Clan World

by Jim Kochanoff

  Jinn made a face as a bug landed on her face and walked down her nose. The large beetle was nasty with something green dripping from its mouth. It scurried with mean intent. I tried to flick my fingers at Jinn’s face to knock it off. Any sudden movements would signal the clan. Jinn’s face was turning purple, and I knew she couldn’t hold out much longer. The bug was about to put something into her skin. The car beeped and the bug flew off. The vehicle moved ahead since the driver must have lost his patience as they continued to pursue Tuko. We both collapsed in a heap.

  “I don’t know how that clan stays quiet. I was ready to scream.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t. Let’s go.”

  We ran from the tree line, through a clearing, and behind one of the first buildings in the town. Near the end of street, two vehicles were parked. Viktor was standing over the two clan members we had tricked into the pit. They both were on their knees with their heads down. Viktor paced around them, and even though he yelled nothing at them, you could tell that they were both trembling, aware of what would happen to them next. Viktor stepped toward one of them and he flinched. Then Viktor slapped the other one with the back of his hand and he went down hard.

  “Great form of discipline,” I commented. “I hope your family has a different approach.”

  Jinn made a face. “Our clan is nothing like them. Zombie clan is a lot like Hunter clan. They think might makes right. There’s been a lot of conflict over the last year. They don’t play well with others.”

  “Or maybe they think they can take over,” I suggested. “I haven’t seen a lot of clans getting along with each other since I got here. It often seems everyone is out for themselves.”

  Jinn shook her head. “There are other clans, like Armor, who believe that prosperity can only be created by working with others. That is what Luther was a strong believer in.”

  “And he got killed.” My ability to state the obvious was amazing even to me. “Seems like there are just as many clans who are out for themselves.” Jinn nodded. This really wasn’t the time to challenge their entire social system. We looked ahead. Viktor was turning his attention to Sena. I wasn’t sure if he would strike her, and I didn’t want to find out. I stood up.

  “What are you doing? They’ll see you,” Jinn asked.

  “Exactly. I want their full attention on me.”

  “Why? I don’t think they’re going to follow you down an alley again.”

  “No. But if they want me, they’re going to have to come get me,” I answered cryptically and then added, “When they are focused on me, get Sena. Go back to the water tower and into the tunnels and hide.”

  “And how are you going to take down five Zombie clan members who are all much bigger than you?” Jinn cocked her head at me like I was crazy. And she was right. I didn’t have a plan, just some options. But for once, I wanted to stop running. I didn’t answer her; I just gave her a look that said I was walking and she better get moving as well. I started to march down the street.

  For the first minute they didn’t see me. The group seemed angry, but it was strange because I interpreted this from their body language alone. Then as one of them stared in my direction, the rest followed suit. Viktor finally stopped gesturing as he noticed that the rest were now paying attention to me. He assessed me in seconds and pointed in opposite directions to his clan. Two moved to his right and two to the left, disappearing behind buildings. At the end of the street, only Viktor remained. I figured I would be surrounded in less than a minute. I had enough time to make it to the general store.

  Just like the street, the store was deserted. Wherever the kids were, they wanted no part of this fight. If we were going to rescue Sena, it was up to me and Jinn. Remembering what Arch had said about the worm swimming in the jar, I pulled it from the window. I grabbed several test tubes from a nearby shelf and ducked behind the counter. I pulled the lid off carefully and made sure that no liquid touched my skin as I filled up the tubes. The worm swam around and looked up at me greedily. I wasn’t intending to find out what would happen if it touched my skin, so I quickly screwed the lid back on. I waited. The door to the store opened.

  I crouched behind the counter, looking through a narrow crack that allowed me to see the first two aisles from the door. Even though they didn’t talk, they made no effort to walk quietly, and I could hear them getting closer. I readied my tube. A tall, gangly teenage boy strode toward the counter. I jumped up and emptied half of the tube into his face. What he did next totally caught me off guard. He screamed! I thought these guys were always silent. I guess pain will make anyone talk. The worm juice worked immediately. His face looked normal, but the liquid was absorbed through the skin. His eyes had become cloudy, as if he could no longer see through them. He swung his fist, knocking over a jar of ball bearings. As he turned, another teenage boy tapped him on the shoulder. I don’t know if it was fear or reflexes, but he threw another fist and connected solidly with the other boy’s jaw. He went down like a house of cards.

  “Hey ugly, I’m over here,” I jeered. The blind clan member turned, his ugly tattooed face grimacing in pain. He moved one step forward, and his feet stepped on a bunch of the ball bearings. He lost his balance and immediately went horizontal. His head cracked on the floor, and he landed unconscious next to his buddy. That was easier than I thought. Two Zombie clan members down, three to go.

  I got up from behind the counter. I debated whether to stay in the store and let the others come to me or go straight to them. I gazed out the windows. The street was empty. A creak behind me made me realize that I hadn’t checked the back door. An arm turned me around and I looked into the face of another Zombie clan member. This one was different, though. A girl. Despite all of her face tattoos, she was almost pretty in a Goth kind of way. She had similar features as my best friend Lacey from home, and for a second I let my guard down. The Zombie clan member made no sound but put her fingers to mouth and crossed her throat in a slicing motion. It wasn’t hard to understand. Be quiet or I’ll hurt you. That’s when my fight or flight instincts kicked in. After a split-second analysis of my options, a third option appeared. So I kicked her in the gut.

  Power to her, she didn’t go down hard like her male clan members. But she did double over on one knee and gave a look of hatred. I poured the rest of the test tube on her neck and watched her eyes cloud over. Her arms flailed as she realized that she couldn’t see me anymore. I didn’t feel any sympathy at all. I left her panicking on the floor.

  I still had the element of surprise. I could take out the last two with the liquid in the second test tube. I grasped it with my left hand as I walked off the storefront onto the street. I saw no one and took no more than a step before a leg tripped me and I fell face down. The test tube went flying ahead of me. I gazed behind me and saw a heavy-set clan member with white flames burning across his face. He looked slow but strong. He smiled, and his crooked teeth made me glad he didn’t talk. His arm was like a vise on my leg, and as I kicked, he didn’t loosen his grip. I grabbed some dirt and threw it at his face. Oldest trick in the book. Something must have got into his eye, because he let go. He made a motion with his tongue, and whatever he mouthed had to be a curse.

  I looked frantically around for the liquid while keeping one eye on my attacker. He must have seen what I was looking for as our eyes both settled on the test tube at the same time. I moved faster, but he was closer. We both jumped toward it, but he grabbed at it first. He might not know what it was, but he knew it was a weapon. If I couldn’t beat him to the tube, then I would just break it. I kicked his hand and the tube broke. Liquid flowed onto his fingertips. I watched his fear as his eyes clouded over. He rolled around on the ground, slapping his head, trying to ward off the liquid’s effects. He’d be no more trouble for a couple of hours. I walked away, my advantage gone and their leader left to beat. How would I take out a clan leader who outweighed me by at least a hundred pounds when I had no weapon? I looked around, trying to improvise.
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  I heard a muffled cry at the end of street. Sena was tied up, with a piece of cloth rammed into her mouth. She was strung up, hanging on the post like the catch of the day. She kicked feverishly to escape. She was alone. Viktor was nowhere in sight. One of the cars was parked near her, while the other was missing. Maybe he took his car and went home? This is too easy. I looked for a pit or other trap that I might fall into by walking to Sena. Nothing obvious. I looked at Sena, hoping her eyes might help give away what I was missing. She just struggled to break her bonds; the ropes were hurting and her face was red with exertion. I couldn’t leave Sena in pain and marched toward her, crossing the street. As I reached her, I tried to untie her bonds. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a shadow stretching on the ground behind me.

  A large board split over Viktor’s head. He looked more angry than hurt and hit Jinn with the back of his hand. She went sailing to the ground, blood spraying from her lip.

  “Typical Zombie clan coward!” Jinn spat blood at Viktor. “Hiding under a car to sneak up on a girl and take her from behind.”

  “Not all of us have the lofty standards of Armor clan,” Viktor replied, and we were shocked to hear his voice. It was high and nasal and didn’t match his body. It sounded like he didn’t speak often.

  “But Zombie clan can’t talk.” Jinn shook her head in surprise.

  “With each other or in front of one another. I don’t see anyone around to hear us. Surely your elders realized that our elders would talk in private or under extreme situations.”

  “And this is a bit of both,” I answered, looking him square in the eyes. He smiled as if he respected the defiance.

  “Yes. And you will be quite the prize. Much honor will come to our clan after turning in Luther’s killer.” He stepped toward me and I knew if he grabbed me there was no way I could break free from his grasp.

  “Wasn’t me. You got the wrong girl,” I said.

  “Right girl. Right description. You have a gold necklace with amber stone around your neck. You can’t hide from me,” Viktor responded.

  “The charge isn’t true. She didn’t do it,” Jinn said.

  “Don’t care,” Viktor answered plainly. “This isn’t about right or wrong. This is about earning prestige from the other clans. Armor clan spends so much time looking down on the rest of us, you wouldn’t know.” He glared at Jinn.

  “So you don’t care if I’m innocent. You’re doing this to impress the other clans? This is so high school.”

  “You act like you don’t even understand how the system works.” Viktor turned back to me. “I don’t know what your clan is like, but you are either recognized or you are forgotten. Then the clans that have everything control your needs.”

  “That’s not true!” Jinn marched closer to Viktor but pulled up short of being grabbed by his meaty fists. “Armor has earned its right, while other clans have just talked about helping society. We created medicines that saved lives.”

  Viktor laughed at her. “At a price! You make sure we pay top dollar for your help. Gouging us when you could just give it to us. And when we can’t afford it, you make us barter for things like her!” He pointed a finger at me.

  “You lie! No one is forcing you to do this.” Jinn was upset.

  “The end justifies the means. Her capture will help my people. What they do with her afterward is not my concern. I’ll just be delivering her. The clan elders will decide if she lives or dies.” Then Zombie clan would be the least of my problems.

  Behind Victor I saw movement. Sena had finally wriggled out of her bonds. She rushed at him and punched him in the nose. She bounced off him and fell to the ground. Her fist had some effect, as a trickle of blood steamed out of his nostril.

  “You little girls can’t take me.” Viktor laughed. “Now step aside.” He grabbed me and as hard as I pounded on his arm, I may as well have been hitting a wooden timber. He showed no reaction to my blows.

  “There’s not just girls here,” a young boy’s voice yelled as he came out of a building. It was Arch, and he was swinging a baseball bat.

  Viktor was less than impressed. “I’ll give you one swing, kid, and then after I hit you, you won’t be getting up.”

  “What about me then?” Saul was carrying a jagged piece of metal.

  “Or me?” Another girl walked forward with a board with a nail sticking out of the end. Other kids walked out onto the street. There had to be at least twenty and each was carrying a nasty weapon. Viktor didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was now tense. He backed up a step and an opportunity presented itself. Instead of banging on his arms, I kicked him right between the legs. He bent over, but I didn’t totally incapacitate him. He looked up at me with angry eyes.

  “You and your little kids haven’t proved anything. I’ll be back and have double the number of clan members. We’ll wipe this town off the map!” He was angry, but I didn’t doubt his words.

  “If attacking defenseless kids is the way Zombie clan rolls, then you’ll be even lower on the food chain if you come back here again,” Jinn yelled. She gave as good as she got. Viktor didn’t respond, but I could tell he was going over his options. And none of them were good. The kids surrounded him, tapping their weapons but not speaking. They were giving the Zombie clan what they always gave to the other clans. Menacing quiet. They slowly parted the way, giving Viktor a clear path to his vehicle. He slowly got up, wincing a bit. It made me smile to see him grimace. Just like Abraham, these teenage clan members were too full of themselves, thinking they were untouchable. Today we had proved that wrong.

  The Orphans looked tough, but I knew underneath they were scared. Viktor could take any two of them with ease but didn’t seem committed to taking on the whole pack. He stepped gingerly into the car and gave me a parting shot.

  “This isn’t over. There’s lots of places between here and the Cradle. Better keep your head up. We’re not done with you yet!” The car spun out, spraying us with dust. As he drove, he stopped to pick up the rest of his crew. They all had to be led into the car. As he picked up his last member, Tuko appeared and slowly evaluated the scene. He and Viktor looked silently at each other but assessed one another with respect.

  “Thank you, Pene.” Sena gave me a big hug. “He was rough and the ropes were tied really tight. I guess I should have stayed better hidden after the fireworks.” She smiled and that made my whole sacrifice worth it.

  “Are you kidding? This girl rocks!” Arch gushed at me like I was a rock star. “You were amazing. You blinded all of those team members on your own. I wasn’t even sure that Dad told me the truth, what I told you about the temporary blindness.” Whoa. Arch could have scammed me, and I would have been a sorry mess if none of this had worked. I had no time to dwell on that fact as Tuko pulled up to us. He looked pleased.

  “I lost one car, but you guys took out the leader. Color me impressed,” Tuko said. Seriously. Boys are so lame.

  “So Zombie clan gone. Check. Town and kids saved. Check. Now what?” I asked.

  “Time to move on,” Jinn suggested. “There is no reason to stay here.”

  I looked down at the drone bee and still felt that I was missing something. I had come from a home where everyone was watched, nothing went unobserved. Everyone was safe, no one got hurt. Here was the opposite. Nothing seemed to watch us, but everywhere was chaos. No one was safe, but everyone was free. I wasn’t sure if what I’d wished for was so great. Yet this little bee held the key. I knew it. Something told me that this drone represented what was really happening. That maybe we were being watched, but it wasn’t as obvious.

  “Actually, I met someone while I was trying to lose the Zombie car. He gave me some help.” Tuko pointed down the street. A small dust cloud grew, and a large caravan appeared. There were several large, covered trucks that carried people and supplies. There were a few smaller, nimbler vehicles that circled around these vehicles. The cab was open, with roll bars surrounding the drivers looking like mini dune buggie
s. Could another clan be taking Zombie’s place?

  “It’s our parents!” Jinn yelled with excitement. “We’re saved.”

  I looked at the oncoming vehicles, but instead of excitement, I felt fear. Jinn and Tuko were trustworthy friends, better than most I had back home. But their parents could be a whole different story. Something Viktor had said about the different classes of clan had bothered me.

  Were Jinn and Tuko’s parents my saviors? Or my new captors?

  9

  Drive!

  “You’re going to love my dad.” Jinn giggled. “If anyone can get us out of this mess, it’s him.” I looked over at Tuko, who didn’t seem to share the same enthusiasm.

  “Yea, he’s a real sweetheart,” he said with a hint of sarcasm. Four cars rolled to a stop, their dust momentarily blinding me as the occupants dashed out. Seconds later there was about half a dozen adults around us. But without any description, their dad stood out amongst the group. While everyone ran around, he walked slowly but with purpose. He was tall and lean, with long gray hair pulled back. His face seemed neutral, but his eyes were angry. He barked several orders and then turned his attention to us. Jinn ran to him to give him a hug, but he barely responded and looked past her to me.

  “All of you into the car. Now!”

  “Great to see you too, Dad,” Tuko answered but stepped toward the open door. Jinn looked at me and nodded, her face tight. I followed, not seeing any other options. We climbed in, and their father followed. It was roomy in the back, and the seats faced each other. Their dad banged on a glass window and the car came to life.

  “Dad! We can’t go. The kids in this town are on their own. We promised them your help,” Jinn explained.

  “Help! Do you know what kind of trouble the two of you are in with the council? It has taken all my resources to keep the bounty off your heads.” As he looked directly at me. “That is on hers.”

  “It’s false. Abraham and his clan were looking for a scapegoat. Pene had nothing to do with Luther’s death,” Jinn protested. How had I made this good friend in such a brief time?