“Snake is actually pretty good,” I said as I watched Avian clean up.
“What are you doing here, Eve?” he asked.
“Making sure you are okay,” I said quietly, taking the quick and honest approach. I took a good look at him, trying to determine if he was. His lean but toned frame was taught, his brow pinched together, his intense blue eyes dark.
“I’m fine. Did Sarah say otherwise?” he said with a sigh, throwing a few used rags into a basket.
I only gave a shrug, picking at a piece of bark that was peeling off the stump I sat on.
“You don’t need to worry,” he said, placing his hands on the table, staring at it. I had little doubt he was seeing the body of his cousin, hearing the volts course through it. It was the same thing I was seeing.
“I wanted to talk to you and Gabriel, together. I’m worried about people turning on Graye.”
Avian looked up at me, and after several long moments, still didn’t say anything. I was worried that I knew what he was thinking. That maybe they should.
“You know we can’t afford to lose him,” I said quietly, but keeping my voice firm.
His eyes hardened for a moment. “Gabriel is on scouting duty right now. He will be back this evening.”
“We need to talk,” I said as I stood. I hesitated at the opening to the tent, wanting to tell him that what Graye did was wrong, but that we needed him. Keeping my mouth closed, I walked out. I would make my argument later, when both Avian and Gabriel were there.
I realized as I walked out of the tent that I had already missed the serving of lunch. My stomach growled immediately. I hadn’t bothered to eat breakfast that morning. I walked to the far end of Eden and yanked up the door to the cellar. The room that stored the majority of the food in Eden smelled like earth. It was a comforting place, it felt protected, like Mother Earth wouldn’t ever let anything happen to you there. I helped myself to a few carrots and a few hard rolls that had been wrapped up, left over from that morning.
It spoke volumes as to the characters of the people that lived here in Eden, the fact that there was no need for a guard at the food stores. Most people who made their way here were starving, living only on what they could find in the wild. Here everyone could come and go as they pleased, take what they needed. We all lived by that rule: take what you need. We knew how to ration, no one would starve. We couldn’t afford for anyone to starve.
I ate quickly as I made my way back to my tent. Finding it empty, I threw my few items of clothing and my bedding in a sack and slung it over my back.
Eden moved every two months or so for safety reasons. The Fallen had helicopters that would scout every so often. For humans. We couldn’t risk them seeing us or pinpointing our exact location. The two limitations we had though, were the gardens and water. We always had to be within walking distance of water. It was necessary to survive.
I walked to the south bend of the river, finding myself alone with only the birds for obnoxiously loud company. Kneeling next to the water, I scrubbed my clothing furiously; all of it was barely more than rags anymore. I was going to have to see if there was anything in the storage supplies available or look for something on the next raid. I washed out my blankets and hung it all on the line to dry that had been set up for that exact purpose. My clothes felt hardened and caked with grime as I peeled them off. Dirt clouded the water momentarily as I soaked them and scrubbed furiously. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t get Tye’s blood out. It would remain a permanent reminder of the man we had lost.
The water was freezing, freshly melted from the snow in the mountains. Bumps rose on my skin as soon as I stepped into the water, my stomach quivering. Closing my eyes, I took a short breath and let myself sink into the river.
I let the flow of the water wash my hair, letting it take the dirt away from my skin. I kept my eyes closed as I settled onto the smooth rocks at the river bottom, listening to the noises I couldn’t discern in the water. It felt peaceful down here. There was no one but me. There was no one else to worry about; no worries about supplies, food, or of being infected. The cybernetics couldn’t survive in the water, everything shorted out.
Down here there was just Eve.
When I finally rose from the water I shivered, the air around me turning brisk. Goosebumps flashed over my bare skin. I climbed out and onto the boulder that my clothes sat on. I wrapped my arms around my legs tightly, huddling against the cold while my clothes continued to dry.
I hoped Gabriel would not take too long. As leader of Eden, he was never away for long. He would never call himself the leader, but that’s what he was. He had never been elected, never asked to be such. But he was the most evenhanded among us, the one who always seemed to have the answers when no one else did. It was he and his family that had formed Eden. Terrif was his father-in-law. Together they had started the gardens that had saved us all from starvation.
He was as much of a father as I’d ever had.
My clothes were still damp when I pulled them on and started the walk back. I passed several other women on the way, heading to do their laundry as well. Two of them wouldn’t look at me, the third tried very hard to form a polite smile. I just tried to keep my eyes glued to the ground.
I found the morning scouting group depositing their weapons in the armory, and was relieved to find Gabriel among them.
“I need to talk to you,” I said quietly as he came out the door.
“Yes, Avian informed me of that,” he said as he came to my side and watched as the rest of the men walked out of the small building. He scratched at his graying beard, his thick brows furrowing.
“Can we talk, now?” I asked, feeling impatient. The distress that was hanging in the air agitated me, filling me with a sense of urgency.
“Fine,” he said, and we set out for the medical tent to find Avian. We retrieved him and made our way to Gabriel’s tent.
We each took a seat on a rug and I could tell both the men were irritated to be there. They would both hear me out though. They owed it to me for saving their lives more than once.
“What Graye did was wrong but you both know we can’t afford to turn on him. We need him, especially now that Tye is gone. You both need to talk to everyone.” It all came out in a desperate rush.
Gabriel and Avian looked at each other with a knowing glance. Avian gave a tired sigh as he looked back at me. “We know that. Everyone does. They aren’t going to turn on Graye. They all love him too, despite his faults. These things happen. We lose people every year. No one wanted to see Tye go but sadly it happens.”
I sat there, feeling stunned for a while. I had read everyone wrong. “Then what is happening? Everyone is about to explode out there!”
“They’re grieving, Eve,” Gabriel said, his expression a mix of annoyance and disbelief as his eyebrows furrowed together. “It’s a natural process. They want someone to blame, to shove it all off on and Graye is that man.”
My eyes slid from Gabriel’s face to Avian’s, whose expression reflected what Gabriel had just said. I’d missed it completely. I felt sorrow that Tye was gone but I had not considered that everyone would grieve so deeply.
“No one is going to force Graye out, no one is planning revenge. They’re just trying to deal with Tye’s death,” Avian said, his voice catching on his last two words.
We were quiet for a few moments, my eyes studying theirs, making sure they weren’t lying to me. Once they saw that I believed them they moved on.
“We have found traces of something moving in the southern forest,” Gabriel said. “We found shoe prints and traces of waste. We don’t think they’re Fallen but we need to be careful. If they’re human we may watch them for a few days, see if we want to invite them in.”
“How many?” I asked, my interest piqued.
“It looks like three, two older and a smaller child.”
“Where are they headed?” I asked.
“We’re not sure. If they are headed out this way they
are probably just running. We will try and contact them soon. We could use each other, I am sure.”
“Don’t act too soon though,” I said a bit too quickly. “We have to be careful.”
“Of course,” Gabriel said with a nod.
I didn’t know what to say for a minute. I had come in here, prepared for an argument, to state my case. Instead I had made a fool of myself.
“Take the day off, Eve. Try and relax,” Avian said, his face looking concerned.
“Take the day off?” I questioned. I could no sooner take the day off than I could stop breathing.
“Yes, take the day off,” Gabriel said, he eyes sternly set on my face. “I’m ordering you to take a break from your duties. I don’t want you scouting today.”
“But Gabriel, I…”
“I mean it Eve!” he suddenly shouted. We all knew that when he used that tone of voice it was time to stop arguing. He shook his head at me, his brow furrowed. “Go home, Eve.”
My jaw set, I stood and walked out.
Home. I didn’t even know what that was.
I threw the flap of my tent aside, finding it empty. I was glad it was, I was too flustered to talk to Sarah then and I didn’t want to have her try and calm me down. I grabbed my bow and my quiver out of the corner and walked back out. They may have ordered me to keep away from my duties but I could not sit around idle.
The woods were both silent and full of sound. Noise didn’t travel far, absorbed by the towering threes that surrounded us, by the earth and moss that covered the ground. And yet the birds never stopped chirping, the insects never ceased their harmonious singing. If they ever did it was too late.
I watched for the signs. For the trails in the grass, the droppings on the ground. It felt like I had to push farther and farther out from the perimeter of Eden to find anything. I wasn’t the only one that hunted in Eden but I was the most persistent. I almost never came back empty handed.
Goosebumps rose on my skin as I caught a glimpse of movement to the south. My heart started racing in the familiar feeling of anticipation of meat. I pulled the arrow back, holding my breath. Two seconds later the buck stepped into view.
The next second it jerked violently, the tip of an arrow appearing in the side of its neck. It took a few staggering steps forward.
My arrow was still in my bow.
A moment later a figure leapt out of the underbrush, knife in hand, and slit the thrashing animal’s throat. Just as the animal fell still, the boy looked up and my gray-blue eyes met his wide brown ones.
It took me a fraction of a second to react. I leapt over the boulder I had been hiding behind in one bound. That was all it took for the boy to leap back into the brush and take off at a sprint.
I heard him crashing through the maze of the forest, leaving a wake of fallen grasses and trampled moss behind him. Every time I thought I was gaining on him though the sound of his retreating form would get further away.
It wasn’t an easy thing to out run me. I couldn’t remember the last time it had happened. But after ten minutes of dead-sprint chase I couldn’t find any traces of him.
I climbed out of the tree where I had made a desperate attempt to gain some ground and catch a glimpse of movement. As I dropped to the ground with a gentle stirring of the dirt, I knew I had to get back to Eden quickly. After gathering as much of the buck as I could carry, I jogged back to camp at a steady pace.
When I stepped away from the tree line and into camp, I found things in a state of unease. Several scouts were gathered around Gabriel talking quickly in hushed tones. Others stood on the perimeter looking nervous and anxious.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I came to Sarah’s side, readjusting the hunks of meat I had bundled up.
She glanced at me, her eyes widening slightly as she saw what I was carrying. “The scouts saw someone in the woods again. They’re getting closer.”
“Yeah,” I said as I started walking toward Gabriel and his group. “I saw him.”
Gabriel caught sight of me as I approached them, his brow creasing. “I told you to take the day off, Eve.”
“I saw him, in the woods,” I said, ignoring his protests.
“You saw him?” he asked doubtfully.
“Yes, I chased him but he was quick. He got away.”
Gabriel gave the scouts a disapproving look. “I suppose that explains the fourth body.”
I gave Gabriel a questioning look.
“They found evidence of the three unknowns in the woods. Eli saw a fourth one, running through the woods, following another of them.”
A little smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “I was out hunting. He killed my buck just before I was about to. I tried to capture him but he got away.”
Gabriel glared at the two men in front of him. “Pay a little closer attention next time.” He said, then waved them off.
“It’s not safe wandering in the woods alone,” Gabriel said as he watched the crowd disband.
I only stared at him, waiting for this moment of false fatherly chiding to pass.
“Even for you,” he added, his tone less scolding now.
“I am going to need two people to help me collect the meat. He was a big one.”
Gabriel glared at me again. I could see the words forming in his head, I told you to take the day off. He couldn’t say them though. He wanted to eat the meat just as badly as I did.
“Get Graye and Wix. They are both relieved right now.”
Great, of the two people he could have picked, he had to choose the one who was as weak as a child and the one I could hardly stand to look at right now.
It had taken longer than it should have, gathering the rest of the meat. I felt distracted and I sensed it in Graye as well. There was an unknown running around out there. Neither of us liked that thought.
We ate well that night, everyone filled themselves more than we thought it was possible. It seemed bringing meat also brought me redemption I didn’t need to earn. People started looking at me again, hard lines turned into slight smiles again. Everyone seemed less hardened toward Graye even. The feast had apparently put everyone in a forgiving mood.
I went to bed before Sarah did, a rare occurrence. I normally slept little but tonight I felt exhausted. I slid into unconsciousness to the sound of distant laughter.
FOUR
The smell of steel was strong in the air. I would recognize it anywhere since it was so uncommon in Eden. Low, hurried voices sounded behind me, speaking with words I couldn’t understand.
My heart hammered, the only part of my body that seemed able to move. I could feel the cold metal surface underneath me, pressing unrelenting back at my shivering body. I lay on my stomach, my face resting in a hole cut into the table.
The voices approached through the dark, excitement and nerves apparent. I suddenly felt afraid. I wanted to run, to hide so the people in the dark could never find me. I didn’t want to know what they were going to do to me.
A gloved hand touched my head and I realized it was so cold because all of my hair had been shaved off.
They gathered around me and even though I couldn’t see them, I felt half a dozen pairs of eyes settle onto the back of my exposed head.
The sound of a drill was the last thing I heard.
I jerked awake, my hands leaping to my head. I slumped back, relieved to find that my straight blond hair was still on my head. I closed my eyes again, the smell of steel still burning my nose. My heart continued to pound in the way it only did when I had the nightmares that seemed so vivid.
A stirring of the dirt outside caught my full attention. It was still hours from dawn, no one should have been awake at this hour, and even if they were, they wouldn’t be wandering outside of their tents.
Silently, I sprang from my bed, slinging my pack on in the same movement. I grabbed a knife and a pistol from my own stash of weapons and went to the opening of the tent.
The moon cast a faint glow on Eden, just enough light
to enable me to see the figure that was retreating to the tree line.
I kept out of sight as I slid between tents, careful to keep my cover. The outline looked vaguely familiar as I stalked it. It moved with sure, deliberate strides, quieter than I would expect from anyone but me. He must have dropped something or tripped just outside of my tent for me to have heard him.
He kept watch as he moved through camp but held his pace quick and straight. He was in a hurry to get out of there.
I followed him to the edge of the forest, hiding behind Wix’s tent as I watched the figure dart into the trees. He glanced back once, making sure he wasn’t seen before he dropped into the trees. He should have looked a little closer.
I darted into the trees ten yards to the west of where I had seen him enter. My footsteps fell silently on the damp earth as I regained the footing he had gained on me. When I heard more than one set of footsteps I took to the trees, being careful not to rustle the leaves as I crossed from one bough to the other.
It was not difficult to keep up with them. The other older figure moved with a slight limp in the right leg, all the while trying to keep a small figure close to her side. They didn’t seem dangerous.
Without hesitation or fear, I dropped from a limb directly in front of them, my blade just inches away from the boy’s chest.
“We don’t tolerate theft in Eden,” I said, my voice calm.
“Then point that knife back around,” a male voice said, filled with forced confidence. “I believe you stole my buck.”
So I had been right, this was the same boy I had seen in the forest earlier. Looking closer, I realized I shouldn’t call him a boy. He had to be around my age, maybe eighteen or even nineteen.
My eyes flickered to the figures that stood behind him. A woman who looked to be just a year or so older than myself stared at me with wide green eyes that shone brightly in the moonlight, her brilliantly red hair draping around her face in curls. She had her arms around a small boy with similarly curly blond hair.
“I couldn’t let them starve,” the boy said simply.