Fathom [On Hold]

Chapter Six

Chapter Six: Company 

"What do you mean 'become one?'" Jaycen demands.

"I mean exactly what I said. Each time you make one disappear, you lose a bit of your sanity. By ten, you're one of them," the man says. "But usually by five people are so far gone we execute them. It's safer. More humane."

"Because God forbid anyone ever be inhumane," Jaycen mutters loud enough for only me to hear.

"Wiidyo," the other woman, the one who showed me the powder says.

"What?" Jaycen and I ask in unison.

"That's what we call them," the man explains. "You can call me Kai. But now, we must get out of here. It's not safe. Come, follow us." Kai turns, and when he does the rest immediately follow. Jaycen and I exchange looks, but then decide to go with them. What other choice do we have?

We needn't walk for long. Only a few minutes later we reach their camp. It's bigger than I expected to be, consisting of about twenty large huts. Many people are out and about, laughing over fires as they rotate spits with skinned animals on them, weaving clothes out of skins and furs, and mashing up herbs and liquids I assume for medicines and poultices. 

The vibe of the camp is so much different than the one back home. People wander around without a care in the world here. In my community the atmosphere was weighed down with a sense of dread. It was as though our lives were hanging on a weak and fraying thread, and the slightest tremor could blow us to smithereens. 

Here there is no such thing. People are laughing and smiling, and their eyes are devoid of the wariness I had grown so accustomed to seeing back home. 

Initially upon our arrival no one stops what they are doing. Some people casually glance up for a few seconds but then return to their work. But then as the seconds tick by people begin to notice Jaycen and I. Eyes linger on us specifically, and whispers are exchanged. Soon the whole camp has taken interest.

Physically Jaycen and I could blend in just fine with the diverse group. However something about us must scream 'outsiders,' because instinctively they all seem to know we are different. Involuntarily I grind my teeth together, all the attention making me restless. I feel too exposed, like I might as well be strewn across a rooftop naked shouting and waving flags.

I glance over to Jaycen to see how he is faring. He seems oblivious or otherwise apathetic to their engrossment. In fact if I didn't know better I may have said that he waltzed in with bravado. 

Kai pays no attention to his peers, and the rest of the group we came with disperses amongst the others. The stares begin to fade as our presence is explained throughout the camp. Kai motions for us to follow him and he leads us to a large hut. I push through the burlap flap that covers the entrance, ducking a little to avoid hitting my head. 

Inside there is one middle-aged woman sitting on what looks to be a makeshift bench made out of some straw like material. She too is working, bent over a slab of wood and grinding something with a rock. Upon closer inspection I see that it is the same clear powder the other woman showed me earlier. Enfuerde, she called it. 

"How do they not jump away from each other?" Jaycen asks right off the bat. I snicker discreetly. Screw the introduction, get the information. I'm learning that's how Jaycen works. 

I half expect his question to be met with a frown or a scolding, but instead the woman just looks up and smiles gently at him. Crows' feet form at the edges of her honey-brown eyes as she does so, and other wrinkles become more prominent on her olive-skinned face.