Once Upon A Dystopia: An Anthology of Twisted Fairy Tales and Fractured Folklore

by Heather Carson

  Red used this hope to push herself harder in her training. It was the only way she could keep her heart and mind in check. She had never before felt hope this strongly, and she refused to let it consume her thoughts and prevent her from being picked for the mission. Instead, she channeled her feelings into her training, honing her physical capabilities and attempting to exceed them. Although she was not scheduled to graduate from her trainee status until next month, she wanted to make sure she got the chance to be chosen for the rescue mission if the opportunity arose. If they were to pick a trainee, Red wanted to be their top choice.

  She knew she stood out as a potential candidate because of her relationship with her grandmother. After all, her grandmother had been teaching her about Shifters and their world since before her parents died. Her grandmother’s knowledge put her on the team for the most important mission in O17 history, and Red hoped her learned knowledge would put her on the team for the second most important mission.

  Being on the guard kept Red fed as well as possible, but the lack of sustenance along with her already small nature, put her in a weaker position than she wanted. Red saw the wariness in her fellow trainees as well and hoped her enthusiasm the past few days would make her the top candidate.

  On the fourth day after the Council first met to discuss the next course of action, Red’s training was interrupted by a call for the Commanders around lunchtime. While the Commanders took leave of the training yard to meet with the Council, Red forced herself to eat what little food she was given despite her nerves. She knew she would need her strength no matter what decision they came to. The meeting was not long; the Commanders returned by the time Red and her fellow trainees had finished with lunch. But instead of ordering the trainees into another drill, Commander Logan began calling out names.

  “Jax, Weston, Hood,” Commander Logan shouted, his voice echoing across the yard. He was a tall man whose burly stature commanded the attention he now held. “Come with me.” Red looked up from where she had been re-lacing her boots. Excitement filled her body when she heard her name being called, but she had to keep her composure.

  Commander Logan did not wait to see if Red and the others were following, he just turned back in the direction he came from and began walking, his feet kicking up dust from the dry ground. Not wanting to fall behind, Red shoved her untied laces into her boot and jogged to catch up to her peers. As they walked away, Red heard the remaining Commanders order the trainees to get prepared for an after lunch run.

  Commander Logan led Red and her peers to the leader hall across the courtyard of the settlement. The leader hall was the biggest and most elaborate building within settlement O17. As the place where all matters pertaining to the settlement were attended to, the leader hall had to be big enough to hold all members of the guard as well as all six Council members. Though most buildings within the settlement were made of plain wood and simply put together, the leader hall was made of a grey limestone that had been carved by hands some time ago. Even the floors were paved with stone. Built in a large square, the walls of the hall were constructed much higher than the walls of the settlement in order to allow lieutenants to overlook the lands beyond for signs of danger.

  Red had never been in the leader hall before - only those with rankings could enter - but her grandmother had described the interior to her before even going as far as to teach her each of the Council members’ names. Despite her best efforts, however, Red could still not mask her astonishment upon entering the enormous, metal double doors. At the entrance as she drew in a breath. When she released it, her nose filled with a slightly musty scent. A shiver ran along her spine as the cool air inside the hall hit her warmed skin. Within the leader hall was a massive stone table with enough seats to accommodate all members of the Council and the guard, if not more. The ceilings were high, with large chandeliers casting a dim glow upon the room. Red followed the others to the far end of the table where the Council members and what appeared to be two members of the guard sat waiting. Her shoelace fell out of her shoe as she walked, and the sound of it scraping the ground made Red cringe. She hoped she did not appear unprepared.

  Councilman Rainne, a short and stout man with a greying goatee, instructed Commander Logan and his trainees to take a seat. Red sat at the end of the row of people next to trainee Jax, quickly tying her shoe while her feet were under the table. While waiting for a Council member to speak, Red peered at the sunken eyes and hollow cheeks that the Council members had hidden behind their stone-faced expressions. Even the most important people in the settlement were suffering from the effects of a slow starvation. Red turned her gaze away from the Council members to the other two people sitting at the table. She noted that they were in fact members of the guard based on their uniforms and ranking patches. One was a Commander with a neat auburn bun on her head and a poised face, but she did not recognize the other member’s ranking patch. He commanded attention though, his chest broad and back straightened with time on the guard.

  Councilman Rainne looked over the trainees before nodding to Commander Logan. “Great selections, Commander. I think they will work sufficiently for the mission.”

  Red froze. So, there is going to be a rescue mission. And I was picked to go!

  “Thank you, Councilmen,” Commander Logan responded. “They are the best of our trainees.”

  “Well, let us begin, shall we? I am sure you are wondering why you were brought here today,” Councilman Rainne addressed Red and her peers. “First, I must say, congratulations. You all are officially members of the guard and have now earned the title of Lieutenant.” The other Council members stated their congratulations and Commander Logan handed Red a patch signifying her rank. She velcroed it to her uniform after removing her trainee patch.

  “Now, with this rank also comes responsibility,” Councilman Devan continued for Councilman Rainne, his thick mustache muffling his words slightly. “You three have been selected to join Commander Logan, Commander San, and Captain Johnston on a rescue mission to try to recover the whereabouts of the previous mission.”

  Red examined Captain Johnston across the table, berating herself for being unable to recognize the patch of the Captain. The Captain’s hair was blonde and longer than most of the men in O17. He wore it past his ears, and his bangs often moved into his brown eyes. Red had not met the new Captain yet. It seemed that Commander Johnston took over for the last Captain, who was one of the missing team members from the last mission.

  Councilman Devan proceeded, drawing Red’s attention away. “As you know, rescue missions are not sent for the recovery of missing team members. This still holds true even with this mission. The only reason for this mission is the recovery of the cargo. The survival of our people relies on the arrival of the cargo to our settlement. Therefore, you must prioritize the recovery of the cargo over the recovery of team members.”

  “We are only informing you of this as a formality,” Councilwoman Yahaya says. “The likelihood of any of the team members still being alive after all this time is practically nonexistent. If not attacked in the first place, our team members have likely succumbed to the hands of the Shifters.” Councilwoman Yahaya clears her throat, her small lips pursing. “That being said, let us remind you of the dangers you face going on this mission.”

  “Shifters can take the form of any living creature, including humans,” Councilwoman Ellen explains. She takes a moment to tuck her gray hair behind her ears. “All Shifters have to do is see a living creature before they can take that exact form. When on your mission, do not assume any person you see is just that, particularly the members that were on the cargo mission. As I am sure Lieutenant Hood already knows, the more recent the sighting, the more realistic the Shifter appears.” Councilwoman Ellen looks at Red with her cold gray eyes before turning to Councilwoman Olya.

  “There are three ways you can tell the difference between a Shifter and a human,” Councilwoman Olya, a tall and narrow woman, begins. “First, behavior. O
bserve the way the potential Shifter is acting. Do they appear to behave differently than a normal human or the human you know? For less experienced Shifters, the ability to mimic the behaviors of humans is harder to achieve.” Councilwoman Olya counts on her fingers. “Look at common human behaviors such as itching a nose, blinking, and walking. If any of these behaviors seem abnormal, then you are encountering a Shifter.”

  “Second, appearance. Like Councilwoman Ellen just mentioned, the more recent a Shifter sees a human, the more realistic the Shifter appears. Try to notice discrepancies in the appearance of a normal human and the appearance of a Shifter impersonating to be a human.” Councilwoman Olya gestures to her arms and face. “One of the main aspects of appearance that Shifters are unable to get right is bodily proportions. Keep an eye out for larger than normal appendages and facial features including the eyes and ears.” Councilwoman Olya nods to Councilman Tron.

  “Third, voice.” Councilman Tron’s deep voice echoes around the room, his green eyes narrowing slightly. “Shifters are not able to mimic voices. They can mimic speech and speak to you if experienced enough, but they are unable to sound exactly like another human. This one is particularly important when seeing a human you are familiar with.” Councilman Tron meets Red’s eyes. “If, by some rare chance, you encounter a team member and they try to speak to you, make sure they sound normal. If there is any sort of discrepancy with their voice, then that ‘human’ is likely a Shifter.”

  Red nods in understanding, trying to get the Councilman’s piercing gaze off of her by avoiding eye contact. She knew the Council members would be skeptical about her position on the rescue mission team. The look on Councilman Tron’s face said everything. They are worried she might fall for the illusions of a Shifter because of her love for her grandmother. Love, afterall, is one of the most blinding aspects of human nature. But Red is a trained member of the guard now. She is not some easily confused farmer or healer. She would not be fooled into mistaking a Shifter for her grandmother. She was better than that.

  “Remember, Shifters stay within a ten-mile radius of their nests, so all we have to do is stay on the path and we should remain safe on our mission,” Captain Johnston adds as the Council members rise from their chairs. Red and her fellow guards bow their heads as they make their exit. Captain Johnston waits for the door to close before speaking again. “But that does not mean you can let your guard down. Just because our pathways have remained safe thus far, does not mean the Shifters will not evolve in their habits or move nests from time to time.” Captain Johnston rises from his seat and everyone follows.

  “You have tonight to pack your things,” Commander San addresses the group, her voice short and clipped. “Pack light. We must assume that our only wagon was damaged or destroyed during travel. So, we will likely be carrying back what supplies we can carry on our person.”

  “Rest early tonight,” Commander Logan says. “We head out at sunrise.”

  ***

  The winds of autumn blew Red’s long, ginger hair into her eyes, forcing her to pause for a moment to pull her hair up under her cap. The rescue team had been walking for a few hours now, but the chill from the morning still lingered. Not wanting to hold up the rest of her team, Red forced herself to walk while she messed with her hair. Red was directly behind Commander Logan, third in line in the formation the team maintained as they walked. Red was instructed to keep her eyes on the left side of the pathway, her gun always ready to shoot should the need arise.

  Besides the rustling of leaves and Red’s stomach complaining of hunger, the morning was quiet. There were no signs of Shifters in the trees off the path, but there was also no sign of the missing wagon or team members. The team remained silent as they walked, not wanting to attract Shifters to their location. Having never been outside of the settlement before, Red did not mind the lack of conversation. She was able to fully soak in her surroundings and wonder what it must have been like for her people before they had built the walls of O17.

  Shifters were rarer back then and could be avoided easily. Only the most obscure areas of the O region were known to have Shifter sightings, and for many centuries Shifters were unknown to most of the population. Attacks by Shifters - which were few - were often written off as attacks from other animals. But that was before the Shifters adapted and evolved. No one knows how this occurred, only that it must have happened over an extended period of time, much longer than one person’s lifetime. Shifters became faster, braver, and hungrier for animals other than those that resided in the forest. Their hunting ranges doubled in size. As more people were attacked and killed, more Shifters survived and expanded their populations, building more nests in new areas. That was when the colonizers of O17 began to build the wall.

  Red’s grandmother told her O17 had existed long before the evolution of the Shifters. O17 was a colony in the O region, although it went by a different name in its previous life. When Shifter attacks became nearly impossible to avoid, O17 turned into the settlement that it was now. Families that lived outside of O17 flocked into the lands that would be protected by the walls. Everyone was moved into the leader hall with their belongings so that the stones and bricks used for their houses could be used for the construction of the wall. People worked hard both day and night to build the wall, while others cut trees to rebuild the deconstructed houses, and even more stood guard to protect the workers.

  Red could not imagine the life of terror the first members of settlement O17 must have felt knowing they were no longer safe outside the walls. Shaking her head to clear the realization that she was now in a similar situation voluntarily, Red rights her focus to the goal of the mission as well as her own personal goal. Red did not care if the Council members told her to prioritize the cargo over the team members. If her grandmother is still alive, Red would prioritize her safety and rescue over anything else. Her people could figure out a different way to survive. They could not replace the valuable knowledge her grandmother contained.

  The team walked for another hour before stopping for a quick lunch of some dried fruits, nuts, and jerky. Red forced herself to eat slowly, attempting to trick her stomach into thinking she had eaten more than she actually did. She took a swig of her water to wash the remainder of her meal down and stored the bottle in her bag so she would not be tempted to drink anymore.

  Captain Johnston quietly reminded the team members that there would only be short rest breaks with two team members taking watch in order to minimize travel time from and to the settlement. Commander Logan and Lieutenant Weston would take the first watch when they stopped again at nightfall if they had not yet reached the missing team. With the sun now directly overhead, Captain Johnston led Red and the other team members for another hour or two before instructing a harsh stop with the raising of his hand.

  Red took her eyes off of the trees to see why the Captain had halted the procession before the sun had fallen below the horizon. Her lungs constricted in her chest and hope made her stomach flip. Up ahead, only a yard or so off of the path, was the settlement O17 wagon.

  “Approach with caution,” Johnston whispered. “Everything appears quiet now, but this wagon is off of the path. We do not want to draw attention to the Shifters if they are not already there.”

  Red and her fellow guards inched their way toward the upturned wagon while staying on the path, heeding the words of the Captain. As they approached, Red drank in the scene, looking for signs of any life. The wagon with their settlement’s name lay on its side, various crops now aging with decay bursting from the back like spilled intestines. The way the wagon lay made it appear as if it had been pushed from the side, rolling over itself once, before settling as it is now. The fabric of the wagon was ripped either by Shifters or the tumble - Red could not tell. The cords that hitched the horses to the wagon were pulled from their loops, the horses long gone and most likely eaten.

  After confirming no signs of movement, the group split into teams. Commander San, Weston, and Jax
watched the trees while Red, Commander Logan, and Captain Johnston gathered what they could from the wreck. Red, being the smallest member of the group, cautiously made her way inside the overturned wagon, sifting her way through the contents so she could scavenge the two large crates at the back that the others could not reach. Approaching the first crate, Red worked as quietly as she could to pry off the side. When the boards came loose, Red gently pushed them over the backside of the crate, causing a groan to erupt from whomever or whatever was on the other side.

  Red felt her breath hitch. She was not alone in the wagon. She could hear her fellow guards pause in their movements outside of the wagon, listening for further noise to indicate the source of the groan. Red shifted ever so slightly toward the exit, and gently took a step backward, her foot squishing into a rotten tomato. The wet sound that came from where her foot met the tomato, alerted the person or thing on the other side of the crates.