Zell took a deep breath. “So we should think about options. Going away to the Sanctuary feels like a good step right now, but if Ssasssal continues to incite people, that won’t really end the trouble.”
“No.” Ssheyrra sighed deeply. “Just going elsewhere won’t help.”
Girma sat up straight. “What is the absolute worst that could happen? Zell taught me we should always consider that. So let’s have it out in the open.”
“The Leaders decide to execute Zell.” Ssheyrra’s voice broke.
“Oh.” Girma’s voice was shaking and tears were collecting in her eyes. “What do we do in that case? There are always options.”
“You could let me go,” Zell said, very quietly. “Give me a day for a head start, and nobody will find me.”
Ssheyrra shook her head. “They will execute Shabs for that.”
“I see.” Zell closed his eyes, deep in thought.
“We can’t let them kill Zell.” Girma was crying now.
“It hasn’t come to that,” Ssheyrra said.
“Yet.” Zell felt grim. “Can we fake my death?”
Ssheyrra shook her head. “Your execution would have to be a public event, Ssasssal will see to that. They want people to watch you die, even if Shabs will deny them a spectacle. And I very much doubt we’ll find another one with your hair and eyes, let alone entice him die for you.”
“Stars, no. I was thinking of creating a vid with me playing dead.”
“That’s a cute idea, but what if someone sees you after that? Ssasssal would love that publicity, and Shabs would lose all status for lying to the Leaders.”
“True.”
“Well, if we can’t let Zell go to save him because it’ll cost Shabs, why don’t we all go?” Girma’s voice was still very small, and she was obviously trying very hard not to sob.
“That’s quite a desperate solution.” Ssheyrra laughed.
Zell swallowed. Hiding three people who knew nothing about the Wilderness during the Hunt that would ensue would be a massive challenge. Getting them through winter would be even harder.
“Let’s keep it in mind,” Zell said. “And mentally prepare for it.”
“How about making another positive vid?” Girma asked.
“I like that idea. We could interview people who have worked with Zell.” Ssheyrra smiled. “I’m willing to praise him.”
At that moment Shabs returned, his skin paling to almost white. Zell immediately knew he had very bad news.
“I have been ordered to surrender you for immediate execution.” Shabs’ voice broke.
Girma sank to the floor, sobbing.
“Why?” Zell felt amazingly calm.
“Due to public pressure. Your continued existence threatens the integrity of our society, it seems. So our Leaders have decided.” Shabs was shaking his head, his color shifting to a pale black that Zell had never seen before.
“I suppose you’re not planning on doing so,” Zell said slowly.
“No. But I’m running out of options.”
Zell took a deep breath. “Then we probably should consider what we’re going to pack.”
“The bigger problem is how to get out unnoticed.” Ssheyrra gritted her teeth. “This house is being watched by hundreds.”
“What are you talking about?” Shabs looked from one to the other.
“Running. All four of us.”
Shabs eyes flew open wide. “They’ll execute each one of us if we get caught.”
“If.” Zell looked at him steadily. “I know more of the Wilderness than all of their Hunters combined.”
“But we caught you!” Shabs sounded desperate. “They can catch you again!”
Zell shook his head. “That was different. I was being decoy then. Showing myself deliberately.”
He took several deep breaths to steady himself, to be able to put his life into his Master’s hands. “In the end, it’s your decision, Shabs. Hand me over, and keep your life. Or run with me. I fear those are the only options left now.”
“I can’t hand you over,” Shabs whispered. “I couldn’t live with myself if I did.”
Zell nodded. “Then we run. How much time do we have left?”
“Very little. The word ‘immediately’ doesn’t leave a lot of room for interpretation.”
“So they will expect an aircar to leave this house any moment?”
“Yes.” The Rraussha’s voice broke again.
“Is there anyone in your household you still trust?”
Shabs shook his head.
“But aircars can be programmed,” Ssheyrra said. “And I know you have more than one.”
“That might work.”
Ssheyrra stood. “I need to grab things. And there is more in the Sanctuary that I would love to take. We need to get moving.”
Shabs took a deep breath, and then looked at his rooms. Zell could tell he was saying good bye to his home. Knowing it was because of him almost broke his heart.
“Right.” Shabs’ voice was shaking. “Let’s get moving. I’ll record a statement while we’re under way, explaining why I’m risking everything to ‘save our noble savage’.”
Zell had to laugh at that expression. “Really?”
“That’s what your fans are calling you now. And it could influence the public view in our favor, even as I’m disobeying the Leaders.”
“Shabs. Can we make the decoy aircar have an accident and burn?” Zell asked as they were hurrying into a storage room.
“I might be able to.” Shabs was tightening a utility belt around his hips and handing one to everyone else. He grabbed backpacks and stuffed blankets into them.
Ssheyrra was throwing food packages at Girma who stuck them into her backpack.
“It would make people look at it and not at us.”
“Yes. I have an idea. I just hope it won’t injure anyone.”
Moments later, they hastened down to the garage.
“Get a large crate or box,” Ssheyrra said. “We need to hide you from a casual inspection. I can drive. Oh, and I want Girma up front with me, crying.”
Everyone stared at her.
Ssheyrra grinned. “More room in the crate. We need all the backpacks and things in there, too, and we’ll throw two bags of something on top, harebit feed or such.”
“That’s genius.” Shabs was just returning from the other end of the garage. “I have set the small aircar to go to the arena. I think it’ll be slow because of the crowding. It will develop a technical problem and begin to burn eventually, but I have no experience with the timing.”
They hid while the small, personal aircar left the garage, all windows opaque.
Then Zell and Shabs packed the backpacks into a metal crate and settled on top of them. Ssheyrra spread a blanket over them and then added a few bags of feed. Zell hated the feeling of being held motionless and stuck in there with little air to breathe, especially after she closed the lid.
His shoulders touched with Shabs’. He still couldn’t believe this was happening at all.
The aircar started to move, but it soon stopped again. Zell held his breath. He could hear the cargo door being opened. A few heartbeats later, it slammed shut again, and he breathed a sigh of relief. But he only allowed himself to believe they were really escaping when the aircar moved again.
The ride to the Sanctuary felt much longer this time, being stuck in the crate, with the stink of animal feed in his nostrils. Shabs was silent and very still, so Zell didn’t want to start a conversation. And what could he say to a Rraussha who had just turned his back on his entire life because of him?
Finally, the aircar stopped, and soon, Girma opened the lid, threw down the bags of feed and lifted the blanket.
Zell took a deep breath and climbed out of the crate. Shabs stood next to him a moment later.
“We can’t stay long. This is the first place they’ll check once they realize I’m not coming with Zell.”
“Agreed. What do we need to do h
ere?” Zell found himself taking command already and felt bad about it.
“I want to grab some useful things like a portable solar recharger and a few batteries,” Ssheyrra said quickly.
“I’ll do the recording. Ssheyrra, could you go to the hub and tell Rresha that Plan B is effective as of now?”
“Of course.”
“I think I’ll stay inside here so I’m not seen by anyone,” Zell said. “Shabs, do you have any solid hunting knives? We have no weapons at all right now, and making them will take time. I expect us to be on our own tonight. Oh, and any cooking pots would be very helpful.”
Shabs nodded crisply. “I’ll bring them.”
“What am I to do?” Girma obviously felt left out.
“Grab some food from the Sanctuary gardens,” Zell suggested “It would be nice if we didn’t have to hunt our first meal tonight, and we should preserve the food packages for emergencies.”
“I can do that!” Girma jumped out of the aircar, and the others followed her, leaving Zell behind.
He thought hard about their next step. They needed to put as much distance between themselves and the city as possible. They also needed terrain that would allow them to hide the aircar. And he couldn’t risk bringing them close to his Tribe, because he didn’t want them to get caught in the Hunt.
At this time of the year, the Tribe would be preparing for winter, as the days were getting colder and shorter. So Zell would prefer to stay north for at least a while. And he remembered hearing about an area of hills with plenty of rocky outcroppings and some caves that sounded ideal.
Zell took a deep breath. He would take his chances with those hills for now. Just as he had made his decision, Girma returned with a pot full of tubers and greens. She deposited it in the metal box, then she ran to Zell and threw her arms around him.
Shabs arrived next, with several knives clipped to his belt, several pots and Zell’s loincloth in his hands. “The message is all set, it’ll go live tonight. I hope it’ll help our cause, even if we have to hide for years.” He looked daunted.
Zell was much relieved that Shabs had remembered his loincloth and wrapped it around himself immediately. Already, he felt better about his decision. Soon, they’d make even better clothes.
Ssheyrra raced up to the aircar, a satchel on her shoulder, a wild look in her eyes. “Shabs, we need to go now. I can hear aircars coming.”
Shabs threw himself into the driver’s seat, while Ssheyrra slammed the doors. She showed Zell and Girma how to strap themselves in, even as Shabs took off and angled the aircar right among the trees.
“Where are we going?” he asked, picking up speed.
“I know of a good place west and north from here,” Zell explained. “However, we don’t want to give them the direct route to that.”
“And we need to do something about your collars and chips,” Ssheyrra said.”
Zell silently cursed. He had forgotten all about those.
“I can take out your chips, even though it’ll hurt. And Shabs can undo your collars,” she continued. “But what do we do with them? The Enforcers can locate them easily.”
“That’s probably how they found us.” Shabs hissed in frustration. “I’m an idiot. They can track the aircar, too.”
“How far behind us are they?”
“Actually… it seems they stopped at the Sanctuary.”
Zell made a quick decision. “Keep going north. Ssheyrra, how long do you need to remove the chips?”
“Depends on where they are.”
“Mine is under my right collarbone. Girma?”
“I… I think it’s in my left arm.”
“That’s right,” Shabs chimed in. “When Girma was born we put them on the inside of the upper arm. They are a little round tube.”
“I know what they look like.” Ssheyrra sounded stressed. “I have no painkillers or anesthesia. It’ll hurt. Probably a lot, if I have to dig around for them.”
Zell shrugged. “We have no option. Pain goes away after a while. Death, on the other hand…”
“I know. I know.” Ssheyrra was opening and closing her hands helplessly. “I think maybe ten minutes for each of them. Could be shorter. But I need to heal you after that, if that regenerator still works.”
“You filched the regenerator?” Zell laughed.
“I logged it as lost. I thought it was fair retribution after they kicked me out for it.”
“Shabs, this is a good place,” Zell said after seeing an open area coming up. “Could you set down to let Ssheyrra work?”
“Of course. What are we going to do with the chips and the collars?”
Zell grinned. “Well, if we just throw them away, they’ll find them, and that’s that. But if we stick them on an animal that’s walking around, it’ll confuse them a lot. Especially since the Northdeer are moving north right now.”
Shabs almost lost control over the aircar because he was laughing so hard. “That’s brilliant. Of course, we have to capture two, but I just love that idea.”
“Capturing them is fairly easy.” Zell grinned even more. “Having an aircar makes it even easier.”
Shabs set down the aircar at the edge of the large clearing.
Ssheyrra jumped up. “Okay, let’s do this. I need you both on the floor, so you won’t pass out on me. And you can bite on this backpack strap.”
Zell raised an eyebrow but did as he was told. Girma watched him with wide eyes.
Ssheyrra dug a scalpel out of her medical kid, sprayed disinfectant on Zell’s skin and gritted her teeth. “I’m sorry.”
Her cut burned hot on Zell’s skin, and deep pain set in the moment she probed his flesh for the chip. He bit down on the strap, glad Ssheyrra had thought of that.
He was breathing hard and nearing the point where he would be unable to contain a groan when she grinned. Moments later, she plucked out the chip with her forceps. “Got it!”
She used the regenerator, and the wound closed in minutes. The pain went away, but Zell still wiped sweat off his brow.
“Thank you. That little thing is very helpful.”
He decided to make Girma put her head into his lap when it was her turn. He also held her right hand, while Ssheyrra prepared her left arm for the little surgery.
“This shouldn’t take long,” the Rraussha said. “I can already feel it right under the skin.”
“I hope so.” Girma’s voice was a mere whisper. Zell could feel her trembling, and put his arms around her. She whimpered at the cut and tears started rolling down her cheek. Moments later, Ssheyrra deposited the chip into Zell’s hand and employed the regenerator.
Girma twitched, then relaxed as her injury healed.
Shabs got up and removed their collars, touching them with distaste. “I took out the part that sends out our signal, so they can’t track the aircar anymore. And I’m so glad we can get rid of your collars and chips. Now we just have to put them on some poor deer.”
“Get the aircar back up into the air and hunt for a herd of them,” Zell said quickly. “I’ll rope one from the cargo door. Girma, hang on to the chips and the collars, and make sure you keep mine and yours separate.”
Shabs gave him an amused look and clambered back into the driver’s seat. “I’m not sure we have any rope.”
Zell sighed. “Then I’ll jump on one.”
Girma giggled. “I almost want to see that.”
It didn’t take long and Shabs had located a herd. He started following one deer as it ran from them.
Zell was leaning out of the cargo area, one hand on the door, the other reaching to the deer’s antlers. Soon he had grabbed them.
“Slow down and land, Shabs!”
He kept his grip on the deer, until they had slowed down enough for him to jump down and pull it to the ground. He leaned on its neck, so it couldn’t get up. Soon, it was lying still.
“Ssheyrra, I need one set of collar and chip.”
She was at his side in a moment and clipped
the collar around the deer’s neck. “What do we do with the chip?”
“Can you tangle it in its fur?”
“No, but I have an idea. I’ve got medical glue.”
Zell blinked, having no idea what she was talking about, but he simply held the deer down until Ssheyrra was back. She brought a little tube, squeezed out a tiny bit of glue onto the chip and pushed it under the deer’s chin, between its large jaw bones. “It shouldn’t get scraped off accidentally from there.”
“That’s perfect. Step back, it’s going to kick.”
Zell waited until Ssheyrra had stepped back into the aircar before letting go of the deer and jumping back himself. The deer struggled to its feet, lashed out and ran off. Zell rubbed his knee and sighed.
The second deer struggled less. Zell was relieved to be able to let it go, even as he wondered if they should take one for food. He just didn’t want to leave any traces for the hunters that were certain to scour the area.
He watched the deer get up, shake itself and run off, taking away his pet collar and the last sign of his captivity. He heaved a big sigh, then climbed back into the cargo hold.
“What now?” Shabs asked, starting the aircar again.
“Turn west and run at high speed.” Zell grinned. “Time to find a new home.”
The End
Fugitive
by Hannah Steenbock
writing as Joanna Steenen
Freedom.
Zell reveled in it, even if it meant they were running from a bunch of enraged Dile Hunters in a simple aircar. He didn't care. He was with his friends, the Human Girma, and the two Rraussha Shabs and Ssheyrra, and that was enough.
Together, he promised himself, they would survive and thrive.
It took their little group two days of diving in erratic directions designed to fool any Hunters before they reached the area of craggy hills, small lakes and deep forests that Zell had chosen as their hiding place.
Zell felt more confident by every hour they traveled. This was his world, the one where he felt competent and certain he could survive. The months he had spent as pet in the city fell away as if they had never happened.
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