Unison (The Spheral) (28 page)

I turned away from her.

“If you knew why you’d under—” She was interrupted by a blast from Kai’s plazer.

I slowly faced Flora, who was flat on her back with a shot to her forehead. A few tears rolled down her motionless eyes.

Kai aimed his plazer towards me.

“I could’ve shot you,” I said.

“Your psychological engineering skills have perished out here. You had the advantage and failed to recognize it.”

“An advantageous position isn’t always as advantageous as it appears.”

“From the direction in which my plazer is now aimed, it
appears
that death is your only option. I’d say that gives me the advantage.”

“It would appear that way.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“Why did you come here, Kai?” I asked.

“There was a lizard who had been tracking a mouse for his next meal. When the mouse stopped to feed on some berries, the lizard successfully pinned the mouse to the ground—”

“Just as I did to you,” I said.

“The lizard was about to kill the mouse when a hawk landed nearby and told him a lightning bolt was about to strike. The hawk offered to fly the lizard to safety, but the lizard didn’t listen. He thought the hawk wanted his meal. Lighting struck moments later and killed the lizard.”

“The hawk would’ve killed the lizard anyway. Hawks eat lizards,” I said.

“You were out here so long, you’ve become paranoid,” Kai said. “Rather than accept help, you invite tragedy. Alone we fall; in Unity we stand.”

“You don’t believe a word of that.” I smiled.

“Yet I managed to make it all the way to the Chosen. And soon I’ll be inducted as Overseer. Apart from the Chosen, you’re the first to hear my good news.”

“Did you kill the Overseer?”

“Yes. Yes, I did.” He laughed. “I must admit, this is the most fun I had in a while. I can say whatever I want to you and nothing will happen to me.”

“For once we agree. It’s liberating…to speak freely.”

“I like this a lot.”

“I imagined you as many things Kai, but never as a murderer.”

Kai looked solemnly at Flora. “I wanted her respect, but she saw right through me.”

“She had a talent for that.” I recalled the time she called me a sleeve-worshipper.

“Whenever I was around her my actions weren’t that of a rational man. Love is the true scourge. Once it infected me, I did things I never imagined myself capable of doing.”

“Is there a cure?” I was hoping for one, but my hatred thawed when I gazed at Flora. After all the betrayals, I still loved her.

“Killing Flora cured me.” Kai aimed his plazer at me. “But I’ll return to Unity feeling very distraught because you murdered my lover who came with me for a weekend hike. I had to stop you before you killed me.”

“Enjoy your victory because when I see you again…I’m going to kill you.”

“Vengeance only works when you’re alive.”

“I know.” I laughed, and my fourth incarnation concluded with a plazer blast to my head. I didn’t feel a thing.

BANDITS AND GOOD SAMARITANS

FIFTH INCARNATION

T
he karmic backpack I carried with me into the old tunnel got heavier during each incarnation. My ignorance of the past hadn’t made it any lighter. With each newly added karmic kilo came a new way of dealing with Harmony and Wade’s death. On this circuit of my journey, anger followed me into the old tunnel. I was angry at the purple sleeves and Overseer for trying to dominate everyone; I was angry at Wade for allowing his feelings for Nasia to control him, and I was angry at myself for calling Unity Forces because I feared losing control of the perfect life I thought I had. To let go of it would mean to enter a chaotic world where no rules existed. I spent my whole life seeped in Unitian dogma that had been pounded into my brain since my emergence. Stepping outside of that structured mindset made me feel like a newborn baby having to learn the rules over again, except there were no rules to learn. I had to make up my own as I went along.

My COR alarm went off when I ran into Sephroy. This time, I decided to investigate my familiarity with him. After a short rest, I knocked on his door.

“Sorry it took so long, Chap. Back’s hurting more than usual.” He clung to the door frame to keep himself from falling.

“Don’t you have anyone to help you?”

“Used to—until the damned dogs got to her.”

I assisted Sephroy back inside where he recounted a graphic explanation of his wife’s demise, including a detailed description of her body when he found her.

“What did you want, anyway?” He sat down behind a small stationery desk and searched for something inside a drawer.

“We’re leaving.”

“That’s it?” He took out a folded piece of paper.

“And thanks for your hospitality,” I said.

Sephroy handed me the paper. It was a map.

“I already have one.”

“Does it have the trade route?”

I examined the map. “How much?”

“No charge.”

I searched through my pockets. “Let me at least give you some—”

“Not used to travelers helping me without wanting something in return.”

“My former compatriots would laugh at you for saying that.”

“They don’t see as much as I do. Most people from your end of the tunnel don’t say a word to me because they think they’re smarter. It’s hard to keep myself from telling them they don’t know anything—but I got a business to run. Can’t be rude to the customers.”

“I’ve done worse.” I smiled.

“Show me one human who hasn’t done wrong, and then I’ll show you a flying dog.” Sephroy laughed.

“Some of us can do more damage than others.”

“That’s true.” He appeared lost in thought.

“Are you talking from personal experience?” I asked.

“Too personal. It’s something I’ve been trying to forget for what seems like an eternity.”

“An eternity is a long time.”

“For me, time seems immeasurable,” Sephroy said with an anguish that deepened every line in his face.

We talked for a while longer, and I left with a new map but without any new understanding.

I emerged from out of the blackness of the tunnel and blocked the rays of the sun with my hand. Shisa ran ahead towards the beach where we remained all day. The sweeping cliffs and crashing waves soothed my nerves. I sat and listened to the surf while Shisa chased the seagulls until she tired herself out. We caught some fish for our dinner and then camped out on the beach for the night.

The next morning we traveled along a lush forest pathway until we found a small community of stone cottages constructed in a circle formation. The COR alarm sounded, and I turned it off before rapping at the gate.

A woman approached and greeted me, speaking alien words.

I pointed at the well inside. “Water.”

She waved over an older portly man who spoke the same language as the woman.

I lifted my canteen and pointed to the well. “Water.”

The man probed me for several moments as I did him, hoping for some recognition. Nothing about him or the female who greeted me seemed familiar.

He pointed to my plazer. “You may enter, but no weapons are allowed in here.”

I slid my plazer through the wooden bars, and he took it.

“Welcome to Littlefield.” He unlocked the gate and opened it. “I’m Wilfrid.”

“I’m Damon, and my furry companion is Shisa.”

“No wild animals are permitted inside the gate.”

“Shisa isn’t wild. She’s more civil than most humans I’ve met.”

“That’s a referral of the highest kind.” He scrutinized Shisa for a moment and then signaled for us to enter.

I followed Wilfrid to the well. “I can offer you something for the water.”

“We don’t charge for water here,” he said. “It belongs to the Earth.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“My grandfather told me all the world’s problems come from us thinking we own pieces of the Earth, but we’re pieces of her.”

“Your grandfather sounds like a wise man.”

“He was, indeed. Where are you headed?”

“New Athenia.”

“You have a long journey ahead of you. It’ll be getting dark soon. You’re welcome to stay in our guest bungalow.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve been stagnant long enough. I’d rather keep moving.”

“You’ll need weapons. Bandits roam the woodlands once the sun goes down.” Wilfrid studied me for a moment and handed me back my plazer.

I expertly flipped it around in my hand. “As long as I have this, I have nothing to worry about.”

“Impressive.” Wilfrid smiled. “But a weapon can’t get you out of every problem.”

“Did your grandfather tell you that too?”

“As a matter of fact, he did.”

I went to return the plazer to Wilfrid.

“Keep it,” he said. “I can see you’re no threat to us.”

“If I run into a bandit, I hope he won’t agree with your appraisal.”

After I drew my water, I called out to Shisa who was playing with a young boy.

“It seems like Michael made a friend,” Wilfrid said.

Shisa ran over to us with Michael.

“Are they staying?” Michael asked Wilfrid.

“You may address Damon directly. He speaks our language, and he’ll be leaving soon.”

Michael looked up at me, and I extended my hand out to shake his hand.

“You’ll probably run into bandits.” He looked at Wilfrid. “Did you tell him?”

“I’ll be okay,” I said. “Shisa will protect me.”

Michael bent down to pet Shisa and then stared up at me. “You’re either brave or not right in your head.”

“Mind your speech, Michael,” Wilfrid said.

“I don’t
mind
anyone who speaks his mind.”

Michael stood up. “I hope you’re brave.”

“Sometimes I think I’m not right in my head.” I winked my eye at him. “Thanks for keeping an eye on Shisa.”

Michael pointed to Shisa. “You be careful, and watch out for the bandits.”

I left Littlefield and grappled with my own foreboding as the sky darkened.

I walked along an Ancient road that ran parallel to a forest. The crickets were loud, but not loud enough to block out Wade’s death that was still fresh in my memory. Lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice the two horses racing towards me from behind. I’d heard the clacking of hooves against the ground so many times that the sound didn’t alert me. It took a few moments to connect Shisa’s barks with the riders who came at me, swinging long chains. By the time I clutched my plazer, I was thrown to the ground by a chain that lashed my hips and torso. I got to my knees and held my throbbing hip with one hand while firing my plazer blindly with the other. Another chain battered my thighs, and the force threw me on to my back. The two bandits converged over me with their chains. One of them struck my chest, and I lost consciousness.

After I awoke, Shisa came to me and licked my cheek. I’m still unsure how she escaped the attack, but I was relieved to see that I was not alone. A stabbing pain irradiated from my chest down to my lower extremities. I screamed in agony as I pulled myself on to my forearms. Shisa whimpered and sat next to me.

I was stranded and without supplies. The bandits had taken everything except for my multipurpose knife, which was in my pocket. Unable to get up, I started laughing at my shortsightedness. My failure to think about the consequences of my actions led to Wade’s and Old Woman’s deaths. It seemed fitting that I meet a similar fate. After what seemed like a few more hours of self-recrimination, a carriage rode past. The rider caught glimpse of me but continued on his way, as though I didn’t exist. This happened several more times. People would pass by and leave without even offering so much as one sip of water. I questioned whether all Outsiders were this selfish, and I ruminated over my own behavior. My need to advance at the expense of the Unitians’s autonomy wasn’t any different.