The Path

The Path

By Carole Brown

“Psst.”

Niles turned as the sound caught his attention above the noise in his mind, the screaming and cursing voices from both foes and friends wrangled together as if caught in a spider web and unable to get loose. Even though the people of the resistance had whittled down the seemingly insurmountable forces of the Snomeds, it still wasn't enough to overtake Enemyian. Too many of Nile's friends lay dead on the ground.

Nile's lips slid into a sneer. For five years, he'd been as loyal to Enemyian as any of his soldiers, working to achieve what he'd thought was the goal. Only a happenstance—where he'd overheard a private conversation between Enemyian and a trusted second—had wakened his mind to the truth. Instead of the savior that Enemyian had claimed to be, in truth, he was their destroyer. The concoction of a deadly, undetectable gas which his scientists had developed in secret, dulled people's minds and their ability to think. So dull, in fact, most of them would be no better than simple robots, performing the tasks that Enemyian deemed necessary for his end goal.

The gas had not only harmed and killed ninety percent of their world's population but had harmed two-thirds of the food supply. Pitiful sums of money were doled out for people to buy a bit of food. No one had choices. You did what you were told. A list of dos and don'ts was sent to all residents to be obeyed whether you wanted to or not.

Punishment from Enemyian's elite soldiers had been quick and deadly for those who resisted.

The sound came again. Quiet, yet loud enough over the noises in his head, to get his attention. “Psst.”

He cast the man a glance. “Go away. I'm thinking.”

“About?”

Niles was angry. Desperation to undo the undoable gripped him like a monster bear determined to squeeze the life from him.

“You have doubts?”

“What do you think?” He nodded in the direction of his dead friends.

The man's gaze drilled deep into his own, studying him as if he could read his mind. “I think you are the one.”

“What does that mean?”

“I mean, you can survive. You and your friends.”

“Man, are you crazy? Enemyian has spies everywhere, technology that defies all past inventions. There is no escape.”

“It won't be easy. Come. Follow me.”

“I can't leave my son or my friends, those who are still alive, behind.”

“Niles, listen to the man. Go with him and do as he says.”

It was his best friend from childhood, Jarvis, who'd walked up to them. The man was big-boned, a fierce fighter and previously a heavy-weight champion.

“And leave everyone who is left?”

“No. You take all who will go now. If there are any loitering Snomeds, I will distract them.”

“I can't leave you behind.”

“You have little time.” Jarvis paced off ten feet. “Go. Gather your son and live.”

Jarvis strode away.

He would be cut down like a blade of grass. Sick to his stomach, Niles glanced at the stranger.

If there was hope, a way to escape this mad world, a way for his family to live happily, then he'd take it. He had no other choice.

***

Five minutes later Niles and his son were ready, backpacks on their backs. Outside, the stranger led them to the outskirts of the town. Standing huddled together was the group of people who Jarvis had persuaded to join them. No sign of Jarvis, and Niles sighed. His friend had stayed to distract the Snomeds as long as possible.

The stranger pointed out a path. “Do not deter from it. Use your skills to work your way to the top of the mountain. Once there, the way to your freedom, to a new world of peace, will be revealed.”

“Aren't you going?”

“No. I must assure the few remaining ones that there is hope. Go now. Quickly.”

The man gave Niles a gentle shove on the shoulder.

The path was littered with rocks, the trees, leafless, the earth, brown and dry. Clinging to the bare limbs were berry-looking fruits. But an unusual undercurrent of undulating noise hovered in the air and discouraged him from taking a chance.

“Dad, I'm hungry. Let's try those berries.”

Niles turned just in time to see his son, Titus, move toward the fruit. “No, Son, stay on the path of safety.”

“We're hungry too. We didn't have time to stock up on food supplies to bring.” One of the middle-aged men from Niles' community had stopped walking, his face a mask of belligerence.

“Don't be tempted. The stranger assured me we would have all our needs supplied.”

“My wife is sickly. She can not go further without sustenance.”

“Think twice before ignoring the stranger's words.”

Niles cast a quick glance at the berries, tempted to satisfy his own stomach's cravings. But the berries had swollen, and he caught the glint of something that looked like...an eye?

It wasn't a berry. It was a bird curled into a ball. Nothing like he'd ever seen or read about in all his studies.

“That's not a—” Niles shouted, but it was too late.

As his friend stepped off the path, he reached out, touched one of the berry-looking birds. Of a sudden, loud shrieks split the air as twenty, thirty of the birds spread their wings. With a cackle of contempt, three of them stretched forth claws and, together, latched onto his friend, plucking him from the ground, as if he weighed no more than a baby, and flew upward until he'd vanished.

Niles' group huddled together, his friend's wife sobbing. No one spoke. Only Niles stood, quiet, shock riddling through him.

The stranger had been right.

“We want to go back. We'd rather be half-human as dead.”

“It's your fault he's dead.”

“Who knows what's up ahead?”

Niles raised a hand to stop their accusations. “The stranger warned us not to waver from the path. There's nothing we can do now for our friend.”

He gave them no time to object, only motioned to his son to follow. He could hear the soft plodding of the footsteps behind him, but he refused to check. Who followed, followed. Who didn't would be left to their own devices.

Three hours later they came to a large rock in the middle of the path and from the rock flowed crystal clear water. Beside the rock lay small wafers of bread-like cakes. Niles waved the people on, allowing them to drank and eat before he did.

When they'd had their fill and rested fifteen minutes, he spoke. “I have no idea if the Snomeds will attempt to follow us. We must go.”

No one spoke, too exhausted to argue with him.

Up ahead he could see mountains and deep gullies. He'd seen this type of territory once before when younger, while exploring the land—the terrain, the fierce animals, the difficult and dangerous climbs. Some of his friends might not make it, but he was determined to risk it.

The path had narrowed to a two-foot-wide rim, stretching fifty feet or so along the side of the mountain. And worse than that, below them, in the depths of the valley lurked the berry birds eyeing them, mouths gaping, shiny red eyes glinting, their harsh cackling noises urging the people above them to falter and stumble.

“Lock hands and don't let go. Do not look down. Keep your eyes on the back of the one in front of you.” Niles glanced back only once to make sure everyone's hand was in a tight handgrip, and then he moved forward.

The birds below continued their cackle, not moving, until at last, one took flight upward, straight at the last man at the end. Niles saw the bird coming and tossed a rock at it, and stunned for a moment, the bird hesitated, then recovered. As if angry at the assault, he dove for the man, knocked him down, then turned its attention to a woman, pecking at her until she screamed. Niles and his friends launched a volley of rocks until the bird gave up the fight.

His friends cheered, but gazing past them, Niles spotted the Snomeds coming behind them. It was time to move.

Twenty feet along the rim, Niles saw Enemyian and two of his elite soldiers waiting.

Blocked from both ends.

“Did you think you could escape?” Enemyian bent, picked up a large stone and rolled the stone toward Niles, his aim perfect. His soldiers followed suit, rolling and throwing the stones.

Niles was agile, his son athletic, but some of the older ones, not so much. It would be a miracle if they all made it. Niles kicked at most of the rocks, knocking them over the rim into the valley below, hoping to stop them before they roll on to the others.

The group ran, dodging the rocks as best as they could, staggering against the onslaught when they couldn't, and managed to reach secure ground—all except one. The last one.

An especially large stone came straight at the man, hitting him. Niles jumped forward, hoping to grab him, but the man tottered on the rim, two feet from solid ground, fell and rolled off, his mouth open, the fear radiating out of his eyes even as he vanished.

Niles had no time to grieve for the man, to listen to the remaining group's complaints. “Go, my son, lead our friends away, while I distract Enemyian.”

And then he saw him. Not Enemyian, but Jarvis running straight at their enemy.

The fight was over in minutes. And though Enemyian screamed that there were more soldiers on their way, Jarvis ignored him, slugged one of the soldiers while Niles took on the other. Enemyian was no fighter, and seconds later, he was in Jarvis' grip.

Niles swiveled toward Enemyian, his lips drawn into a sneer. The man was worthy of nothing but death.

From behind a rock, a man walked toward them. The Stranger.

“You have succeeded, Niles. Only one thing remains. Claim that which will give you the power to recover your world.”

“What is that?”

The stranger's gaze remained on Enemyian. Niles studied the enemy. A glimmer of polished red caught his eye, and his gaze swiveled back to the stranger.

“Claim it, Niles.”

Niles moved toward Enemyian, saw defeat in the man's eyes then gripped the locket hanging from around Enemyian's neck. With a jerk, the chain broke.

“You now have the means to restore the earth. It will take time, but the antidote will, drop by drop, be enough to give it a healthy restart.”

Niles looked back at the devastated world he'd run from. There was no new world, Only a world he'd been tasked to heal. One drop at a time.

He straightened his shoulders and gripped the locket tight in his fist.