A few women nodded, but no one responded verbally. Ever since the attack on Neena and Kai, Sherry had had trouble convincing her women to do anything more than keep an eye on the Right Cavers from a distance. The altercation on the cliffs had scared them. It was easy to cast away fear when it was a dozen against two, but it was another to face a row spears.
They were mothers, worried about their children and their men.
“Bryan and the rest of our men are down there, preparing for another battle, while we huddle in our cave,” she said in frustration. “We need to prove our worthiness. We need to find out what happened to Neena and Kai.”
“What can we do?” A woman shrugged. “The Right Cavers are tucked safely away with guards at the entrances. It is not as if we can barge in and confirm that Neena and Kai are dead.”
Sherry’s face curdled. “So we should stay and do nothing?”
The woman furrowed her brow. “The men instructed us to protect them while they marched. We’ve already done that.”
“And that is good enough for you?” Sherry snapped.
She looked around at all the nervous, tentative faces in the room. A raven-haired woman, Jodi, spoke out. “I’m sorry, Sherry, but we’re worried about our men. For all we know, they were wounded in the desert. It’s hard to think about much else.”
A few women closed their eyes, wiping away emotional tears.
“For all we know, our husbands are dead,” whispered another woman.
“And that is exactly why you should be furious at Neena and Kai,” Sherry snapped. “They are responsible for all of this. We can’t let them get away with it.”
The group quieted.
“I’d rather check on our men,” said Jodi.
“We can’t go down to Red Rock,” Sherry reminded her. “Bryan was very clear about that. We need to stay up here and protect our children.”
“So you’re suggesting we stir up more trouble and get them killed?” Jodi rebuked.
A murmur of agreement echoed through the group.
“It’s been days since we’ve seen anyone but the guards at the Right Cave,” Jodi went on. “The Right Cavers are keeping to themselves. They aren’t bothering us, even after what we did to Neena and Kai. And that means we shouldn’t bother them.”
A blonde-haired woman named Tanya agreed. “The monster is a bigger priority than the Right Cavers. It’s down there, killing and wounding our men, while we’re up here. How can you expect us to focus on your vendetta?”
“Vendetta?” Sherry’s eyes blazed, as she drilled the women with a stare. “You think I am only doing this for Gary?”
Tanya quickly averted her eyes.
“Neena and Kai are the reason for our emotional pain.” Sherry shook her head. “First, they bring the monster here. And now our men are down there fighting it, while they hide in their cave. Your husbands might die, because of what they’ve done. And yet, you do nothing.”
The women fidgeted guiltily.
“Once our men return, they’ll deal with the Right Cavers,” Jodi said resolutely.
“What if our children are dead by then?” Sherry asked.
Silence met her ominous statement.
Gathering everyone’ attention, preparing the lie she’d saved for this moment, Sherry said, “Apparently you haven’t heard the rumors.” She lowered her eyes.
“What rumors?” Jodi asked.
The women glanced at one another, their unrest growing.
Building on their fears, Sherry continued, “The Right Cavers planned to rob us after the scavenging trip they took with Bryan.”
Nervous conversations grew among the women, who looked wildly around, as if someone else might be in the cave.
“They planned to sneak into our caves while we were sleeping, and ferret away our rations,” Sherry continued, over the commotion. “Of course, our feud happened first. But it could easily happen now.”
“Where did you hear that?” Jodi asked.
“One of The Watchers told me.” Sherry shrugged. “He wasn’t completely sure, but he was pretty certain. He saw them sneaking around a few times. And we all saw the way they looked around, when they supposedly came to reconcile with us in the Left Cave.”
The women’s eyes grew wide.
“They were clearly staking us out.”
“Are you sure?” asked Tanya.
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten who lives in the Right Cave,” Sherry said. “Kai is a criminal. For years, he lived in a jail cell, before escaping. And now Neena shares his bedroll. They are both untrustworthy. And now we’ve attacked them. Who knows what other plans they’re making?”
Watching the women squirm and wring their hands, Sherry knew her lies were working.
“Think about it,” Sherry said. “We’re alone up here, without our men. We’re hungry. So are they. There are more of them than us. What happens when they realize our food can be theirs? How long until they take advantage of that?”
Loud, panicked side conversations started among the women.
Feeding their worry, Sherry said, “Did you see the way the Right Cavers looked at us on the cliffs? They shook their spears at us as if we were rats, crawling along the ledge. They treated us like the dung beneath their boots. They were angry then, and I imagine they’re even angrier now. It won’t take much for them to hurt us or our children.”
Biting her lip, Tanya looked around at the others. “Let’s say you’re right, and they plan on attacking us. What can we do? They have a hundred and fifty people, while we only have a hundred. We aren’t practiced with spears.”
“We won’t be any use to our children, if we die,” said another woman.
“We might not be able to fight them head on, but we can let them know we won’t be victimized,” Sherry said. “We can strike first, and give them a warning.”
“We already did that on the ledge,” Tanya argued.
“But that didn’t stop them, did it?” Sherry asked, looking around at everyone. “They had no trouble running down here with their spears, did they?”
The din of unrest in the cave grew.
Silencing everyone, Sherry asked, “Have you ever seen a wounded animal in the desert?” She looked around, ensuring that she met every eye. “It only takes time before a predatory animal descends on it, pulling its flesh from its bones. If we do nothing, we’ll suffer the same fate. We need to prove we’re strong. We need to stay one step ahead of them.”
Fear cemented in the women’s eyes.
“The Right Cavers know our numbers,” Sherry persisted. “They know the layout of our cave. We need to prove that we are the wolves, worthy of snapping back. We need to ward them away before they come for us and our children.”
For the first time, no one argued. Fright was a powerful motivator.
Sherry tucked her hair behind her ears, before solidifying her appeal. “I know that you are worried for your lives and your children’s lives. But we need to warn away the Right Cavers. Maybe we can find a way to do it without risking ourselves physically. Maybe we can send them a clear message to stay away.”
The women nodded, hanging on her words.
“What do you propose?” Jodi asked.
“I’m not sure, but we’ll figure it out together.” Meeting the eyes of each of the people in the group, Sherry let her gaze linger on Tanya and Jodi. “I’ll need all of your help to do that. Are you with me?”
Feeling the pressure of the others, Jodi and Tanya exchanged a glance, before nodding and agreeing.
“It’s settled, then.” Sherry smiled proudly. “Let’s make our plans.”
A warm feeling spread from her heart to her extremities.
Her words were effective, just like Bryan’s had been. She was a leader.
A person worthy of respect.
Sherry’s revenge was in motion. She’d break down the Right Cavers until they had no spirit left. Once their misery was at its peak, she’d get her hands on Neena and Kai, and give them what
they deserved.
She could already feel the look of adoration on Bryan’s face, when she told him that Neena and Kai were dead. He would praise her. Exalt her.
Love her.
Chapter 22: Raj
Raj walked through the Comm Building, weaving around the groups of people on the floor, who spoke quietly, or catered to the wounded. His shoulders sagged. Occasionally he felt a sting of pain, but most of those aches were minor, compared to the pain in his heart.
Ever since he’d arrived back at the Comm Building, the marchers had treated him strangely. A few times, Raj struck up conversations with them, but most of those conversations ended in awkward silences. More than once, his approach triggered a whisper or a look of disdain. It took him a while to realize what was going on.
They blamed him for the attack’s failure.
They didn’t accuse him outright—perhaps because he was a child—but they’d outcast him. He had tried to help Eddie, but since Eddie had died and he had survived, he had therefore become the face of their loss. The fact that he was Neena’s brother didn’t help his case.
Even the leaders barely glanced at him.
Raj had gone from a hero to a fraud.
Weaving around his comrades, none of whom looked at him, he blinked back tears. Memories of the mangled bodies and limbs in the desert plagued him.
A few times in the past few nights, he’d awoken from nightmares, searching the torch-lit room. More than once, he’d stifled a cry, certain that the monster rose above him. Whenever he thought about seeking comfort in another marcher, embarrassment made him crawl back to the ratty bedroll someone had given him.
The Left and Center Cavers weren’t talking to him. Eddie was gone. And of course, Raj’s family was still up on the cliffs.
Raj was alone.
Hanging his head, he walked past one of the Comm Building walls, staring up at the strange, ancient animal skeletons, his only friends. He traced the yellowed edges of their skulls, fighting another tear.
Staring at those old remains, he recalled Darius, telling him stories about the carcass in the tunnels.
Where was Darius now? Was he awake, and thinking of him?
The last time he’d seen the old man, it’d been from the shadows while Darius tested the weapon. That was before Bryan stole it, and brought it back to the Left Cave. According to Bryan, stealing the weapon had been easy—Darius hadn’t been there.
Thinking of Darius brought needles of nostalgia to Raj’s heart.
For a moment, he considered leaving the Comm Building, heading back to the cliffs, and reuniting with him, as well as Neena, Kai, and Samel, but they probably hated him, too.
Nobody had looked for him.
They probably thought he was dead.
Wandering aimlessly around the main room of the Comm Building, he scanned the Watchers’ quarters, which extended off the main chamber. Inside one of them, Bryan sat on the edge of a bed, thinking through something.
Bryan hadn’t spoken to him in days.
Still, watching him, Raj couldn’t forget all those nights they’d spent together in the caves, discussing the relic, or making plans to kill the monster. He recalled the look of respect Bryan had given him when he’d shown him the weapon, or how he’d complimented him for sneaking out with Adriana. Raj had never felt so important.
Better memories drove Raj toward Bryan. He held his breath, praying he’d find a way to return to the leader’s good graces.
Entering Bryan’s room, Raj stuffed his hands in his pockets, waiting to be noticed. Bryan said nothing.
After a long, awkward pause, Raj said, “Are you making new plans to kill the monster?”
Bryan nodded, scratching his stubbly chin. Bags ringed his eyes. Raj knew he’d been awake for long hours, contemplating things, usually behind closed doors. He’d seen him holding many private conversations with his important men.
“Our plans failed, because of you and Eddie,” Bryan said bluntly.
Shame reddened Raj’s cheeks. “I’m sorry about what happened in the desert. I tried stopping him…”
“But you failed.”
“If I could make it up to you, I would.” The words felt inadequate, even as he spoke them.
Bryan was silent.
Steering the conversation away from his failure, Raj asked, “Do you have any new plans to share with us?”
Bryan looked at him, perhaps deciding what to divulge. “My Watchers and I are considering ideas. When we solidify our plans, we’ll inform everyone.”
Raj waited, hoping Bryan might elaborate, but he didn’t. Instead, Bryan’s eyes roamed to the strange device on the bed next to him, and his bag.
Trying to regain his usefulness, Raj asked, “Do you have enough small spears for the device?”
Bryan’s eyes stayed on his belongings. Inside the bag, Raj saw a handful of the extra spears that The Watchers had carved the morning before they left.
“I think we have enough,” Bryan said. “Darius’s template was easy enough to follow.”
“He’s always been good at carving,” Raj said. “He showed me how, you know. If you ever need anything, I can help you.”
Bryan looked up. A strange expression crossed his face. In a sharp voice, he snapped, “Would you mind leaving?”
Raj looked around, startled by Bryan’s change in tone. “I’m sorry. If you need anything, I’ll be out with the others.”
He walked from the room, his head hanging, leaving Bryan behind.
Chapter 23: Bryan
Bryan’s mind snapped away from the leaving boy. Watching him go, memories flooded back to him. All at once, he was back in Darius’s cove, trying to take the weapon. Bryan’s original intent had simply been to snatch the device.
Things had gone very differently.
Until now, he’d tried pushing those images from his mind.
Now they came flooding back.
He recalled how he, Louie, and Ed had advanced into the small tunnel, finding Darius alone, working on one of his small spears. The device was next to him on a rock. At first, Bryan had asked the old man for the weapon, but Darius had refused.
And so Bryan had stepped forward, asking more insistently.
A shout of defiance escaped Darius’s lips.
That shout triggered a recollection.
All at once, Bryan had remembered being back outside that hovel in the colony, listening to Gary’s final, agonizing screams. Thoughts and reality blurred together. Before Bryan knew it, he was pushing the old man to the ground and drawing his knife. Darius’s kicking and flailing reminded him of Gary fighting the falling rubble. His cries reminded Bryan of Sherry’s heaving sobs, when she found out about her husband’s death.
Blind rage took over.
Unable to stop himself, Bryan had slashed Darius’s throat.
Instead of raising his sympathy, each gurgled scream from Darius triggered more of Bryan’s emotion, and more traumatic pain. The gushing blood from Darius reminded Bryan of the stone protruding from Gary’s stomach when they finally pulled him out of the rubble. Darius’s tattered clothing reminded him of Gary’s.
All Bryan wanted was for the pain to stop.
A slew of tools on the surface of the rock in the cove beckoned him, and so Bryan had picked them up, using them one at a time, quelling his inner torment. Each stab hushed more of Darius’s gurgles. And then all of Darius’s tools were sticking out of him, and Bryan was kneeling over a dead man, panting.
Realizing what he’d done, he’d looked over at Ed and Louie.
They’d watched him with emotionless eyes.
Neither had condemned him.
Instead, they’d seemed satisfied.
“Let this be a lesson to the Right Cavers,” Louie had said firmly. “Maybe they’ll think twice before following us.”
Ed had agreed.
Darius had forced Bryan’s hand, or at least, that’s what Bryan told himself, in those moments of self-doubt, or when memories of t
hat bloodied night came back to him.
Blinking away those images, he forced himself back to the present. None of the marchers in the Comm Building knew what had happened that day, except for Louie, Ed, and Sherry, whom he’d told before he left, but Bryan couldn’t think about that now. When the time was right, everyone would stand by his side.
They’d follow him, like they’d followed him down from the cliffs.
His gaze wandered elsewhere through his open doorway, where people huddled and spoke in low voices. About half of them sat cross-legged on their bedrolls, sharing their worries, or counting the supplies they didn’t lose.
Walking over to the round, center table, he perused a stack of broken spears with Louie.
“The people are anxious,” Louie reported.
Bryan sighed. No one needed to tell him about the growing feeling of unrest.
“They want to return to the cliffs,” Louie continued. “They’re worried about food and water. And they miss their relatives.”
Bryan wrung his hands. Too many tears had been shed for the fallen, or the injured. The attack had sapped the marchers’ courage. They, too, blamed the horn blowers, but that didn’t stop people from their guilt, or their worry.
“They want to bury their dead, and report back to their women and children, who certainly miss them.”
“It’s too dangerous to bring a large group back to the cliffs,” Bryan said. “We can’t risk another march.”
“If we stay quiet…” Louie started.
“It will only take one fool to do what that horn blower did and cause chaos,” Bryan said, quietly, looking over at where Raj hovered near the other end of the table. For the past few days, the boy had been like a rat searching for table scraps, skulking around the others.
He’d outlived his usefulness.
Turning the other way with Louie, he lowered his voice.
“How many supplies do we have left?”
“We’ll run out soon,” Louie said. “As you know, we only brought enough for a few days. And we lost some during the monster’s attack.”
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