by G J Ogden
Talia looked at Summer. “Do you agree with this plan, as Lead Ranger?”
Summer responded instantly. “He knows the layout of the forest well, so he can do it. We need to know if they are a threat, and this is the quickest way to find out.”
“Thank you, both,” said Talia, managing to regain some of her characteristic composure and impassive vocal delivery. “Summer, please ensure the settlement is prepared for the worst, but let us hope for the best.” Then she smiled and turned back towards the council chambers.
The courtyard was still now, save for the rangers who had taken their assigned posts, both inside the walls and on top of them. It felt peaceful and unusually calm; Ethan hoped it wasn’t foretelling a storm to come. He then became aware that Summer was staring at him, stony faced.
“What is it?”
“I’m coming with you,” she said, “to find out who they are.”
“Summer, I don’t need babysitting,” Ethan replied, irascibly. He’d already had his fill of lectures from Talia, he didn’t need another from Summer. “I meant what I said; I’m not charging off in search of ancient truths this time. I just want to know what’s going on, so I can keep this settlement safe.”
“I believe you,” said Summer, and although she meant this truthfully, there was still a flutter of doubt in her gut when she spoke the words. “You’re right; the best plan is to move light and fast to reach the far edge of the forest and be there and back inside a day.”
“So what’s the problem, why are you tagging along?”
Summer flashed Ethan a condescending look. “Because it’s too risky to go alone, dummy. I’ve seen the sort of weapons they have too. I fired one, remember? So I know the dangers, just as well as you. Going without backup is not smart, and you know it.”
Ethan looked away. “Look, the last time we went on a scouting mission like this, a ranger got killed, and you got hurt, badly. I’m not going to allow that to happen again.”
Summer stepped up to Ethan and placed a hand on his chest; she could feel his heart thumping harder and faster than normal. “You’ve got to let that go, Ethan. Dorman wasn’t your fault, and neither was what happened during the roamer attack on the settlement.”
Ethan took Summer’s hand, “I can’t let it go, Summer. I remind myself every day how lucky I am that the UEC’s plan failed, and that I didn’t help to kill thousands of people. And every day I remind myself how lucky I am that I made it back here, alive, and that Elijah and Katie were here when I got back.” Then Ethan squeezed Summer’s hand and pulled it closer to his chest. “I’m lucky that you were here for me too, after everything that happened. Dorman wasn’t so lucky, and I owe it to him not to forget.”
Summer leaned in and kissed him on the lips. “You’re a sappy sort of creature, aren’t you?” she said, teasing, and then she pulled her hand away from his and punched him solidly on the shoulder. “But I’m still coming with you, so suck it up, ranger, we leave in thirty.”
Ethan rubbed his shoulder. Summer still didn’t pull her punches, even when messing around. “Good talk, we should do it again soon,” he said, sarcastically.
“Just be at the gate with your gear in thirty minutes, or the first arrow I shoot will be into your back,” said Summer, walking away. She made it about ten paces before stopping, abruptly, and looking up.
Ethan followed the tilt of her head and then he saw it too; there was something else, very high in the gloomy evening sky, very bright and moving quickly. But this was not a light, not like the others; this was much bigger, so much so that he almost mistook it for the moon. He ran up beside Summer, but neither of them spoke; they just stood looking at the shining ball of light. The other rangers had seen it too, and there was nervous chatter all around the settlement. The ball was growing larger by the second and was becoming more distinct; it was not a light, but an immense fireball, hurtling down from the upper reaches of the atmosphere towards the surface, and towards the settlement.
Chapter 7
Apowerful, low rumble coursed through the settlement and everything seemed to be shaking, even the ground. Despite the warning bell having been tolled, some of the settlers had come out of their houses to look at this bright object, which was now fracturing into smaller pieces as it pierced the sky. Ethan and Summer were among them; instead of finding cover, they had climbed the walls and stood on the platform above the gate to the settlement, watching the spectacle, awestruck.
As it had fallen lower, the core of the object was clearly visible behind the white-hot tip of the fireball, and to Ethan’s eyes it did not look like anything that could occur in nature, but rather something that had been constructed, like the city in the distance. Ethan swallowed hard; there was one possible explanation that came to mind, but the prospect of this filled him with dread.
“Ethan, what is happening?” said Summer. Her voice lacked its usual assuredness.
“I think that maybe…” then Ethan hesitated, “…I’m not sure.”
“What?” said Summer, eyes still fixed on the object as it fell, faster and lower.
The air around them roared and shuddered as if it were alive, and they felt their skin tingle. Everything about the situation told Ethan that he should flee in terror; that he should run as far away from this thing as possible, but he could not move; could not take his eyes off the furnace falling toward the city in the distance.
“I think… perhaps it could be the space station.” Saying the words out loud sent a chill down his spine.
If Summer responded Ethan could not hear it, because the roar had become deafening and now even the great walls of the settlement were shaking. Ethan felt Summer’s hands grip his arms and pull him lower as the platform above the gates shook and the gates themselves began to twist loose from their fixings. Then it was like time suddenly sped up, and in a near instant the immense fireball had slammed into the heart of the derelict city, far away down the valley, sending a plume of fire and black smoke soaring upwards, reaching twenty times taller than any of the towering buildings of the once-great metropolis. The noise hit them moments later, leaving them breathless and paralyzed. They clung to each other; Ethan was aware that he had cried out in terror, but the sound was inaudible over the primordial thunder of the impact. The ground quaked and a wall of sound thumped into their bodies; it felt like falling awkwardly into the cold lake by the edge of the forest from the rocky ledge that overlooked it. They were both knocked flat as if they were flowers trampled by some invisible giant boot. Everything shook, from the trees to the dirt beneath them, and Ethan could see that several huts inside the settlement had collapsed. As the roar began to subside, Ethan could hear Katie’s wind-chimes clanging chaotically, the way they used to do when a six-year-old Elijah would slash at them with Ethan’s staff. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the noise and vibrations stopped and all that remained was the distant echo of the roar as the sound rebounded off the hills and mountains that stretched across the horizon all around them.
Ethan stood, cautiously; the platform above the gates was tilted and twisted and felt extremely unstable underfoot. He helped Summer to her feet and both of them held each other, bodies trembling, and looked out towards the city. The city was almost completely shrouded by a billowing, gray dust, creeping outward from the central pillar of black smoke that seemed to now stretch almost to the stars. As they watched, several of the enormous tower blocks crumbled and disintegrated, adding further to the blanket of dark clouds already engulfing the city.
“Ethan, I’m scared,” said Summer gripping him even more tightly. The words barely registered through the intense ringing in Ethan’s ears.
“So am I,” Ethan called back, unable to tell whether he was shouting or speaking normally.
All along the walls and in the courtyard inside, people stood, numb, staring out towards the city. Some were crying, or on their knees, or holding onto others, heads buried in each other’s shoulders. Amongst them was Talia, standing alone, like a sta
tue, hands by her side as a small group of settlers shouted at her for help, and for answers, and for an explanation that she could not give. Suddenly, the image of Diana came into his mind and his thoughts were filled with the moon base and the space station and the generational war that these two factions had fought. For some strange reason, it gave him a sense of calm. He considered that it could just be the shock, and he knew it was just a guess, a theory, but this was preferable to the cold, unknowing terror that the other settlers must be feeling now, without any possible way to explain what they had seen. Ethan thought about the settlers’ faith in the lights as guardians that watched over their ancestors and continued to watch over them, protecting them from the Maddening, so long as they believed in them. He thought about how he might have felt, had he not known about the Fall, GPS and the UEC; how watching these lights fall from the sky would feel like the guardians had abandoned him to the ravages of the Maddening and the roamers. They must be told the truth, Ethan thought in that moment, because now, more than ever, these people will have to band together to survive. But that would have to wait. There was still the unexplained matter of the ships that had preceded the impact, and it was now imperative to find them and get some answers.
Ethan held Summer’s shoulders and looked into her eyes, “We have to go,” he said, turning his back to the pillar of smoke. “We have to find those ships; find out who they are and what they have to do with all this. We have to do it quickly.”
Summer nodded. She still looked shaken, understandably considering what they had both just seen, but it was still unusual to see Summer so unsettled.
“Okay,” said Summer, “let’s go.” She looked around the settlement walls and saw the rangers out of position and out of sorts. “I need to gather the rangers, first. Get them to focus, show the rest of the settlers that we’re still in control… and unafraid.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been more afraid than I am now,” said Ethan and Summer smiled weakly.
“You and me both. But we have to be strong.” Ethan glanced over at Administrator Talia again. She was still in a trance, despite the throng surrounding her gaining in number. “I’ll speak to Talia,” he said. “Let her know our plan.”
“I’ll see you at the gate in…” and then Summer shrugged; picking a number seemed arbitrary now. “I’ll just see you at the gate as soon as possible, okay?”
Ethan agreed and they parted, Summer moving carefully along the wall, shouting to the rangers to gather in the courtyard, and Ethan climbing down the ladder beside the gate, which had somehow remained attached to the wall. He then pushed his way through the swelling crowd around Talia, shouting for them to back away, and to get back inside their homes. The group turned to him instead, shouting the same questions: “What was it?” “What’s happening?” “Is this a second Fall?” “Have the Guardians abandoned us?” “What should we do?”
Ethan ignored them all and fought his way to Talia. He stood in front of her, towering over her thin frame, but she did not see him, she simply looked blankly ahead; her eyes were missing the quiet intelligence that usually shone behind them.
“Talia?” he called to her, “Administrator, can you hear me?” There was no answer.
“‘She can’t hear you,” “She’s not listening,” “Why won’t she answer?” came the cries from some of those around him, and then they again called to Ethan: “Are we in danger?” “Ethan, what is happening?” “Should we leave?” “Are we safe?”
Ethan tried to calm the crowd and tell them not to worry and to return to their homes, but they felt like empty platitudes. He managed to get the crowd to give him space so that he could talk to Talia without being drowned out by their clamor. Ethan put a hand on Talia’s shoulder and shook her gently.
“Talia, I need you to listen!” but again there was no answer; it was like she was stuck in a dream and unable to wake. Then Ethan remembered something he was taught during his ranger training; that people in shock respond better to the use of their first name. He tried it. “Leora…” he said, at first softly and then with more firmness. “Leora, I need you to hear me.”
Administrator Talia blinked and then looked at Ethan. Her expression was a tormented mix of fear, confusion, anxiety and sadness.
“Ethan?” said Talia, weakly. “Ethan, have you seen? It’s happening again, isn’t it?”
“Again?” said Ethan, “I don’t understand; what is happening again?”
Talia looked at Ethan as if he had gone mad. “The Fall, of course. Have you not seen?”
“Yes, I have seen,” said Ethan, honestly. “I think I know what’s happening. I think the space station may have been destroyed. Do you remember me telling you about the GPS space station, Leora?”
Talia was suddenly aware of Ethan’s hands clasped around her arms. She looked at them and shrugged, brusquely, to release his hold. “Of course I remember, ranger,” she said, with more of her characteristic fervor. It was like the woman had been frozen and was now rapidly thawing. “And the correct way to address me is Administrator Talia, if you please,” she added, huffily. “Now is hardly the time for such informality!”
The situation was perversely amusing and Ethan almost laughed. “I’m sorry, Administrator Talia. I just came to remind you that Summer and I are leaving now to find the ships, and get some answers,” said Ethan. “Can you gather the settlers and keep them calm until we get back?”
Talia looked at the mob surrounding them. “I don’t know about calm, young ranger,” she said, “But I will do what I can to offer some reassurance.”
“We’ll return as soon as we can,” said Ethan, encouraged that Talia was returning to her usual self.
“Be sure that you do. In the meantime, I will gather everyone together and tell them… something.”
Ethan looked at the cloud, rising ever higher in the night sky, illuminated now with a soft, glittering silver light from the moon. “Tell them to pack their belongings; only what they need to survive.”
“Pack? But why?” said Talia.
“Because that cloud is growing,” said Ethan, looking towards the dark column on the horizon. “If it spreads to the settlement, who knows what the effects would be.”
Talia scowled, but nodded in acknowledgment. “I will do what I can. But you must bring me something back from your journey, Ethan.”
Ethan frowned. “If I can, I will. But what do you need me to bring?”
“Hope,” said Talia. “It has never been needed more than it is now.”
Ethan nodded and then pushed his way back through the crowd, leaving Talia to the seemingly impossible task of stemming the panic of the settlers. Compared to her task, Ethan and Summer’s mission seemed like the far easier option.
He pressed on to the main gate and saw Summer waiting by it, wearing a waist-length, dark coat and small backpack, and holding an identical pair of items in her hands. Ethan took the coat and put in on, and then slung the pack over his shoulder.
“Ready?” said Summer.
“Not really,” Ethan replied, trying a smile, but not succeeding.
Summer shouted up to the rangers on the gate and slowly the giant metal barriers began to open up. Summer and Ethan both watched anxiously as the walls holding the hinges crumbled further, and the gates began to slip and sag. They would need to make some urgent repairs in the days and weeks ahead, because if the gates fell there would be nothing to prevent roamers from getting inside.
They waited until the gap was just wide enough to pass through and then Summer called for them to stop. Summer squeezed through the gap and Ethan followed her into the grounds beyond the relative safety of the settlement walls. They stood for a moment, looking at the blackness where the city should have been and then set off towards the forest with the city at their backs, as the sound of the meeting bell rang out clearly in the cool night air.
Chapter 8
The soft silver glow of the full moon offered a welcome level of illuminatio
n for Ethan and Summer’s night-time trek, and allowed them to make good time; they reached the edge of the forest well before they had expected to. They took off their packs and rested for a while beside a rocky mound just inside the tree line, drinking water from their animal skin pouches. Such containers were only carried by rangers who ventured outside of the wall, because the sheer scarcity of animals made the source materials rare and valuable. The sky was completely cloudless, except for the column of dust rising from the city, which was long since out of view as they trekked away from the valley. In the time it had taken them to reach the forest the dust cloud had expanded well beyond the city limits, but there was still a strong central column, suggesting that it was being actively fed, perhaps from fires burning at the impact site.
“Keep your weapons close to hand,” said Summer, lifting her bow off her shoulder and over her head, and then jabbing it in the direction of the forest, “We don’t know what might be lurking in there.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” said Ethan, unclasping the pouch that held his knife. Unlike Summer, he knew exactly what might be lurking in the gloom; he’d seen them before, closer-up than he ever wished to be again.
Traveling at night was always more dangerous than in daytime, as the darkness provided additional cover for the maddened creatures that still stalked the lands between the settlements. They were once men or women, the same as Ethan and Summer, but had succumbed over time to the sickness that rose up shortly after the Fall. At first the Maddening would steadily rob a person of their emotions and empathy and, if they lived long enough, it would end by corrupting their body and mind into something more akin to a beast. Ethan remembered the technical explanation that Maria had given them in the council chambers five years earlier; about how the Maddening was a result of the toxins that polluted the soil and atmosphere after the Fall. Diana Neviah had described it using a different term – the degradation – but however it happened, and whatever you chose to call it, the end result was the same. Summer was right; if there were any of these creatures in the forest, they needed to be ready for them.