“Is that when they gave you the marks?”
Kai nodded. “Eventually a man’s crimes catch up to him, and they can no longer be forgotten. Or, that’s what they told me.” He raised a hand to his forehead, pointing at the lines on either side. “I’ll wear these marks forever, just like I’ll bear the shame of my family.” Kai shook his head with emotion. “My father stopped visiting me after the last time I was caught. I think my mother would’ve kept in touch if she weren’t so ill. As it was, I had no one. The leaders were never letting me out. So I served my sentence alone, under the weight of my shame, and gave up on having any kind of life, other than what they prescribed for me.” Kai shook his head. “When I close my eyes, I can still smell the odor of unwashed bodies in those cells, and I can hear the skittering of sand rats in corners, searching for scraps. One time I caught one of the rodents, but the guards took it away. None of the prisoners in those cells were allowed any extra. Our lives were only worth the work we did. We were never leaving, and the guards in that wing never let us forget it.”
Kai swallowed. “I spent several years in that prison. Eventually, I realized I would rather die than spend the rest of my life there. And so I devised a plan.”
“To escape,” Neena surmised.
Kai nodded. “Once a week, they let us out to work on the buildings that needed repair. They guarded us, but our hands and legs were unbound so we could complete our tasks. Some of us were assigned to repair the roofs of broken buildings. Others, like me, were tasked with cleaning up rubble from the sandstorms. Our duty was to carry off the debris and make piles on the edge of the colony, to a place where the leaders repurposed it. The guards watched over us, but there were far fewer of them, and the desert was close. About a week ago, a smaller sandstorm hit, and I took a chance and ran into the desert. The winds weren’t nearly as bad as the one in which you found me, but they were enough to give me a head start. The guards chased me for a while, but eventually they gave up. They assumed I’d die by the Abomination, starvation, or thirst. Even if I made it back, my marks made it impossible for me to return without consequence. And so I kept on. I was certain I’d perish when the creature found me. I managed to escape it for a while, as I told you, and then you came.”
Neena nodded.
“When I saw you, I saw hope,” Kai finished. “Red Rock seemed like a way to get a fresh start. If I had known what would happen to us, I would’ve stayed in the desert and fulfilled the fate the leaders expected for me. Who knows? Maybe that would’ve saved us both.” Kai shook his head in shame. “I should’ve known better than to believe something better existed for me. In the desert, I told you that my markings guided my ascension to the heavens, but it seems they have pulled us both into hell.”
Chapter 15: Neena
Neena held onto the bars, studying Kai. The part of her that had traveled days in the desert with him, sharing stories and surviving threats, wanted to believe him. She wanted an ally in a place where she had no one. She couldn’t deny the ring of truth in Kai’s story. She heard it in the way his voice wavered when he spoke of his mother. She heard it in his description of his prison, which sounded even worse than the Red Rock annex. If he was lying now, he was even more convincing that he was in the desert.
But her realizations came with a fresh round of anger.
Kai had taken everything from her: her freedom, her life, and her brothers.
Unable to control the rising quiver of anger in her voice, she said, “Because of you, I’ve ended up in a cell instead of with my family. My brothers will die for the price of your sins, when the monster comes, because no one believes us. Everyone will die.”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen. All I wanted was a better life.” Kai shook his head sadly. “I was hoping you’d understand.”
“Is this your idea of a better life?” Neena asked in anger, rattling her cell bars. “Locked in a different cell, with a person you dragged in here by your lies?”
Angry tears fell from her eyes. She stepped back, unable to look at Kai any longer. At the moment, three cells didn’t seem to be enough space between them. Each thought of her brothers stoked her anger.
Kai opened and closed his mouth, prepared to say something.
“Save your apologies,” Neena said. “For all I know, they’re as false as the stories you told in the desert.”
Neena turned to face the rear wall of her cell. She wanted to break out of her cell and wring Kai’s lying throat. She wanted to punch the prison bars until her hands bled. At the moment, anger was the only thing staving off the fear. But neither of those things would keep her alive. The next time the door opened, the guards would pull her away, just like Kai said. Smearing away her frustrated tears, she bit her lip and stared around the walls, wishing there was a way to escape.
She took another step backward.
For a while, they remained in silence.
When her tears and her useless rage subsided, she stared blankly across her cell. A new noise emanated from outside: faint chatter bleeding from the window. In the alleys, the colonists roused from their hovels.
Red Rock moved on, while they rotted.
A long sigh escaped her lips.
Breaking the silence, Kai said, “Everything I did was for my family. If I had a choice—”
“We always have a choice,” Neena said, repeating some words her father taught her. “Too many times on my worst days of hunger, I looked over at our neighbors while we struggled, thinking how much easier it might be to steal. But I didn’t act on my foolish fantasies.”
Kai fell silent a while, searching for more words. “You’re right. I have no excuses to give. This is my fault.”
Neena shook her head. “Your apologies won’t free us.”
“Of course not,” Kai said. “But maybe we can free you.”
The words brought another tear to her eye. The thought of a happy reunion with her brothers seemed like an impossible dream.
“What do you mean?” she asked, walking back to the bars to look at him.
“When I was in prison in New Canaan, not a day went by that I didn’t come up with some new plan to escape.” Kai looked from the bars in front of him to the window. “I’ve been studying this room since we arrived. The bars are secure. The window won’t admit us.”
Neena nodded. “That’s true. So what kind of escape are you proposing?”
“I’m not talking about escape. I’m talking about convincing them to let you go.” Kai’s eyes were determined.
Neena shook her head. “I begged and pleaded. They didn’t listen. Or maybe they didn’t want to.”
“They didn’t listen to me, either,” Kai said. “I am a convict, whom no one trusts, and with good reason.”
“They won’t comprehend the monster without seeing it. And they won’t believe me, because I showed up with you.” Neena paused. “Unless…are you saying we should lead them to the desert and show them the holes?”
“I’ve thought of that, but they’d suspect it was a ruse meant to prolong our lives,” Kai said.
“Even if they agreed to take the journey, we’d put my colony at more risk,” Neena said frustratedly. “We’d lure the Abomination here. What’s your idea?”
Kai leaned further through the bars, getting to the crux of his plan. “I can’t solve the problem of the monster, but maybe I can help you get out of here. When you spoke with the leaders, they accused you of delusions. Perhaps they were right.”
Neena opened and closed her mouth. “What do you mean?”
Kai looked at her with a knowing nod.
Then he explained.
Chapter 16: Darius
For most of the night, Darius tossed and turned. Images of what he’d seen in the cave became fitful nightmares. He couldn’t take his mind off Akron’s mottled skeleton, the scattered bones, or the enormous carcass. More than once, he awoke, grabbed his torch, and lit it, certain that he’d find a creature bursting through the wall, or a skeletal han
d pawing at his bedroll.
After a night of fitful sleep, he grabbed his cane and departed his hovel.
Walking through the alleys under the morning sun, he kept a wary eye on the cliffs and the tunnels at their base, as if some woken, lingering monster might emerge and grab him.
A few times, he noticed people huddled together, acting strangely, but thankfully, no one looked at him. Unwilling to draw any more attention, he asked no questions and headed for Elmer’s.
Noise bled from inside his friend’s ramshackle building. The old man followed the routines of the elderly—rising with the sun, retiring long before it set. Elmer answered on the first knock.
Shuffling inside, Darius prompted his friend to shut the door.
“I was worried about you,” Elmer said, his face twisted with concern. “I feared I’d never see you again.”
A sliver of guilt worked its way through Darius. “I’m sorry,” he said. “If I could’ve come back and checked with you, I would’ve.”
“It’s fine,” Elmer said with a forgiving smile.
The information felt like a dam inside Darius, ready to burst. “I have things to tell you.”
“As do I,” Elmer said, blinking his good eye and watching Darius intently. Sensing the excitement in Darius’s face, he said, “Perhaps you should tell me whatever you have to say first.”
Darius took a last look at the door. Keeping his voice low, he settled into one of the chairs Elmer had set up in the corner and launched into his tale.
He recounted his trip down the passage, his discovery of Akron’s remains, and his other horrific findings. Elmer listened with his mouth agape. Several times, he scratched his chin in disbelief. Once or twice he asked questions, clearly as shocked by Darius’s discoveries as Darius himself had been.
When Darius had finished, Elmer said, “By the stars.”
Darius blew a breath of exhaustion and sank further into the chair, recuperating from his restless night’s sleep, and the missed one he’d spent in the caves. Elmer didn’t question the validity of his story. Whether it was the crack in Darius’s voice, as he spoke of Akron, or the haunted look in his eyes when he spoke of that enormous skeleton, his friend believed.
“What do you think this creature was?” Elmer asked.
“I wish I knew,” Darius answered. “But whatever it was, I’m pretty sure it killed those miners.”
“It certainly sounds like it, from the scene you described,” Elmer said.
“I’m not sure about Akron, though. Obviously his death was more recent.”
“Are you certain it was Akron?” Elmer questioned.
“I’m sure.” Darius’s eyes welled up, as they had in the cave. “Those tattered boots were his. His frame was the right size. It was him.”
“It is strange you didn’t find his belongings, though,” Elmer agreed. “And even more strange that someone might cover up the passage behind him or her. Do you really think it could’ve been The Watchers?”
“It’s possible.”
Something flickered through Elmer’s good eye. “I remember when they told us they gave up the search. So, you think they were lying?”
Darius chewed on his suspicions a while longer. “They led us to believe they never found him. And of course, they wouldn’t let us inside the caves to check. I’ll never forget the moment they told Akron’s parents. His mother shook and cried for days.”
Elmer shuddered. “It was a sad day for everyone.”
“Whatever happened in that cave is as buried as the carcass and those bones, unless I can figure out a way to determine more.” They fell silent a moment, sorting through those thoughts, until Darius asked, “What’s your news?”
“Too many things are happening at once,” Elmer said, shuffling over and taking a seat in another chair.
Darius listened as Elmer told of the arrival of a strange man with markings and a young hunter girl. He tensed as Elmer told of their arrest, and the strange things the woman screamed as they led her past the crowd.
“Some people thought she was delirious,” Elmer explained. “Everyone in the colony is talking about her, and the stranger. No one has seen either of them since. Most are waiting for the Heads to make an address or answer their questions. Most are frightened, as you can imagine.”
“Are you sure she said the word ‘monster’?”
“That’s what people swore.”
Darius shook his head. “Did she say what this monster looked like?”
“All I heard about was the word,” Elmer said. “No one knows any more. And the story seems to change, with every person that tells it. It is possible she is delusional, as they say.”
Darius’s brain felt tired as he processed even more new information. But some part of him couldn’t help but connect what he’d seen in the cave to the young girl’s words.
“I find a monster’s carcass in the tunnels, and now a girl comes to the colony yelling about one,” Darius put together.
“It is a strange coincidence,” Elmer admitted, scratching at his whiskers. “Though obviously, the creature you found was dead. What are you going to do now?”
“About what?”
“About Akron, for one.”
It was a simple question, and yet, Darius had no answer. During all his time searching for Akron, he had planned for the moment he found him, and now that it was here, he felt lost. Or maybe it was the discoveries of the miners and the carcass, which gave him more questions than answers.
“Will you tell his parents?” Elmer asked.
The question hung in the air.
“I don’t know,” Darius said. “I don’t know what I’ll do. All this time, I’ve wanted to give his parents closure, and now that I’ve found his remains, I feel indecisive. Maybe it is the fact that I feel as if I don’t have the whole story.”
“His death feels like as much of a mystery as it was before you found him,” Elmer finished for him.
“I don’t want to feel that way, but I do,” Darius said. “I feel as if I should know how he died, before I tell his parents anything. The last thing they need is more heartache.”
**
Darius left Elmer’s hovel in a daze, exhausted, drained. A part of him wanted to go home and sleep for another day, maybe two. But he knew his mind wouldn’t stop turning. He’d lay awake, thinking and mulling things over.
His thoughts were in chaos.
Who was in those caves? And what happened to Akron?
Even more mysterious was the hunter girl and the man from another colony, and the monster of which they spoke.
Too many questions.
He walked north, lost in his thoughts. Clusters of people passed by him, talking loudly. The strange aura in the air added to his unease. It felt as if the colony itself was a brewing storm, ready to explode. Someone bumped his shoulder, scurrying off to join a circle of others. Darius grasped his cane, struggling for balance.
He walked until he passed a hovel with two families surrounding a Rydeer’s carcass, whispering and paying little attention to the task of cutting their meat. Another family huddled around each other as if they were waiting for dreadful news. Passing by them, he felt the same dark feeling as he had in those caves.
Holding up a hand, he got the attention of a middle-aged man standing apart from the others.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
The man looked around him. “I think The Heads of Colony will speak later today,” he said.
“How do you know?”
“I heard one of The Watchers talking to another,” the man answered. “By day’s end, we should hear an address.”
Darius felt as if a weight had been dropped on his chest. He thanked the man, who hurried away with a curt nod. Maybe the speech would give him more answers.
Chapter 17: Helgid
Helgid rubbed her bleary eyes and peered over at Raj. She’d set up her bedroll close to him so she could check on him while he slept. A few times during the night,
he’d rolled on his side, but he’d held down whatever was left in his stomach. Periodically, she’d given him sips of water, keeping him hydrated and at a stable temperature.
Thankfully, the heatstroke hadn’t killed him; at least not yet.
She prayed it wouldn’t come to that.
She looked across the floor, where Samel slept. The expression of worry remained on his face, even in unconsciousness. He was a good brother. If not for him, Raj might’ve died. Blinking away the last remnants of sleep, she turned toward the door, looking for the healer.
He’d promised to return this morning.
Ever since Raj had taken ill, many people had lingered nearby, offering their help, or simply looking for gossip. It felt like her hovel had become a landmark, as interesting as the Comm Building, or the river. And the rumors about Neena had only deepened people’s interest.
Too many people asked questions that Helgid couldn’t answer.
Was Neena still in the annex?
What were The Heads of Colony doing with her?
She didn’t know, so of course, she couldn’t tell anyone else. She couldn’t get her mind off of that row of Watchers by the doorway, with their worried faces and pointed spears. Each moment that Neena was out of her sight deepened her fear. Neena had left for the desert plenty of times, but her life had never felt to Helgid to be in as much jeopardy as it was now. And the irony was, Neena was in Red Rock, where she was supposed to be safe.
A knock at the door ripped Helgid from her troubled thoughts.
The healer stood at the threshold.
Feeling a bit of relief, she said, “Come in.”
“How is he?” the balding man asked.
Helgid glanced over her shoulder, as if Raj’s condition might’ve changed. “I kept the blankets on him, like you said. I’ve kept him drinking. He hasn’t vomited.”
“A good sign,” the healer said, crossing the room to feel Raj’s head and his chest. She watched Raj’s small body move with his breath.
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