by Amy Cross
“We are,” Jude tells him. “We have a lot of things in common.”
Looking down at my meat, I can't shake the urge to get up and run. Before I can say anything, however, I hear a faint tearing sound from next to me, and I turn to see that Jude is biting into her food. Blood is already dribbling down her chin, splattering onto the wooden table. This is the side of Jude that always makes me doubt our future together.
“Where do you see your little community going?” Goddard asks. “Is there -”
“It's not a community,” I reply quickly.
“But surely -”
“There's no plan to grow it,” I continue, feeling a hint of panic in my gut. “We just want to put down roots for ourselves, that's all.” I bite off a piece of rabbit meat. These people just don't understand.
“And how do you intend to defend yourselves?” he asks. “Let's face it, if the twenty-three of us came to your little camp one night, we could easily kill you both and tear down everything you've built so far. Obviously we have no intention of doing that, but others might. What's your plan?”
“That's one area we thought you could help us with,” Jude tells him. “We thought we could cooperate.”
“We did?” I whisper to her.
“Cooperation needs to go both ways,” he replies. “So far, I don't see what you can offer us, other than squatting on land that we already claimed as our own.”
“You can claim what you want,” I tell him. “That doesn't make it true.”
“Calm down,” Jude says, putting a hand on my shoulder. “We need to make a good impression.”
“You're absolutely right,” Goddard says with a smile, keeping his eyes fixed on me. “Our word is worth nothing if we don't back it up. The fact is, we can back it up. We can enforce our claim, but obviously that would be a matter of last resort. You have to accept that the balance of power in this situation is tilted very much in our favor.” He pauses, before biting off another piece of meat and chewing for a moment. “The question, then, is what you can do for us.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
Iris
As soon as I hear the voices, I duck down behind an earth-mound. When I peer over the top, I see that the old man has stopped too, and that there are more people up ahead, coming this way. My heart is pounding in my chest as I try to decide what to do, but I figure I'd just draw attention to myself if I ran.
I'll wait it out. Everything will be fine. The old man seems to be able to handle himself.
“You're on private property,” an unfamiliar voice says nearby, as the others reach him. “Didn't you see the signs?”
“I'm sorry, friend, I didn't,” the old man replies. “I'm very sorry, I'll turn back and -”
“You didn't see the stones?” the voice continues, with a hint of irritation. “They're everywhere in this part of the forest, marked with blood.”
“You're on our land,” another male voice adds. “We don't accept the presence of trespassers.”
“I wasn't aware any land on this island could be claimed,” the old man says calmly.
“There's only one way to claim anything around here,” the first voice replies, “and that's by being strong enough to make anyone else keep away.”
Peering over the top of the earth-mound once again, I'm shocked to see that four figures have surrounded the old man. They're wearing the same tunics as everyone else, but there are dark markings stained into the fabric on their chests, and there's something about the way they've formed a circle around the old man that makes me worried.
“I don't want to start a fight,” the old man says with a sigh. “I can turn back and never trouble you again.”
“Where did you say you're from?” one of the others asks.
“I didn't, but... I'm just walking, that's all. I've got no particular aim in mind.”
“Are you sure about that? You're not in this area to check out the competition, are you?”
“I assure you -”
“Vargas is going to have to make a decision about you,” the first man continues. “You're going to come with us, back to our camp, and she'll ask you some questions.”
“Is that really necessary?” the old man asks. “I'm tired, I'd really rather walk as little as -”
“Move,” the second man says, putting a hand on his back and shoving him forward. “If you've got nothing to hide, you'll have no trouble explaining yourself to Vargas, and you'll have nothing to fear either. We just want to make sure that you're not trying to spy on us.”
I watch as they start to lead him away. My first instinct is to turn and run, to get as far away from this part of the forest as possible, but at the same time I feel I need to stick with the old man. If they just talk to him and let him go, I can still follow him, so I wait until I'm sure I won't be seen and then I start creeping forward. I can hear them talking up ahead, but for the next hour or so I keep too far back to make out what any of them saying. Finally, I spot torches burning between the trees and I realize that we're getting close to some kind of settlement, complete with makeshift shelters.
Stopping, I see another stained stone next to my foot. I still want to stick with the old man, but when I spot more figures at the settlement up ahead, I feel a cold shiver pass though my chest and I realize I can't go any further. I guess I've learned a little from the old man, and the longer I try to hide here, the more likely I am to be spotted. Filled with the knowledge that I'm too scared to take another step forward, I turn and start crawling away through the undergrowth, heading back to what I hope will be safer land.
I can't go near people ever again. Even the thought of it is enough to make me feel as if I'm going to throw up.
Chapter Thirty-eight
Asher
“This is pointless!” I hiss, hurrying through the forest on my way back to the clearing. “We're getting out of here!”
“You're overreacting!” Jude replies, running after me.
“He threatened us!”
“When?”
“Every word that came out of his mouth was a veiled attack,” I continue, frustrated by her refusal to see the obvious. “He was constantly reminding us that we could be swatted aside at any moment and that we could only stay on that land with his blessing.”
“Asher -”
“And he was right!” Stopping, I turn to her. “We can't stand up to them! Power trumps everything. It was like that in the rest of the world, and it's like that here. The only way they'll tolerate our presence is if we bow down and act like subordinates, and I didn't come here to do that. I'm not going to lick the boots of people like that, they're just savages seeking safety in numbers.”
“Savages?” She frowns. “They've got more going for them than anyone else on the island. Unless you're referring to their dietary habits, in which case I guess you'd have to say the same thing about me.” She pauses. “If they're savages, then what the hell does that make us?”
“Don't turn this into an argument,” I reply. “Please, Jude...”
“Do you think I'm a savage,” she continues, “just because I eat human meat when it's available? Are you constantly worried when you turn your back that I'll bite into your shoulder?”
“Of course not.”
“We can work with these people,” she adds, with a hint of desperation in her voice. “They don't want to dominate us, they just want to know who's setting up camp next door. They might even give up their claim on the land if we demonstrate that we'll work with them. The island's big, but we can't avoid company forever.” She pauses, eying me cautiously. “What happened to you, Asher? Before you came here, I mean. What happened to make you so terrified of other people?”
“I'm not terrified,” I reply firmly. “I just don't like them.”
“Why?”
“Because other people always screw things up,” I continue. “They always end up rail-roading anyone who's different, they stop thinking for themselves and they start acting like cattle, they -”
/> “What's Steadfall?”
As soon as that name leaves her lips, I freeze.
“I know it's something important to you,” she adds. “Is it something you love and miss, or is it something you hate? I kinda think it's something you loved, at least once, since you -”
“Don't try to analyze me,” I reply. “I told you when we first met, I don't talk about my life before the island.”
“And look how that's working out,” she continues. “You're this ball of repressed anger, and you're starting to make really bad decisions. On the island, one bad decision can be enough to get you killed.”
“If you want to work with that bunch of cannibals, go ahead.” Taking a deep breath, I can't shake the urge to get the hell out of here. “I didn't run away from one set of rules just to get stuck with another. I came to the island because I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny.”
“Me too,” she replies.
“Then it's settled,” I continue, turning and walking away, heading back toward 'our' clearing. “We're getting the hell out of here.”
Chapter Thirty-nine
Iris
Stopping next to the nearest bush, I'm about to start pulling off berries when I see that the leaves are green rather than purple. I pull my hand back, but the hunger in my belly is intense and I feel like I need to eat something, anything, just to get rid of the hollow scratching sensation. It's as if my stomach is a dried sack, with the walls starting to stick together.
It takes all my willpower to leave the berries, and I start frantically looking for something else I can eat. There's a part of me that thinks I should just go back and eat the berries anyway, that they can't be that bad, but I keep telling myself that I'd end up dead. Finally, finding some rotten wood and mulched leaves, I scoop them into my hands and sit staring at them for a few minutes, trying to convince myself that anything is better than nothing.
When I slip the old wood into my mouth and start chewing, the taste is foul, but I swallow it eagerly and eat some more. At least my belly feels full, which means I'll be able to think clearly for a while and maybe find a way to catch a rabbit. Not that I've seen anything alive around here, but there has to be something. I eat more leaves, while spitting out the grit, and finally I've got just enough in my belly to let me think again. I feel a little nauseous, but that's better than feeling hungry so I turn and start making my way through the forest again, trying to make as little noise as possible while listening out for any hint of animal life. I feel a little dizzy, but I figure that'll pass soon enough.
One thing's certain. If I don't eat soon, I'll lose my mind.
Chapter Forty
Asher
“What the hell is this?” I ask, staring at the second wall that has miraculously appeared next to the one I built earlier. Looking around, I see no-one else here apart from Jude and myself, but when I turn back to the new wall I can't deny that someone must have come this way.
And apparently they built a wall for us.
“Don't take this the wrong way,” Jude replies, stepping forward and giving the wall a shove, “but it's ten times better then yours. These logs have been tied together with some kind of fabric. I think it might be the cords from a canopy, but they seem to have some kind of gum all over them...”
“Resin from the paler trees,” a male voice says suddenly.
Turning, I reach for my knife as I see a middle-aged man emerging from the forest, carrying a fresh pile of logs. He's smiling and his hands are full, so although I take the knife into my hand, I hold back from attacking him.
“I'm alone,” he says, setting the logs down a few feet from us. “My name's Tom Deckard. Is this place yours?”
“Why do you want to know?” I ask cautiously.
“I kind of thought it was abandoned,” he continues. “I thought I'd stumbled onto the ruins of some old fortification that had almost rotted away.”
I pause for a moment, with the knife still in my hand.
“I'm sorry,” he adds, “obviously I was wrong. I'm afraid I started working. There were lots of broken logs nearby and I'm pretty quick with this kind of thing. I used to be a carpenter, back in my old life before... Well, I guess you know how it is.”
“We were only gone for a couple of hours,” I point out.
“Like I said,” he continues, “I work fast. And it's not finished, it still needs strengthening, but I got the basic structure in place first so I can work from there.”
“This is our place,” Jude tells him, with a hint of fear in her voice. “Get out of here.”
“I -”
“There's two of us,” she says firmly, “and only one of you, so get the hell out of here.”
“Sure,” he replies, holding his hands up as he takes a step back. “I guess you can keep the wall as a token of my respect. It's not like I can carry it off with me.” He pauses, before pointing at the old wall that I built earlier. “Those won't last,” he adds. “First spot of bad weather, that'll come right down. You need to get rid of it and start again.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Jude sneers. “Now go!”
“Wait,” I add, stepping closer to the man, with my knife still raised. “What did you say your name was again?”
“Deckard,” he replies. “Tom Deckard.”
“And you know how to do stuff like this?” I ask. “Walls and things, you can build them?”
“The hardest part is finding materials,” he continues. “I mean, any fool can chop a tree down, but how do you bind the pieces together? That storm a couple of nights ago was rough, I don't want to get caught out in something like that again so I figured I'd try to build something a little more permanent. I'm sorry I started on your land, though. I'll move on.”
“It's not our land,” I tell him, “it's...”
“It is our land,” Jude says, clearly irritated. “We've negotiated for it.”
“We've done no such thing,” I reply, turning to her. “That Goddard guy said his people have claimed everything between here and the stone ridge, didn't he?”
“So?”
“So the stone ridge is only a couple of miles away. He was right about this land, it's too low and we could never hope to defend it, but beyond the ridge...” I pause for a moment, as I realize that my initial sense of hopelessness is starting to pass. Besides, I've never liked being threatened by bullies, and I've always fought back, even when it'd be wiser to run. “We just have to move a little way to the east.”
“What...” She seems shocked by the idea. “Why would we do that?”
I turn to Deckard. “You really know what you're doing, huh?”
“I'm no master,” he replies, “but I can put up a pretty neat cabin. Of course, someone'd probably just come and take it from me eventually, but I'm kinda resigned to that. I figure I need to do what I can, while I can, and hope for the best.”
“We want to build a settlement,” I tell him.
“Right here,” Jude adds.
“It doesn't have to be here,” I continue. “It can be anywhere, so long as we can defend it. That's the important thing, we need to claim a patch of land and then we need to be able to keep other people from taking it.”
“That's why we should enter into an alliance,” Jude hisses.
“We're moving.”
“What?”
“Will you come with us?” I ask Deckard. “Show us what you can do, let us work with you, and in return we can help you. There's strength in numbers, right?”
He pauses, clearly a little suspicious.
“You can trust us,” I continue, although I immediately realize how hollow those words sound. To be honest, I don't know whether or not I can trust him, especially since he happened to show up conveniently while we were away for a few hours, but I'm tired of running. Finally, with no other ideas, I step toward him and hold out my knife. “Take it.”
“I have one already.”
“Take it.”
He hesitates, before taking the
knife from my hand.
I immediately turn my back to him.
“What are you doing?” Jude asks.
“If this is some kind of trick,” I continue, staring straight ahead, “and you just want to kill me at the first opportunity, then I'm giving you that chance. I'd rather get it over with.”
“What's this all about?” Deckard asks, sounding genuinely lost.
“If you're one of them,” I add, trying not to let my body shake with terror, “and if you're from the cannibal settlement and you're not going to let me go, then just kill me now. The one thing I hate more than anything else is uncertainty. I don't want to live with constant fear.”
I wait, terrified in case I feel the blade slicing into my back. At the same time, I'd be more terrified if I had to live with that fear every second of every day. One way or another, I want to know where I stand.
“You're insane!” Jude hisses.
“No,” I reply, “I'm just tired.” I take a deep breath. “If you're just some random loner, Mr. Deckard, trying to take advantage, then again... Kill me. If for any reason you're planning to trick me or double cross me, don't wait, there's no need. I'm giving you the opportunity here and now. Do it.”
I stand in silence for a moment, before slowly turning and seeing the expression of shock in his eyes.
“I don't know what this is about,” he says cautiously, “but I don't want any trouble.” He holds the knife out for me to take. “I swear, I just happened to come across this place and it looked like it was abandoned. I had no idea someone was actually trying to turn it into something. The wall I found, I thought it was falling down, not being put up.”