Eon

Chapter 9

Carson had been working on the cultivating of the soil below him when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a group of Chesons leaving Far-Sky and delving towards a clearing in the indent between two of the many mountains that surrounded the city. Carson watched them leave and then asked a nearby farmer what the native's intentions were.

"I am not sure, Carson," the Cheson said. "I admit that it is unusual for such a large group of our own to leave the safety of Far-Sky at the height of the day."

Carson decided to scout out the disturbance, leaving behind his circle of growing vegetables and the white flowers the farmers had allowed the Insurgent to plant. Carson shed himself of his canvas mask and began running barefoot towards his destination, allowing the grasses below to rub against his skin as the wind drifted through his hair. A surge of pollen-like seedlings cast through the fields. Carson swept the seedlings away, creating muddy streaks on his face.

He came upon the gathering and approached cautiously out of both respect and fear. The Chesons ignored the Insurgent as they encircled two of their own. Suddenly shouting broke out, and one of the Chesons backed away from the group. The native was white-skinned and there was an apparent fear in his face, punctuated by the ever-widening eyes and his rigid stance. Another Cheson approached the apprehensive native calmly, raising one three-fingered hand and carrying a rifle in the other.

Carson watched the two natives with a rising dread in his heart. He was close enough now that he could now make sense of the rising tension.

"I'm not sick!" said the pale Cheson who seemed on the verge of fleeing the group of his familiars altogether. "Please, let me go. I'll go to another village. There's nothing for me here, just let me go!"

"We know the truth, Aleer," the native with the rifle said. He seemed solemn in whatever duty had been prescribed to him. He wore standard native battlearmor with the green tree painted on his chest, which Carson now knew was the symbol of a sect of the Chancellor's guard.

Aleer fell to his knees and his words and arms became wild, those same wild tendencies performed by a man who was about to lose his life, tendencies Carson knew well. Upon closer inspection Carson saw what seemed to be bruises on the arms and legs of the Cheson.

The Cheson with the rifle raised his weapon and aimed down the primitive sights.

"Please, just let me go," Aleer repeated. "I will never come back, I swear!"

"You would risk your illness spreading to entire families and tribes?" the native with the weapon said, his voice booming. "We know you have the ailing sickness. You have disgraced Eon and you have disgraced us. This is mercy."

The Cheson shot the dying native twice. The first shot pushed the victim back with a horrific force as blood splayed both forwards and backwards. The second cracked open the skull and all matter of brains and fluids poured out onto the grass below. Carson jolted in a shock but did not run or look away. He did not know why but in that instant all he could think of was that the native's blood was red, like his own. As his mind cleared he turned to watch the Cheson soldier turn and leave the body behind, the crowd following closeby. He turned to look at Carson as he passed and if there was any remorse for his actions Carson did not see it.

The Cheson gathering left without burying the body. Carson called out to them.

"Why did you do that?" It was a simple question that still carried weight.

The soldier turned to Carson. "If he had lived, we would have died," he stated. "What would you have done? This stops the spread. We have killed for this reason before, and we will do so again."