Breeders (Breeders #1) (9 page)

“That wasn’t water,” I gagged.

“No, it was not. It’s a special metabolite drink for you and
the baby. You only need a few sips to replenish what nutrients you may have
used up in the day. There is enough to last you a few weeks.” Although the
acrid taste in my mouth made me want to throw up, I started to feel better
almost immediately, recharged somehow.

“I need to rest, Thor, I can’t go much further.”

“We have one more hour before the sun starts to settle,
Ariet. We need to keep going.” He turned and carried on walking. Unlike Mason,
he had definitely not grasped the concept of manners or politeness. Thinking of
Mason bought sadness to me. I hoped he had made it back safely and was alive.
He had promised to get word to my family before the Guardians got hold of them.
Thor was almost out of sight now. Sighing, I heaved myself up and trudged
forward slowly. Sticks and branches had scraped my arms, my sweat dripping into
the wounds, burning them.

After a while, Thor slowed down and looked around him. “I
think we will sleep here tonight. We need to be up at sunrise to get us further
away from the hatch.”

I sat down on the large boulder closest to me. Thor pulled
out the second backpack he was carrying. Using a stick, he moved dried leaves
and moss into a circular area under a tree. He pulled out tightly rolled
fabric. Loosening the tie, it expanded into a large spongy sheet. “Rest,” he
said softly. Covering me with a blanket of some sort, he scratched further into
the backpack and pulled out a large clear flask with water. I gulped it down
greedily. He took it after me and sipped slowly. I immediately felt ashamed and
looked away.

“We need to find water tomorrow. We have enough supply for
two days. With this heat, maybe even less.” He handed me a small foil bundle, “Here
is your ration pack.” I was amazed at what had been crammed into such a tiny
bundle. There were two portions of dried fruit, bread and cheese, and what
looked to be a grain or pulse of some kind. I munched through the supplies
hungrily. My eyes blinked sleepily and, creeping down further into the blanket,
I drifted off without saying anything to Thor.

Chapter 13

It was barely light when I heard the rustling of leaves next
to me. The night had been cool, and I was relieved to find I felt energized and
rested. Looking around for Thor, I noticed him staring at something on a branch
above him. Craning my head further, I saw the most beautiful bird. It was blue
and yellow with a striking red beak, its body and tail the length of my arm. I
had never seen anything like it. Studying Thor’s face, I saw he felt the same
amazement, and for the first time ever, he was smiling. I left him like that
for a minute or two more before I stirred. He turned instantly when I moved.
Nodding, he walked towards me. “What is that bird? It’s amazing,” I asked.

“You saw it too, huh? I’m not sure, but I know that they
don’t have anything of this kind in the New World. It must have been one that
got away during the Great Illness.” Changing the subject sharply, “We need to
keep moving. There are supplements next to you,” I looked down to see that I
was still clinging greedily to my ration pack. Having replenished further, I
helped him pack up the supplies.

He stirred the mossy mattress he had made for me. “Covering
our tracks,” he stated, as if reading my mind. It was uncanny how Mason and he
had the same ability. We started to track to the left, going deeper into the woodland.

“What is this place?” I asked from behind. Not feeling so shell-shocked,
I had taken in my surroundings and was curious yet still fearful of where we
were.

“All I know is this is what must be left of the Old World.
When the Great Illness wiped out most of the world’s population, the Creators
chose the most profitable land that they could find.”

“Profitable?” I interrupted him.

“Yes, the most viable source of agriculture, soil, water,
weather and such. They enclosed what they thought was the most resourceful area
they could find and named that the New World. Everything on the outside was
left as it was. We have no idea what is out here, Ariet, so you need to be
alert at all times.”

We trudged on for a few more hours, alone with our thoughts,
the silence oddly comforting. I needed to process this. We stopped for several
minutes only once to replenish. While Thor re-laced his boots, I explored the
alcove of the forest we were in. A little pathway off to the right caught my
attention. I walked slowly forward. Standing on what felt like a loose rock, I
stumbled and leant onto a tree in support. Within seconds Thor was at my side.
Fear had taken my voice away.

Pointing to where I had stood, a large white bone had been
dislodged in the ground. Thor bent down, sweeping the dirt off in a circular
motion, he uncovered more and more. I stood frozen in place. “It’s a human
skeleton. Looks like parts have been removed, maybe by wild animals, but what’s
left here is definitely human. We need to move.” Without saying another word,
he grasped my arm roughly and pulled in a direction opposite to the skeleton.

The humid air now started to feel as though it were
strangling me. Thor moved quickly through the forest. With night fall
approaching us, we chose to shelter in between some tall trees with large
roots.

Whilst snacking on a new ration pack, I asked tentatively, “Thor,
that skeleton, are you sure it was human?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think it was from the Great Illness?”

“No. It was too close to the ground’s surface. It would have
been covered and more eroded if that human had died centuries ago. This is more
recent.”

“How recent?” my voice now barely a whisper.

“That I can’t say, but I’m sure that skeleton is of this
generation. We need to rest now.” Turning his back to me, he prepared an area
for us to sleep and lay down. Looking up at the trees above, I could just make
out the stars. Wondering if Mason was okay, I let exhaustion take over and fell
into darkness.

Waking with a start, Thor clasped his hand over my mouth.
Dragging me slowly backwards, he crept further into the roots of the trees.
Alarmed, I moved with him under the root and crouched in hiding. Thor leant
forward silently, slowly pulling our supplies in. I raised my eyebrows in alarm.
He gestured behind him, motioning for me to listen. And that’s when I heard it.
Sticks breaking and leaves crunching, something coming quickly towards us.

“Animal?” I mouthed to Thor.

He shrugged, his body poised to fight, the knife in his hand
ready to strike. The sounds became continuous and louder as if all around us.

“It looks as if someone has come through here,” a male voice
stated.
Strangers!
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to press myself as
far back into the root as I could.

Another voice spoke, gruff and deep, “Looks like it was two
of them. Tracks end here. Scan the tree tops, they couldn’t have gone far.”

Beads of sweat glazed Thor’s brow, and for the first time I
could see worry sweep his face. We sat still in our hiding place for the
longest time, listening to the rustling of leaves get further away from us,
disappearing into the distance. We crouched there for a while longer until we
could hear nothing but birds chirping around us. Thor crept out slowly, motioning
for me to follow. We headed out in a direction opposite to the trackers.

“Who were those people, Thor?” I whispered.

“I don’t know, Ariet. Survivor’s maybe? I’m not sure, but they
are aware of our presence. We need to get as far away from here as possible.
Move quickly, yet carefully.”

We zipped and trudged a pathway through the forest, Thor
trying to disturb the natural forest as little as possible. Stumbling a few times,
I managed to keep up his pace which was almost a slight run now, but exhaustion
was creeping in. Grabbing his arm, I pulled him to a stop. He rifled through
our packs and handed out replenishments, leaning in a crevice of a dead tree.

“Do you think there are more of them?” I panted.

“There must be. It seemed as if they were doing patrols of
the forest, they knew this forest well.” We kept walking, our pace slowed
slightly from before. A crunch behind froze me in terror, grabbing Thor’s arm I
turned slowly, a deer stood in a clearing just to the left of us. Munching on a
tree filled with berries. Fear turned to relief.

“Look, Thor. The berries must be safe if the deer is eating
them.” We gathered as many as we could carry, munching on them as we picked.

“Do you hear that?” He leaned towards the direction we were
headed in. “A slight trickling sound just beyond the trees?” We crept forward
slowly, parting the leaves and branches. Peering closely, we saw a small
clearing, sparkling with what looked like a freshwater pond. Thor raced
forward, eager that we had found water.

Crouching beside the pond, a stream filling it from a rocky
interface above, we drank plentifully. I was thankful to wash my face and hair,
and wipe the mud and sweat off me. Immersing my body in the water, I found
swift relief from the heat. Thor did the same, and for the first time since we
had arrived in this unknown territory, I felt like we could maybe, just maybe,
make it through this.

Drying off in the shade, we refilled our canisters with as
much water as we could carry. Hoisting up the back packs and securing them to him,
I watched Thor in amazement. His strength and agility never ceased to impress
me. I turned back to exit the way we entered the clearing, only to find myself
staring into the face of a heavily armed, masked stranger.

Chapter 14

It was apparent that they had been watching us since we made
our way to the pond. We were surrounded. I felt Thor’s presence next to me,
strong and defiant. For a few minutes, we all stared at each other, the circle
surrounding us getting smaller and smaller.

“We mean no harm,” Thor said, gravely inching nearer to me.

The man closest to us gestured for us to follow him. I
looked hesitantly at Thor. “We have no choice,” he whispered silently. Slowly
we made our way back up the hill and into the forest, heading down a pathway we
had not been aware of before. A few of the men lead the way, whilst the rest
followed behind Thor and me. Not once did they ever remove their masks or say a
word.

Clutching my small bump protectively, I turned to Thor and
whispered, “Why are they wearing those masks?” He shook his head uncertainly.
We walked in silence for what must have been a few hours. Eventually,
absolutely exhausted, I stumbled over a tree root and collapsed into the groove
slinking to the floor. Thor, immediately at my side, dug furiously in his back
pack and put the medical solution to my lips. I felt the cold acrid liquid slide
down my throat, waiting for the relief to come.

“She needs rest,” Thor shouted. The men, still very much
armed, had us and the tree surrounded, preventing any attempt to escape,
exchanged glances. I panted slowly, feeling my body rehydrate. After a few
minutes of rest, they gestured for us to stand up and continue with them. We
followed begrudgingly; lines of concern crinkling Thor’s face every step we
took deeper into the forest.

Questions kept running through my mind.
Are these men Guardians
from the New World, come to retrieve us? If so, then we are certainly walking
to our death. And if they aren’t Guardians from the world we had just escaped,
then who the hell are they, and why is no one speaking to us?
I had no idea
which of the two options was the worst, but the uncertainty of the fate that
awaited my unborn son frightened me. I swore inwardly that I would do
everything in my power to protect him.

I was suddenly drawn away from my thoughts as the forest
receded and we were able to see further than a few feet ahead. In front of us
was a large field, like the one we had escaped from the hatch into, but this
one was edged with a high wired fence. One of the guards signaled for us to
stop. Stepping forward slowly, he walked towards an alcove in a tree and pulled
out a device which he softly spoke into. Immediately, a gate slid open before
us and we walked through. I took note of the fact that it was too high to get
over and too low to creep under. As the gate closed behind us, a crackle of
electricity reconnecting to the gate made me jump.

I leapt onto Thor’s arm. He patted me calmly, and we hiked
like that for the rest of the way. We walked through the clearing, the fence
running parallel to each side of us, into another forest. After what seemed
like an hour, we made our way out of the trees onto what looked like a dirt
road. As we descended down the road, guards still surrounding us, we could just
make out a huge city. Tall buildings and houses lined the hillside and valley
below. We had just entered an unknown civilization.

I gasped as we turned the corner and saw how much further
the city expanded to the left and right of us. It was bigger than all four of
our quadrants put together. Although excited by this, I was nervous as I had
found out the hard way not to trust strangers. The road in front of us forked,
and the guards lead us to the left; away from the path that seemed would lead
us to the city below. After a mile or two, a large concrete building loomed
before us, the words ‘Quarantine Facility’ were painted in red on the side of a
large steel doorway.

A sudden, overwhelming fear gripped me and I panicked. Turning
to run, I crashed into Thor, but keeping my balance I tried to push through the
guards that were now running towards me. Thor scrambled to get to me before
they could and managed to envelop me in his arms, his speed and agility again proving
highly useful in this situation.

Holding me strongly, he shouted to the guards. “Stop. Let me
calm her down. She is dehydrated and anxious. Just stop. Stay where you are. We
won’t run.” He spun me around to face him. “Ariet, listen to me. You need to
comply. I’m not sure what is going on, but I cannot protect you if you are not
with me. Do you understand? We will get through this. They have not hurt us so
far.” Hugging me tightly he whispered softly into my ear, “I will get the both
of you out of here safely. I promise.”

I nodded whilst sobbing into his neck. He scooped me up and
carried me slowly towards the facility. Peeking through my hair, I could see the
facility was buried in the side of a mountain and seemed much bigger up close.
Thor put me down in front of the entrance and gripped my hand. Standing outside
the metal doorway, the guard from earlier spoke into the device again. I
assumed it was another entry authorization as the doors pulled forward. More
men wearing masks and dressed in brown protective clothing gestured us in.

Silent greetings passed between the others as they nodded at
each other on their arrival. We were lead through the warehouse to a small door
on the far right hand side. It opened as we approached. We walked through but
noticed our escorts did not follow. A mechanical lock fastened automatically
behind us and a male voice boomed from above. ‘Please proceed to the changing
area, and remove all clothing and concealed weapons. Place such items into the
bins on the far side of the room.’

I inched closer to Thor, gripping his arm tightly. Neither
of us said or did anything to comply. The voice boomed again. ‘The instruction
will not be repeated. Please comply or we will sedate you and do it for you.’

“Just do it, Ariet,” Thor whispered gently into my ear. “The
voice is in real time which means they can see and probably hear us. It’s
better if we are awake and keep our wits about us.” I nodded in understanding.

Once undressed, the floor beneath us began to move forward.
Doors opened and we passed through a shower of a scalding hot chemical which
burned our eyes and made our skin sting. The runway moved into another room
where we were coated in cool foam which immediately soothed the burn from before.
The final stage rinsed us with warm jets of water which smelt of herbs and
fruit. The runway motioned to a stop.

‘Please dress in the garments before you and proceed towards
the exit.’ The garment was a cold hard grey fabric that chafed the now
sensitive skin, but at this point I welcomed anything to cover myself. Doors
slid open revealing a long dark corridor. We followed the lights to the exit
sign as instructed. Thor grabbed my hand protectively, pulling me close.

“What is this place?” I whispered.

“I think it’s a hospital or lab facility of some kind. We
have just been disinfected, a very crude form of what we have back home. I’m
not sure what is going on, Ariet. But I don’t like it. Be alert. We don’t know
who these people are or what they want.”

We walked into a glass room that held two small beds, which
at this point, considering how tired I was, looked increasingly inviting. A small
table separated the two beds. On it was water and what looked like some old
food. Thor guided me forward. Slumping onto the bed, I ate and drank mechanically.
Pushing the two beds to the farthest wall away from the door, Thor made sure I
was settled in before he lay down in front of me, always on the ready to
protect me from immediate danger. I couldn’t think anymore, exhaustion took
over. The room descended into darkness and I felt nothing.

Sharp lights blinded us and I sat up with a jolt, Thor
already alert beside me. The voice boomed again, different this time. ‘Please
proceed to the first door on your left.’ We complied and walked through the
exit. White illuminated hospital beds lined one side of the room with all sorts
of equipment and what I assumed was medical paraphernalia surrounding each bed.
‘Please proceed to a bed and lie down.’ Thor and I chose beds closest to the
exit. Suddenly hard sheets of white plastic descended, surrounding our beds
individually.

Thor had been unwillingly separated from me. I could just make
him out through a see-through opening in one side of the tent. He was being
restrained to his bed and putting up a serious fight. It took five men to do
this. The side of my wall opened and I automatically scrambled to the top of my
bed in defense. The visitor was dressed in a white padded suit with a clear
visor on her face. This was the first woman I had seen since we were captured.
She smiled gently at me.

“Hello. I am a Medical Healer. I am not here to hurt you. We
just want to assess a few things and find out some information from you.”

I sneered at her sarcastically, “I don’t trust Healers. They
are what got me in this position in the first place.”

She gave me a knowing smile. “I can understand your fear,
but please know you are not the only person that has had to go through this
procedure. Everyone who arrives at the Old World has to go through the same
procedures on arrival.”

“There are more like us? The Old World? How many people are
here? Where did you come from?” I had so many questions, all of which she
deftly avoided.

“If you could lie down on the bed so we can begin, please. I
don’t want to restrain you, as we had to do your friend,” she gestured towards
the restraints that Thor was in, “but it will happen if you don’t allow me to
proceed or if you try to harm me in any way. Okay?” I just glared at her. “Okay.
Let’s begin then.”

The exam lasted for a few minutes in which she took some
biological samples from me and did what appeared to be a routine physical
examination. Rolling up my gown she gasped at the sight of the small bump which
was now my belly. I grabbed at my clothes instinctively. She gasped, “Oh my.
You’re pregnant?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“How far along?”

“Three months and a bit.”

As she backed away from me slowly, I couldn’t help but
notice the look of absolute shock on her face. She excused herself and left
with the samples. I got up to the window and saw Thor lying in his bed, still
restrained but alone. I tapped on the window and he looked up. He mouthed
something at me, but I couldn’t decipher it. Holding a hand up to the screen I
nodded and gave him a small smile, reassuring him that I was okay. He exhaled
what looked like a huge sigh of relief. I could visibly see his body relax.

I had been alone in the isolation tent for a couple of hours
when I must have drifted off to sleep. I awoke a while later to find a man and
the woman from before sitting at the side of my bed, going over a written
document of some kind. This time they wore no protective clothing. I lay for a
little bit peering at them through my lashes, pretending to still be asleep,
taking in this new development.

They looked no different from Thor or myself, except their
clothes were a bit scraggly and the man had a scar the length of his cheek. It
looked old but deep, and I had never seen anything like it before. I had no
scars on my body and didn’t know anyone in the New World really who had had any
such trauma which would leave scarring. As if sensing my gaze on his face, the
man looked up above the paperwork he was reading.

“Good morning. You slept for quite a while. Allow me to
introduce myself, I am Gander and the Healer who you met yesterday is Poppy.”

“What is this place?” I dared ask.

“This is what we, the Refugees, call the Old World. I waited
patiently for him to explain. He didn’t. “Could you tell us your name?”

“It's Ariet.”

“Which Quadrant are you from, Ariet?”

“Four.”

“Do you have any family?”

Tears sprung to my eyes, “Yes.”

“Are they still in Quadrant Four?” I nodded, afraid of the
fear and sadness which I couldn’t keep from my voice any longer.

“When last did you see them?”

“Before I was taken.”

“Aah, so you were part of the genetic breeding program?”

“Yes.”

“What division?”

“Breeder. How do you know so much about this?” I demanded.

“We will explain all in time, but for right now, we need to
get as much information from you as possible, for yours and our safety. Do you
think they will be looking for you?”

“Yes. I was scheduled for termination.”

They looked knowingly at each other. “Do you know what
genetic trait was expected from the fetus?” They knew so much.

“No,” I lied warily.

“Who is the man you travelled with?”

“Thor. He is my Guardian. When can I see him?”

“Soon, Ariet, soon. He, like you, is being screened and
tested.”

“For what?”

“To make sure you have no illnesses which you could bring
into our World. We have to ascertain that your escape was not because of a
scheduled termination due to illness. What was the status of the person you
were scheduled to breed with?”

“He is a Creator.”