New World Order

by S. M. McEachern

  Hollywood returned to our cart looking happy. “We’re going to head home,” he said.

  Phillip looked surprised. “Not all the wagons are full.”

  “We’re splitting up,” Hollywood said. “Another recruit died, and we’re going to lose more if we stay out much longer. All full rigs are heading back, and the empty ones are staying out with Kane to keep hunting.”

  There was some disorganized yelling, shouting, and bad-tempered expletives before the wagons full of recruits were separated from the empty ones. It was the first time I had the opportunity to see the people who had been taken on that awful night. They took up two carts: one full of men and boys and another full of women and girls. The youngest boy was about ten, the youngest girl around seven. Hollywood’s words ran through my head: You sit in that wagon acting as if we’ve done you wrong when what we’ve actually done is save you. I wondered how saved these people felt.

  Our downsized caravan moved out with the now-familiar chant of “Giddeeeyup!” Ryan’s head lolled against my arm as the wagon started moving, and a few groans escaped his lips. I retreated to my happy place. Sunny.

  My mind traveled back to the first time we’d met. Her fiery red hair had been a shock and a little too exotic for me at first, and the fact that she came from the Pit had made her taboo. After all, I was a Kenner, and Kenners didn’t take mistresses from the Pit. Just playing along with Leisel’s little plan to bring her back to my apartment had made me squeamish. But then she was in my apartment—wearing my bathrobe, her hair tousled from a restless, drunken night, and mascara smudged around her big dark eyes—telling me all about her troubled life. I’d thought I was well- advised on the Pit. I’d thought I had a higher understanding of the intricate legalities of the treaty, the Pit’s role in maintaining the Dome, and the troubles associated with their socioeconomic class. So hearing her life was troubled wasn’t surprising, but her willingness to take a bullet—risk her own life—to ensure Leisel and I would one day rule the Dome and help the people of the Pit was a shock. And it was the moment I started falling in love with her.

  From the day of my birth it had been drilled into my head that the Kenners would take down the Holt regime and restore democracy to our people. But we had to gain control legitimately so as not to provoke Holt into using the nuclear warheads and blowing us all into oblivion. So we Kenners waged our quiet revolution, building up Liberty to gain the support of the people, and looking for opportunities to take down the dictatorship.

  Then along came Sunny. She was looking for opportunities to change the government too, but her motivation was born out of desperation rather than righteousness. She was so brave, determined, and, I learned soon enough, had absolutely nothing to lose. It turned out I had no idea what life was like in the Pit until she took me there and I became a slave. It was her strength that had kept me alive, the thought of seeing her at the end of every day that had kept me going, and her resourcefulness that had led to the creation of the Alliance and, ultimately, to freedom.

  She was so much more than my soul mate. She was my hero. And I needed her strength more than ever.

  ***

  Our wagon stopped moving again, and I opened my eyes, unaware that I had fallen asleep. There was a high-pitched errrrrOwww from the trees that had the recruiters on alert.

  “Cats,” Naoki told me. “They’ve been getting closer since we split with the others.”

  Hollywood left our wagon to meet with the other captains and returned shortly.

  “How many?” Phillip asked. He had his bow out, ready to shoot any animals that wandered near.

  “Three or four maybe,” Hollywood said. He motioned to Ryan. “Cut him loose.”

  Naoki, Talon, and I sat up straighter.

  “What do you mean ‘cut him loose’?” I asked.

  “We have to slow down those damn cats,” Hollywood said. “Unless you’re volunteering?”

  My eyes grew wide as understanding dawned. They were going to leave Ryan as a meal for the cats. “Okay, I volunteer,” I said. At least I had the use of my legs. I could run. Maybe climb a tree. Make it to the river and swim. Ryan had no chance.

  “I’m just playing with you,” Hollywood said. “You’re too valuable to feed to the cats.”

  Phillip unhooked Ryan from the rail, nudged him with his foot, and rolled him out of the wagon. Ryan moaned, and I’m sure I saw his eyes flutter open.

  “He’s not dead!” Naoki yelled. “You can’t do this!”

  “Gidddeeeeyup!” Hollywood boomed.

  The caravan started moving again. I watched in horrified silence as we moved farther away from Ryan. It wasn’t happening. These people couldn’t be that murderous, could they?

  As soon as we were clear, three huge tigers approached Ryan. They fought over him before one sank its teeth into his body. I prayed the first bite was the fatal one.

  Chapter Eight

  Sunny

  The thunderstorms had brought strong winds and warmer temperatures, turning the ground to slick, gooey mud. It made getting down the ridge a lot more treacherous than the trip up. The fact that I was tired after a fitful night of dozing wasn’t helping. I could only hope that I would grow more accustomed to the lumpy feel of my backpack as a pillow for my head and rocks as a cushion for my rump. At least resting my cheek against Jack’s shirt was soothing, even if it was starting to smell more like my backpack and less like him.

  We reached the river, and I was astounded to see how wide it had become in just one night. I had learned all about spring rains feeding our waterways, with snowmelt contributing to the volume, but to actually see the power of so much water concentrated into one flow was staggering.

  Reyes took the raft out of his backpack, and I was just as happy to let Jin-Sook and Eli help him unfold it. I busied myself filling my water flask instead, still angry about his accusation.

  Summer squatted beside me with two flasks in hand. I assumed one belonged to Reyes. She dipped them into the freezing cold river.

  “So what were you two arguing about this time?” she asked. I gave her my best deadpan expression. She shrugged. “It was kind of hard not to hear you. I mean, we’re the only people out here, aren’t we?” she asked with a shiver and looked around.

  I pulled my flask out of the river to let the water percolate through the filter. “This time,” I repeated. She had a point. Reyes and I had argued a lot back when we were engaged. I put it down to the fact that he never understood me. He was constantly trying to change me. “Same old argument we usually have. I’m not living up to who he wants me to be. This time he’s accusing me of turning my back on the Pit.” I could feel the heat of anger creep into my face. “Me! Like I’ve done nothing to help my own people.” I looked over my shoulder and snuck a peek at him, partly to see if he was still upset about last night and partly to see if he could hear us. It was hard to tell because he looked focused on his task. “I don’t know why I let him get to me. He’s always been belligerent and, let’s be honest, this isn’t about the Pit. This is about me being married to Jack.”

  “Hold on,” Summer said in a firm voice. “As someone who is still friends with Reyes, I know he’s over you. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but he’s really enjoying being single, if you know what I mean.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t mean he was jealous. I meant, well, he accused me of becoming a bourge.”

  She nodded and then said, “Oh.”

  What was the nod for? Understanding? I suddenly wished her eyes weren’t hidden behind sunglasses so I could read them. “You agree with him?” I asked with uncertainty.

  She breathed out a sigh, hung her head for a moment, and then turned toward me. “I wouldn’t say I agree with him, but I can see where he’s coming from.”

  Her words were unexpected. Tears pricked my eyes, and I pulled my lips into a tight line in case they trembled. My own best friend thought badly of me. I turned away from her.

  She put a hand on my arm. “I’
m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to sound so harsh.”

  “Then what did you mean?” I asked without looking at her.

  “Sunny, you’re happily, blissfully married to a bourge who adores you, and that’s given you privileges that the rest of us from the Pit don’t have, like going to the Academy.”

  A pang of resentment hit me. Summer and I lived in the same house, so she knew exactly how many nights I had spent studying to get accepted into the Academy.

  “The school is open to anyone who passes the entrance exam, Summer. And you of all people know how hard I worked. I read every one of Jack’s old textbooks, and he grilled me every night until I knew the information inside and out. And if it weren’t for him, I would’ve flunked out in the first month, so don’t tell me how awful my bourge husband is! I’m tired of hearing it.”

  “Let me ask you this; how many other dark-eyed students were in your classes?” I didn’t respond. She knew I was the only student from the Pit there.

  Setting aside the flasks, she put her arm around my shoulders. “I do know how hard you worked, and I’m so proud of you. But you said it yourself, if it weren’t for Jack, you never would’ve qualified for the Academy. Your marriage gives you opportunities the rest of us don’t have, so—” She stopped talking at the sound of footsteps crunching through the gravel behind us. The raft was ready, and they were carrying it to the river. She gave me a brief squeeze. “Just don’t forget where you come from.” She kissed my cheek. “And now it’s time to get back into the vomit comet. Yay.”

  Summer scooped up the flasks and stood. I watched her walk away from me toward the raft and heard her groan and mumble something to Reyes. He enfolded her in one of his big, brotherly hugs and told her the cure for motion sickness was mind over matter. The sight warmed me as much as it made me sad, and a lump formed in my throat. We had been a tight group growing up and had always had each other’s backs in the Pit. It hurt that I had become an outsider.

  Clearing the emotional bulge from my throat, I stowed my flask in my backpack and joined them at the raft.

  ***

  You couldn’t tell from standing on the shoreline, but the current had become a lot stronger with the increased volume of water. Our travel was faster, but a little more perilous. It took all of our concentration to keep the raft from running into giant rocks jutting from the riverbed...or maybe they were jutting out from where the shoreline had once been. It was difficult to tell. Summer was sicker than she had been the day before, and I was getting worried about dehydration. I was relieved when the river opened up into a small, protected lake with calmer waters.

  “Hey!” Jin-Sook said, pointing toward the shore.

  Reyes and I had been power paddling across the smooth surface, but we stopped and looked in the direction she pointed. Something—maybe the peak of a roof—could be seen poking out from the leafless forest. I scanned the area for any kind of movement, but saw none. Other than a few small rodents, this was the first sign of life we had come across.

  “It would be neighborly of us to let them know Ryder’s men are in the area,” Eli said.

  “I thought the recruiters were long gone and we were trying to catch up to them,” Reyes said.

  Eli regarded us with bug-eyed amazement. “The way you two are flying across the lakes? I’m hoping we didn’t pass them.”

  “You haven’t said anything so I hate to ask, but how are you able to make the raft move so fast?” Jin-Sook asked me.

  Doc had said it was time to come out of hiding and, honestly, I didn’t want to spend the rest of the journey trying to keep it a secret.

  “You’ve heard me mention Doc,” I said, and Jin nodded. “These suits are his design. He calls them exoskeletons, and they enhance our strength and speed. Apparently we can glide with them too, but I’ve never tried.”

  “Me either, but I’m dying to,” Reyes said with almost gleeful excitement.

  Summer moaned.

  “Summer could use the rest anyway,” I said and started paddling toward the shore.

  “And it’s only going to get rougher up ahead. We might as well go on foot for a while,” Eli said.

  I wasn’t sure if he said that for Summer’s benefit or if it was the truth. “If you don’t mind me asking, Eli, how do you remember the river so well? I thought it’s been fifteen years since you escaped Ryder.”

  “I’ve led quite a few expeditions, mainly just checking out the surrounding area to make sure no one’s moved in on us,” he said. “But always in the mountains. Once we reach the plains, I’ll be going by memory.”

  We pulled up to the shore, and I helped Summer out of the raft. I was beginning to think we might not be able to use the boat again at all.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said.

  “Why don’t you three stay with the raft and Reyes and I will go up to the house?” I said.

  Jin-Sook shook her head. “Eli can stay with Summer. I’m coming with you.”

  “These suits protect us against assault, Jin,” I said. “Your skins don’t.”

  She touched her bow. “Even with your suit, Sunny, I’m still a faster shot than you.”

  “True,” I conceded. I turned my attention to Eli. “Make sure she drinks,” I said, pointing to Summer. She held up her flask and saluted me.

  I didn’t want to greet anyone bearing arms, yet I had no idea how our presence would be received, so I took the diplomatic route and unsnapped my holster to make my gun readily available. Reyes’ long strides put him in the lead, and Jin-Sook stayed hidden among the trees.

  There were four houses altogether, constructed of crudely cut logs with mud and straw packed into the crevices. They formed a half circle around a common area, complete with a table made of stone, handmade wooden chairs, and a dugout fire pit with a smashed clay pot sitting in the middle. Nothing stirred in the small little village. It was quiet.

  Reyes and I approached with caution, and my hand tightened around the grip of my gun. “Hello!” I called out. No one answered.

  A shutter gaped open on the side of one house, revealing a glassless window. From where I stood, I peered into the dark house and saw only something hanging on a wall. No movement came from inside.

  I was getting a real bad feeling.

  “The whole place looks abandoned,” Reyes said in a low voice. “I’ll take a closer look through the window.”

  I drew my gun. “I’ll cover you.”

  As I inched my way into the courtyard area, the wind brought the smell of something putrid. I gagged and breathed through my mouth. “Do you smell that?” I whispered loudly.

  “Yeah,” Reyes said. He was an arm’s length away from the window. “Hello?” he called. He reached out and pulled the shutter back while simultaneously raising his gun.

  My eyes darted from one house to the next, straining to detect any kind of movement. There was none.

  “Empty,” Reyes said, stepping away from the window. “I’ll check the next one.” He moved faster this time, using the speed his exoskeleton gave him to cross the space between houses. He knocked once and pulled the door open. “No one here either.”

  He opened the door of the next house, but this time he slapped a hand over his nose and mouth and stumbled back a few steps. “Jesus!” he said, gagging.

  My heart hammered as I raised my gun, pointed it at the other houses, and moved toward Reyes. I didn’t need to see Jin-Sook to know she wasn’t far away, unseen in the forest, an arrow cocked and ready to fly. It was reassuring.

  “Don’t go in there,” Reyes said.

  Ignoring him, I stepped through the door and stopped in my tracks when I saw a bloated, naked body on a rumpled bed. She was face down, her gray hair straggling across her face, her arms out to the side, and the tops of her feet lifelessly resting on the floor. Insects were making a meal out of the bloated carcass. My stomach tightened, nausea rising. There was no doubt she had been raped; what I was having difficulty accepting was that someone could actually do
this to another human being.

  I didn’t want to make the connection to Summer, but my mind went there. Even though I knew my best friend had been the victim of an evil man, I had never really seen his crimes and, since Summer never talked about it, could only imagine what it had been like. Reality, it turns out, was much worse than anything my imagination could muster. And suddenly I saw all those nights Summer drowned herself in a bottle, keeping her thoughts to herself, from a new perspective.

  The smell was horrendous, and the sight of the bloated corpse horrific, but I couldn’t stop myself from going to the woman to cover her nakedness with a blanket. I thought about moving her, to give her a more dignified resting position, but her flesh was too fragile. She had been there a while.

  I surveyed the one-room shack. A stone fireplace filled one corner, and two beds lined the walls. Four straw mats lay in the middle of the floor, one with a handmade doll sitting on it. Wooden bowls and spoons were scattered around, their contents spilled as if they had been kicked over.

  I stepped forward and picked up the doll, turning it over in my hands. Real human hair adorned its head, wound into two braids that framed a hand-drawn face, the smile a little crooked. The body was made of stuffed animal hide, which had been loved to a soft suppleness. My hand automatically went to my belly. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood as my mind wondered where the owner of the doll might be. Dead? Raped like the lady who was left here to rot?

  Reyes’ figure darkened the doorway, snapping me out of my moment of grief. “So what do you think, recruiters or bourge?” He said the last word sarcastically and motioned to the figure on the bed.

  I couldn’t fault him for thinking that since my mind went there too. “I guess evil wasn’t preserved only in the Dome. It’s everywhere.”

  “There’s no one here. We should go,” he said.

  I made to drop the doll back down onto the floor mat but reconsidered. It was obviously a well-loved toy; a testament that happiness had once lived there. Maybe I was too late to help these people, but at least I could save what they had made. I tucked it in my backpack.