Escape from Harrizel

by C. G. Coppola

  “What’re you thinking?” she whispers, risking another glance to me. “Didn’t Walker tell you? It’s suicide.”

  Think, girl, think. I might not be down here again. I might not get another chance.

  “What will happen?” I ask.

  “You’ll be marked.”

  “As?”

  “A run away,” her voice is so soft, so quiet it could break, “and they’ll take you.”

  I feel the blood drain from my face. “Take me where?”

  She shrugs, “but you won’t come back.”

  Chills race up my spine, freezing me as I quickly recalculate. We need to revolt. Revolt or escape. And right now, there doesn’t seem to be a plan in gear for the first. None that I’m aware of at least. So it’s back to the original plan—escape. Even if it’s not right now.

  “And we work out here all day?” I whisper. “Every day?”

  She nods, focused on the wall.

  “Just digging?”

  “Sshh… we really can’t talk,” she gestures me to keep clawing the gibb. A moment goes by. “I’m Raj by the way.”

  I want to give her my name but Fallon still seems foreign. It’s familiar, but not right, like it’s missing something. Something essential.

  “You’re Fallon, right?” she keeps her voice quiet.

  I snap toward her. “How do you know?”

  “Everyone knows.”

  “What?”

  “Later…” she motions to the wall again, “after Rebuilding.”

  That would mean I’d have to forgo my escape plan. But we’re out here every day. I could do it tomorrow. I could flee tomorrow if it meant just one more day here. And if anything, I could learn the schedules better. Find out how we’re being supervised if there are no Dofinikes around to see us.One day. I’ll give it one day and I’m gone tomorrow.

  I glance at Raj, so focused on not seeing me. “When?”

  “Leisure Time.”

  SCCCRRREEAACCHH!!

  “Holy shit!” I clamp the Senz to my ears. “What the hell is that?”

  I attempt to drown out the ungodly sound but it’s permeating from the Castle’s walls, screaming all the way to the jungle on the other side of the wrought-iron gate.

  “Dismissal from Rebuilding,” Raj is calm next to me. She’s heard this so many times it doesn’t even bother her. Everyone else is the same. They drop their Senz into their buckets and retreat on automatic, heading for the nearest ladder and forming an orderly line out.

  Even though I’ve decided to stay, I briefly consider making a run for it again. Maybe it won’t be suicide now, not in the middle of all this movement. Maybe Raj is wrong. How can they know every person’s position? Someone could easily get lost in all this.

  As if hearing my thoughts, she beckons me toward the ladder with the others. “They’ll know. Come on.”

  I glance regretfully at the curve in the trench—the point I’ve selected as the closest to the gate. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll dig there so when the dismissal rings, I’ll get lost in everyone’s movement and flee. Tonight I’ll learn what I need to know for tomorrow. One day. Just one more day.

  Out of the trench, Raj and I head back for the portcullis with the others. Once we’ve entered the Courtyard, she leans in, “Now it’s dinner. And then Reminders. I’ll find you at Leisure Time.” She scampers away before I have a chance to ask where.

  Everyone’s making their way up the stairwells to their rooms. Arching back, I eye the fifteen floors I’ll need to go, just to eat and then come right back down.

  One more day.

  I take off up the stairs and am completely winded by the time I get there. Dragging myself to my crimson arch, I punch the six symbols Jeb showed me and I head into my broom closet of a room. With the sun setting, it’s darker in here and only two babeebs light the tiny space, casting a minimal glow. I’m about to throw myself on the bed and catch a moment of rest when I notice a narrow shelf with a small black bowl protruding from the wall. Curiosity has got the better of me so I make my way over, peering inside.

  The grey, lumpy soup doesn’t look appetizing in the least. I bring it under my nose and inhale the bland, almost mothy scent. I push it away immediately. Just as I’ve decided to forgo dinner, my stomach offers its own opinion, gurgling so loud that my hands slip over to cover it.

  Food would be smart.

  And if I don’t have any of that, maybe this will do.

  Forcing myself, I bring the bowl to my mouth and slowly sip at the mushy, oatmeal like texture. I nearly gag on its sogginess, the overwhelming need to vomit rising. It’s like chewed up bread with grisly bits mixed in, the flavor adding nothing but a foul aftertaste.

  They expect us to eat this shit?

  It gurgles on its way down and instantly, I regret sampling it. It’s like swallowing barf, it’s so gross and I think I might actually throw it up. Somehow, I keep it down. Glaring at the mush, I know I won’t last long if this is the only sort of sustenance they give us.

  But I won’t be here for much longer.

  I’m leaving tomorrow. After Rebuilding. During another fight—whenever. I’m not letting Walker or Raj or anyone else talk me out of it. I’m leaving.

  After another brutalizing dismissal, I head down to the Auditorium with everyone else. Unlike earlier, it’s filled to the brim, bodies lining the room, occupying this giant gymnasium of shadowy space. A huge thicket surrounds the center, swarming the trunk, ready for Reminders and then, as the raw heat radiating throughout the room suggests, Leisure Time.

  Couples already decorate the walls, hooked into each other. They’re free down here, free to do what they want and how they want—and it’s encouraged. What must it be like to work alongside your significant other and not be able to speak a word to them all day? Or touch, hug and kiss, if the urge struck? They’re able to release all that down here—and they are. Boy, are they! I try to look away but it’s difficult. Up on the surface, no one acknowledges one another but here, they’re making up for all that.

  “Good evening friends,” Jeb’s voice booms.

  Someone passes me in a hurry and I’m knocked to the side, to a narrow space between two girls with a view of the floating trunk. Jeb’s on it, draped in a crimson robe with black lining this time, his hands lost in the overlapping fabric of his sleeves.

  “Welcome to another day on Harrizel,” he grins, surveying the crowd with interest, “and as always, to your Rebirth. Just a few Reminders before Leisure Time may begin. First,” he starts as I weave closer throughout the crowd, “please try to limit your trips to the Water Pole. Remember, without your continued diligence and hard work, the construction on the upper floors will suffer and in turn, new housing will be delayed so please… try to make do with less. Second, please be reminded that you are allowed only three babeebs in your room. We do this as a courtesy to the others and anyone found with more will receive a visit from Tetlak. Lastly,” he beams wider as I meander even closer to the iridescent trunk, “journeying past the gate is prohibited,” Jeb’s voice falls a notch. “Harrizel’s jungle is treacherous to say the least and the only thing that awaits you out there is death. We know the last thing you’d want is our sacrifice to be in vain, so do what’s right for your people, not yourself. Once we can agree to these terms, I think it will fare better for all,” he continues smiling, glancing around the room. “And now, as promised, Leisure Time may begin.”

  A slow and haunting melody permeates from the walls, drifting over us as most lose themselves in the booming erotic atmosphere. They dance along, grinding into one another with their hands and faces already entwined in wet, lustful passion.

  I cringe.

  Oh God—what must it be like to live here?

  Tomorrow. I’m leaving tomorrow. This is all a show for tonight, one I’ll never have to see again. I can skate through one evening of uninhibited lust if it means a chance to make for the ruins tomorrow. After that—well, I’ll figure it out then.

 
I just need to find Raj for tonight.

  But we didn’t pick a place to meet. And the Auditorium is huge. And filled with people. How will we ever find each other? And what kind of information will she have? I think about staying put. If we’re both looking for one another and we’re constantly on the move, then we’ll never find each other. It’s probably the smarter idea but I’m only able to keep my feet still for so long. Maybe I could take a quick look and see if I can spot her. I am, after all, a bit taller and can see over. I’ll probably find her faster than she can find me.

  Strolling through the crowded mass, my eyes dart from face to face, which is hard because most are clinging to one another. Does everyone use Leisure Time to make out? Or just the people in here?

  Maybe not everyone—

  Something hard bumps into my right shoulder, knocking me off balance. I stagger, ready to glare at the passerby when I spin around and see him.

  The boy from the ruins.

  Chapter Five: Boy from the Ruins

  “You,” I say, inaudibly at first. “It’s you.”

  His eyes pierce mine, lightning flashing. He backs up, nearly disappearing but I grab his wrist before he can get away.

  “Wait!”

  He snatches his wrist back, staring down in astonishment. How did I find him? Or was he really foolish enough to bump into me? We stand looking at each other, dumbfounded. At six foot, he’s taller than I expected—taller than me—with a lean shape to match his height but heavily muscular in proportion. In the wild he was just a face, a combination of confusion and surprise but here, he towers, his short, shaggy brown hair the same color as his high arching brows and deep, penetrating gaze.

  “I saw you out there…”

  He glances beyond me, quickly calculating. He brings both pinkies up to his mouth and whistles, the sound sailing behind me. I know he’s calling for someone but the sight of him keeps me frozen in place. He’s the only one I know for certain that’s done it. The only who’s gone beyond the gate—and returned. Did he slip through? Between the rods like I’d planned? Or is there another way? A thousand questions erupt as I replay seeing him out there, the most important thought rushing to the surface.

  “What were you doing?” I ask, unable to keep my eyes off him, “everything went black. I woke up and…”

  He whistles again, catching eyes with someone in the distance. There’s a commotion behind me, a shuffle of feet and I know we’re about to be separated. He must know it too because the right side of his mouth rises, a fishhook caught in his cheek. He’ll be rid of me soon enough. What a punk. I desperately want to knee him, but this is my chance. Violent tactics, though they feel appropriate, may ruin the whole thing. And if I lose him, I may never discover how he got out there.

  “What happened to me?” I demand and his sight drops back down. “I can’t remember anything… what did you do?”

  His lips part, but as it looks like he may actually utter a response, I’m cut off, pushed back by several bodies which begin dancing between us. The boy—whoever he is—uses the opportunity to escape into the crowd, but not before offering me one final look. It holds guilt, confusion… maybe he wanted to tell me. But he’s gone before he can change his mind and I’m left peering after him and into a hive of dancers.

  He’s not getting away that easy.

  Shifting to the side of the new group, I start after him when more bodies conveniently block my way. I dodge them but more appear, creating an impenetrable shield between us. I’m about to barrel through, knocking everyone from my path when Raj’s voice sails over.

  “Fallon? What’re you…” she scurries up to me, her eyes wide, “what’re you doing?”

  “I have to find…” I’m still attempting to dodge past the dancers but they’ve entangled themselves like a nest, “…this guy…”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know his name,” I nearly run into a hard torso. “Uh—could you move?”

  “Fallon,” Raj grasps my hand, yanking me back to her, “you’ve got to be careful.”

  “Why?”

  “You can’t…” she glances around, “you can’t just do whatever you want.”

  “Why not?”

  “There’s a system,” she whispers.

  “What do you mean a system? Raj?” I focus in on her, completely abandoning my search of the boy. “Raj, what aren’t you telling me?”

  She leans in and cups her hand to my ear. “The Clans.”

  “Clans?” I jerk back.

  “Sshh! We don’t talk about them! Not out loud, at least.”

  “Why not? What are they?”

  She resumes cupping her hand to my ear, her words leaving in an exasperated rush, “They’re two rival groups. Gangs, if you want the truth. They run everything here, including the Market, which is where we buy our real food. But you have to be careful. You can’t walk around accosting anyone. It’ll get back to them. It’ll cause trouble.”

  I pull back and look between her eyes. She’s completely serious.

  I definitely want to know more about this Market but as I’m deciding on my question, she gestures me to speak into her ear as she did for me. Obviously, this is not a conversation to be having openly. It seems silly discussing something so secretive right here in the middle of foreplay central, so I motion to the closest Maze entrance nearby. It’s the green and plum-black checkered wall. The West entrance. “Did you want to talk back there?”

  She follows my gaze, her eyes growing wide again. “Oh no! That’s where they work. West for Rogues and East for Kings.”

  “Are those their names?”

  She nods, biting her lip.

  “What about the other two?” I glance to the North and South entrances.

  “Uh… no,” she shakes her head, eyeing the South wall quickly, “I don’t think they’re used for anything… but I still wouldn’t go in there. It’s safer out here, with everyone else.”

  “Then where should we talk?”

  “Uh…” she looks around, “there’s really no safe place. We can talk by the West Wall but we just have to be quiet.”

  “Okay,” I lead the way and surprisingly the dancers let me pass. When we reach the green checkered wall, I lean against it. Crossing my arms, I keep my voice low. “Tell me about the Market.”

  “It’s a way to buy things,” she whispers. “Food, mostly. But you can get almost anything. You buy items—we call them tokens—by performing services for the Clans. They’ll ask you to spy on someone or find something out. Sometimes they’ll want you to get someone to a certain place at a certain time. But it’s never easy and you almost never want to do it.”

  “Then how come people do?”

  She looks at me with woeful eyes. “They’re hungry.”

  Shit.

  “Are the Dofinikes aware of the Clans?”

  She nods.

  “And they’re fine with it?”

  Again, she nods.

  Of course Jeb and Clarence wouldn’t tell me about Harrizel hosting its own black market economy. Why would they? That would only serve to aid me and neither have done anything to help me. Well, everyone else can sell their soul to work for their food. I’m going to find my sustenance. In the jungle, once I leave tomorrow night. But still, curiosity has got me asking.

  “So you just walk up—”

  Raj stops me, indicating I should speak into her ear.

  “So,” I lean in, doing as she requests, “you just walk up to one of the Clans and barter for a piece of bread?”

  “No…” she shakes her head, “nothing like that. You never deal directly with the Clans. It’s always done through the Scouts. They’re like… the middle-men. They deliver the requested token—gupple or marowine or whatever—and tell you what you need to do.”

  “What if you don’t do it?”

  “Then the Clans come for you.”

  “Okay,” I exhale, lost in all the questions racing through my head, “then… how do you find a Scout
? Is there a list posted somewhere?”

  “They come to you.”

  “Meaning?”

  “The Clans choose who they want to work with. You can’t go asking for tokens. You’ve got to be selected. Recruited.”

  “Wow…that… seems like a lot of work just to eat.”

  She shrugs. “It’s what we have to do.”

  “Doesn’t anyone…” I lean in again, cautious to ask, “just leave?”

  Raj shakes her head adamantly. “The Dofinikes watch you. That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier. From the labs on the top floor. That’s how they know,” she keeps her voice low, “plus…”

  “What?”

  She glances around, then back to me. “The gate is rigged. They know if you try to pass through it. Some have. Then… the next day… they were gone.”

  Gone?

  Okay, things have definitely spiraled to a new level. Not only is the gate rigged, but they’ll take us if we try to escape? But how can they get us if we’re already gone? If I keep going, straight into the jungle, they won’t be able to catch me. I could still do it. I could still disappear out there… and then… and then I don’t know…

  “So…” Raj goes on, “no one even tries anymore. There was a rush of people a while ago who thought they could just make it past the gate. They did. The last thing we saw was them running off into the jungle.”

  “So how do you know the Dofinikes took them? Maybe they’re still out there?”

  She shakes her head, her face dropping. “They bring them back. At night. If you’re on the North wall, you can see it from your window. You can hear it. They drag them right through the Courtyard and into the evibola for upstairs.”

  “So obvious?”

  Her voice lowers. “They want us to see.”

  Shit.

  So escape may not be the best plan. Not yet at least. But I can’t live here. I can’t let this be my life. This isn’t my life. But him—that boy. He got out of here and returned. They haven’t taken him so it’s possible that I could do the same. I’ll just never come back.