AFTERMATH
A miniseries set in the world of the Senses Novels
There was a commotion outside the gate today. I only saw it because I was on burial detail and we are required to bury the dead outside of the camp. A few people have tried to escape while outside, we buried them too.
The commotion was caused by a man. He was the kind of guy whose age it is was impossible to tell. He wore a hat, but I could see that he was bald when he removed it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He also wore a long brown coat. You could see that the covering was thick and seemed to be made from some kind of dark leather.
The pack he had on his back was well worn. It was incredible to me that he just walked right up to the gate like that. The guards stood there with their jaws hanging open. I don’t know if it was because their patrols hadn't seen the man or if they just couldn’t fathom that anyone would willingly give themselves up.
When they tried to take the man’s coat and pack, there was another commotion. He wouldn’t let go of them, and they didn’t seem to be able to break his hold of them. When one of the guards went to butt stroke him with the stock of his rifle, the man seemed to slip to the side and one of the other guards went down.
The camp officer came out and walked to where the guards were still struggling with the man. The officer spoke to the stranger for a few minutes and then waved the guards off. The man opened his pack and showed the contents to the officer who nodded and then spoke to the guards.
While our new tenant was allowed to keep his possessions, the guards were not happy and showed it by putting him on our detail. The newcomer merely shrugged and grabbed a shovel.
There was no rule about talking while we worked, so we all started asking our latest addition questions. Who was he? Where did he come from? What did the rest of the country and world look like? Most of the questions were answered with just a smile. When we asked about the country and world, the smile vanished.
“The world is in pretty sorry shape.”
His accent was unusual. It was like nothing that I had ever heard before. There was something of the middle east in it as well as the Mediterranean. He wasn’t done.
“Why are you people here? Why haven’t you left?”
I shook my head at that, “Haven’t you seen the fence, the men with guns? They have a tendency to shoot people who want to leave. That’s one of the reasons we are part of this detail.”
He shook his head slowly, “There are many of you and few of ‘Them.' Yes, some may be killed or hurt, but in the end, you would be free if you fought them.”
We knew he was right, but who was going to volunteer to be shot? He looked at each of us in turn, “Would you feel more confident if I were to be the first? I am not afraid of ‘Them.'”
I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him, “Look, we appreciate what you are doing, but you just got here. You have no idea what we’ve been through and what the conditions are like. Some of us have families here.”
He nodded slightly, “I understand and sympathize. I have no intention of staying here very long. I will take a few days and, if you wish at that time to join me, we will do what we must. In any case, ‘They’ will not hold me.”
The way that he emphasized ‘Them’ and ‘They’ had me wondering. There was anger and something more in his voice when he said it. I looked forward to the next few days.
I shouldn’t have.
Interested in learning more about the Senses Novels series? You can start with volume 1, the #1 Best Seller, AURA, exclusively on Amazon.
No comments:
Post a Comment