The Exodus

by Ali Winters

  “Do you want a meeting? I’m sure I can get them to set one up.”

  “I’m sure this will be fine.”

  “Great, I’ll show you the chem lab first. That’s what Kain picked when I gave him his tour.”

  It was surprising how much it bothered Nivian to know Kain got a tour from this Hunter. She frowned not knowing what to do with the foreign emotion. “Okay,” she mumbled half-heartedly.

  Azira pressed a button on the black remote. Immediately, the trail of lights lit up along the floor leading a different direction than the one she’d taken coming here.

  “This place is a real maze if you don’t have one of these.” Azira explained as she showed her the device.

  Nivian followed. There was nothing else for her to do other than sit and wait for Kain to find her, or…

  Or what? This young girl seemed nice, and Kain trusted her, so she would too. Nivian followed after, her footsteps padding along the steel floor.

  “Kain’s pretty nice, don’t you think?” Azira asked, eyeing Nivian out of the corner of her eye.

  “Yes.”

  She was as talkative as Kain. Her personality was easy going and she seemed genuinely friendly. It was no wonder that they seemed to get along so well.

  “He’s doing great and it’s only his fourth official day with us. I think he’ll work out fine. I hope he stays with us for a long time.”

  Nivian’s heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach, she didn’t want Kain to stay here. “I thought this was a temporary job,” she said, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.

  “It can be. But we think it would benefit us all if you two stayed. We need you both to be the voice of reason and to show everyone that we can work together.”

  “You want me to stay, too?” Nivian asked taken aback. Part of her had assumed they’d only asked her here because it was what Kain wanted and they were trying to appease him.

  “Of course we do!” Azira stopped in her tracks, turning to face Nivian. “You didn’t think we only wanted him to work with us, did you?” Her young face clouded with concern.

  “I thought since he—I mean, I am a Reaper…” she trailed off not sure how to phrase the rest of her concern without being insulting.

  “Don’t be silly, Nivian. We want to work with you—and not just for a few days, either. We hope that one day soon all of the Hunters and Reapers can work in unison. We want to protect the balance and from what I can tell, you do too.”

  Nivian nodded. “That was the reason for our creation.”

  “Ours, too,” Azira beamed.

  They continued their walk down the maze of tunnels. Nivian could feel herself growing more at ease with the cheerful Hunter the more time that passed.

  Kain was right. She was safe. And, if what the Hunters had planned actually worked, then the balance would never be in jeopardy again. While most of her existence there had never seemed to be any threat, for a short span of time it had been at risk. Awakening a deeper sense within her, making her want to fulfill her duty even as she fought to keep Kain safe.

  An alliance would nullify any threat before it even started. Now if only both sides could get everyone involved on board, they would be set. Convincing the Reapers would be easy—almost all of them still did not have their memories of the Dissension or the time before. The Hunters, she suspected, would be a bit harder to sway. Nivian shivered remembering the icy chill of their stares as she entered the laboratory.

  They continued walking for a while in silence, passing several doors like the one Nivian had entered as they wove through tunnel after tunnel.

  “I know you’re not really interested in the rooms here. I know I wouldn’t be if I were you. I’m sure you’d like to get to know everyone a little bit more first.”

  “I—” Nivian started, caught off guard at how well Azira understood.

  “It’s okay, I really just wanted an excuse to talk with you without everyone staring at you like you had two heads. We can just walk and talk for a while, if that’s okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Nivian relaxed and let the Hunter take the lead.

  Azira told her about her life, how she could relate to feeling like the odd one out. She was young and still in her first human life cycle. She explained how she worked hard to prove she was qualified to work with the technology. Natural skill and managing to earn a degree early helped.

  Nivian listened with rapt interest, occasionally asking questions. She didn’t add much to the conversation. Her life had been long and simple. She spent her time reaping mark after mark. It wasn’t until the past decade that she’d had much variation. And even that was mundane if Azira’s life was anything to judge it by.

  After a while, they had wandered in and out of so many tunnels that Nivian was well and truly lost. She was just about to ask how far they’d gone when Azira spoke up.

  “The symbols on the planes are really subtle, don’t you think? I keep telling them to remove them. There’s no reason for it at this location.”

  “The wolf?”

  “Yeah, you know it, don’t you?”

  Nivian shook her head. “No, I don’t think I’ve seen it before. What is it?”

  “It’s the symbol of the Hunter—like I said: subtle.” She waved her hand. “It’s also the logo for Hunter Corp. It dates back long before I was born, I think around the beginning of our creations, if you can believe that.” Azira eyed Nivian from the corner of her eye. “Though, you’re pretty ancient I’d imagine, so I guess you could… Anyway. The broken moon represents the finite lifespan of the Hunters and mortals that they are charged with protecting. The wolf represents strength and loyalty as well as being a protector to those in its care. Blah, blah, blah. Or that’s what they tell me.”

  “So it’s really similar to the Reapers symbol in meaning.” Nivian smiled, liking that there was a deeper connection between the groups than most of them probably realized.

  “Is it? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. I don’t know if any Hunters know what the symbol is.”

  “The full circle represents the endless life of the Reaper while the Raven represents the negative space of a black hole, drawing energy in toward itself and releasing it in a new form, a symbol in itself, as well as being the guide and protector of the dead.”

  “So we are all protectors. I guess we aren’t so different after all.” Azira smiled.

  “It’s been a while since I learned about it. I think I saw a book in the library that talks about the symbolism in depth. I could probably let you borrow it sometime if you like.”

  Azira stopped walking and turned to face her, bouncing on her toes and clapping her hands. “Really? You would do that for me?”

  “I don’t see what harm it could do. I think the more we learn about each other, the easier it will be for us to work together. A lot of the fear and anger seems to be based on misconceptions.”

  With those words, Azira wrapped Nivian in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you agree! Oh, Kain will be so happy that you’re on board!” Once she calmed down, she dropped her hold and continued walking down the long tunnel, still talking about plans and the alliance.

  Azira was really nice and it was easy to forget about sides as they walked and talked. Much like Kain, she was young, still within her first several decades of life. Nivian had never put much thought into age when she was with him. It just felt as though she’d always known him.

  The few days they’d spent apart made her realize how much time they spent together. She missed him. While the reason for her coming here was business between the two groups, a part of her had assumed she and Kain would have picked up right where they left off. Spending time together, just the two of them. Nivian sucked on her bottom lip. It wasn’t a logical thought, but it had been born in her, glowing quietly since he said that he wanted her to join them.

  Sighing, Nivian realized Azira had been talking about a date she’d been on. And now she was talking about a kiss… The uncomfortable feeling
from earlier, when she’d arrived in the lab, filled her again. Nivian realized she missed all the details.

  Could the date have been with Kain? Her heart grew heavy in her chest.

  They certainly would be a good match. They got along. Their ages were close. They were both Hunters… It made sense. Even so, the thought of Kain with Azira made her stomach fill with lead.

  She wrapped her arms around herself. Why would it bother her so if Kain were matched with this girl? It’s not like she was a match for him. They were just friends.

  “Kain really likes you,” Azira said, trailing off from her last topic and breaking Nivian’s train of thought.

  “I like him, too,” Nivian said, unsure what the girl was getting at. As much as it startled her, it eased some of the thoughts that had invaded her mind a moment before.

  “No,” she said coming to a full stop. Azira gripped Nivian’s arm lightly, turning her to look her in the eye. “He really likes you. He’d do anything for you.”

  Nivian chewed her bottom lip. She’d do anything for Kain too, that’s the reason why she was here.

  “You love him don’t you?”

  “What?” Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “Oh, okay. I see how it is with you two. Forget I said anything.” Azira waved it off and resumed walking.

  What did she mean by that? How was it between her and Kain? What am I missing? Love? Did she even know what love was? She would know if she felt love… wouldn’t she?

  FIFTEEN

  CAMIRA

  CAMIRA GROUND HER teeth so hard that her jaw began to ache as she stood outside Caspian’s office. Stiffly, she raised her hand and knocked twice before dropping her arm back to her side.

  Crawling back to him, to all of them, like a wounded animal. It made her sick. As she lay, fighting for her existence in that miserable desert, she’d sworn to herself that she’d never be so weak again. Yet, here she was, being pathetic.

  “Come in,” Caspian called out from behind the doors.

  Camira swallowed her feelings and took a deep breath before pushing open the door. The look of shock on his face when he looked up from the Tome of Fate almost made her smile.

  “Camira, I had not thought to see you so soon.”

  Inside, she grimaced. “I know. I just wanted to…” Demurely, she dropped her chin and avoided his gaze. “I wanted to apologize for my harsh words the last time I was here.”

  A long moment of silence passed, he didn’t speak or move and she waited, her patience waning. She balled her hands into tight fists behind her back. Her fingernails bit into her palms, creating deep crescent grooves as she waited for a reply.

  “Very well, but do not forget your place again. You are a Reaper and with that comes responsibilities that you must carry out. We were all given our positions when we were created, we did not choose them.”

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  “I trust you are up for an assignment?”

  “I am.”

  She could hear him flipping through the pages of the tomb, then the all too familiar sound of the pen scratching across the parchment.

  “It is an easy assignment, but I don’t want to overwhelm you after everything you have been through.” He spoke with the caring tone he always had, but she knew it was foolish to expect him to realize his actions. Caspian stood but made no move to bring the parchment to her.

  Why is he so blinded to his true feelings? She thought, annoyance overshadowing all other emotions.

  “Thank you, my Lord.” Camira lifted her eyes and walked forward to take the mark from him. Her fingers grazing his hand as she had done countless times in the past. A habit she had not been aware of for some time, and even now, it seemed impossible to break.

  With that, he turned his back to her and rounded his desk, sitting down as if she weren’t still in the room. Camira waited a beat, and when he continued to ignore her, she turned and stormed from the room, letting the door close louder than necessary behind her.

  “A nursing home?” Camira grumbled. “Okay, I get easy, but come on! This is child’s play.” It was almost insulting. He knew she had what it took to be a Silencer, but he was giving her assignments saved for the weak and least powerful Reapers. Would he assign her a blade of grass next time? That had the possibility of being slightly more difficult, if only for the fact that it would be surrounded by thousands of others.

  She stomped forward and entered the building. The lights above were dim and a single nurse with long, red hair sat at the front desk reading a book.

  “Have a good night, Piper. I’ll see you tomorrow,” a brunette said as she walked by, waving at the girl. She walked by Camira, her shoulder passing through hers. Camira hated when they did that. The human stopped and shivered. “Burr. It’s getting cold!”

  “Bye, Julie!” Piper called, not looking up from the book.

  Humans were so boring. Camira suppressed a heavy sigh as she ignored the rest of their asinine conversation and sought out her mark.

  She entered the dark room. Her mark was hooked up to a beeping machine. A blade of grass would most definitely be more challenging.

  Flicking her hand in a bored motion, Camira called forth the old man’s life thread. She yawned, pulled her scythe from her back, and swung.

  “Yay…” she said flatly and reached for the mark’s watch. The life force, bright and flickering, was used to its maximum capacity. It floated up from the body and swirled into a small ball before sinking into the watch.

  The constant beeping of the machine turned to a steady drone, already getting on her nerves.

  “Wha—what’s happening?” the old man asked as the soul raised himself away from his body.

  Camira huffed in exasperation. “Just stay there and don’t move,” she snapped then quickly left the room in search of a quieter place to think. She could go back to Mophar and return her assignment to Caspian, but after his continued refusal to admit the truth to himself, she wanted to avoid him and his ever-growing stupidity for as long as she could manage.

  Wandering the halls, she slipped into a dark room with an open door. She plopped down at the foot of a neatly made bed and picked at a snag in the worn, pink blanket.

  Even knowing Caspian was stuck on Nivian for some unknown reason, her feelings for him hadn’t faded. She felt many other things for him now, annoyance, anger… but underneath, she still wanted him. He belonged with her. Nivian had to pay. She didn’t know when or how, but the little freak would suffer for what she did to Caspian and her. The leech had ruined any chance of happiness the two of them could have had. Once Nivian was out of the way, Caspian would be free of her and would be able to see the love Camira had for him.

  Since returning to G.R.I.M. Headquarters, Camira felt flat and empty. She needed a boost to pull her out of this rut she’d been put in. In the desert, she was beyond drained; this could be a lingering effect of her injuries.

  Her mind flitted back to when she harvested the life forces to regain her strength. It had been such a rush. It was the only good the desert ever did for her. Camira missed the surge of the pure energy of the life forces as they became part of her. Her eyes widened.

  Just one wouldn’t hurt.

  Standing, she rushed out to the hall. There was a closed door across from her, two life forces resided within. She transported inside and looked between the two women sleeping in their beds. Camira closed her eyes and flicked both wrists, calling up both of their life threads. When she looked, her smile lost some of its joy. The life forces were bright, but not nearly as bright as some she’d had in the town outside the edges of her wasteland prison.

  Bringing forth her scythe, she swung, severing one of the threads. Camira called it to her and let it absorb into her being. The tingle. The warmth. It was delicious. It was what she craved. But the feeling began to fade almost immediately, causing a sneer to form across her lips.

  Annoyed, she turned to look at the other life thread floating above the human of wh
ich it belonged. It, too, would undoubtedly disappoint her. Again, she swung her blade severing the life. She reached out to call it to her, but stopped.

  What she needed was something stronger. A cleaner, newer, more powerful life force… Camira withdrew her hand and stared at the golden light. It flickered and swirled dancing above the body as if waiting for her to take it.

  Her eyes narrowed, but she continued to watch as the movements slowed with its dimming light. It faded slowly at first, then faster with nothing left to anchor it to any of the realms. Camira found herself studying it—detached and fascinated. As the life force disappeared, it brought the smile back to her face.

  Camira wandered the halls but knew all the life forces within the building would only disappoint her further. She would even bet the little red-headed bookworm would be just as dismal as all the others. There would be nothing worth having here.

  Moving out into the still cool night air, Camira inhaled deeply. If she wasn’t mistaken, there was a college campus nearby. They always had young, fresh humans with a propensity of staying out late at night. They were genuinely reckless and they would make for easy targets.

  “There you are,” a male spoke from the darkness at her side.

  She spun to face him. Only the barest outline of his body could be seen, his clothes, build, and features, remained immersed in the shadows of a tree.

  Camira drew her scythe, ready to defend herself against whoever had followed. A momentary panic came over her. Had he’d seen what she had done? With narrowed gaze, Camira readied her stance.

  He gave a throaty chuckle and waited a beat before stepping out into the light. Dark hair cropped close to his scalp merged with the shadow of a days old stubble along his jaw, except for a thin line crossing through from mid cheek to jaw line. A scar.