The voices approached through the dark, excitement and nerves apparent. I suddenly felt afraid. I wanted to run, to hide so the people in the dark could never find me. I didn’t want to know what they were going to do to me.
A gloved hand touched my head and I realized it was so cold because all of my hair had been shaved off.
They gathered around me and even though I couldn’t see them, I felt half a dozen pairs of eyes settle onto the back of my exposed head.
The sound of a drill was the last thing I heard.
I jerked awake, my hands leaping to my head. I slumped back, relieved to find that my straight blond hair was still on my head. I closed my eyes again, the smell of steel still burning my nose. My heart continued to pound in the way it only did when I had the nightmares that seemed so vivid.
A stirring of the dirt outside caught my full attention. It was still hours from dawn, no one should have been awake at this hour, and even if they were, they wouldn’t be wandering outside of their tents.
Silently, I sprang from my bed, slinging my pack on in the same movement. I grabbed a knife and a pistol from my own stash of weapons and went to the opening of the tent.
The moon cast a faint glow on Eden, just enough light to enable me to see the figure that was retreating to the tree line.
I kept out of sight as I slid between tents, careful to keep my cover. The outline looked vaguely familiar as I stalked it. It moved with sure, deliberate strides, quieter than I would expect from anyone but me. He must have dropped something or tripped just outside of my tent for me to have heard him.
He kept watch as he moved through camp but held his pace quick and straight. He was in a hurry to get out of there.
I followed him to the edge of the forest, hiding behind Wix’s tent as I watched the figure dart into the trees. He glanced back once, making sure he wasn’t seen before he dropped into the trees. He should have looked a little closer.
I darted into the trees ten yards to the west of where I had seen him enter. My footsteps fell silently on the damp earth as I regained the footing he had gained on me. When I heard more than one set of footsteps I took to the trees, being careful not to rustle the leaves as I crossed from one bough to the other.
It was not difficult to keep up with them. The other older figure moved with a slight limp in the right leg, all the while trying to keep a small figure close to her side. They didn’t seem dangerous.
Without hesitation or fear, I dropped from a limb directly in front of them, my blade just inches away from the boy’s chest.
“We don’t tolerate theft in Eden,” I said, my voice calm.
“Then point that knife back around,” a male voice said, filled with forced confidence. “I believe you stole my buck.”
So I had been right, this was the same boy I had seen in the forest earlier. Looking closer, I realized I shouldn’t call him a boy. He had to be around my age, maybe eighteen or even nineteen.
My eyes flickered to the figures that stood behind him. A woman who looked to be just a year or so older than myself stared at me with wide green eyes that shone brightly in the moonlight, her brilliantly red hair draping around her face in curls. She had her arms around a small boy with similarly curly blond hair.
“I couldn’t let them starve,” the boy said simply.
He carried a cloth in his arms and I could see several food items sticking out of it. The small child held a piece of bread possessively in his hands, ready to protect it with his life.
“It’s dangerous coming here and taking what isn’t yours,” I said as I held his eyes.
“We haven’t eaten in days,” the boy said, his voice sounding tired. “We’ve been running for over a week, maybe longer. So I guess it’s either you kill us or starvation will.”
My eyes scanned over them carefully, checking for any signs. Their eyes looked normal but it was difficult to tell in the minimal light. I was fairly certain the woman was organic, considering her wound. The Fallen could heal themselves as long as the injury wasn’t fatal. The cybernetic molecules would spread to the damaged area, stealing more of their humanity as the injured flesh was replaced with mechanical components.
The boy seemed likely organic as well, Fallen children didn’t know how to hide their true nature.
So the only one I had to question was the boy. He moved with skill, he had shot with deadly accuracy. He hadn’t earned a clearing yet.
“You are going to have to come with me,” I said finally, keeping the boys tired but determined stare.
He held my eyes for a moment before looking back at his companions. I glanced at the woman, she actually looked slightly relieved. The child only bit into his bread, devouring it with a speed that left half of the food on his face.
“Alright,” he finally said, as if he actually had a choice. I nodded my head in the opposite direction and they started walking toward Eden with the feet that had traveled a hundred miles.
The walk back didn’t take long. They hadn’t gotten far from Eden before I confronted them. Our pace was slowed, hindered by the woman’s limping. I watched her closely as she moved. She could have been faking, trying to pretend to be human. Doubt crept into my mind. It was hard to tell human from Fallen sometimes. It all depended on how long they had been infected.
Camp was still silent when we entered its perimeters, as it should have been. Pressing a finger to my lips, I urged them toward Gabriel’s tent. I assumed by the lack of alert that the guard in the tower had fallen asleep. I took a mental note to request that Gabriel add more night watches to my list of duties.
I went to the east wall of Gabriel’s tent, the one I knew he slept on.
“Gabriel,” I whispered in attempt to not wake everyone nearby. “Gabriel.”
I heard a grunt and a shift of movement. At the same time I heard a flap being thrown back from another tent and a moment later an alarmed looking Avian stumbled out of his tent.
“Eve?” he questioned as he squinted through the darkness. “What… whoa! Uh…” he struggled to make his brain work as he realized I wasn’t alone.
“I found them after he stole from the stores, out in the woods nearby,” I gave a hushed explanation. “Gabriel,” I hissed again.
This seemed to finally rouse him as I heard a curse and two seconds later Gabriel half tripped out of the entrance.
“What the devil…” he said angrily and stopped short as he took in the growing group outside his tent. “Who are they?”
“The ones we saw in the woods,” I said simply for him. It was amazing the Fallen hadn’t figured out how slow humans were after they woke up. Everyone could easily be picked off in the middle of the night.
“You caught them?” Gabriel said stupidly.
“No, he’s forcing me to point the blade at them,” I said as I rolled my eyes.
Gabriel glared at me for a moment before he turned his attention to Avian. “Get the CDU,” he said.
With a nod, Avian turned and jogged toward the medical tent.
“Where did you come from?” Gabriel demanded as he turned to the boy.
“We were just outside a city, a few days south of here. There were thirteen of us. We’re all that’s left.”
“The city?” Gabriel said, surprise evident in his voice.
“Our camp moved around but we were always within walking distance. We needed to be able to get to supplies. The Hunters found us though.”
That was explanation enough for us. While food was becoming scarce in the city as roamers raided, other supplies were still to be found; clothing, medical supplies, weapons occasionally. We went on our own raids when the need arose.