“I can’t hear anything, Dag. I don’t think he’s breathing …”
With a sad heart Dagwood looks at Puk, who doesn’t quite understand the seriousness of the situation yet. He sees some bloody pieces next to Twice’s head and he tries to cover them with dirt without Puk noticing. A stab hits his heart when he sees that its teeth, and he can’t imagine how much pain and torment the little roundsnout has gone through before they found it.
At that moment, Salomon calls him over to a small mound and Dagwood quickly gets up. In a few jumps he reaches Salomon, who shows him his discovery. He points to a small deepening behind the mound where a lifeless body is lying. It’s Hackett. He’s staring straight into the air and his eyes, which were once so dark, are drained of all color and life. His shirt is torn open, exposing his bloody chest. The fingers of one of his hands are dug deep into large wounds surrounding his heart. The other hand has gone stiff while holding some branches next to him. He seems to be in great pain. Or was, because they both know he’s dead. It’s as if his last suffering and pain have been chiseled into his dead face and body.
They both look at him with contempt. How could it end like this? What could make a young boy subject another living creature to such pain and misery? A couple of black birds with beaks red with blood stand a short distance away, cawing accusingly over being disturbed in the middle of their meal. Salomon looks up and sees a large flock of birds still circling in the air. Not right here, but a little further away. Puk comes running towards them and sees Hackett.
“Is it him who did it?”
He throws himself at Hackett and starts hitting his face shouting: “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TWICE, YOU DISGUSTING THIEF!”
Dagwood’s about to pull him away from Hackett but stops himself and lets Puk hit him more. He doesn’t notice that Salomon’s gone.
Fella’s having trouble breathing and hardly has any strength to move. He tries to pull further back into the cool cave to avoid the evening sun glaring in his eyes. Every little glimmer of light hurts him, stabbing his face with small knives of light. He needs to get away from the light. And away from those damned birds who’ve been circling over him for most of the day. He’s tried in vain to scare them off, but neither his voice nor his arms seem to obey him.
The pain in his chest is suddenly back again, and this time stronger than before. He cries out in pain, but no sound comes out. The screams are only heard in his head. His throat’s completely drained of fluid and he can’t remember ever being as thirsty as he is now. There’s no more water in the water skin. He finished that long ago, and there isn’t a drop of fresh water nearby.
He doesn’t quite understand what’s happened, but he knows he’s sick and that it’s serious. He understood that when both Hackett and he suddenly had violent, burning rashes all over their bodies that wouldn’t stop itching, no matter how much they scratched. He’d occasionally had a lighter itch earlier, but he’d thought that it was a harmless rash he’d gotten from a plant in the forest, or some food he’d eaten. But he knows now that it wasn’t the case.
They both knew. They’d seen the disease and the condition before. Long ago. Back then when the world changed. It wasn’t until now that they felt it on their own bodies, and they knew it wouldn’t lead to a happy end. Once the seriousness sunk in, Hackett had panicked. He’d ripped his shirt open, desperately scratching his skin into a bloody mess. Like a wild animal, he’d run around screaming and tormented until both his strength and his screams had died out.
Fella didn’t have either the desire or the strength to help Hackett, because the pains in his own chest were so violent that he couldn’t focus on anything other than his own suffering. Shortly after, Hackett had fallen to the ground. He’d tossed and turned uncontrollably, like a swimmer fighting to get back into the water. And then, suddenly, he stopped moving. In his desperate death struggle he hadn’t been able to control his movements or his bowels, and he was lying completely still on the ground covered in blood and feces with a wild look in his eyes.
He needed to get away. Away from the blood, Hackett, and the filthy little animal that Puk called his friend. What had been the satisfaction of revenge and fun a short while ago had suddenly turned into a terrifying and fatal situation for him and Hackett.
Before long, the sky was full of cawing black birds slowly circling closer and closer to the ground – and him. He’d struggled hard to get away from the clearing, towards the cliff side. But the birds had followed him, and no shade or flight could remove his suffering.
Fella’s fighting to keep his head up, but his body is failing him and he slowly slides down the side of the cliff he’s leaning against. A large stone is carving into his back, but he doesn’t have the strength to move. The pain in his back is almost a pleasant distraction from the pain in his chest.
Suddenly he hears the noise of a branch breaking, and he turns his head with great difficulty towards the sound. He spots two feet standing close to him, but he’s not strong enough to lift his head to see who it is. He tries to get ahold of the knife in his belt, but discovers to his horror that he’s dropped it. The feeling of not being able to move or defend himself scares him, and his voice starts shaking.
“Who is it?”
He gets no answer, and his head falls limply towards his chest again. His eyes slowly close and his thoughts float away for a moment. The feet move a step closer and Fella wakes up again. He sees that the person is kneeling next to him, and he’s finally able to see who the stranger is. With one last effort he pulls back towards the cliff, but he can’t get away.
“Salomon … is that you?”
A violent coughing fit takes over his words, and his breathing seems to stop for a brief moment.
Salomon waits until he’s finished coughing, and says: “Is this what you’re looking for?”
Salomon holds out a bloody knife towards him, and continues: “It was lying next to Twice. You must have forgotten it when you tortured him to death.”
A dry sound comes out of Fella’s mouth. He tries to spit at Salomon, but his mouth has dried out.
“You were probably hoping to see Dagwood. He might be willing to help you. Try to save you in spite of what you’ve done …”
He looks down at Fella’s chest and the large, bloody wounds surrounding his heart.
“It’s eating you up, isn’t it? Like it did with Hackett.”
Fella feels the anger of what Salomon is saying giving him renewed strength, and suddenly he can easily get the words out.
“What is it I’ve done then, Sal? What? Killed a small nuisance. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve done? I’ve seen what you hide behind your shirt. There on your chest … your scars …”
With great effort he lifts his hand and points to Salomon’s chest.
“What’s your secret?”
Salomon stays calm and unaffected, and his intense blue eyes don’t leave Fella’s eyes for a second.
With a controlled voice he answers: “I’ve killed someone. Someone like you.”
Fella answers aggressively: “Like me. You’re crazy! I haven’t done anything but take what was mine. And punish the measly bird, Puk, who’s to blame for us being evicted. And I’d do it again if I got the chance!”
“You won’t. You see, you’re going to die now. And you’re going to die alone.”
Salomon gets up and starts walking away. The aggression in Fella’s voice suddenly turns into desperation, and he shouts after him: “Don’t go! Help me. Please help me. It was just a meaningless animal. How can it even matter? Don’t leave me here to die because of that. A silly action like that doesn’t define who I am …”
Salomon stops and turns around.
“See, that’s where you’re mistaken.”
He walks back to Fella and reaches for his throat. With a strong pull he tears off the chain around his neck. It’s Twice’s lu
cky chain.
“This belongs to Twice, who mattered to Puk.”
Fella is about to answer back as a new coughing fit attacks his throat, and this time it seems as if it’s the last.
Puk carefully wraps Twice in his shirt. He picks up the bloody teeth laying on the ground and puts them in the pocket of his pants. It’s almost dark and the weather has shifted. Cool air embraces them with no consideration for the fact that they didn’t bring any extra clothing.
“I think we’ll have to camp here tonight.”
Dagwood turns around and scouts the darkness, looking for Salomon. He hadn’t noticed he was gone till just now, and he wonders where he could be. Then he sees him appearing from the darkness with his arms full of firewood. He throws it on the ground and starts building a fire.
“Is it a better idea to camp in one of the cliff caves, Sal? I think the wind’s picking up and out here in the open there’s no shelter.”
Salomon shakes his head.
“It’s fine here by the group of trees. The rays of the sun will catch us earlier here in the morning than if we sleep in the shade of the cliffs.”
Dagwood is puzzled by Salomon’s reply. Before, he surely said that the best place to camp was by the cliffs. But he quickly lets go of the thought and focuses on something else.
“What are we going to do about Hackett’s body?”
He leans towards Salomon and whispers, so Puk can’t hear him. Salomon looks up and answers: “I’ve removed it. He’s gone for good.”
Dagwood doesn’t ask any more questions, because he knows Salomon well enough to know that he won’t get any more information out of him today. He looks at Puk, who’s curled up with Twice and has fallen asleep. In his heart he mourns that Puk’s lost his best friend to two heartless and vindictive boys. How could they sink so far down into dark thoughts and feelings that could justify doing such a thing? It disturbs him, but it worries him even more that the sickness they’ve escaped, that killed his parents and all the adults he knew, has found its way to them.
“Are you hungry?”
Dagwood’s thoughts are interrupted by Salomon’s voice. Since they found Twice and Hackett, he hasn’t thought about food or water. The only thing he’s focused on has been Puk.
He shrugs his shoulders and answers: “Not right now, but we need to get something to eat before we go looking for Fella again tomorrow.”
Salomon doesn’t look up. He’s pulled his knife out and has started to cut a piece of wood.
Dagwood asks him: “How far do you think he made it?”
Salomon looks Dagwood in the eye and hesitates a bit before answering.
“I think that we should get Puk and Twice home first. He shouldn’t be buried here but at home, where he belongs. Fella will get what he deserves soon enough.”
Dagwood breathes a sigh of relief and nods back. He’s happy that Salomon has taken over, and that he doesn’t have to make any more decisions tonight.
CHAPTER 31
They’ve been gone a long time, and everyone in the camp is starting to worry. Skye’s been up since the morning sun started shining, and she’s already been down to the edge of the forest and back several times.
“Sit down. They won’t come back any sooner, no matter how much you run back and forth. You’re making the rest of us nervous.”
Flo sounds annoyed as she speaks, and Skye feels like answering back, but she doesn’t. Instead she walks over to Evi and sits next to her. She’s in the middle of weaving shoes out of dried grass. It’s a technique that Skye hasn’t seen before, but it seems incredibly effective. Imagine making something that durable out of something so fragile. Evi’s promised to show her how to make them, but Skye’s impatience has destroyed any learning so far.
“The weather will soon change and you have no shoes. You’ll need some before long.”
Evi’s voice is light and she sounds like someone much younger than she is.
“I’ll try to learn next time. I just wish they’d return soon.”
“They’ll come back,” Evi says, as she finds some suitable bundles of grass and places them in Skye’s lap.
“The grass mustn’t be too dry, otherwise it’ll break when you weave it. When the shoe’s finished, it needs to dry in the sun for a couple of days and then it’s ready.”
Clothes and shoes had been in short supply since they left the villages. Most of them had grown out of their clothes as they had grown bigger. Skye had spent many hours expanding and sowing pieces of cloth together from the few clothes she and Ecco had brought with them, and their shoes were cut open at both the front and the back in order to make room for their growing feet. When the weather had changed and the cold had taken over, they’d wrap their feet and bodies in furs from the long-ears.
“It’s amazing that you can make shoes out of dry grass. Where did you learn to do that?”
Skye sees that her question is making Evi uncomfortable, and she regrets asking it. By now she’s learned that every question with a link to the past is painful to answer. The memories wake feelings from a time that’s not here anymore. Feelings for people who are gone for always.
Evi breathes deeply before she answers: “I learned it from my father. He was a shoemaker. He taught my brother and me how when we were little, so we could help him with his work. With the right tools I can even make leather shoes.”
A happy feeling flushes over Skye as Evi mentions her brother.
“You have a brother too! I have …”
But Skye doesn’t finish her sentence and instead looks at the dried bundles of grass lying in her lap. The happy feeling is gone again as the loss of Ecco overpowers her heart. Evi turns her head and answers her unfinished question.
“Yes, I have an older brother too, but we were separated in The Great Confusion right after the outbreak. It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken about him. I hope he took our father’s tools with him when he left the village. I think he did, because he’s always been wise and sensible. So I’ll have to wait till I find him again before I can make some proper leather shoes.”
She slowly weaves as she confides: “I miss him. Every day.”
Skye’s saddened to hear of Evi’s loss, and she starts thinking about Ecco. She suddenly realizes that she hasn’t spoken about him once since the day she woke up here in the camp and found out that he was dead. It feels good to speak about him again.
“I miss my brother too. His name’s Ecco. What’s your brother called?”
“Brogan,” Evi answers, and smiles. They both start speaking eagerly at the same time, and despite the loss of their brothers they find joy and satisfaction in talking to someone who understands. Someone who feels like listening to all the small, silly and forgotten stories about their beloved family members. And for a short moment, Ecco and Brogan are alive again, through words and memories.
“They’re back!”
Knox shouts so loudly that his voice breaks. Had the situation been different, they would all have been laughing at Knox, but not this time. They all run toward the forest path and see three figures appearing from the forest. Skye’s relieved to see them all alive. Knox runs to a small mound to get a better view. He turns to the others and smiles.
“Puk is carrying something. I think it’s Twice!”
Finch cheers loudly, but he stops again quickly and asks hesitantly: “But if it’s Twice, how come he isn’t walking by himself on the ground next to Puk?”
Before long the question is answered. The seriousness in Dagwood and Salomon’s faces tells them that there’s nothing to cheer about. Puk walks with his head down, and when he finally looks up his eyes are red and swollen. Skye feels like running over to him and hugging him, because she knows the feeling that fills Puk’s heart right now only too well. But she doesn’t run to him for fear of interfering in a grief that isn’t hers.
Skye walks to Dagwood, who’s sitting next to the fire to get warm. His welcoming smile isn’t as natural as it normally is, but she’s content with just a little smile. She’s about to ask him how their trip has gone when someone appears quickly behind her. It’s Flo. She clumsily steps in front of Skye and starts speaking.
“I’m so happy that you’re back safe and sound. I’ve been so worried. We all were …”
She turns around and points at the others. She stops at Skye and asks: “Aren’t you happy that Salomon is back again, Skye?”
Dagwood looks surprised at Flo and then at Skye, who doesn’t understand Flo’s sudden outburst.
“Yes, I’m happy that they’re all home again.”
Skye looks at Flo and sees she’s smiling. But she doesn’t look happy or friendly. Why’s Flo asking her about Salomon when Dagwood and the others are listening? Skye can feel an anger inside her, and she feels like running over and hitting her. Or maybe just shaking her. She clenches her fists hard and tries to focus on the reason she walked over to Dagwood. There’s no reason to get angry with Flo. She probably didn’t mean anything by her question. Because what could she have meant?
A nagging feeling suddenly runs through her, and for a short moment she’s afraid that Flo saw something the other night when she was comforting Salomon in his sleep. Saw something she might have misunderstood and now wants to reveal to the others – and Dagwood. The anger returns and she scowls at Flo, who’s still looking at her. But she doesn’t smile anymore. Flo just looks at Skye, narrowing her eyes, and now Skye knows her hunch was right. Flo deliberately asked her about Salomon to “reveal” her.
The Dawn of Skye (The Someday Children Book 1) Page 20