Chapter 3: Piper
(Chapter 1) (2)
I take another step and feel a cold wave of air brush against my face, as if it’s trying to push me back inside. I ignore it, take one more step and turn around to see what the compound looks on the outside. Very little of the building is above ground, but what is appears dirty and decayed, the concrete crumbling in some places.
My eyesight has finally readjusted and I can now start to make things out beyond my (former?) home. I had expected torn down buildings and destroyed roads however, only trees stretch out for as far as I can see. It’s strange to see them in a wild unkept state, as the only trees I have seen before were in the carefully manicured ecology floor of the Compound. Their multi-colored heads reach up to a blue sky jumbled with clouds. The breeze from earlier flirts with leaves that dance carefree as they fall to the already leaf littered forest floor.
A small chirp alerts me to a small bird that sits perched upon a dry leafless branch of a tree. The bird flies down near me, investigating to see if I pose as a danger. Eventually when it seems satisfied it pulls back up and lands back in the tree.
I begin walking away from the Compound and continue to observe my surroundings. The leaves under my feet crack and break, completely obliterating any hope I had of using stealth for this mission.
Continuing to move, I remember the object Kyle gave me is still in my pocket. I look down at it and suck in a quick breath of surprise. It's a communication Com. The only people allowed to use it are the government's head officials.(If people were allowed to use them freely, they could organize a rebellion or something equally devastating to the Compound). Unsure what to do with the comm, I put it in one of the side pockets on my satchel and decide against using it.
I remove one of my knives so as to have it ready if needed and continue to walk in what my compass tells me to be south-east. The deeper I walk into the woods, the more new creatures I see. A small rodent which I believe to be a squirrel, runs across the small path I am following. I continue to trail down the path and see small tracks of what can only be a deer.
Time passes and I lose track of how far I’ve gone. The small slope I've been ascending levels out and I come to a small stream of water. Letting my satchel fall to the ground as well as my knife, I kneel over the water and throw some onto my face. The hottest part of the day has been looming over me for the past hour and I drained my water bottle far faster than expected. So the water is more than welcome. I refill the bottle and the automatic filter in my bottle starts to work but, the filter will take a few minutes before the water is safe to drink. So I lean against a tree and let my eyes drop close.
The smallest of cracks alerts me to snap my eyes open little more than seconds after. The knife I was holding earlier is next to my satchel not but two feet away from me. I move to grab it and hide it under my leg. I wait patiently until the shape of a human emerges. It’s a boy. Not much younger than me by his looks. Sandy blond hair messily frames his gray eyes. He wears simple blue work pants and and a dirty orange shirt covered in holes. Dirt smudges his face and generally he looks like he just finished rolling down a hill.
He looks up then and stops abruptly. I see him hold his breath and take a small step back. We stay like that for a while. Him staring at me and me staring back trying to mirror his expression of surprise and wariness. Finally, he seems to decide I am not much of a threat, (he couldn't be more wrong) and slowly approaches me like I’m a wounded animal.
“Hey, did you get sent out to scout too?” He crouches at my feet and tries to give me a friendly look. “I thought it was only me. I'm kinda glad it isn't.” I can tell now that he isn't worried about me as he sits softly down opposite of me. I realize I should probably play along with this.
“Ya, I thought that to,” I respond to him. He holds out his hand for me to shake and as I reach out to, he says.
“David.” I give him a friendly smile.
“Piper.” He's going to be dead anyway soon so why not tell him my real name. Who shouldn't have the pleasure of knowing their killers name?
“Have I seen you around Compound before? I don’t think I have.” He looks at me curiously before adding with a laugh, “I guess Compound is so big we haven’t met half the people that live there.”
“No, I guess we haven't.”
David just smiles again and pulls over the pack that was resting on his shoulders. He puts his hand in it and I stiffen a little at what he might pull out. Instead of a weapon of some sort, he retrieves a small pack of dried fruit. He reaches over the distance between us and hands it to me before reaching for another one. His kindness roles over in my mind and I am a little startled by it. I leave the dried fruit where he put it.
“I didn't poison it if that’s what you're worried about,” remarks David.
I just sigh and stand up bringing the knife with me but still keeping it out of his sight. “Look,” I start, “You're really nice David but, I still have a job to do.”
“We all have a job to do. That doesn’t mean we can’t take a break once in a while. Besides...” He stops talking when I bring the knife out from behind my back. “Piper, what are you doing?” There is worry in his eyes finally and I take a step forward. He jumps to his feet not sure what to do next.
“I am doing my job,” I say. With that, I lunge forward. The boy’s eyes widen in panic and he attempts to lean away from me. But before he manages to get up to run away, I drive the hilt of my knife through his rib cage and into his heart. When I pull my knife out he looks down at the wound before swaying and tipping over to lay in a fetal position, curling into the wound where his hand trys to keep the blood in. A gurgling sound comes from his throat before he goes limp.
He's dead I think, or at least he will be soon. His hair is cut short in the back and I see on his neck #90. 1 down, 111 left.
I grab number 90's pack and search it only to find a map, a compass, a small piece of cooked meat and another pack of dried fruit. I eat the meat and the first pack of fruit that was given to me, while I transfer the boy's supplies in my bag and grab my water. Assuming the filter has done it's job, I take a drink. It tastes fine so I take another. There is still a good couple hours of daylight so I grab my possessions and start walking east. As I walk, I focus on cleaning my knife. Using a wet piece of shirt I took from the boy, I swipe up and down the blade. Most of the blood removes itself instantly but a few streaks stay attached to the edge.
Not much time passes before I find myself on the edge of the forest looking out a sandy dunes and what can only be the ocean in the distance. The pictures and paintings I’ve seen could never have prepared me for it's vastness. It stretches out with no interruptions and seems to never end. Looking over my shoulder, I can see a break in the trees in the distance, which can only be the clearing where the compound sits. It's farther away than anticipated. Off to both my sides runs only waves of green forests. There is no movement other than the occasional gust of wind that shakes the trees. My eyes are then pulled up to the sky to find the sun leaving and with it, it’s warmth. Knowing I should find protection for the night, I tell myself to get moving. There's one problem though. My eyes don't want to leave the sky. They are attached, not to the sun; but, to what is taking its place.
Exquisite swirls of red, pink, and orange encircle the ever decreasing sun. Above the ocean, that I can now barely see, rises a dark cloak that eats away the diminishing blue haze. I look into the darkness, waiting... waiting.... Then finally, I see them. Stars. Small scraps of light scattered across the fields of space. The darker it becomes, the more stars there seems to be. An uncountable number. So many of them, bright and alive. Then there are some so dim they look like they are about to go out. All of them; however, seem to whisper to me, daring me, to reach up and snatch them from their bed of infinity.
I stand on hill for a little longer and continue to wait for the moon I’ve read so much about. It doesn't come. After minutes of waiting, I realize that it won't be coming tonight because it's a new moon. A cold gush of wind runs across the hill I stand on and finally rips me from my reverie, reminding me of the shelter I need to find. Pulling my jacket tighter around me, I let my legs carry me down the hill.
Everything is quiet in the forest now and the birds from earlier seem to have fallen asleep. Instead of the cheery chirping creatures, I am left in the company of the many owls. Hearing one screech I turn around and spot it perched high in a branch stretching it's neck as it investigates me. Feathers atop of it's head curve outward like horns grown from its skull. Piercing yellow eyes greet my own eyes. Turning my back on the animal and continue to search for a place where I can stay for the night. After an hour of slowly picking my way through the dark, I make out a small rock formation. I walk over to it and find a indent with it’s face with a small overhang above it. It's not ideal but it will have to do. I throw my pack down, take out my sleeping bag and curl up with my back to the rocks. I stare out into the open searching and listening to anything that might be a sign of trouble. When nothing happens, I pull out my food and nibble on a piece of dry meat while continuing to stay alert.
Finally feeling certain nothing will come in the night, I pull out one of my knives and lay down. Still keeping my back to the rocks, I set my head down on my satchel and steady my breathing. It's now that I start to notice the noises I hadn't noticed before. It's nothing alarming and in fact is almost soothing. The small crickets under the leaves start to chirp. Far away, I can make out the sound of an owl hooting softly. And as if it's a mother to them all, the wind continues to envelope their sounds in an smooth lullaby.
It's to these melodies that I close my eyes and slowly let myself drift into sleep.