The Humanarium

by CW Tickner

  Drew pulled himself into a tight ball as the second strider barrelled into the first. Their spiked legs clattered together and they hissed, biting at each other in a frenzy as they fought over the nearest carcass. Drew lay forgotten beneath them, but it was clear that he would be left behind and probably killed if he didn’t get up soon.

  Harl stopped, ready to help, but Oscar ran past him, fighting through the sticky mud until he dodged under the battling striders and reached down to haul Drew up. Both striders screamed in rage and disengaged when they saw the two men rush out from under them, then thundered after Oscar and Drew as they sprinted for the hole.

  The first soldiers to reach the exit dived through as though it was a swimming competition. Harl readied himself to jump as well, but the men behind the divers skidded to a stop as screams echoed back from the opening. Harl was about to shout at them to hurry, when he realized that there was a drop down to the hole into the empty tank beyond. Those who’d dived through must have landed head first on the floor below.

  ‘Use the rope to get through!’ he yelled as he turned back with the rearguard to face the incoming striders.

  Drew had snatched a wooden spear from one of his men and was thrusting it up at one of the striders in an attempt to skewer it. Oscar was next to him, waving his sword at any leg that came close.

  One man was firing at the second strider. His gun suddenly clicked on empty as the creature reared up and thrust a leg down at him, piercing him through the chest. He screamed in agony as the creature lifted its leg and flicked him off into Oscar with such force it knocked the big man down.

  Harl cried out as the strider rushed in and raised its leg above Oscar, ready to strike, but Drew stepped underneath and thrust his spear upwards, burying it deep in the strider’s belly. He pushed his full weight and strength into the weapon, forcing the strider to stagger backwards. It screamed and reared back, dragging the weapon from Drew’s hands, but the move gave Oscar enough time to scramble to his feet.

  ‘Go!’ Drew shouted, shoving Oscar towards the hole and then stooping to pick up a sword as the strider hissed in rage next to him, but the scuttlers had finished with their prey and snaked towards him, ready for a fresh meal, as the last few soldiers slid down through the exit hole.

  Harl and Oscar turned back to help Drew. He screamed with a savage blood lust and drove the creatures further back as he hacked at their legs with his sword, but then the alarm sounded for a third time and another group of hivers erupted from the doors and flew towards them.

  ‘Go!’ Drew cried, slicing down to hold the first scuttler at bay.

  No!’ Harl roared as he skewered scuttler. ‘We go together.’

  ‘Go, dammit,’ Drew yelled and looked back at Harl, his eyes ablaze. ‘Someone has to stay.’

  Harl froze as the reality hit home. Someone had to keep the creatures back until the others could seal the hole. There was no way the three of them could kill all of these creatures and there was no telling how many more would be released. Drew was right.

  Harl made his decision and clamped a hand on Oscar’s shoulder as the big man started to head back towards Drew.

  ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘We can’t win this. Drew has to stay.’

  For a moment Oscar stood rooted to the blood slick ground.

  ‘Quickly!’ Damen called from the other tank.

  Oscar half turned towards the exit, but he seemed unable to tear his gaze from Drew. After a moment Harl felt the shoulder relax and the big man headed for the hole.

  They both slid down the rope into the empty tank as a team of men heaved at a second line that was attached to a crude wooden frame. They hoisted the block up to re-seal the hole, while men directed it with their spears.

  Drew stayed behind.

  Chapter 72

  It sickens me that some would train them to fight. The price of a trained fighter on the market is exorbitant but I refuse to sell them. How can one creature treat another in such a way?

  Harl fell to his knees inside the next tank and dropped his head into his hands. What had he done? Drew was probably dead by now, torn apart in a frenzy of claws and razor sharp pincers. It had been his own choice, but Harl still felt responsible. It should have been him.

  ‘Damn it,’ Harl said.

  ‘We should’ve stayed,’ Oscar said, staring up at the hole as the block was forced back into place.

  ‘Should we take down the frame sir?’ One of the men asked, dropping the hoisting rope.

  Harl didn’t respond at first. It just felt like the final step in abandoning the warrior.

  ‘Get rid of it,’ Harl said at last.

  Oscar roared, lifted his sword, and hacked repeatedly at the frame, taking huge chunks out until it collapsed. The men jumped back as the timbers tumbled to the ground. Oscar stood panting with effort, his eyes transfixed by the block above them. After a moment he turned away.

  Harl looked at the dark front glass of the Sight. It wouldn’t be long until the Aylen returned and, if they were still inside, then they’d never get out again. He needed to make Drew’s sacrifice count.

  ‘Come on,’ he said, rising and then breaking into a jog. ‘We have to keep moving.’

  They sped across the bare ground, eventually passing a group of cloaked men who were waiting to extinguish the flickering torches that lined the floor. Harl could see people making their way up a ladder and into Oscar’s tank and redoubled his efforts to reach them. He wanted out of the tanks. They’d taken too much from him.

  His thoughts strayed to Sonora. He pictured her helping people to prepare for the unknown journey once the ship was ready to leave. She was his future. She was all he cared about, her and the child waiting to be born. Their child was the first step to a new life, one of the first children conceived in slavery yet born to the freedom of a life beyond the Aylen. They were what made the pain worth bearing.

  A tremor of anger filled him as he reached the next hole. Someone had built a ladder between the tanks. He placed a foot on a rung and scrambled up. As he reached the top he glanced back across the dark void. Why had no one thought to do the same on the previous side? Drew could still be alive if only such a simple thing had been done.

  He wished he’d taken the time to get to know the battle-scarred man. He had been too caught up in the race of getting back to his old homeland, too focused on the next part of the plan to reach out to those around him. He knew that Oscar and Damen had spoken at length with Drew. How had they managed to find the time and yet he had just stumbled on ignoring those around him? Was he shallow? Did it show that he cared less than them? He knew that he was being ridiculous. It was just the pain speaking, but the raw feeling twisting inside didn’t care. These people were his responsibility now. If he didn’t feel pain for them then he was no better than the Eldermen or the Enlightened; he was more like the One.

  He hoped Oscar would be the one to tell Damen of Drew’s sacrifice. He didn’t know if he could find the words.

  Anger flared up again at the thought of how the Aylens toyed with the lives of humans. How many other tanks were spread out across this vast new world? How may humans in prisons? He doubted that the tank Drew and his men had come from was singular and knew that there were probably far worse out there. Just how much suffering could humanity take without breaking?

  He hoped that somewhere there was an Aylen that took an opposite view to those of its species. What an ally that would be, he thought, to have that same strength standing with them against the enemy. But it was a ridiculous dream. There were only humans. It would be like him protecting and aiding a bone beetle all day. He had other things to deal with. No one else would stand with them.

  As the last few men climbed the ladder down into Oscar’s tank an exhausted silence fell over everyone. The torches flickering along the train of people cast a yellow hue over the whole landscape. There were hundreds of them milling about in a buzz of excited talking. Harl was pleased to hear people from different tanks talking
together about their common goals and fears; a couple of women were even exchanging beloved family recipes.

  Oscar caught sight of Damen and Harl watched the big man lumber over to tell Damen the bad news. He didn’t feel like joining them, so he squeezed through the crowd of men, women and children in the hope of finding Kane.

  He found him inside the large circular hut, surrounded by a mixture of Eldermen and leaders from the other tanks.

  ‘We’ve only enough for three days at most,’ Kane said to the group. ‘If we wait any longer we’ll be caught. We must consolidate our supply now and take only what we can carry. There is much more at Delta.’

  Kane looked up as Harl shuffled closer.

  ‘Everyone’s accounted for as best as possible,’ Kane said, glancing at his notepad as if to check figures. ‘And I’ve given orders for food to be distributed before we leave. Uman has informed me that the hole to the outside has been expanded under the door and my pulley system idea has been installed to lower groups from the tanks to the ground.’

  ‘A pulley system?’ Harl said, clapping him on the back. ‘Kane, you’re a genius.’

  Kane spluttered and continued talking to the assembled leaders.

  ‘We’ll start the descent immediately. We’ll need men to guard a gathering area outside the Aylen’s lair and, once we’ve regrouped, we can lead them all to Delta.’

  ‘How long will it take to get there?’ an aged man asked, as if worried he could not finish the journey.

  ‘A day,’ Kane said, maybe less if we cut through past the tree.’

  ‘What about the breathing pieces?’ Harl asked.

  ‘I’ve handed them out,’ Kane said. ‘A few will be placed by the exit for those who forgot or were overlooked.’

  ‘Then we’re ready,’ Harl said, amazed at how smoothly it had gone. There had been no fights or arguments between the different factions. He guessed they must still be in shock, never having seen a stranger until he’d arrived, but, in all honesty, he’d never actually expected to get this far in the plan.

  Now all they needed to do was stay alive until Delta.

  They left shortly after the meeting. Crossing Oscar’s world seemed to strain almost everyone. The way the sand shifted under each footfall sapped the strength, and nearly everyone was exhausted by the time they reached the cattle world. But it was easy after that. Most of the cattle were asleep and a brief walk brought them to the hole that led to freedom. Oscar’s people had slaughtered a large number of cattle and each person passing through the tank was given an extra portion of beef to add to their supplies. It lifted the mood and boosted everyone’s strength after leaving Oscar’s tank.

  Harl thanked Oscar, but the big man just nodded and then leant in to whisper, ‘It seemed only sensible. There’s much hardship ahead and the people are afraid already. Any hope for the tribe is good hope.’

  Harl climbed up the rope ladder that had been rolled down into the tank from the exit hole. This was the final hurdle. He looked back at the people waiting below him. They seemed nervous again now. None of them quite realised what they faced beyond the tanks, despite what the book had told them and Kane’s lectures along the way. He smiled at them and stepped into the hole. If they could do this smoothly, then it was a major obstacle out of the way.

  The hole hadn’t been expanded, chiefly because it was still a danger to enlarge it in case the Aylen looked in, so it was a bit of a scramble to get through. He stepped out onto a square wooden platform on the other side and looked around, impressed.

  The platform was five steps across and made from sturdy wooden planks. How Uman had arranged it all amazed Harl. He had assumed that the scout was just going to wait at the hole to relay messages back, but together with Kane’s plans, he seemed to have worked miracles.

  A rough wooden railing surrounded the platform on the three sides that faced away from the tanks. A huge pulley was suspended over it and ropes ran down from it to four metal rings tied to the platform. The pulley was attached to the tank wall by a series of ropes tied to melting swords embedded in the tank wall. It was an ingenious solution.

  Kane and Oscar climbed up and stood beside Harl as Damen positioned a few of his men around the edge of the platform to balance the load. They would head out of the door as soon as the platform reached the ground and then move through to stand guard outside the door. Harl hadn’t forgotten his first scuttler encounter and he didn’t want to risk one attacking the host of people when they stepped out into the world for the first time. The whole trip back to Delta would be dangerous. The people from inside the tanks had no idea what the world beyond looked like and, in the darkness, people could go astray or fall foul of the nocturnal beasts that hunted among the maze of grass stalks. But if they were attacked so soon, chaos would erupt and all their plans would be in ruins as the people scattered in terror.

  Oscar looked over the railing towards the grey floor hundreds of paces below. His eyes widened in wonder.

  ‘It seems impossible,’ he murmured.

  One of the soldiers picked up a small ball of hay from a pile on the platform and dropped it over the edge.

  ‘What’s that?’ Oscar asked.

  ‘A signal to those controlling the winch to begin lowering us,’ Kane said. After a moment the platform gave a shudder and the ropes groaned as they were lowered slowly to the floor.

  Uman was waiting at the bottom surrounded by the bags of food that had already been sent down to bolster their provisions. Beside him a team of sweating men were braced against the rope that controlled the platform’s descent. Harl nodded his thanks to the men and then turned to Uman.

  Uman’s face lit up as the platform thumped to the floor and he grasped Harl’s hand. ‘It’s good to see you again, Harl. I’ve already spoken with Delta and Sonora is fine.’

  ‘Thanks for letting me know,’ Harl said, grateful.

  ‘We must hurry,’ Uman said, turning to look at the Aylen door and the dark gap underneath. It had been widened to an opening big enough for a row of tall men to walk through. ‘Light will come soon.’

  ‘We need everyone out there before the Aylen returns,’ Harl said. ‘The next group down will be armed and can secure the area. Then we must move.’

  Harl watched the dark gap under the door as teams of people were ferried down. By the time that most of them were down a faint light was creeping under the gap.

  ‘We need to leave,’ he said to Kane as he strode over to the platform. ‘First light has arrived.’

  Kane nodded as a group of haggard-looking men on the platform were lowered to the ground. ‘That’s the last of them.’

  Harl glanced again at the gap under the door that led to the outside. The light was coming fast. They’d better go soon or risk an Aylen walking in and scooping them all back inside.

  Looking at the people huddled together on the floor, he realised how strange it had to be for them. Most were staring around, wide-eyed, and he knew it was because they had never seen such a large open space without a window in front of them. He remembered his own wonder and fear at being out of the tanks for the first time. Perhaps it would be easier for them? They had guides, people who had been out here before, people like himself, but it was Kane and Damen’s people who were the key. They were the ones who could help the most. They could shoulder the burden of knowing what to do. All these people had to do was follow along and remain strong. Everything else would be taken care of.

  It was still dark inside the Aylen’s shop, but the distant walls were just visible. The scouts around the door had scattered torches close to the base to light the way.

  Harl was about to order everyone to move on, when he saw the group of people who had just stepped off the platform. Something had caught his eye, but he didn’t know whether to trust his instincts. He nudged his way through the press of bodies and spotted Rufus among the last group. The hawk-faced man was talking to the others in a hushed voiced. It was odd that Rufus had been so quiet since they left
the tank, but Harl had just put it down to fear of the unknown. Thinking about it now, he hadn’t seen the man at all since the council agreed to follow him. The two men he was with were also familiar. They had been the guards that Damen and Oscar had pinned before seeing the council.

  ‘Why are you last?’ Harl asked, making the three men look up sharply.

  Rufus steadied himself and his look of loathing returned.

  ‘Fire clearers,’ he said and the other two nodded, not meeting Harl’s gaze.

  Kane, who had not been with Harl when he had gone to the council and had no idea what kind of man Rufus was, came over from the lift.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked seeing that something was wrong.

  ‘These are the men who volunteered to put out the torches in the tanks?’ Harl asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Kane said, baffled. ‘Is something wrong?’

  Harl looked at the three men.

  ‘You volunteered?’ he asked.

  ‘We did,’ Rufus said, looking to Kane for confirmation with a smile.

  ‘Harl?’ Kane asked, ignoring Rufus, clearly sensing that Harl was suspicious. He looked at the three men in turn and glanced at the gap under the door. ‘Is there a problem? We have to get going.’

  ‘This man,’ Harl said, stepping up to Rufus, ‘has never volunteered for anything in his entire life, and I don’t see him suddenly changing his ways.’

  ‘I don’t...’ Kane started.

  ‘Get back on the lift,’ Harl said quietly to Rufus, moving forward and forcing the grubby man to step backwards onto the wooden platform.

  ‘Take us up,’ Harl said and watched as the team of men who had been about to dismantle the system took the strain of the rope and began to haul them both back up.

  Harl said nothing as they ascended, but stared hard at Rufus, who was shifting his hands from his pockets to the wooden rail that edged the platform.