The Scavenger

Sarai grimaced at the collection she had laid out before her. It wasn’t a good day for scavenging, that was for sure. Sure, there were always those superstitious folk who’d pay a coin or two for a genuine Surface spoon or bowl; they, supposedly, would bring you luck (which was complete bullshit, but anything for a few extra pennies). The old tea kettle might be worth something, though it was a bit rusty. But the glass shards, no matter what color they were stained, were pretty much worthless, and the carabiner wasn’t useful or pretty enough to tempt anyone.

With a heavy sigh, Sarai gathered up her catch and started heading back to the lift. She’d have to make due with what she found; the car up to Orens was going to be leaving soon and spending the night on the Surface was a death wish. She knew she’d have to move on soon. Scavenging was getting harder and harder, everything already picked over and looted to the point that it was hardly worth the danger. Plus, there’d been rumors going around about power shortages in the city. Sarai wouldn’t be too surprised if Orens went like Pakstov pretty soon. Hopefully this time, people would be a little bit smarter about leaving before the city fell.

She’d leave by the end of the week. Hop on a sky transport and hope for better pickings in Laom, or maybe Pasia. Maybe she could-

Sarai froze when she heard the screeching, an awful wail undercut by pained screams. Panicked, she glanced around, desperate for a cave or hole she can hide away in. The town she’d been scavenging was too far away, and there really wasn’t anything except a few dead trees and some rocks...there! It wasn’t much, just some ruins of what was once a house that barely offered any cover, but it was better than nothing. She raced to it, throwing herself around the dilapidated wall just as she heard the heavy footsteps of a Husk appear from around the hill. Sarai held her breath, too terrified to even breathe as the creature stomped around the small valley she’d been traveling through, a low growl echoing from the back of its throat. It was close, Sarai could tell. Way too close. Her hand shook as she reached for the knife strapped to her boot.

The Husk let out another one of its piercing cries, and Sarai shut her eyes. It was all she could do not to cover her ears and cry out herself. She’d only been this close to a Husk once before and that…

Unbidden, tears came to her eyes.

That had only ended in blood.

The Husk gave once final growl, pawed at the earth, and then bounded away, fortunately in the opposite direction Sarai was hiding. A shuddering breath left her, her shoulders drooping in relief as the fade in adrenaline suddenly left her winded.

Sarai slowly opened her eyes to stare down at her shaking hands. Too close. That had been too close…

She looked past them to stare at the ground, at the yellow grass growing through the broken foundation of the home she hid in. She hated to think about it. So many people had still been in Pakstov when it fell. All of them surely torn apart by Husks…

A glint caught her eye, something silver hidden among the weeds. Curious, Sarai leaned forward and grabbed it, holding it up to see.

It was a necklace. The chain was dulled by age, but still in good condition. The charm that hung from it was shaped like a heart, with a clasp on one side. A locket. Sarai slid the nail of her thumb between the slit and was surprised when it popped open without issue. Inside was a picture.

Sarai couldn’t help the grin that stretched across her features, the Husk all but forgotten now. This wasn’t just a picture, it was a photograph. They were rarer than gold. It was small, sure, but what she could sell this for...forget Pasia, she could travel to the Dream City Yorkes itself!

Sarai held the locket closer to her face to get a better look. The photo was faded, but in surprisingly good condition. The locket must have protected it from time and the elements. In it was a young man, with a cheeky smile that went all the way up to his eyes. Love you was carefully carved on the other side of the locket, though the lettering was faded, as if someone had run their thumb over and over it. Was this how people showed affection back in the day? Before the Husks appeared and everyone took to the skies to avoid being slaughtered?

It didn’t matter now, Sarai supposed as she snapped the locket shut. She tucked it carefully into one of her hidden pockets, knowing that far too many of her fellow scavengers would very easily gut her for something like this.

The trek back to the lift was spent keeping a close eye out for the Husk she saw earlier. She noticed a trail of blood as she left her hiding spot, and wondered which scavenger it was this time. She hoped it was no one she knew, but really only out of courtesy. Making friends as a scavenger never lasted very long. It was better to avoid it entirely.

It was just through a thicket of dead, half-fallen trees that the lift finally came into view, a single guard stationed at the front. Eli, one of the more restrained scavengers, was already there, and waved in greeting when he spotted her.

“You’re not dead,” he said once she’d reached the lift.

“No.”

“Marcia said that there was a Husk spotted in your area.” He nodded to the woman already waiting in the lift, who only gave her a curt nod.

“Yes. I saw it.” That was a bit of a lie. Sarai hadn’t actually seen it, but she was close enough that it hadn’t mattered.

“Lucky you’re okay then,” Eli noted.

“Yes. But I think someone wasn’t so lucky. There was blood.”

“It was Nickolai,” Marcia said from the lift. “I found his pack.”

They offered a moment of silence, out of respect, but that was all. Scavengers don’t make friends, and they certainly don’t have time to mourn.

Slowly, a few other scavengers appeared from the wasteland’s horizon, all of them shifting anxiously for the lift to rise. At exactly 8 o’clock, the guard closed the gate, and started the controls. And then the lift began to move.

This was always Sarai’s favorite part. From above, the Surface didn’t look nearly so bad. You could see out for miles and miles, everything blocked by the clouds when you were up in the city. And it always meant that, at least for today, she had survived. Another trek into the treacherous wastes of the Surface, another few coins in her pocket, and another day she wasn’t torn apart by Husks.

“Mal was late,” Marcia noted absently, nodding to the panicked figure running towards the lift’s base. They were only a third of the way up, so they could still see the desperate way he waved his arms, begging for them to return. But the rules were the rules, and it didn’t matter what city you were in, no one broke the rules of the lift. Once it leaves, it doesn’t come back for anyone. Not until the next day, when it starts all over again.

“Two in a single day,” Eli huffed. “Hope this doesn’t become a common thing. There’s not anything good enough left for those kinds of odds.”

“You’re right,” Sarai agreed, feeling a distant sort of queasiness as she watched Mal curl up on the ground, right at the base of the lift. She was too far away to hear his sobs. “I think I’ll have to move on,” she said, forcing herself to look away and pretend that she didn’t see another Husk racing across the Surface, straight towards Mal.

“You got enough for a sky transport?” Eli asked, eyebrow raised.

Sarai patted her pocket, where the locket was safely hidden. “Maybe. I’ve been saving up. You know I never stay for long.”

“Of course. Don’t think I could ever do that,” Eli admitted. “I couldn’t leave Orens. It’s my home.”

You should leave. You should leave before the city falls, just like Pakstov did. You should leave before the Husks find you in the ruins of the city you love so much.

But Sarai didn’t say that. They weren’t friends. And no scavenger can afford compassion. So instead, Sarai only nodded, and said nothing as the lift completed its journey back to the floating city of Orens. And as they left, Sarai turned to Eli and said, “Goodbye.” And then she turned away, and she never saw him, or any of Orens’ scavengers again.