“When was the last time you all were called for Citizen Management?” Fein asks the group of us.
“It’s been a while for me,” Marshal says. “Almost a year, not including the time we’ve been here.”
“Yeah,” Fein adds.
“It’s been eight months for me,” says Danielle. “I don’t like Citizen Management. It’s malicious, and we have to act like we are radioactive and have no cares. As if we really aren’t human. Those people, they see us as humans. Only the position separates us from them in their eyes. The Waulers, no wonder they resent us. I’m not saying I actually care if they live or die, I’m just saying there should be a more humane way to do the Guidance’s dirty work.”
“I agree,” Gia states. “They act like we are supposed to like doing things like this. And most people are innocent and have no other choice than to live the way they do.”
Cory snorts. “We aren’t obligated to like it. But we were born for that purpose. To do as they ask and not question it or feel bad about doing it before or while we do it. Not even after. They think they made us without feelings and emotions. I don’t think they care or consider that most of us may feel guilty after we do it.”
“Have you ever felt guilty before and during?” Gia asks him.
Cory’s gaze darkens as he looks out to nothing. “I don’t discuss my Citizen Management experiences,” he says with a shrug.
“Oh, come on, Cory. It’s not that serious,” says Marshal.
Danielle wobbles her head left and right as she says to Marshal, “Well if it’s not that serious, why don’t you share yours? The one that changed you and brought on your first pinch of guilt before you did it. The one that made you realize you were not just a Creation, but also human?”
“Yeah, and add in where,” Fein adds.
Marshal thinks for a minute. His eyes seem to shrink in his skull as the thought likely takes him back to that moment. He rubs his hand over his short hair. “I guess when I was in Houston,” he starts slowly. “There were Waulers, seemed like everywhere. They were ruthless raiders. They burned down small towns and carried out countless murders. That’s the simple part though, why we went down there. The guilty part was the order of execution. They lined them up. And like everything else, women and children were first.” He shrugs and leaves his story unfinished. “What about you?” he asks Danielle.
Danielle sits forward, ready to release the goods of her story. Her hands move with her words as she begins with suspense in her voice. “We were in Detroit. Terrorists from the other side of the world had come in with threats of bombs and destruction. They threatened to take out the entire city,” she says. Her arms spread out, and she brings them back in slowly. “They said that they placed this bomb in an elementary school, and it would go off at a certain time. We were near the school for Citizen Management. Our order was to go into the school and get out as many people as we could while the others located and did away with the terrorists.” Her light mood shifts to sorrow, relaxing the muscles in her face, and her cheeks sag as she frowns. “In and out, I ran in the school, trying to help get everyone out. The call came through, saying there were only two minutes left. We were instructed to get out, and if we couldn’t get them…to leave them. Out of obligation, I walked out on six kids…” She rubs her cheeks before her hands fall lamely in her lap.
“What about you, Ky?” Gia asks.
The first time I felt guilty about handling a citizen situation in Citizen Management? What Citizen Management situation doesn’t bring on guilt? We may be obligated to accommodate every request, but there is always a second of hesitation. I don’t have to think long about it, one has stuck with me. “Yes, I’ve had my experience. We were back home. We needed to round up Waulers. There were too many of them, the Guidance said, and they needed to be diminished. We were ordered for street cleaning. Our maximum number to maintain for this specific area was fifty-two. That order went to sixteen Creations, and it was fifty-two Normals and Waulers total. We hit our number quickly, and everyone else was to go. Fifty-two people are not a lot. I came upon a dark street, and something told me there were people down there. It made sense with it being so dark and a perfect hideaway. But I came upon two Waulers that were quietly fighting. I shot them both, and I would have left after if there wasn’t a gasp. Behind a dumpster were an older woman and three children. The oldest was a girl, and she started crying and begging me with her eyes not to kill them.
“I thought for sixty-seven seconds. I decided I was going to let them live. Who would know if I did or didn’t? I was the only one there, or so I thought, until I turned around and saw a council leader of the Guidance standing in the street’s opening with a group of trainee Creations. ‘What’s the problem?’ she asked in a strong tone that seemed like I couldn’t be trusted or was hesitant. Or maybe I just felt guilty. ‘Go on then,’ she hurried me with a wave of her hand, and the faces of the young Creations standing behind her were anxious. They were maybe ten years old. I turned back to the family and executed them, youngest to oldest.”
“Damn, Ky,” Marshal sings.
“That’s somewhat like how mine was too,” says Gia. “I know how you feel.” She pats Cory’s back. “You going to share?”
He shakes his head.
“Come on, Cory, we won’t judge you,” encourages Fein.
“Yeah, Cory, tell yours,” I say, moving past the discomfort of my story.
He looks at me. “I think you take the cake, Ky.”
“We’ll know for sure after you tell yours,” Danielle pushes.
Cory drags in an even breath. He looks us over and shrugs once. “I was sixteen and on my first Citizen Management for Waulers.” He breathes heavily, a tone of discomfort steals his assertive voice. “It wouldn’t have been so bad if we were actually containing Waulers, but we weren’t. Residential citizens. We were instructed to execute them.” His gaze meets mine. “Execute those they thought were invaders from outside our world and country. Implants.” He looks away from me. “I’m certain everyone wasn’t an implant, but it didn’t matter. Entire families were up for execution, pets included. I only felt guilty when the woman, maybe the mother, groveled and begged me to stop. She kissed my boots then wrapped her arms around my legs and said, ‘This isn’t right, you’re too young to have this kind of sin weigh you down for the rest of your life.’ She kept begging me to spare her life. As she was yanked from me, I shot her, three times, without a second thought. Then one head shot for every one of her ten children.” He rubs his hand over his face. “Shit was crazy.”
“Wow…” Fein says. “She was right, huh?”
“She was only right because she said it. If she had not said it, he probably wouldn’t have thought twice about it,” Gia states.
“Do any of you regret it?” asks Fein. “I haven’t been. I could have, but they needed me for training instead, so I missed out.”
“More so, lucked out,” Marshal corrects.
“Right,” Fein drags.
“We aren’t supposed to hold regrets. We aren’t supposed to feel guilty,” Cory states, face going red with anger. “We are given orders, and we are to follow those orders with no remorse. It’s how they created us!” He stands up from the table and stalks off.
“Looks like you all upset him.” Danielle slides her bright pink colored eyes over us. Her brother, Marshal’s eyes are the same, and with his blond hair and deep red strawberry lips, he looks a little weird with neon pink eyes.
“I’ll go check on him. Make sure he’s okay.”
“Okay, Ky,” Fein responds.
“Wait up, Cory.” Even with the sun setting, it’s still blazing hot out here. We’re approaching one-hundred-fifteen.
Cory slows. “What’s up, Ky?”
“Don’t walk out here. It’s too hot out.”
“I’m going to my house. You want to come?”
No way I’m going to go into Cory’s house with him. “No. I wanted to make sure you were okay. You
seem upset.”
“The woman I killed?” I nod for him to continue. “She was my own.”
I pull him to a stop. “Hold on, Cory.”
“We can’t talk about this outside, Ky.”
“Okay, don’t get into details. But I thought your mom was alive,” I whisper.
“That’s not our real mom.” His head falls forward. “I mean, she is our real mom for being here as a Creation, but not my birth mom,” he whispers.
“What about the other kids?”
He shrugs, rubbing his neck. “I assume implants too.”
I look him over and must ask, “Why are you so comfortable telling me this stuff?”
Looking at me with hopeful eyes, he asks, “I’ve always been able to talk to you. I can trust you, right?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t tell anyone what you tell me.” I rub his shoulder and use the techniques I’ve been learning when training the Normals. “I understand what you’re experiencing…an emotional discomfort. I’m…here for you if you’d like to talk.”
He shrugs my hand from his shoulder and hisses, “Don’t use those bullshit comforting tactics on me, Ky. I don’t need that.”
I drop my gaze to the ground and rub my boot over the dirt. “Sorry.”
“I’m going to go sleep it off.”
“The general is going to be announcing who’s going off in an hour. Don’t sleep too long.”
“It’s not going to be me, so I don’t care.” Cory has changed since he was demoted. What was once chin held high, ‘I’m the leader of Separation’ Cory, is now crybaby Cory. He’s always moping around. I’d think he was doing it on purpose, a way to reel me in, but insecurity and a person’s soft side does not make me want to go to their home and comfort them.
I leave to go back to the rec hall and spend more time chatting with the others.
Chapter Ten
Jord enters the rec hall with Seits behind him. “They called for Citizen Management. Some states have gotten out of control. Their Creations are occupied with minimizing the undead, along with maintaining order and trying not to become the undead. The job as a Creation does not stop. As you all know, we have postponed some training because of the heat. I know you all don’t think so, but they do care about you.” He looks around at everyone, and no one comments. Seits hands him a clipboard. “Leaving from this division the day after tomorrow will be: Floyd and Feiney, Marcain and Seanabe, Joyce and Jace, Collins and Cecilia, Yolanda and Donald, Lester and Samuel, and Kendal and Kandis. Each of you and the Creations of your groups will head out at twelve hundred hours tomorrow. Where you will be going will be provided on the day of departure.” He looks around the room then nods saying, “Respond.”
In unison, everyone says, “We understand.”
“It will be your responsibility to inform the Creations of your groups that they will be leaving with you. What your job will be for Citizen Management will be provided upon landing in your designated sites.”
I should have known I wouldn’t get picked to leave. All because Luke is now a captain. If I’m not on Zombie duty, I’m on training duty. I want to go out for Citizen Management. Get out of the desert for a few days.
“Kylie,” Jord calls. “My office.”
I give a silent grumble as I rise to my feet.
“Sorry you weren’t picked, Ky,” Collins states as I get up. “That has to suck.”
I ignore her. Collins likes to get under my skin. I’ve come to the conclusion she does these things to annoy me on purpose.
I run into Luke on my way to General Jord’s office. “You’re done for the day?”
“No, I have to go check on the Normals, then I’ll be done. Sir Jord just requested I meet him in his office, though.”
I frown. “Me too.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, but I hope he has the air on.”
Luke drops his arm down on my shoulder. “You ready to talk about me walking in your room when Marc was in your bed with you?” Here he goes again, wanting to talk about Marc. He should stop caring. I am trying not to care. It’s time he jumped on my bandwagon and gave up on these talks.
“Nope. I do not want to talk about it, and I was asleep like I told you. I think I dropped a bomb on a bulldozed building, though. Destroying the remaining rubble.” Also known as Kylie and Marc’s complicated friendship.
“How do you mean?” Luke tilts his head a bit to the right. “Why do you say that?”
I pull Luke to a stop and tell him every word of Marc’s and my conversation from earlier. I watch his expression shift from uninterested, to shock, and remorseful, but he doesn’t interrupt me. “His words made me feel, um,” I snap my fingers as I try to recall the word. “Worthless: having no good qualities. I felt his contempt. And I’ve never felt like I wasn’t good enough.”
Luke sighs and purses his lips.
“I know this is better this way,” I say rolling my eyes. “To let him stay angry and us stay separated. I get that. That’s why I’ve been staying away. Ignoring you when you want to talk about it and ignoring him when he looks at me, but that doesn’t make the way I feel go away.” I shrug. “I don’t know. I thought me saying it all out loud would fix it. But that didn’t help either.” I walk off.
Luke catches up with me. “You don’t want to hear what I have to say?”
“Is it going to be what I said?”
“A little.”
I smooth my hands over my ponytail and shove my emotional state in a low place. “Let’s go see what the general wants, Luke. No, I don’t want to hear it. And yes, I can stay away. I just wish we could be friends, I guess. Can we be around each other without the attraction and confusing feelings?”
“It’s because of the attraction and the feelings that you want to be around him. So I guess you can’t. Stop feeling the way you do, stop liking him, stop being attracted. See if that works.”
“That isn’t helpful.”
We travel the quick walk to the general’s office, and Luke opens the door. “Sir?” Luke says, and I nod.
Seits and Jord sit at his desk. “Kylie, you will be responsible for checking in on the captains and groups who are leaving. Luke, make sure you follow up with the groups of the captains. You all cannot train outside, so there will be all day training in the training hall. Lunch will be brought to you. Luke, you will be there as well. You all will be responsible for the entrances of Non-Creations and the remaining Creations of this draft for Separation. Numbers should be fine with the Creations leaving with their leaders. Do either of you have any questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Okay, Luke. Ace and Stacey will be leaving as well, so any and all responsibilities will fall on you. Everyone who is supposed to be here for this draft’s Separation has arrived, and our area is managed properly, so things should not be difficult to maintain.”
“Kylie,” Seits begins. “You and I will ride to the hole in the morning to check on the preparation of the labs. Luke will stay here and help Jord prepare for the Creations’ departure. Respond,” she demands softly.
“We understand.”
“Do either of you have any questions before you leave this office?” Jord asks.
“No sir,” we respond.
“As you were. We will meet you both in the morning.”
As we walk out of the general’s office, the howl of a coyote calls loud in the distance.
Our gazes meet. Ignoring it, we walk to our house.
When I’m in my room, getting changed, I hear two more coyotes howl louder. Peeking out my window to see how close or far they are, I catch Floyd and Fein running off from behind another house, leaving the base for the hills a couple miles out.
They are going out there to see the coyotes? Is it this easy to see us when we are running off?
I push away from the window, charging for Luke’s room, hoping they aren’t that fast so he can see them too. Without knocking, I burst in. He’s changing and looks at me suspiciousl
y as I rush through the room. “Sorry, but look.” I point to the window that faces the same direction as mine.
He helps me pull back the curtain.
We watch Fein and Floyd run toward the hills and hear another coyote howl. “Looks like Floyd by the wonky way he runs.”
“It is.” We close the curtain. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yes.”
We hurry to put on our suits and run from the house in the direction Floyd and Fein ran. When we make it to the hills, we quiet our footsteps to a silent jog.
Around the corner of the hill, there are whispers.
We throw out our arms, stopping each other from moving closer. Raising our index fingers to our lips, we tell each other to stay quiet as we prepare to peek around the corner.
Two Vojin males stand before Floyd and Fein. They look angry, displaying a hint of red in their swirling blue and green color. Like Talock did the day he strangled me in the borrow. I can just barely hear them, but I can make out the one on the left speaking in angry, hushed tones about someone trying to overthrow their plan back at their home.
Floyd raises his hand and asks, “What do they want us to do if things are back home and we are not affected down here?”
“We have never been to the home you speak of,” Fein chimes in.
“That does not matter. It is where you are from and what your second priority is beyond your twin. We cannot afford to be overthrown; there is too much at stake for this and our plan to overtake this planet. You are either with us or against us. We need you two to get multiples to side with us when the time comes to enforce our better living upon the humans.” He sounds exactly like Talock’s domineering nature.
“This is not going beyond what we were implanted here to accomplish?” Fein asks. “This is strictly for a better living instructed by the Maker?”
Salient Invaders: A Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Series (The Separation Trilogy Book 2) Page 9
