Despite his attempts to be brave, guilt pricked his stomach.
Was Neena involved in the skirmish? Was Kai, or Darius, or Samel?
A reflexive anger washed over him.
If it weren’t for Neena’s lack of faith in him, perhaps things could have gone some other way. Maybe they’d even be fighting the monster together. But he’d gone too far to turn back now.
She’d made her decision, and he’d made his.
He swallowed as he recalled Bryan’s last inspiring words. Bryan had stood in front of the crowd in the chamber, while holding up the weapon for all to see. In the early hours of the morning—after Raj had provided him with the weapon’s location—Bryan had retrieved the object, bringing it back to the chamber so Raj could demonstrate it. He’d even let Raj pierce stone with it. That was before he’d explained Raj’s role in the attack, and reiterated his job with the horn. Raj had been upset at first, until Bryan had convinced him of how crucial his part would be. Without Raj and the other horn blowers, Bryan had said, they wouldn’t be able to slay the monster. Now, Raj was excited for his job.
All the pieces were in place to defeat the monster.
All that was left was to execute them.
“You heard what Bryan said,” said a round-cheeked man next to him, pulling him from his thoughts. “Stay focused.”
Raj nodded, struggling to keep pace.
“The monster is here now,” the man reiterated. “We need to do our part in killing it.”
Raj looked around him at the ten others carrying horns—five in front and five behind, marching in the line’s middle. Even the gravity of their role didn’t stop his worry.
“The women are protecting us,” said the man, with the same restored confidence as the others around them. “Our ancestors have blessed us.”
Raj nodded nervously.
“You’re Raj, right?” asked the man.
Raj looked over at his companion, whose underarms were soaked with sweat. “Yes.”
“Have you ever hunted anything, Raj?”
“Mostly just rats,” Raj said, adding, “But I hunted a wolf and a dust beetle once.”
“And now we’re going to battle a monster.” The man whistled softly. “Probably the biggest creature anyone has fought in our lifetimes.”
Fear stabbed Raj’s stomach.
“You’re a brave boy to join us.” The man’s smile revealed his yellowed, stained teeth. “I’m a little rusty with a spear, but I’ll battle the ugly thing, if it turns out they need reinforcements.”
Raj smiled back through his worry. He refocused on the tall, bordering rocks next to them, but he still couldn’t see anything above them. Recognizing the man from the colony, he asked, “You’re a Crop Tender, right?”
“Yep, I’m Eddie,” he said.
Raj let two fingers off his horn and awkwardly greeted his companion.
“I used to live in one of the houses near the water.” The man pointed to an area they couldn’t see through the rock wall.
Raj envisioned the faraway river, and the distant rows of Green Crops at its southern edge. As brave as he wanted to be, he’d do anything to be there now, celebrating the end of the battle, rather than heading into it.
“Maybe when we’re heroes, they’ll let us relax while the others do the hard work.” A small, nervous laugh escaped from Eddie’s mouth.
“That’d be nice,” Raj agreed.
“Of course, we’ll have to rebuild our homes first.”
Raj stared over the heads of the other marchers, glimpsing a sliver of the colony. Nostalgia washed over him, as he remembered saying goodbye to his old home with his siblings, right before they’d come up to the cliffs. Raj only had a few moments to collect his belongings before they’d headed off, leaving the place where he’d spent most of his years behind. The prospect of returning gave him a warm feeling in his stomach, and another pinprick of fear.
He wondered if his old house had weakened in recent weeks and tumbled, like too many others.
His thoughts returned to Neena, Darius, Kai, and Samel. He was still worried they were involved.
Neena had treated him poorly. He couldn’t deny that.
But he felt bad for Darius, who had fixed up the weapon, only to have it stolen. And he certainly felt bad for Samel, who would be upset he was gone. He swallowed his guilt and put on a hard face.
Darius and the others wouldn’t complain when they had their homes and their colony back. And Raj’s bravery would be a huge part of that.
The noise above grew quieter, as they got farther away. Raj breathed nervously.
Soon, everything would work out.
And then Raj would be a person to admire and thank, rather than a person to ignore.
Wiping away his sweat, he struggled to keep up with Eddie.
Chapter 4: Samara
“Neena!” Samara yelled frantically from the Right Cave. “Neena!”
The ledge outside the Left Cave had become a vicious circle, filled with dust and screams. The crazed, kicking women swallowed up Samara’s view of Neena and Kai. All she heard were her friends’ agonizing groans, echoing along the ledge and back to the Right Cave. The other Right Cavers covered their mouths, stepped back, or shielded their children. Some screamed for Neena and Kai. Of course, no one rushed toward the ugly mob. They were terrified.
Finding Salvador and Roberto among the crowd, Samara said, “We have to stop them, or they’ll keep beating them until they’re dead!”
Salvador’s and Roberto’s hands shook on their spears.
Catching the attention of a dozen others, Samara said, “Come on! Let’s go!”
She took a determined stride, but no one followed.
“Neena and Kai helped us when we needed it!” she pleaded. “It’s our turn to help them!”
After another step, a handful of men and women broke from the rest.
Before they could second-guess their bravery, Samara led the small group down the ledge, wielding their spears. They kept away from the treacherous drop, paying no attention to the faraway, marching line.
Samara’s heart pumped furiously, but the footfalls of her companions gave her the strength to push on.
Ahead, a cluster of women and children drifted from the Center Cave, trying to get a better view of the spectacle, or perhaps thinking of joining it.
Before they could turn thoughts into action, Samara screamed, “Stay back!”
Her followers screamed with her.
Their shouts startled the Center Cavers, who retreated into their cave, thinking better of entering the fray.
Samara pointed her spear in front of her, hurtling past the Center Cave with Salvador and Roberto and reaching the area where her friends were surrounded, creating a frontal offensive line.
Hearing a new source of commotion, a few people at the edge of Sherry’s circle turned. Surprise struck them when they saw Samara, Roberto, Salvador, and a dozen others charging at them. They skirted away, avoiding the ends of their spears. A few dropped the rocks they still held in their hands, retreating.
“Get away from them!” Samara snarled, waving her spear from side to side.
She, Salvador, Roberto, and the others thrust their weapons. The less tenacious of the women quickly dispersed, like children caught sipping the family soup. Others backed against the cliff wall. Only half a dozen underlings scooted behind Sherry, refusing to yield. Sherry’s eyes blazed with triumph as she stood in place, admiring her handiwork.
Samara gasped as she saw Neena and Kai’s fallen figures.
Blood and dirt covered their bodies. Their clothes were ripped and torn. Neena lay on her stomach, motionless, while Kai lay on his back, his limp hands over his face.
Neither moved.
“What did you do?” Samara yelled, her anger mounting.
Sherry smirked. “I gave them what they deserved.”
“Get back, or I’ll stab you,” Samara snarled, without hesitation.
Sherry pull
ed her knife. Her gaze flicked from Samara, to Roberto, to Salvador, and the dozen armed men and women behind. Instead of stepping back, she stepped forward.
To the women behind her, she said, “Come on!”
She arched her shoulders, making it clear she was ready to fight, until she realized not everyone followed.
One or two of her women stood united behind her, but the others had stepped backward. They glanced at the cave, where their children watched.
These were mothers, not fighters.
Begrudgingly, Sherry retreated, keeping a hateful eye on Samara. “This isn’t over.”
Getting the attention of her followers, Samara pointed at Neena and Kai. “Come on, let’s carry them back!”
A few Right Cavers moved forward, carefully picking up Neena and Kai’s limp bodies and shuffling them back along the ledge toward the Right Cave, while Samara, Roberto, and Salvador guarded.
When she was far enough away that no one could attack them, Samara gave Sherry a hard stare, before turning and retreating with the rest of her group.
Chapter 5: Samara
“We need a healer!” Samara yelled through the gaping crowd, while her helpers carried Neena and Kai’s lifeless bodies through the entrance.
She immediately realized the pointlessness of her cries. The healers were all deep inside the Center Cave, inaccessible. For all she knew, Sherry had twisted those people against them, too.
Samara hurried next to Neena and Kai. All around them, the Right Cavers gasped and pointed, reluctantly moving out of the way for the people carrying their fallen comrades. Children fought for a space alongside their parents. Their faces showed their helplessness. They wrung their hands, or shuffled nervously.
Samara felt a wave of regret. She knew the risks of moving injured people, but at the time, she knew that she needed to get Neena and Kai away from Sherry.
Finding a spot where she could pull two bedrolls close together, Samara said, “Over here!”
When the bedrolls were adjusted, the helpers gently set Neena and Kai down. Neither had their eyes open. Neither stirred.
“Are they breathing?” Samara asked frantically.
She leaned down to Kai first, but she heard and felt nothing.
The crowd murmured and leaned closer.
“Get back!” she yelled.
She put two fingers on Kai’s neck, checking for the beat of his heart, the way she’d seen healers do, but she couldn’t tell if she did it right. She searched for his breathing, but the commotion made it hard to hear anything. Finding a rag and a flask, she dabbed at Kai’s bloodied face. He surprised her with a cough.
“He’s still with us!” she cried, to the gasps of some people around her. “Kai? Can you hear me?”
He answered in a rasp. Rather than demanding an answer, she instructed, “Stay still! Don’t move!” Samara looked sideways, where Amos had taken a spot over Neena.
“How’s she doing?”
“I can’t tell if she’s breathing!” Amos shouted. Standing up, looking more nervous than she’d ever seen him, he said, “Everybody back! We need more room!”
Chapter 6: Bryan
Pride filled Bryan’s heart as he led his two hundred people down the cliffs, approaching the empty patch of desert leading to the colony’s northern edge. Earlier, through a break in the wall in the path’s border, he’d seen the Right Cavers scooting away with their fallen companions. Whatever happened was over.
No more distractions.
It was time to fight.
Clutching his weapon, he scanned the colony’s remains. Pride mixed with his courage. Rather than dwelling on the devastation, as too many did, he envisioned a stronger line of buildings, and the new regime he’d put in place. He envisioned the fresh construction of hovels they’d build once the monster’s blood was taken and its holes were backfilled with dirt and sand. He imagined a slew of new homes so well put-together that they’d withstand even the harshest storms.
The creature’s scales would be their walls.
The beast’s jagged protrusions would rise from the roofs like trophies.
Its meat would fill their bellies.
That last idea was a good one.
If the beast were made of flesh, killing it would solve more than one problem. Its dried meat would feed plenty of hungry colonists. Those who survived—his heroes—would have a buffet fit for The Heads of Colony. Maybe they’d even consume it at the building’s large table, overlooking Gideon’s round, rusted relic.
The New Generation.
A confident smile spread across his face as he glanced behind him at his line.
His people walked in a steady progression, curving with the trail, neither stopping nor slowing. Most were already thinking past the skirmish on the cliffs.
They were ready to fight.
Catching the eyes of Isaiah, Boyle, Rodney, Clark, and Nicholas, he felt another surge of pride. The Watchers were well trained, and they’d spread their knowledge to the others behind them, so that all might succeed.
No one—not even Gideon—had led a march as united, or as strong. In fact, this might be the biggest force anyone had ever seen. What the colonists lacked in experience, they made up for in numbers.
If anyone had a chance at defeating the monster, they did.
Conversation behind him drew his attention. Louie hurried alongside the closest marchers, making last-second preparations and drilling them. His face was confident as he strode the last few paces to reach Bryan, adjusting his sling.
Louie was injured, but he was still useful.
“How are they feeling?” Bryan asked.
“The people are ready,” Louie said with a firm nod. “A few are nervous, but none questioned what we are about to do.”
“None of them turned back?” Bryan asked.
“Not that I can see,” Louie affirmed.
Bryan nodded gratefully.
Louie’s gaze wandered to the device in Bryan’s hands, and Bryan’s eyes roamed there, too. In the earliest hours of the morning, before the sun had crested the eastern cliffs, he’d tested it. The device was incredible. The small spears it shot had penetrated stone, just as Raj had showed him. He’d even instructed some of his closest Watchers to carve a small, extra stash, using Darius’s spear as a template. He looked at the bag on his back, where the tips of those sharp, extra weapons stuck out.
“The weapon will definitely pierce a monster’s flesh,” Bryan said assuredly.
“I believe it,” Louie agreed.
“Still, its power is limited,” Bryan admitted. “It can only fire one small spear at a time. And it will take time to wind the crank, like Raj showed us.” He looked down at his pocket, where he had stashed Darius’s constructed tool. He looked back at the line. “Is Raj still with the others?”
Looking back along the marchers, Louie found a group of ragtag men and middle-aged, childless women in the center, whom had volunteered to join them. “Yes. He’s ready for his duty, along with the other horn blowers.” Louie’s smile stayed on his face. “They are excited for their roles. I have prepared them to become heroes.”
“Disposable heroes,” Bryan corrected with a smile.
Louie’s smirk matched his own. “May the heavens bless them.”
Chapter 7: Samel
Tears flowed down Samel’s face. Leaning as close as he dared to Neena, he said, “Neena! Wake up!”
Next to her, Amos looked on in panic. Shaking, he put two old fingers on Neena’s neck, before turning his ear toward her lips. He switched his attention to her chest, searching, but not finding anything.
About half the cave had fled their positions at the cave’s entrance, switching their attention to the new spectacle. The smell of so many sweaty bodies in a confined space made Samel feel like he was going to gag. People spoke loudly, reeking of rat meat and soup. But he wouldn’t leave his sister.
He felt sick to his stomach.
Neena’s face was caked with blood and sand
; her clothes were ripped and torn. Her hair was sweaty and splayed at all angles. Scrapes and cuts littered her arms and legs.
Snaking a hand past Amos, Samel found his sister’s fingers and squeezed.
“Give me some room, Samel,” Amos said. “I’m going to try to get her breathing.”
Reluctantly, Samel scooted away, while Amos bent toward her mouth, pressing his lips against hers. After a few, rigorous exhalations, he used his weathered hands to push on her chest. He repeated the procedure numerous times, while Samara fought to keep back the ogling crowd.
“Nothing’s happening,” Amos said helplessly, as if someone might have another idea. “I can’t revive her.”
“We need a healer!” Samara yelled.
They looked around, as if someone might help, but no one stepped forward. Even if Samel were instructed to run for someone, he wouldn’t know where to go. The Center and Left Caves felt as ominous and dreaded as the Comm Building.
The other cavers would never help his sister.
They’d done this to her.
A realization older than his years washed over him: this might be a tragic moment that would change his life, like Mom or Dad’s death.
Neena was dead.
Samel was alone.
Samel laid his head on Neena’s chest, tears blurring his vision. Sobs wracked his small body. Neena was one of the last people he had, and now she was gone.
A gasp drew his attention upward.
Neena’s eyes fluttered.
A surge of hope sparked in him, so fast and so unexpectedly that he shot upright, looking at his sister.
“Neena?” he cried. “Are you awake?”
“I—” Neena’s eyes rolled back and forth for a moment, before appearing to focus. “I hear you. Is that you, Samel?”
Neena’s voice was weak and strained, but she was alive!
Alive!
Samel’s tears turned hopeful. He leaned over, hugging her, telling her how much he had missed her, and how he had thought she was gone. Neena smiled through her obvious pain, dripping blood from her lips.
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