Civilization

by Stephen Drake

  “I’m wondering who the new Elder of the Oomah is,” Mei Lee asked as she relaxed, with eyes closed, in the hot water.

  “I’m not sure,” Murdock responded as he lounged, “but I think Beron is. He was acting like he was in charge.”

  “That’s what I was thinking as well,” Mei Lee responded. “What do you have in mind for Declan, Emily, and Irene?”

  “I was going to ask them what their plans were,” Murdock responded, “making it clear that they could stay with us, if they wanted. I don’t know if we want to include them into the Oomah connection, yet. I wanted to get your and Beron’s input before making that decision.”

  “For myself, I’d say let them all the way in. It would have made our sudden departure less odd, to them, if they were already aware of the Oomah,” Mei Lee responded.

  “Do you think it would help Irene?” Murdock asked as he pulled his wife to him. He held her on his lap while he caressed her.

  “It could,” Mei Lee responded as she relaxed to her husband’s ministrations.

  #

  Since the day that Freeman was killed, Ben Palmer had been having everything his own way. He had finally gotten Phylicia to be subservient to him, so the beatings had reduced greatly, to his dismay. He had enjoyed beating all the women, until they quit fighting him. Wagner, Osterlund, and Hornsby had become quite excellent bootlickers and he only had to cuff them periodically to keep them cowed.

  It had been weeks since Murdock had issued his edicts about the range from the pod they could travel, so Palmer felt that it was time to test those limits. He had sent Wagner and Hornsby to the river several times, in the past two weeks, and they had returned without incident.

  “Get everyone together,” Palmer commanded, without turning around, as he heard someone coming toward him from behind. “We’re all going to the river!”

  “What about Murdock?” Osterlund asked as the others were gathering.

  “What about him?” Palmer scoffed. “We aren’t going to let him tell us what to do!”

  “He did make it plain that we are not to leave the pod area,” Hornsby said as he was picking up a staff and a couple of the water skins.

  “We need water and fish. He can’t deny us,” Palmer stated loudly. “He is only one man, after all!”

  “He did make short work of all the guards the last time we tangled with him,” Wagner stated as he armed himself.

  “That stream can’t support us all!” Palmer chided. “What’s wrong with all of you? Are you all cowards? Grow a spine, for Christ sake!”

  Wagner, Osterlund, and Hornsby quit complaining and herded the women in front of them as all of them headed toward the river.

  Hours later, when they could all see the river, they stopped to see if anyone else was there. All of them had become more nervous the closer they got to the river. Seeing no one else around, they all proceeded to the river bank. After reaching the bank, the women filled the water skins as the men kept watch. Once everyone had filled water skins, Palmer started a small fire while Osterlund and Wagner tried their hand at catching the larger fish. After catching a couple, they cleaned and cooked them.

  “I wonder what is on the other side of that river,” Palmer asked aloud, to no one in particular.

  “I remember seeing some of the others head this way, so they could be over there,” Wagner said quietly. He noticed Jax Hornsby rubbing his hand where Murdock’s wife had shot him. “Hand bothering you, or are you remembering?” he asked quietly.

  “A little of both,” Hornsby replied after making the conscious effort to stop rubbing his hand. “Hurt like hell the first time, so I’m not looking for a repeat.”

  “Don’t blame you there,” Wagner agreed.

  Wagner and Hornsby had done a lot of thinking about the last time they had tangled with Murdock. Both were nervous about running into him again, even though neither discussed it aloud. Neither man expected to survive another encounter with an angry Murdock.

  As they ate, they heard three splashes in the river. All the men scrambled to their feet and ran to the river bank. They arrived in time to see the three women hobble into the trees on the far bank.

  “After them,” Palmer commanded. “Don’t let them escape!”

  Wagner, Osterlund, and Hornsby tentatively crossed the river, unsure of what they would find, and leaving Palmer alone at the river while the rest searched.

  #

  It wasn’t something they’d planned. It was an opportunity that had presented itself. Usually, on the rare occasion Phylicia, Kimberly, and Heather were allowed close to the river, they had been hobbled with rope around their ankles. This time, however, Palmer, being certain he had control of the women, had allowed them to be untethered. It wasn’t long after they’d reached the trees that they heard Palmer yell and the men enter the river in pursuit.

  All three women ran as fast as they could, but Phylicia was too exhausted to go far. Kimberly and Heather picked her up by draping Phylicia’s arms over their shoulders and each trying to keep her on her feet with their arms around her waist.

  “Keep her up and moving,” Kimberly said breathlessly to Heather. “We can’t let them catch us!”

  “I’m trying,” Heather replied. “Come on, Phylicia, keep going!”

  Both women were panicked hearing the men in pursuit. They couldn’t be sure, but they seemed to be gaining on them. The women turned and headed for the cliff that was upriver from their entry point. As they ran, they did their best to be as quiet as possible. It wasn’t long before they saw a path leading to their right, but as they turned to take the path, they were grabbed by men that they weren’t familiar with. After a brief tussle, all three were tied and gagged.

  #

  Bass Heartly had heard the commotion and had led his men toward the river to investigate. Since Murdock had shown them the advantages to moving stealthily, Bass had been training his men on stalking. He thought it would make them better hunters. He had no idea it would come in handy for catching interlopers. After subduing the fleeing females, he communicated, with hand signals of his own devising, that his men should remain hidden and quiet. He heard the men that were pursuing the women and they seemed to be getting closer. Bass slowly raised his hand and three of his men prepared to fire their bows. I doubt these men could hit the ground with their hat, he thought, let alone a moving target. I’m hoping that the sight of three bows, aimed at their general direction, will change their minds and send them packing.

  As the pursuing men turned to enter the path that the women had taken, they all skidded to a halt. They were looking at seven men with machetes drawn and three with bows ready to fire. The shock made them all beat a hasty retreat to the river.

  “Remove the gag of one of the prisoners,” Bass commanded quietly after the pursuers had left the area. “The blonde!”

  “Oh, thank God you found us!” Heather said breathlessly after her gag was removed.

  As he looked at the woman, he failed to recognize her, or any of them. Their features were lost in bruises, dirt, and swelling. “Go get Reyes and Annie Cooper!” he ordered one of his men.

  #

  “How did this happen?” Palmer asked, pacing the bank of the river while the other three men were catching their breath after their retreat. “Why weren’t those bitches hobbled?” His mind was racing. The last thing he wanted was Murdock showing up for retribution. He paused in his ranting for someone to answer. “Why didn’t you retrieve our property?” he asked when no one spoke up.

  “There were too many of them,” Ted Wagner yelled back at Palmer. “Some had bows. It’s a wonder we managed to get away!”

  “Catch some more fish for later!” Palmer commanded. “I’m heading back!” He turned and walked in the direction of the transport pod.

  #

  Bass Heartly was having trouble with a couple of his men murmuring amongst themselves when one or two had recognized the three fugitives. He was pacing and hoping Reyes would show before things
got out of hand. To reduce the chance of more violence, he had sent a few of his men toward the river to alert them if the interlopers returned. He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he caught sight of Reyes and Annie.

  “What happened?” Reyes asked. Annie had gone to the three women to assess their condition.

  “We were hunting and these three ran into us,” Bass replied.

  “Untie them,” Annie demanded.

  “Leave them tied and gagged,” Reyes commanded. “Assess them as they are until we figure out what to do with them!”

  “They were being pursued,” Bass continued, “by three men, but we managed to scare them off. I have men watching the river for further incursions.”

  “Keep me apprised, Bass,” Reyes said as she dismissed the man. “How are they, in your opinion?” Reyes asked Annie after Bass had left.

  “I can’t be certain,” Annie replied, concerned. “All three have massive bruising and they could have internal injuries. I’d say we need Doctor Harris to look at them.”

  #

  While Murdock was waking, he became disoriented. He thought he’d heard soft footsteps, but he knew Mei Lee was still cuddled to him. The last thing he remembered was sleeping in the residence cave, with Mei Lee, after the passing of the elder Oomah. He sat up immediately when he heard more soft footsteps.

  “Sorry,” Emily said quietly after being startled. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Murdock looked around expecting stone walls, but seeing log walls. Mei Lee had been immediately awake when Murdock had sat up. Both were confused.

  “You must have gotten in late,” Emily said quietly. “I didn’t hear you come in. I was going to add a log to the fire when I noticed you.”

  Murdock and Mei Lee looked at her, still confused.

  “How did we get here?” Murdock asked his wife telepathically.

  “Hell if I know,” Mei Lee replied in kind. “Last thing I remember is falling asleep at the cave.”

  #

  At breakfast, Murdock asked Declan, Emily, and Irene what they planned to do.

  “I thought we were welcome to stay here?” Emily asked testily.

  “You are all welcome to stay here,” Murdock reassured, “but I don’t want you to think you aren’t free to leave, if you choose. If you stay, it should be because you really want to be here. It shouldn’t be because you feel trapped or have no other choices.”

  “I, for one,” Declan said, “am learning a lot and have no plans of interrupting my education or my training.”

  “Where my husband is,” Emily responded, “there I’ll be also.”

  Everyone looked at Irene, expectantly. “I’m not going to give an answer until I get some answers,” Irene Harris stated. “I want to know where you and Mei Lee went, for starters.”

  “I hesitate to tell you,” Murdock said after thinking about the question for a second or two. “First, I’m not sure you’d believe me. Second, there are responsibilities that come with that knowledge. Mei Lee and I have come to the conclusion that you need to know. Humans are not the apex predators on this planet.” Murdock waited for the impact of his statement to hit the others.

  “What is?” Declan asked. Emily sat silently, waiting and listening.

  “So, there is something else out there that we should fear?” Harris asked with a shocked look on her face.

  “Not fear,” Murdock stated, “respect. There are entities, here, called the Oomah that you must respect. They made this planet for themselves and require privacy.”

  “And why should we respect them?” Harris asked somewhat petulantly.

  “Well, I’d recommend you do, as they can wipe every human from the face of this planet,” Murdock blurted harsher than he intended. He waited for a reaction.

  “Are they hideous? Why haven’t we seen them before?” Emily asked.

  “You may not have seen them, but you have profited from them,” Murdock responded. “I don’t think they’re hideous, but that would be a subjective judgment.”

  “Do they appear as bears?” Declan asked turning pale.

  “Why do you ask that?” Murdock asked.

  “During my beatings and recovery at the pod, I had mental visions of Rose,” Declan started, “but she seemed to flip quickly from human to bear. I thought I was losing my mind, for a while, then, after a while, I just didn’t seem to notice.”

  Harris was looking at Declan in disbelief. “You said your sister was telling you about Murdock coming for you. I thought you were just—”

  “Crazy?” Declan asked with a slight chuckle, completing Harris’ thought. “At the time, I thought I was totally around the bend!”

  “That was the one Mei Lee knows as Bridget,” Murdock stated. “She was doing what she could to give you some hope. Right now, the Oomah guard our borders. They are the ones that caused the workmen to pass out when they trespassed. They are the ones that made the caves, you know which ones I mean,” Murdock said this last to the question on Declan’s and Emily’s faces.

  “They gave the workmen the nightmares!” Harris said excitedly.

  “And they informed all the others of Phylicia’s treachery,” Murdock said nodding his head. “The one I named Beron is who dispatched Whittier,” Murdock said sadly. He saw Declan nod his head in understanding.

  “Are we going to be able to see them?” Harris asked, being curious.

  “Be careful what you ask for,” Murdock responded, “you just might get it. They’ll show themselves when they’re ready. No one can force it and no one can stop them, either.” Murdock saw the impact of his statement on everyone’s face.

  “Are they that powerful?” Harris asked in hushed tones.

  “I know they could pull an asteroid from space and have it hit the transport pod, if they had a mind to.” Murdock explained. “That would be something easy for them. I think they could change the orbit of this planet. I suspect that would require a little more effort, but I’m not certain. Can any of us do the same? I know I can’t!”

  “Are they friend or foe?” Emily asked.

  “To me, they have always been a friend,” Murdock answered guardedly, “but then, I try real hard to be a friend to them.”

  #

  I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time when you levitated me and Declan, Emily thought while Murdock was talking.

  “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it, Em.” Emily heard inside her head in Murdock’s voice. “Keep this to yourself.” Emily sat in shocked silence.

  #

  “What’s your take on them?” Harris asked after a long pause.

  “From what we know, they are more sophisticated than the humans have been,” Mei Lee responded. “At least they aren’t cruel. If they were to wipe humans off their planet, I doubt we would know. It would be quick and merciful.”

  “But they’re animals,” Harris spouted. “How can animals be sophisticated?”

  “You aren’t listening, Irene,” Murdock chastised softly. “They have the form of bears, or what passes for bears here. From what I understand, when we humans first landed here, they debated if we would be allowed to stay, or killed outright. They responded thoughtfully rather than instinctively. And I’ve yet to see one of them beat and torture one of their own, for no other reason than because they can.”

  “That sounds pretty civilized to me,” Mei Lee interjected.

  #

  “To me as well,” Declan added as he remembered the pain of the beating Palmer had given him. I would like to meet Bridget and thank her for all she did for me, Declan thought.

  “That won’t happen anytime soon. They do have customs and protocols,” popped into Declan’s mind, in Murdock’s voice. Declan’s mouth hung open as he stared at Murdock.

  “You shouldn’t stare, Declan. It’s considered rude,” popped into Declan’s mind with Mei Lee’s voice. This caused him to jerk his head and stare at her, mouth agape.

  #

  “Well, I, for one, will have to be convince
d,” Harris said resolutely. “How do you communicate with these Oomah? Bears can’t talk!”

  “Telepathically,” Murdock said sincerely. Harris immediately started laughing.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Harris said when her laughing slowed enough to let her speak. “There’s no such thing as telepathy!”

  “Oh, yes there is!” flashed to Murdock’s mind from Declan and Emily simultaneously. This caused him to smirk a little.

  #

  “How are you planning to get Harris here to assess them?” Reyes asked. “I know we sent her to Murdock’s, but we have no way of contacting him.”

  “I don’t know.” Annie responded. “All I know, is I have to try!”

  “Well, what do you suggest doing with them until you can get to Murdock?” Reyes asked skeptically. “I’m not comfortable with these three knowing anything about our compound.”

  “So, you were going to just leave them here?” Annie asked, incredulous.

  “No, I was going to ask Bass to leave a few of his men here until they get strong enough to leave on their own,” Reyes explained.

  “Even if that took months?” Annie asked. She knew Reyes to be fair, but she could also be quite hard.

  “Of course not,” Reyes replied, shocked. “I was thinking more like a few days.”

  Murdock! I wish you could hear me. Annie thought to herself as she checked on the three refugees. I could sure use Harris’ help.

  #

  As everyone in the cabin looked at Harris, contempt for the notion of telepathy obvious, they saw her face change to one of grave concern.

  “What is it, Irene?” Murdock asked.

  “There is something wrong,” Harris replied adamantly. She was on her feet, pacing. “I don’t know how, but I have the feeling Annie Cooper needs my help. It’s something serious!”