The Caretakers

The thumping of her heart roared in her ears as she ran across the open field. The sky was open and wide, but Simon had never felt so claustrophobic in her life. She could feel her legs turning to lead as she continued to pound her way across the grass and towards the forest. A loud crack sounded not far behind her, and she heard a piercing whistle go past her ears – they were gaining on her. Simon’s pack bounced across her back as she willed herself to keep running – fearing that if she thought too much about keeping her legs going, she would surely trip over herself. There was shouting in the distance and the sound of hounds barking started up – a shiver went down Simon’s spine. The forest was but a hundred meters from her now – she could surely reach the trees before the hounds reached her – right? Hearing the hounds racing through the tall grass behind her, Simon mustered whatever she had left in her and pushed herself until the safety of the trees were within reach and then dived into the forest. Her legs kept pushing her until she was safely concealed behind bushes and shrubbery and Simon watched carefully between the branches as the hounds raced and stumbled to a halt on the boundaries of the woods. They paced back and forth along the border, growling and snapping as their masters caught up to them. Simon could see them talking amongst themselves, likely trying to convince one and other that there was no need to continue forth into the woods. As Simon worked hard to slow her breathing and catch her breath, she watched as the masters turned around and led their dogs back to the town with them.

Simon fell back against the ground, staring up at the leafy canopy and breathed a sigh of relief. Trips to the town were always risky, if you were caught then there was no going back. Ants were starting to crawl up her arms and she could feel an insect had landed in her hair, but the exhaustion from her latest journey into town left Simon far from caring about these things. After a few more moments she rolled over and pushed herself off the forest floor and brushed the dirt from her pants. There was still quite a long way before she reached home, though the disappointment of her latest escapade into town left a bitter taste in her mouth at the thought of bringing nothing of value back. Still, responsibilities were not to be ignored and Simon trudged her way through the dense forest. It was fortunate that the myths and stories surrounding the Crimson Wood were enough to keep all but the most desperate of travelers at bay. Certainly, the guardsman never entered, which made the forest a prime place for those seeking to avoid the grim fate of society. The forest began to thin a little, and within a few more minutes of walking Simon spied the canopy of the small hut she called home. Made from palm fronds and large branches, it wasn’t the most elegant of homes, but it kept the wind and rain off their backs and provided a reprieve from the seeds and twigs that would occasionally fall from the taller trees. Simon let out a low mournful whistle, the signal she had devised with her younger brother to alert each other when they returned. As Simon tugged off the door from the shelter, nothing more than branches strapped together that rested over the entry way, she heard a gentle hoot above her.

“A bit early for you isn’t it?” Simon muttered as she glanced up at the small barn owl that slept in the hollow of a tree behind their shelter. Simon could not help but feel the owl was giving her a stern look of disapproval, at her failure of obtaining what she needed from the town, as she shut and tied the door firmly behind her.

It was mid afternoon by the time Simon had returned, but still the small limp figure that was her charge, slept under his blanket. Sighing, Simon placed her nearly empty backpack on the floor and walked over to sit by her brother. Too thin and fragile, Damon was small for a boy of ten years, but this was a result of their lifestyle. Meals could be few and far between, and with no access to medicine, when he became ill it took a toll on him. She stroked his hair gently, something she rarely got to do as he was not fond of being touched or held. Leaving him to rest, Simon prepared their meager dinner of canned soup warmed gently in the firepit outside their shelter. Simon had been saving the soup for a better day but given her failure to find any medicine for Damon, she felt this was one way to try and improve the day. As the soup warmed slowly on the firepit, Simon sat and watched the owl stretch its wings, seemingly preparing for an evening of hunting. She was fond of its presence, for it too hid in the forest and only ventured to the fields and town for food. She was also jealous of its freedom – it was not paired and so came and went as it pleased. Despite her love for Damon, she constantly lived in a state of stress and nervousness, never knowing if he would pull through this illness or if he would succumb to it. She had been entrusted with his care months ago, and yet it never got easier and he never got better. It was not that she resented him, but she had been on her own for so long, that the idea of failing her promise to care for him kept her on edge. The sun had not yet begun to set, but a rustle in the trees caught Simon’s attention and their neighboring owl took flight. A feeling of unease crept over her for an inexplicable reason, but she as distracted by the sound of the Damon emerging from their hut.

Simon lifted the pot off the fire and shook it gently to stir the contents, watching Damon out of the corner of her eye as he slowly sat opposite her by the fire. He looked more gaunt than usual, but his eyes were wide and alert as he took in his surroundings. Simon pulled out the one spoon they owned and passed it to Damon, leaving the pot on the ground next to him.

“Eat.” Simon commanded. “You need to gain weight.” She added quietly. Damon frowned at her but began to sip on his meal.

“I couldn’t find what we needed, so you need to eat what you can to get better. The guardsmen are getting bolder, they stopped right outside the forest this time. We should move on lest they become bold enough to actually come in here.” Simon paused to let Damon respond – though she knew he would not, as he never did. Damon watched her carefully and nodded the slightest amount, before reverting his gaze back to the trees behind her.

“They’ve rounded up more, in a farm just east of the town. From what I saw they have them all kept in the barn. I saw a scrap of old newspaper - it said they’re being ‘transferred’ to a ‘processing facility’ tomorrow. Some sort of way to determine which unfortunate bastards have the gene and who doesn’t.” Simon snorted. She did not believe that there was in fact a defective gene that the Caretakers were determined to isolate and cure. Perhaps there was some form of defect, but it was unspoken, but common knowledge that nobody was cured – unless their definition of ‘cure’ meant ‘elimination’. She did not know how much Damon knew, as he never spoke, but she did not need to bring up the grizzly details of their dilemma. Though she wondered if she had set too much as Damon began to frown at her – or not at her, but past her.

Simon turned around and saw light smoke in the sky above them, and now that she was concentrating, she could smell it too. Suddenly, the owl sped past her to its usual tree and dived into its hollow – before re-emerging with an owlet in tow, like a small version of its parent. Large eyes blinked at Simon, before the pair flew off and the sound of barking and other animal noises filled the air. They were burning parts of the forest – and their dogs were in the woods. Simon dashed into their shelter, tearing aside the makeshift door and grabbing her backpack. Stuffing whatever her hands touched; a blanket, the water bottles and some packet of jerky lying around, Simon packed the bag and dashed back out for Damon – who stood frozen in terror as the smoke grew denser around them. Without saying a word, not even thinking about Damon’s no-contact rule, Simon grabbed him by the arm and dragged him behind her as she began to run. Before long Damon yanked his arm from her hand but managed to keep a quick pace beside her. There were trees, branches and roots in their path – tripping them and scratching their faces as they ran. More animals were beginning to escape too, adding to the chaos as they tried to navigate the undergrowth. The heat was becoming unbearable, and the smoke suffocating as the gray haze lay over the forest like a choking blanket. The barking of the dogs had faded – presumably their masters called them back when they hadn’t located Simon or Damon immediately. She began to stumble as her head felt thick and foggy, it was only when she slowed down that she came to a horrific realization – Damon was not beside her. Desperately, Simon spun around to find him, but the smoke was so thick she couldn’t see past her outstretched hand.

“Damon! Damon, where are you?” She bellowed, but her call ended in coughs and splutters as she struggled to breathe. She went to back track her steps when a hand roughly grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her further away from the oncoming fire – and further away from where Damon must have been. Simon screamed and tried to yank herself from her captor’s grip – but strong hands kept a tight grip on her collar. With no breath left in her, Simon began to go limp and her captor threw her into a fireman’s carry before she finally lost consciousness.

Waking up was a painful process – Simon’s body felt heavy and her head pounded as though she’d finished a bottle of rum the night before. She gently stretched her limbs, feeling the cold concrete under her rough blanket. Simon froze as her memory of the day’s events came flooding back. Her eyes opened and revealed nothing as she realized she was in a dark room with no lights or even a window to let sun or moonlight in. Simon pushed herself into a sitting position and backed up slowly until her body rested against the concrete wall of her room. Breathing slowly, she made a mental check list of where she was sore and if she was missing anything. Her clothes were filthy, but someone had taken the time to wipe down her face, arms and legs so that at least she was slightly cleaner. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark room, she could see she was in a small concrete bunker, empty except for the rough blanket she had been laying on and her backpack in a far corner. Donning her backpack, Simon slowly moved to the door and gently pulled the handle – it opened without trouble letting in light from the dimly lit hallway. Outside sat a large burly man, with skin the colour of the earth and a roughly shaved head. He had been reading an old and torn book but looked up when Simon exited her room.

“You nearly died.” The man said bluntly, his voice a deep rumble. Simon raised an eyebrow that she hoped made her look unimpressed and confident and would not betray the anxiety she felt about being in an unknown location with an unknown person and no idea where Damon was.

“I gather from your appearance and that you were in the woods that you are avoiding the Caretakers, as we are. You will stay here with us for now, until the fires have finished raging at least. We too are avoiding the persecution and tests they wish to perform, so you will find safety here.” The man explained gently. Simon had heard that others hid in the woods, though she did not know of any buildings at all in the forest. Clearing her throat, though it was still raw and burned, she managed to croak out the one question she needed answered.

“Where is the child? There was a boy with me, where is he?”

The man’s expression was inscrutable as his eyes bored into her.

“There was no other we saw. If there was another, we did not find him. I am sorry.” He said, his voice gentler as the words he said began to pierce Simon’s stoic exterior. Here eyes began to well as the realization hit her – if they did not find Damon then he was still up there. He was either burned or captured and neither was a fate she could live with for him. Deep underground in a dark tunnel, among strangers, Simon began to wail for her loss.