XI
Nutrition was being served at that moment in Humurom. It was getting to be evening and dinner time. I imagined Mama being fed by the medics or Stud, I hoped Stud. I should have been there. I hadn’t accomplished anything yet outside and it was beginning to show on the team. They were becoming moody and unresponsive to each other. Our food rations were slowly diminishing. The only reason they didn’t quit already is because they knew it was going to be their last time outside if they didn’t find anything. That hope drove us on. I still wanted to find the Cityers, but the hunters only cared about getting food. I doubted that the leaders would let us come out this far ever again, even if we did find food. Our only hope was making peace, though it was met with groans every time I said it.
My mind wandered to random places. One was the Files back home. I remember it said something about the Hunting Office being created in year 100. I know that they mainly ate canned food for that long, but why no hunting? Even if we still had canned food I would think that we would be hunting. I suppose that meant that nobody left Humurom until year 100. And that’s another thing that bothered me. Why were they in there? I get that they were afraid of Cityers and didn’t want to get killed by whatever had destroyed everything, but why not open the doors every once in a while, let in some air? If there was nobody outside then there was no hunters to get killed so I can’t think that it was that. Maybe they were just so scared. My head hurt; perhaps there wasn’t any reason at all to be thinking that far into it. I once heard the Files Leader complain about plot holes in some of the fiction books in the library, but it is possible that the characters didn’t think about the most obvious solution to their problems.
Everything left my mind when Morome yelped. He had stumbled on something hidden under a pile of leaves. It was a metal pole. “What is this thing?” He asked angrily.
“Let me see it.” Dala pulled it away and examined it. “It could be a weapon.”
“Whatever it is it’s old.” Lace pointed out.
The thing was rusted all over and was practically falling apart in her hands. Dala swung it around. It was jointed in the middle. We continued. Less than a minute later we came to a large metal cage in the same condition as the thing Morome found.
Dala whistled. “That’s a big cage. Parts are missing. This metal thing would fit perfectly.”
“It could fit a person.” Lace said.
“Why would they put people in here?” Peter sounded as if he didn’t really want to know.
Morome stepped carefully around it, examining it from all angles. “Look at the top; it’s still got some rope. It’s a trap. It would hang from a tree and then drop on its victim when they triggered something.”
Peter hesitated. “A people trap?”
“Probably for deer.” I pointed out.
“Then why is it so tall?” Peter seemed more worried every second.
“Some deer are tall.” I tried to sound soothing.
Lace clicked her tongue. “What hunter has time to rig this?”
“Most hunting is waiting.” Morome was touching the cage in various places.
“No,” Dala said,” most of our hunting is hiding. What’s interesting is that the Cityers are way out here. It would take several days just to get to us.”
That was similar to what I had been thinking earlier, though that particular detail never crossed my mind. Lace didn’t seem to think it was that impressive of a fact. “So?” She said, not realizing what implications it held.
“So,” Dala continued, “why would they travel so far just to attack us?”
“Because we are attacking them.” I was still attempting to bring them around to my way of thinking.
“Maybe we are not so much attacking, but trying to clear them out; get them farther away.” Lace actually had a point there.
I thought about that for a minute before responding. “Either way we shouldn’t be doing it. Our main objective now is to show them that we are not like the other Humurom’s. We only want peace and can get our people to want that too.”
“How do you plan on doing that?” Morome must have been alright with talking to me again.
“If the Cityers agree then we can go back to the leaders and tell them we are already halfway to peace. I think peace will be much better for us then what we currently have.”
“Stop!” Dala whispered as loud as she could.
It was so sudden I froze in mid step, my right foot inches off the ground. We were all frozen, there was not a sound. No breeze, no animals, just silence. I quietly put my foot on the ground. It created the smallest of noises. I shook silently in anticipation. For several minutes we stood there, too afraid to move. I could sense it; this time there was definitely something there. I could feel eyes watching me from somewhere. I tried to look up into the trees but was unable to move my head out of fear.
A sight, out of the corner of my eye I saw something small in the air. It looked familiar. Before I have a chance to connect it with a memory it exploded, showering fire and light all over us. The others sprang into action, removing weapons from their places and readying them. They ran all around as new bodies entered the fray. Sound ceased to exist for me. Explosions rocked the ground and blasted away the ground and tree trunks. We were soon covered in dirt and leaves.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. There was a blur of activity all around. It’s as if I was not in my body, only watching the turmoil through someone else’s eyes. It was a scene from a book come to life. And then, up ahead, I saw someone familiar. Milton stood only yards away from me. His face was expressionless, undisturbed by everything going on. I wanted to call to him, to make sure he was really there. A hand grabbed me and led me away. I finally had control over my body. I looked back and could see glimpses of what was really going on, Dala readying an arrow on her bow; Morome blowing a dart from its launcher, Lace sprinting away from another blast, Peter leading me away.
My hearing returned. I ran through the woods for some time, hearing loud bangs and shouts from behind me. I could see the church still erect, the path to Humurom; and I know I’m leaving Milton to die again. I fight my restrainer and try to go back for him; I can’t let him fight alone again. But Milton’s not there, my team is. And I’m leaving them this time. It’s the same situation, different people, but the same outcome.
We stopped in a mass of branches and shrubs, hidden from view. I sank to the ground, my mind finally working properly. The terrible truth sinks in. I’m no better than I was that day nine months before. Instead of running for my life I froze, putting everybody else in jeopardy. Peter tries to tell me that everything is alright but I couldn’t believe him. We didn’t know what to do so we stayed put. The loud noises stopped, the shouting ceased. Peter left me alone to go look for the others. I started to cry. Mostly out of frustration with myself for being so cowardly. Through my tears I saw something shining on the ground within the leaves. It was a gold bracelet about an inch wide. I absentmindedly put it on. When I heard footsteps I dried my eyes and stood tall, hoping for the best. The whole team came into the thicket with Peter. I almost cried again out of relief. They appeared injured, but alive.
I hand out the rest of the water rations. They all drink; I didn’t feel worthy to do the same. Lace is the first to speak. “Nice talking.” She said angrily.
“I’m sorry, I froze.”
“We got that.” Morome said bitterly.
“I saw Milton.” I said.
“You had flashbacks.” Morome spat.
“It’s time to go home before we get killed.” Out of everyone there, I was surprised the most that it came out of Dala’s mouth.
“We can’t go back there, we are stuck.” Lace said.
“No, we’ll make a wide turn.” Dala had blood on her face and her arm, but otherwise looked unharmed.
I knew nobody would listen to me, but I had to try. “We haven’t t
alked with them yet.”
Morome looked about to explode, but he kept his voice low. “Didn’t you just see that? They don’t want to talk. I knew we should have gone back before. We failed.”
“We only fail if we leave now.” I pleaded.
Peter touched my shoulder. “Hardin, just stop, it’s over. It’s a miracle no one died.”
“They weren’t expecting us to fight,” Morome continued, “we took them by surprise. It’s the only reason we’re alive.”
“If I just had one more day.”
“Shut it! It’s over, let’s go.” Peter surprised me almost as much as Dala.
I knew then it was over, if I couldn’t even persuade Peter then there was no way I’d persuade anyone else. I had one card left. “Is your life more important than all of Humurom? There are no animals left. If we stop now then they shut down the Hunting Office and everybody dies.”
“No, everybody eats Nutrition.” Lace said.
Her ignorance on the matter angered me. It was time to reveal the dark truth. “That’s made from human hair, human skin and flesh. We have become cannibals just to survive and I am not going back to that.” The conviction in my voice made them all speechless.
“What?” Lace asked faintly.
Peter nodded. “It started slow. They put tiny amounts into the food once it started running low fifty years ago. Since then they have forced to put more. I think it caused the virus outbreak ten years ago. It’s also why some people are really sick now. The younger generation has become immune, we think.”
“It probably affects us somehow.” I found their shock comforting in some way. I hoped it would convince them that my plan could still work.
Lace looked like she was about to be sick. “How do you know?”
Peter took this question. “It’s a Dining Office secret, very few people know.”
“It’s one of many reasons why this trip is necessary.” I said.
Morome looked just as sick. “They would never willingly feed us people.”
“There is nothing left.” I said softly. “We either eat our dead or we die out completely. When I first found out I tried to starve myself but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. You have to realize that there is only hopelessness if we go back now.”
“We’ve survived this long.” Lace said.
“Yes we have.”
“No, I mean we’ve lasted this long eating Nutrition.”
“Are you kidding me? You actually want to go back to that?”
“I just want to go back.” She said. “We all have people that we care about. I went along with you because I thought you were strong, we all did. Rumors went around that you killed ten Cityers just to bring Milton’s body back. And then we get out here and realize that it was all a lie. You didn’t fight anybody; you didn’t even help your team now. If you want to go then go, but you’ll be going alone.
My temper was rising quickly at their complacency. “I’m sorry that I’m not the person you thought I was, I wish that I could be but I’m not. I am the only person who has a plan. Plans that will bring us farther then we have come in one hundred forty seven years. And if you want to back out now, after all we’ve come through –”
“That’s why I want to go back. Humurom mourns for days with each person killed. Do you really want them to mourn for five more hunters?”
“We are the last hunters. Don’t you see the urgency of our mission?”
“The mission’s over.”
Without another word they all left the thicket. I followed, knowing that there was nothing left for me to say. Morome led the way, farther into the woods, preparing for a loop around somewhere up ahead. The mission was truly over. I walked well behind the others, thinking about all the things that were going to change when we got back. The leaders would never let us out again. Nutrition would be the only food for the rest of our lives. I imagined that another virus would eventually break out and kill all of Humurom eventually. The others gave up but that didn’t mean I had to. I began to formulate a plan to sink back and then go off on my own. It was my only chance to continue with my mission. With no water and very little food left it was going to be hard, but I thought I could do it.
Morome stopped. I was too busy with my plan that I didn’t notice. I came within inches of running into him. Everyone was staring at something; they looked amazed at whatever it was. I looked up and was equally amazed. About twenty yards away the trees suddenly ended. My eyes shifted upward up to see a translucent wall. Upon a more careful inspection I noticed odd iridescent swirls and ribbons “floating” within its depths. It created the sensation of peering into a river. This wall extended in all visible directions indefinitely. My ears detected a very quiet humming.
I was angry, sad, and had an acute feeling of hopelessness. Every one of those feelings melted away instantly. I pushed ahead of the others, they called me back but I didn’t care.
“What in the world?” Morome said.
“It’s huge.” Lace said.
I crept closer to it.
“What is it?” Dala asked.
I was only a few feet away.
“Is it dangerous?” Peter asked.
I lift my left arm up to it. It was indescribably beautiful, my mind fogged into a trance.
“Watch it.” Dala warned.
Only inches away. Blue sparks shot from the wall to the bracelet. “I wonder . . .”
What happened next was so fast that it was over before I knew what was going on. The moment my hand touched the wall I felt a strong force pulling me forward. My whole body lifted off the ground and then touched down again so quickly I wondered whether anything even happened. I looked around. My eyes squinted in the evening sun reflecting off of shiny buildings that reached to the sky.
Hardin's War Page 11
