Injustice

Shari gazed blankly as the first rays of sunlight sliced through darkness, lighting a glow like embers in her deep brown eyes. She rested casually in a crevice where a 100-year-old cedar tree and the skeleton of a rusting tower had met. The tree was winning, slowly and contemplatively swallowing the metal structure whole. From her vantage point high in the air she scanned the patterns of chaotic scars Trethlem had dug through the crumbling city sprawled out before her. Today was the day.

Numb satisfaction settled over her, and she felt almost giddy with anticipation. Almost. Below a Trethlim was stirring from a deep sleep after its wild night of wreaking havoc, shaking the rubble of a two-story building off its body like a puppy after a swim. Shari instinctively tucked a lose strand of blonde hair back into the tight swath of cloth wrapping her head. She scanned the deep ruts looking for more signs of life. If she was going to end hers, it needed to be quick, and she would need more than one.

The sun was high in the sky, burning angrily on a world it had once loved. Shari’s skin wept silently under it’s vengeance as she climbed down the cedar-rust tower. Her hands didn’t quiver for the first time in months. How cruel, she mused. When determined to survive she’d been barraged with emotions. It had taken years of denial to set up a prison camp in her mind keeping unwanted memories in their cages. Now the camp was gone, replaced by a peaceful valley of nothingness.

Dwelling blissfully in the nothingness, she slipped through the abandoned city towards Palling Square, skipping carefully over rubble and around hunks of metal that could’ve once been vehicles. Reaching the edge of the square she squinted through the glaring heat. Six streets led into the open courtyard, and five of them were occupied. The Trethlim nosed through buildings unawares of her presence, their massive claws resting by large slimy bodies. One of the faceless black beasts opened the mouthlike hole at the front of its body, exposing 37 rows of crystal clear teeth. Even from 100 meters away Shari caught a wave of a familiar stench. Death.

She strode into the open. Her right hand released and a large jagged sword with a makeshift mess of wires at its base clattered to the floor. Simultaneously her left hand went up to her head, yanking the swath of cloth away. A mass of golden curls cascaded out of its bondage, brilliant yellow in the sunlight. Almost in unison the five Trethlim groggily lifted their mouths in her direction. They began to shake violently in anticipation and threw their gnarled bodies towards the square. The ground thundered. Shari took a good look at each of them, closed her eyes, raised her face to the sun, and waited.

“Ahh!”

It was more like a squeak than a scream.

Shari’s eyes bolted open and scanned the edges of the square.

They came to rest on a… a kid?! Her jaw dropped. She assessed the charging Trethlim with instinctive speed, the discarded sword flying back into her hand.

Wait.

She hesitated. She didn’t have to save him. It would all be over in seconds. No more death, no more pain, no more injustice.

Her eyes locked with the young boys. They were wide with terror, and her previous thoughts fled howling.

A Trethlim thundered towards her, mouth gaping. Diving frantically to the side she watched as it careered straight into the one coming from behind, swallowing almost half the oncoming monster whole. She leapt and sliced her sword through the corner of another’s mouth and down the length of its black, slimy, body. Crackles of electricity arced through the air and in seconds the beast was writhing in a brilliant bonfire. The last two sensed the flames too late and collided headlong into the carnage. Flesh ripped and the square became a burning blood bath.

Sprinting for the boy she hauled him to his feet by his shirt without breaking her stride. They didn't stop running until the rancid smell of sulphur stopped burning their noses.

“How did you do that?” the boy panted.

Shari rounded on him.

“What in heaven’s name is a kid doing out here? Where is your family? Why aren’t you in the city?”

He raised his hands as if to block her onslaught of questions.

“I’m… travelling.”

“Travelling?” Her tightly knitted frown suddenly melted to the ground.

“Are they banishing kids now?”

The boy’s unruly black hair shook dramatically.

“Of course not! I mean of course they kill us, but I wasn’t banished. I’m heading to Sydney.”

Shari gave him a hard stare. “We need to move, they’ll be swarming on here in no time when they see we’ve killed five of their pets.”

“Pets?”

“Where do you think the Trethlem come from?” Shari strode away.

“Um.. the radiation?”

“Ha!”

“You mean they’re created by people? Why?” He asked while hurrying to keep up.

“What’s a great way to keep everyone in cities under constant surveillance without the risk of them running off to live happily in the countryside?”

He looked thoughtful and didn’t reply.

They hiked until sundown, getting as much distance from the carnage as possible. The boy was called Alex. He turned out to be twelve, had escaped from Barnaroi City and was heading to Sydney on “secret business”. Shari promised to take him as far as the M31 Highway, and they made camp for the night in a large tree.

“There’s no way you’ll get into Sydney undetected.” Shari shivered at the prospect.

“I have friends, they’re waiting for me.”

“What sort of friends would send a kid out here?”

He didn’t reply but fidgeted nervously with a small heart shaped locket on a chain around his neck.

Shari gave up and tied herself off to a branch. She called for sleep. It didn’t answer. Instead, a violent cocktail of emotions coursed through her body. Should she try again after taking strange little Alex to Sydney? The quiet nothingness of imminent death was gone, and the memory of it felt sickly and dangerous.

Shari bolted upright.

“Alex!”

Alex flinched and looked up from his branch.

“Are you chipped?”

“Uhhh.. no.” His voice sounded far away.

“How?”

“My parents hid me since birth.”

“That’s impossible.”

“They work for the Order.”

“You’re parents are in the freaking Order!?” She ripped off her safety rope and swung down to grab at him.

It was too late.

Bursts of brilliant white light shot up around them, and her gut ripped with fear as she heard the familiar thud of metal boots on soft earth. They were everywhere. Gunshots rang in terrifying proximity and within seconds a muscled, faceless, man had thick metal cable looped around her neck. She was ripped from the safety of the tree and forced into the beams of a dozen blinding lights. A Trethlim roared in the distance.

“ALEX!” She screamed in desperation, chocking on blood. What would they do to an escaped kid? The horrors of organ harvesting and biological experimentation rose unbidden, until the cable tightened on her neck. After an agonizing minute of choking and sputtering reality slipped away.

Something jostled, and Shari tried to shrug it off. The darkness was nice. Images and voices began flashing through her mind. No! She tried desperately to herd them back into their camps, locking the emotions back up in the crevices of her mind. The jostling grew violent, and her eyes fell open uninvited.

She was lying in the back of a 4WD with her skull thudding against the cold metal floor. Turning to get up, she found her hands and feet were bound painfully behind her. She wriggled onto her knees and peered out the dark tinted window where the unmistakable scenery of Sydney was flying by. Buildings lay crumbling in parts of the road. Barefoot children scrambled away into glassless windows and doors as the vehicle entourage rumbled past. Roofs were lined with cameras facing all directions. What few adults were on the street looked too weak to move and many flailed pathetically in fear. The cold hands of failure and regret clawed into Shari’s body, and froze her to the window. The entourage passed through the inner wall and scenery changed to lush gardens, intricate fountains, and tall stately buildings. The cold that gripped her thawed into acidic bitterness and she bit her tongue until blood ran down her chin.

The cell they threw her in was cold and dark, like most cells. There was no window or bed, just a pan in the corner. The door beeped a sharp note and came open. Shari looked up, finding the unnaturally chiselled face of an Order guard, and Alex.

“Alex!” Shari gasped. “You’re alive!”

Alex didn’t smile back.

Shari processed his response.

“You betrayed me?” She whispered. “I saved your life.”

“You don’t understand.” Alex finally said. He was fidgeting with the locket again.

“Oh I think I do.” Shari spat. “Little mister up and coming wanted to impress his parents!”

The guard made an ominous move towards her. Alex looked pale and quickly slipped away.

After what Shari guessed was a week in the icy cell a trial was held, and under different circumstances it would have been downright hilarious. A man in a dark green silk suit rambled out an endless monologue of broken laws. Shari had been surprised to hear she was receiving a trial at all until she was escorted into a room with a large balcony running around the top packed with over 600 onlookers. They’re trying to make an example of me, she realized.

“I find Shari Kadar, also known as the golden justice, the gold star, the fire prin…” the judge trailed off. “Yes, anyway, guilty of insurrection, hate speech, removing her tracking ID, endangering innocent lives, inciting violence, the murder of at least 25 of the endangered Trethlem species…”

Shari tuned his voice out and breathed deeply. One by one, she released the memories from their cages. First was her mother. The horrible moments of loss were followed by happier ones from more carefree times. A rush of emotions left tears sliding silently down her face. Grateful to be facing away from the crowd, she released more. The small loyal army she once commanded came next. Good soldiers, better friends. One by one she addressed them with a smile, the good memories and the dark endings washed over, drowning her in a sea of grief. They deserved respect. They deserved to be remembered with honour, so if this was her last day then that’s what she had to do.

“.. and is sentenced to death by public execution.”

Cold hard fear slammed into her and the world spiralled out of control. She had failed everyone. What last shred of humanity remained was doomed. An iron grip clenched around her left arm dragged her from the bench where she stood. They pulled up abruptly in the middle of the room for a self-important gaggle of officials slowly moving out in front of them. A hateful chorus of evil rained down from the balcony above.

Shari’s right elbow pinched sharply, and she was shocked to find Alex had slipped through the crowd to stand beside her.

“Alex!” She mouthed under her breath.

“I told you, you don’t understand.” His small body was hidden from the guards by the crowd. “I’m sorry for betraying you.”

“No.” She whispered. “You saved me.”

Alex looked confused. “We needed you. They wouldn’t do it unless you were here.”

“Huh?”

He slipped his locket into her bound hands, and she flicked it open, curious to see whose photo lay inside. There was none, just a small silver button. Alex met her curious gaze.

“Wait for our signal.”

Then he was gone.