2634: Dalmore

Chapter 7

I'm back in the forest, I let out a blood-curdling scream as the Mutant digs its claws into my arm. Blood is spilling from my arm, the monster bites into my flesh. As I get to my knees, a pair of red eyes appear above me from the red mist. They look down at me and I hear a shot go off very close to me. Did it shoot me? I feel nothing, but the Mutant slumps on the ground.
I gasp and return to reality, drenched in sweat. The dream feels so real if you count that as a dream. I peer down at my arm, no blood, no marks, but I felt the pain. Shaking my head I look around the room, counting nineteen bodies each on a bed. This is the second time this has happened to me. If I go back to sleep, will I have to go back to that dream again? Afraid to go back to sleep, I go downstairs. Everything is dark, except the moonlight which did not help much when I tumbled down the stairs. The parlor looks empty, or so I thought, I see the fireplace lit up.
“Ahh!” I hear someone rage. “Where is it,”
“Hello?” I call out.
Silence. “What are you doing here, little miss sunshine?”
I ignore her remark, “What are you doing?”
“I’m looking for something you idiot,”
“Well, what are you looking for?”
“None of your business,” Though I could not see her, I could feel her scowl at me.
“I can help,”
“Sure,” she sneers. I sigh and sit on the windowsill and gaze out, the moonlight lights a stone wall marked with the number 7.
“What's that wall for?” I ask her.
“To keep the Mutants out. Those walls open every morning and we go out and kill those Mutants. Some of us don't return, next time I hope it's you,”
“If you wanted me dead, why did you drag me away from Feyrer?”
“Because I want to see your happiness slowly drain from your stupid face before you die,”
“How nice,” I mutter. My leg hits something, I pick it up and take a closer look at it. It's a camp watch. What's that doing here? “Ophelia?”
“What do you want this time,”
“What's this doing here?” I ask. She comes over and snatches the watch out of my hands.
“That’s mine,”
“Jaxon said that we don't have watches here,”
“Stop being so nosy and get on with your life, your time is running out,” She spits.
“Could you please try at least to get a better personality,”
“Personality won't help you here,”
“Then stop with the death stuff, no one cares,”
“We'll see who cares when they’re dead,”
“But if I'm dead, how can I care?”
“Just get out,” She yells.
“OK, OK,” I hold up my hands and climb back up the stairs. What now? There’s absolutely nothing to do. I could get dressed and wander around, maybe find out Dawson’s plans for the Rebels. A few minutes later I am dressed and ready to go. Ophelia is not downstairs anymore, she probably went to bed. The hallways are dark and empty, how do I turn the lights on? I drag my pin along the wall to find more doors, ‘access denied’, a part of the wall flashes red. I scan it again and again, knowing it wouldn't open. I give up and continue on my way. It is not long after when my senses intensify, I smell spaghetti from dinner, I hear footsteps far away, I hear snores, I taste perfume on my tongue.
“Ria?” I hear Soren and turn around trying to find him.
“I-I can smell and hear things,” I panic.
“Its OK, its OK, calm down Adria,” I feel him hugging me and I desperately grab his arms.
“What's happening?” I ask, my voice is rasping.
“I think your having a panic attack,”
“W-what?”
“Breathe, Ria, focus on your breathing,” I do as he says and take staggered breaths.
“This happened before, because I didn't take my-”
Beep. Beep. Beep. What is that noise? Beep. Beep. I grab my pillow and chuck from where the noise came from. Beep! Beep! Beep! The stupid thing gets louder.
“Shut up!” I yell getting up, I am back in my bed. Where’s Soren? I know all this was real, I mean everything after the Mutant dream. Looking around I notice that all the other girls have left, my pin makes a beep sound and a blue 6 is projected. 6:00am, I head back downstairs where everyone is causing a racket and leaving the Tower. I find Ares amidst all the chaos. “What's going on?”
“Breakfast, come on,” He says. “I'm starving,” We leave the Tower and walk around for a few minutes, I hope he knows where the- “Where’s the Dining Hall?”
“I don't know, I thought you knew,”
“I don't know either, I thought you knew,”
“How would I know?”
“Ria? Ares?” Soren appears around the hallway.
“Soren!” I call out, giving him a grateful expression.
“Hahaha, look at the loser who got in with the wusses,” Ares sniggers.
“Shut up,” Soren mutters, he looks over at me, “I saw you get into Niyth, I felt like you would of gotten into that Section,”
“I saw you get into Calux, but I thought you’d get into Niyth,”
“Cut the sappy reunion,” Ares whines. “Let's go get breakfast, I'm starving,” On cue, his stomach rumbles.
“Do you know the way there?” I ask Soren.
“Yeah, come on,” After we walk in silence for a bit, Soren speaks up, “So, you guys want to fill me in on what you’ve found?”
“Actually I did find something really interesting but I was hoping Alec would be here as well,”
“OK, I'm sure you can say it without Alec needing to be here,” Soren says suddenly, seeming very irritated.
“OK, well...After dinner I got lost and I was walking around trying to find someone. So I did, but it was Feyrer and Dawson. They didn't see me but they talked in Feyrer’s office. They started talking about the Rebels and how they are getting more powerful and some stuff about hope. Anyways that isn't the point, Dawson wants to take action and kill the Rebels-”
“Of course, those Rebels are the enemy, they are just like The Enders,” Soren pipes in.
“But Feyrer doesn't want to kill them yet-”
“That's completely normal, why would we care,”
“Hang on, this is the part that confuses me the most, Feyrer mentioned that the Rebels can't do anything without a child who Feyrer has in custody,”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Ares asks.
“It means someone here or in Acres Valley supports the Rebels,”
“But who would do that?” Soren says.
“Exactly what I'm trying to figure out,”I couldn’t think of anyone who’d want to support the rebels but I couldn’t agree that Feyrer was a piece of sunshine either.
“Do you think it could be Zion?” Ares says.
“No, of course not, why would you think that?” Soren says.
“I know she’s your friend and all, but wasn't she the one talking to Feyrer? He could of told her to be on his side,”
“But all of us are on his side. Zion is innocent, she would never be on the Rebel’s side,” I say, shocked at Ares’ accusation. 
“You need to chill, we have no idea if Zion is good or not. She could have not hurt Allison at all,” He says.
“She didn't, it was Feyrer that did it,” Soren says
“But we have no idea what they were talking about, it could have been about harming more people,” I say.
“Yeah, it could have been us for all we know,”
“Are you OK Ares? You're sounding mature like Alec,” I say.
“You think Alec’s mature,” He sniggers, returning to his normal self.
“More mature than you, that's for sure,” We near the Dining Hall and say bye to Soren.
“Do you like him?” We sit down and eat eggs and toast.
“What?” I ask with a mouthful of toast.
“Do you like him,” He repeats.
“Who?”
“Alec,”
“No,”
“Sure,” He says smugly.
“What is up with you first your being your normal idiotic self and then your using your brain and then your back to being and idiot,”
“Can’t a man have his mood swings in peace?”
“You don't look very manly,”
“That's because my machoiness covers it up,”
“Macho means manly,”
“No it doesn't,”
“Yes it does,” Jaxon says, taking a seat, Levi sits next to him. I look down at my plate, on it is scrambled eggs and toast.
“Eggs come from chickens, right?” I ask.
“Yeah, how dumb are you newbie?” Levi says.
“Then where do the animals come from?” I ignore Levi’s remark.
“So further up, in the North. There are farms and that stuff is transported here,” Jaxon answers.
“But up North is where the Safe Cities are,” I say. The two respond with confused stares.
“What?” Levi says.
“The Safe Cities, it's a place for people who were saved from the Mutants,”
“What?” Jaxon says.
“Hasn't Angrove or Feyrer told you?” I ask.
“No,” They reply, I exchange glances with Ares. Was Angrove lying? Are there really Safe Cities up North?
“We haven't heard of any Safe Cities. There's only Acres Valley, Veritas, the Farms and New Tyro where everyone is dying from the Mutants,” Jaxon says. Feyrer didn't say anything about the Safe Cities. Why would Angrove lie?
“I don't see any old guards here, where do they go?” I ask.
“We think that there’s another place like here but with different jobs and after you spend five years here you leave to the new place,” Jaxon explains.
“Not the Safe Cities?” Ares asks.
“We have no idea what that is,” Jaxon says.
“Attention guards!” Feyrer calls out as he makes his way to the front. Everyone stops talking to avert their attention to him, “This is an announcement to the 15’s, you will be having your training day today, your Instructors for the day will be your Captains. All except for Niyth unfortunately your Captain is away in a meeting instead your Instructor will be Jaxon Kade. Your Instructor will be telling you what to do,” He walks off.
“So we’ve got you,” Ares says to Jaxon
“I guess so. Well then come on, 15’s come over here!” Jaxon yells over the resumed noise. Once about 40 people have joined, “OK, now that everyone is here, follow me,” He says. I lock eyes with Ares, who comes over as we leave the Dining Hall.
“Where are we going?” I ask Ares.
“I don't know, learning how to kill Mutants I guess,”
“Jaxon, where are we going?” I ask him.
“Outside,”
“This place has an outside?”
“Yeah, just like Acres Valley,” We walk around the maze-like hallways when Jaxon stops at a door and scans his pin on it. The door opens and daylight floods in, my eyes start to sting. I see the stone wall I saw not so long ago from the window. There is a large hangar to the left that must be where all the Bulks are stored. The rest of the space in front of us is scattered with objects that I have no idea what they are, “Jets,” Jaxon answers my unasked question. “But before I show you how to use one, I have to go over a few things. Our jumpsuits are made of protective material which is almost impossible to tear. They keep in heat,” That's why I didn't feel cold when I went to get ice-cream yesterday.
“They will repel any Mutant scratches or burns. Now you can see why they are extremely important when you get out there. Any questions?”
Ares raises his hand, oh no. “What's the weirdest smell you have ever smelled?”
“Any questions about jumpsuits?” Jaxon says.
Ares raises his hand again, “When was the first jumpsuit made?”
“Any questions about jumpsuits that I know the answer to?” No one raises their hand, “Good, now the next thing I want to show you is this,” Jaxon pulls out an earplug from his ear and places it on the palm of his hand, “Does anyone know what this is?”
“An ear cleaner so you can hear better?” Ares suggests.
Jaxon lets out an impatient sigh, “No, so this is a communicator. You can talk to your group through this device. It picks up the frequencies from other people in your group so when you're split up you can communicate with one another. Any questions regarding the communicators?”
Ares puts his hand up, “So they're not ear cleaners?”
“No, no, they're not!” Jaxon yells. Ares puts his hand back up, “What now? How long does it take to clean your ears? When was it first made?”
“No, I wanted to say when will we get one,” Ares says.
“That is probably the smartest question you've ever asked,” Jaxons says calming down a bit, “You'll wont get them till next year,”
“Dude really needs to chill,” Ares mutters to me.
“Hey I heard that!” Jaxon yells.
“Sheesh,”
Jaxon takes a few strangled breaths before continuing, “OK, now let's get on a jet. This will be your main form of transportation so it's really important that you learn how to fly one,”
We walk towards one and Jaxon gets into it. “Now these jets are supposed to hold a maximum of ten people and since there's about forty of you we’re going to take it in turns. Ten of you get in,” Everyone rushes for a seat but I take a step back, I’m going to see what happens before going on one. Ares stands next to me.
“Aw, is Ria scared to go on a jet?” Ares mocks.
“If your so brave why aren't you on that jet,”
“Because it's full,” He says, I roll my eyes. I see Jaxon talking to the ten kids in the jet about controls inside the jet.
“Why does no one know about the Safe Cities,” Ares says.
“You're being too loud, come on lets go over here,” I lead him further away from the group. “I don't know, maybe Angrove is lying,”
“Probably, but why?”
“I don't know? Maybe to have someone on her side?” I suggest.
“How are we supposed to all fit into one of these?” Ares says.
“I thought we were talking about Angrove and the Safe Cities,” I say.
“Yeah, but no,”
“What's that supposed to mean,”
“Ria, you're a very boring person, you know that don't you. What you lack is individuality to thrive,”
“What are you talking about,”
“Ria, I am going to show you how to have personality,”
“I hate you,”
“I love me,” He says, “Anyways, when is he coming back?”
“I don't know, not long I guess. But can we talk about more important things,”
“Like what?”
“Angrove, the Safe Cities?”
“Why do we care what happens to the Rebels and the Safe Cities or New Tyro?” He says.
“Because I care about what's happening to us, why this stuff is happening and when is it stopping,”
“Ria, it won't stop, it won't end, we are here and I don't know what's next but can you stop being so nosy and get on with your life?” I fume at his remark.
“So the next ten people get into the jet,” We hear Jaxon say and Ares and I go back to where everyone is. The people who have left the jet are puking everywhere, their faces pale with horror. I look back at Jaxon, who smiles sheepishly. “Always happens to everyone on their first day. The next ten people get in please,” no one moves a muscle, “Come on now, don't tell me you're afraid of a little height and puke?” Still no one moves. “You're in the Sector for the brave, are you going to chicken out?” Ares walks to Jaxon, I follow him because I know that I'm not getting past his bragging when we finish. “Anyone else?” A few people make their way towards Jaxon. “Thank you, let's get going,”