me.
“You idiots. They’re getting away!” Yceon yells, sending a cold shiver down my spine.
“Run, Zuri, run!”
Zuri does as I say, and we move faster away from them.
I turn and look over my shoulder, and the metal neck collar bites into my skin. They are up on their feet and running toward us.
“Get back here!” one of them yells to us.
“Faster, Zuri, they’re gaining on us,” I say, panting.
There’s a whizzing sound, followed by a wave of pain washing over my body as if I've been struck by lightning … they shot me with something!
I can feel metal prongs in the back of my legs and my spine, sending me crashing backwards and dragging Zuri down with me.
My limbs begin to thrash uncontrollably, knocking Zuri off me. Her silhouette bobs in and out of the sun, as she tries to control my flailing arms. My head burns in pain ... it's unbearable. My body feels like fire ants are running around inside my muscles, as I struggle to regain control of my limbs.
The whizzing sound fills the sky once again “Aaarrrhhh...!” Zuri screams. She's been hit as well.
Her body crashes down next to mine, her limbs convulsing just as mine are. Her violent jerking pulls at my collar, and each tug feels like my skin is being peeled from my neck.
“You made me run!” the monkey man yells, as he sprints toward us with a gun in his hand.
His black boot comes quickly toward my face, but before he can kick me, I reach up and wrap my arms around his leg, swiftly pulling his body to the ground.
I clamp down with my teeth on his calf, and thrash my head while still gripping onto his flesh, like a lion would with its kill.
“Get her off me! Get her off me,” the monkey man yells out in pain, as his hands try to force my teeth off him.
A huge explosion sounds in the sky, making me jump. He pulls his leg out of my grip.
I can only hope we are close enough to alert my tribe.
“Your only job was to watch over them,” the bearded man says to the monkey man, as he lies on the ground hugging his leg. “Watch over them,” the bearded man repeats as he grits his teeth together.
“She bit me,” monkey man yells out as he waves his bloody hands in the air. “She bit me!”
The boss man stares down at me; his pupils are enlarged, covering any color that was once there.
His arm reaches toward me as he glares at me intently.
“What!?” I cry out.
My eyes follow down his arm to his hand … and a gun.
He’s pointing down at the monkey man’s face.
Bang.
Zuri screams out in shock and dives toward me. Her body is trembling. Mine isn’t. I fear that living will be worse than dying. It feels as though death is pulling on the muscles around my lungs, making his own music to the living nightmare I’m in.
Monkey man's head turns toward me, and glistening red blood drips from the corner of his mouth. His body tilts sideways as he falls backwards … his dead eyes are locked on mine. Behind him are the four bullets that ripped through his brain.
My lungs are still tight … death hasn’t left. I pull Zuri toward me and lower my body to make myself as small as possible.
Before anyone can react, I can hear the whizzing of the bullets flying over my head. It sounds similar to when I throw my spear … I wish I had it now.
A rattling sound comes from the man behind me, as he tries to gasp for air. Blood spills out of his mouth and he gags on his own blood.
Benjamin shot him in the neck.
He staggers toward me and Zuri, and we scoot as far away from the Death as we can.
He tries to cough, spraying us with blood on his last breath as he finally drops to the ground.
Zuri and I are surrounded by Death....
The two other men quickly pull out their guns over our heads and point them at Benjamin. Benjamin tilts his head sideways. “More money for us now, right lads?” He smiles, waving his black gun in the air.
“Yeah,” Yceon laughs. He lowers his gun and walks toward Benjamin with no care for his friend—only for money.
The other intruder lowers his gun as well. “Yeah, more money…” Before he can finish speaking, his eyes widen in fear.
The whizzing hums overhead again, and Zuri and I quickly drop down to the muddy ground. The intruder drops his weapon, unable to continue holding the weight of it. I want to grip the four-barreled gun, but I know they will kill me before I reach it.
His body soon follows his gun, crashing down to the ground with a thud.
I gasp out for air. Death has left me.
But for how long?
Chapter Five
Trinity
“Let this be a lesson to you … I will kill one of my own if they disobey me. That was your last warning—next time I will let him kill you,” Benjamin informs us. It doesn’t cross my mind for one second that he’s lying; he will kill us, but maybe that will be better than what is in store for us.
Vroom … hums loudly in the high-tension atmosphere, and everyone turns toward the sound.
Dusty and dry mud fragments cloud up around the object, as if carrying it toward us … like it’s flying.
It’s not stopping, but coming straight for us. Zuri and I cling to one another. At least we will die together. Benjamin and Yceon stand their ground, not moving.
The black object spins sideways, just an arm’s reach away from us, and comes to a screeching halt, covering Zuri and me in a mixture of mud and dust. We both cough uncontrollably to clear our lungs.
“What took you so long?” Benjamin asks.
A younger man leaps out of the black object. “Dad, stop complaining and get into the car,” he orders. Then he glances at the three bloody bodies. “Finally, you got rid of them.”
“You got two?” he continues as he looks over at us, rubbing his hands together greedily. He pulls his tongue across his lip as if he’s just eaten something delicious. His sunken cheeks make him look as though he hasn’t eaten for weeks, but his overgrown belly tells a different story. “Ha ha, Dad, we’re rich!” he says, and pats Benjamin on the chest. Nice family business.
My stomach contracts in fear. They are going to sel
l us. But to whom?
“Tre, get them into the car before their tribe realizes they are gone,” Benjamin tells his son.
Without hesitating, Yceon grabs hold of my hair and pulls me to my feet.
“Arh!” I yell out in pain.
“Shut up,” Yceon growls at me.
“Can’t believe our luck … two females from the Enlighten Tribe,” Tre states, shaking his head.
Yceon pushes me into the car, and I fall forward, dragging Zuri with me. My face slams down onto a worn seat … the skin of the leather is cracked from the heat and years of abuse.
“Get off me,” I yell as someone strokes my hair. I look up and see Tre smiling at me with his blackened teeth. Angrily I push his hand away.
I move my head away from him and toward Zuri. When I look at her, I know it’s like I’m looking into a mirror …we look so similar, everyone always thinks we’re twins. But today it’s not just our facial features that are the same—it’s the terrified look in our eyes, our dirty, tear- stained faces, the matted blood in our hair, and the fear of not knowing what is going to happen to us next.
The men jump into the car, and soon the engine roars and we are moving … away from any chance of freedom.
Zuri takes hold of my sweaty hand and squeezes.
The car bounces up and down wildly. If we weren’t on our way to Death this could have been exciting instead of terrifying.
My fears are right … we are heading toward the Aurum Sanction. I can see the large stone walls and the domes.
“Did you tell them what we have?” Benjamin asks.
“Yes, I told them. Look … they are waiting for us,” Tre says, as he points over toward the surrounding walls.
I follow his direction and see the Aurum Sanction’s soldiers— my heart pounds at the sight of them, and my mouth goes drier. I’ve seen the soldiers before, but I had my tribe behind me as we hunted them.
Now they are going to punish me for what I have done to them….
Chapter Six
Trinity
“Here, bag and bind them,” a solider—dressed in the Aurum Sanction uniform—yells, like we are rodents to be caught and thrown away. He tosses the coarse, brown fabric to Tre.
Tre walks over toward us. “Sorry, girls,” he says. He lifts up one of the bags, and with one swooping movement it’s over my head, plunging me into darkness … stealing my sunlight and my air … I feel like I’m being suffocated. I breathe in and out frantically. Sweat pours down my face.
He spins me around and ties my hands up tightly in one swift motion.
“Take the chains off them,” the solider orders, and I let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t get too comfortable … they’ll be back on you soon,” he adds.
A flash of light appears from the bottom of the bag as a man begins to work on the heavy metal collar, pulling out some clumps of my hair in the process.
Finally he’s done, and I’m free from the collar and the chains. My shoulders and body slump down as I gasp for air.
“This way … and keep your hands to yourself, outsiders,” the soldier orders.
“Hey, show us a bit of respect! Have any of your men been able to capture anyone from Enlighten tribe?” Tre says, as someone roughly pushes me forward.
I look toward the ground; I can see a sliver of it through the bag over my head.
“You know no one has brought them back … they killed a lot of good men,” the solider snaps.
“Ours too,” Yceon adds in a flat tone, as though they are united in their hatred toward us.
“I said good men,” the solider says, gritting his teeth. Even with the bag over my head I can feel the tension between them, but I cannot feel Death. I wish he was here with me now.
They push us forward, and soon we are inside the Sanction and a door slams shut behind us. I almost turn my head to look, but that’s pointless—I can’t see anything with this bag over my head.
Someone pushes me in the back again, and I stumble forward.
I never thought in my lifetime I would be here, and never as a prisoner at only the age of sixteen.
“Whatever … when will we get our money?” Tre asks.
“That is no concern of mine. I am to take you to the Chancellor,” the solider replies, bored.
We continue walking, and I focus on the direction we are taking so I know how to get back. But it feels like we are walking in circles around the edge of the dome.
The air smells different— not the sweet smell from flowers or morning dew. It smells of nothing, and then a toxic smell … almost like poison.
“Wait here,” the soldier says, bringing us to a halt.
I move closer to Zuri, our naked arms pressing against one another, and I can hear the heavy sound of a solider walking away from us.
“I hope he hurries up, I want to get the hell out of here,” Tre says, as he starts pacing back and forth.
“No back chat … are you listening? He will have your tongue for it,” Benjamin states.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You've told me a million times,” Tre huffs.
“He is ready to see you—only you and the prisoners,” the solider says to Benjamin.
“But,” Tre starts to protest, and then changes his mind. “Whatever.”
Someone squeezes my arm tightly, as if they are trying to draw blood.
“They will kill you if you disobey them,” Benjamin whispers into my ear.
He pulls me forward, and Zuri grips hold of my hand tightly.
Chapter Seven
Trinity
“Benjamin, my old friend. What gifts have you brought me today?” a man says in a low, guttural tone.
“May I?” Benjamin asks.
“You may,” the gruff voice responds. Zuri’s clammy hands firmly hold on to mine.
I can feel Benjamin coming closer to my body, and my heart beats fiercely like the day of my passing over ceremony. But today it’s not from excitement … it’s from fear.
I close my eyes, protecting them from the light.
Then slowly I open them.
A thundering applause echoes off the walls, and I look around the room in awe.
I’ve never seen anything like it; all the walls are covered in glimmering gold. The sunlight is bouncing off them, reminding me of my tattoo when I was at the stream this morning. The room looks like it is, in fact, the sun, with its large, gold, stone pillars, and the Sanction’s dome over it.
The shimmering gold is mesmerizing, distracting me from why I’m really here.
My eyes drop down toward where the clapping is coming from. It’s a man. He looks like the room, covered from head to toe in gold, either in jewelry, or threads of gold running through his fine garments.
It’s clear this man loves to show off his wealth of gold. I’m sure if they could turn it into paint, his skin would be gold too.
He smiles toward us, revealing his gold teeth. I feel sick at the sight of his materialistic wealth. The sun shines off his bald head and onto the walls around him. He stands proudly in the middle of the room with two large, black dogs beside him. Saliva drips from the corners of their mouths as they flash their teeth. They can smell the blood on us….
“Benjamin, Benjamin. You really have outdone yourself this time. You truly are the best hunter around,” the man says as he walks toward us, flanked by his canine companions.
“Chancellor, it’s my honor to bring them to you,” Benjamin says as he lowers his head.
“Is it a gift?” the Chancellor of Aurum asks Benjamin.
Benjamin pauses for a moment. “A gift for reward, Chancellor,” he says with a cautious tone.
The Chancellor brings his hands together once again, creating a thundering sound as if the gods sent a bolt of lightning to the dome above us. I wish they had … I would be grateful for any sign that they are still watching over us.
“These are from the Enlighten tribe, aren’t they?” the Chancellor asks. He looks like he’s going to start drooling like
his dogs.
“Yes, we are,” I say proudly.
“Oh, and it speaks as well,” the Chancellor says, clapping his hands like a playful child.
“Yes, I speak. What do you want with us?”
The Chancellor looks us up and down, like a lion does its prey. Then he rubs his hands together.
“You…” he points at me with his longer fingernail. I see there are small diamonds on his nails. “You, I think, will be a problem.” He nods to himself as he places his oddly-decorated nail to his lip. I find myself nodding with him.
“You will be a gift to the Purenet Chancellor. And you…” He points toward Zuri.
“…You will be my new Bazi.”
Chapter Eight
Dax
Purenet soldiers march me into my father's quarters. “Wait for the Chancellor,” one of them says as he leaves the room. All I can do is think … and wait.
I look around my father’s place; I never realized how big and over-the-top it was. Nothing like the way the Grounders live.
The way I used to live ... with my real family.
I can’t stand here doing nothing! I head toward the door and reach out for the silver knob. Then my body freezes—I want to leave here and help the Grounders, but it’s pointless … half my father’s army is waiting outside the door for me.
What will happen to me now? Father banished me once before, he could do it again … hopefully that’s what he’ll do this time. At least then I'll know what’s in store for me.
Pacing back and forth, I hate the feeling of helplessness. My father’s room looks different. Something is missing … but what? I suppose it has been years since I’ve been here—things are bound to change.
I stand in front of Father’s handcrafted wooden chest of drawers. The family photos are neatly placed on top … everything in order, as always. I move one of the frames just a fraction, as I would when I was a child. It always made him cross.
One of the pictures catches my eye. It’s in a golden frame, I’m guessing a gift from the Aurum Sanction. It’s the last family picture taken before I was banished—before I found out the truth about what was killing the Cueva community.
