The Hunters advanced slowly and warily. Maybe too slowly, but neither of them had enough courage to get too far away from the main group that was following them. The illustrations in the Textbook paled in comparison to the reality, which was all around them. Every step forward took them farther away from their only secure home, and every kilometer brought them closer to the unknown horizon, dark with low hanging clouds.
After trekking for several hours, a vast valley opened up before them that the two boys stopped stunned at the unending view. After so many years spent inside the narrow and overpopulated Fortress, this valley represented an entire world.
“How in the world will we find food here?!” Bars murmured to himself.
Breathless from excitement, Bars and Vestule continued south. They both walked through the lifeless wilderness only a few meters from one another. The ground gave way under the weight of their mechanized survival suits, and their feet sunk into the sandy soil. Vibrations, caused by the unstable movements, weren't easily ignored, especially for Bars, who still had fresh memories of the hit to his head. His eyes, used to the eternal twilight of the Fortress were tearing up blinded by the power of the sun's light. They would need time to get used to this unnatural environment. That's why Bars continued to stare straight ahead without using the dark filters on his visor. Vision was the Hunter's main weapon and it always needed to be in perfect form. Bars and Vestule were different from the other boys, who suffered from near-sightedness developed over years spent in the Fortress. Their sharp eyes, sharpened even more so by their hunger, searched the area around them. Kilometer after kilometer, they moved forward into the wide valley but what they were searching for was nowhere in sight.
“I didn't expect this!” said Bars whose hunger pains were becoming unbearably sharper with every hour.
“According to the Textbook, we should have found a few green slugs by now,” shared Vestule. “The wide-open spaces are their favorite habitat, and it's mating season now. They should be everywhere. Where are the damned things hiding?”
“I don't like this at all!” said Bars.
The pests that they were so keenly seeking, came out of their underground hiding places during the day and returned to them when the sun set. They moved by sliding and that made them easy prey, if you could spot their tiny bodies amid the endless landscape. They tasted terrible, but the boys had no choice – green slugs were the only edible creature on the planet. The gray slugs, who originated from the green slugs, were the main food source of the Fortress, but they added sweeteners to them to neutralize their unpleasant taste. On the outside, the boys didn't have luxuries like sweeteners, but that wasn't going to keep Bars from gulping down at least 10 of the disgusting slugs if only to quiet down his growling stomach.
After a few more hours of seeking without results, Vestule had become quite grumpy.
“This is because of Thirteen, you know! We should have left him there next to the Fortress, along with that crazy fella!”
“Don't be stupid! How could Thirteen be guilty for something like this?” replied Bars.
“Bad luck! That's what it is! It's pure and simple, we're not finding anything because of that damned little bastard.” said Vestule while nodding his head.
“It's only you and me here,” said Bars to the enraged boy, who was trying to cast the blame for the unsuccessful hunt on Thirteen. “Besides it's about skill and not luck, when it's a question of finding green slugs.”
“Maybe you've been infected with some of his bad luck! How long were you together in that elevator? What happened in there, huh?”
“There's nothing wrong with me, just calm down!” declared Bars.
“Why are you defending him? We all know what he is!” Vestule didn't want to admit defeat.
“Yes, I've also heard stories about him!” replied Bars. “But, you know what?”
“What?”
“He saved my life! Thirteen succeeded in repairing my suit, just before the Descent. If it hadn't been for him, you would be searching for food all alone.”
“And maybe I would have had luck finding a slug!” responded Vestule and quickened his step, without waiting for Bars.
The heavy suits of the Hunters left a clear trail, which the main group could follow. Fatigue was closing in, but now, no one dared stop for a rest. With the passing of every hour, their thirst began to become worse than their hunger. There was no drinking water on the surface of the planet, and the only source from which they could obtain the priceless liquid was again from the slugs.
“Hey, let's try a different tactic?” offered Bars. “We need to separate. That way we'll cover a wider search area. The chances of our finding the little pests will double!”
“Are you sure? It could be dangerous?” replied Vestule expressing his doubts about the idea.
“We'll stay in visual contact with one another. It's open and flat here, there's no way we'll get lost.”
“OK, let's try it.” agreed Vestule.
The real hunt began. The green slugs were defenseless and slow moving creatures but they could sense danger from far away and make it to their hiding places under the ground, even before the Hunters could get close. That's the reason Bars was doing everything he could to find them, even before they could sense his steps closing in. He was able to remain unnoticed due to the fact that his Shell was lighter than Vestule's. The main group was slogging along far behind them, and therefore, wouldn't give them away. Their chances of success were now the best and Bars needed to take advantage of it. His perfect vision had no problem picking out far-away objects, but none of the objects looked like green slugs. Bars' survival suit climbed the hills and descended the depressions, and the kilometers of lifeless land didn't change. But the strangest thing was that there were no signs of his prey. He didn't expect it to be so difficult at least not from the very beginning. If it was impossible to find the slugs now during mating season, what could they expect later on? The Shells would protect them from the forces of nature, but not from the lack of food. Death by starvation was one of the greatest dangers faced by every boy in his first year after leaving the Fortress. Bars' anxiety grew with every hour that passed without finding any slugs, because the entire group depended upon his skills.
The day was near its end, when a signal rocket flew up into the sky. Bars was lost in thought and had lost sight of Vestule but when he saw the bright light of the flare, he rallied and immediately headed in the direction of the signal. The signal was to be used to alert the main group that food had been found. While the flaming trail of the flare lighted up the dark sky, Bars began to doubt himself.
He had already failed during the first day of the Descent.
When he had found the other Hunter, Bars greeted him:
“Congratulations! The first catch is yours!”
Vestule turned his suit toward Bars. He's saddened face appeared behind the visor.
“I failed!” he replied despairingly.
Bars drew closer and saw Vestules' catch. In front of the suit's metal feet lay two little slugs, no bigger than 30 centimeters. Their bodies were shrunken and shriveled.
“It looks like they've been dead for a few days,” shared Vestule. “Do you think they are still edible?”
“Do we have a choice?” sighed Bars. “This is what's on the menu tonight.”
The darkness of the night hid the ground and the temperature drastically dropped. Even if there were any more slugs, during that time of day they were hidden below the surface. The hunt would have to be continued in the morning.
“Why weren't we able to find any living slugs? Where did we go wrong?” Bars said thoughtfully, while his searchlight shined on the pathetic find.
“I don't really know. We did everything, just as it's described in the Textbook,” replied Vestule. “There was no wind, perfect visibility, and the surroundings – wide-open and sandy. All the conditions needed for a successful hunt were there!”<
br />
“And nevertheless, the result is disappointing!”
“Dead slugs, and on the first day – that's not good, you know!” said Vestule scared.
While the Hunters were reasoning about the lack of slugs, the searchlights of the main group appeared over the nearby rise. Leegan was the first to arrive. His step was quick and sure, not showing any sign of fatigue. His Shell, covered in dust and filth, looked even more frightening.
“That's all?!” commented Leegan, when he saw the two slugs.
“We just didn't have any luck today...” tiredly responded Bars.
“You didn't have any luck?...Explain that to the rest of them when they come. I'm starting!” Leegan pushed them aside and prepared to eat.
As every leader, it was his right to eat before everyone else. The device for extracting the liquid nutriments came out of his suits' hand and Leegan stuck its sharp end into the body of one slug. With a hissing sound, the creature's soft insides traveled through the tubes that led to the suit's food reservoirs. After a few seconds, Leegan sucked thirstily on the feeding tube, which was attached next to his head. The look on his face conveyed the pleasure he received from filling his stomach. And the body of the slug shrunk more and more, until in the end only the external hard skin was left.
At that moment, the rest of the boys arrived. They were all hungry and tired after their first day outside the Fortress. They grouped together and began to pull out their extraction devices, but their joy soon disappeared, once they saw what was going to be their supper.
“I'm starving! This is all the food?” yelled Rogar.
“It's absolutely not enough,” noted Zimmer regretfully.
Everyone's searchlights were pointed at the only remaining slug at Leegan's feet, and they were sucking in the greenish insides of the slug with their hungry looks.
“What are you waiting for? I left that one for you,” said Leegan and then stepped aside.
The boys lunged at the food, their Shells banging into one another. The wall of heavy suits, which stood before Bars, was impenetrable and he knew that there wouldn't be any food left for him. Disappointed, he stepped away from the pile of crazed boys, who were trying to get whatever they could of the slug.
“Come here, Hunter!” called out Leegan unexpectedly.
Surprised, Bars turned and saw how the Alpha Defender was waving his hand at him to come over. Once he was standing in front of the Defender's huge Shell, the Hunter waited frozen with fear.
“Did you find them?” asked Leegan and took another swig from his feeding tube.
“No. Vestule found them,” replied Bars, avoiding the leader's eyes.
“Vestule? That incompetent bumbler? I thought you would accomplish this task. After all, your results were the best this year – the best Hunter, that's what they were saying in the Fortress.”
“It's completely different out here. I tried, but...”
“And you'll keep trying!” said Leegan abruptly hardening his tone and grabbed Bars' Shell with his metallic hands. The Shell screeched and sank a little into the ground. “Listen up! Let me explain how things stand, if you haven't understood yet. Since you’re the best Hunter you have to find twice as much food as Vestule!”
“But, that's impossible! There's not that many slugs here!” replied Bars as he unsuccessfully tried to get out of Leegan's hold.
“You're not hearing me? We need food!” continued Leegan. “Look at what's happening right now because of you! The boys are fighting amongst themselves for the one and only slug – this must not happen ever again! Do you understand?”
Leegan's hold on Bars increased and he clearly heard how his suit was suffering from it.
“Do your job like you should and insure that the boys in the group have enough food, because now, they are my brothers and I'm their leader!”
“Understood!” Bars nodded his head.
“Don't disappoint me again! Never again!” Leegan finished and let go of Bars' suit. Then Leegan turned his back and continued to observe how the raging boys were doing with the meal.
Worried, Bars stayed in the same place. The Alpha Defender's expectations were too high! He refused to accept the facts and without taking into account the situation expected the impossible from Bars. Maybe that was his way of getting revenge for what had happened so many years ago, when they had still been friends.
Difficult memories surfaced again.
Bars was barely 12 years old, when Leegan and his twin brother Keever moved into his room. Soon after that they were inseparable friends, together in every adventure and mischief. The inseparable trio was constantly setting records for the best results during the trainings. Those were some of happiest days of Bars' life – with friends like Leegan and Keever, he felt invulnerable, ready for the Descent right then.
Unfortunately, those joyful days were doomed to have an unlucky end when the three boys became severely ill. Bars was the first to fall ill from the unknown illness, and soon after that the twin brothers. Since the Fortress hadn't had any medicines for a long time, they were thrown into Isolation, where they would have to fight off the evil sickness on their own.
After a few torturous weeks, only two of them came out of Isolation. After the loss of his brother, Leegan changed and became savage. Once he had recuperated from the long illness and regained enough strength, he poured out his wrath on Bars. The two, who up until then had been friends, could no longer live under the same roof, and after a series of noisy fights, Leegan had been transferred to another room. And Bars stayed alone eaten up with guilt. Since then many years had passed, but time had not been able to take away those feelings completely.
While Bars' distant memories had distracted him, the last member of the group arrived. He had lagged behind. Radator shuffled up in his Shell and stopped to rest.
“I didn't think I would make it!” he said out of breath. “It's a good thing that the searchlights can be seen from a distance.”
“There's no food left,” darkly remarked Bars, still affected by his talk with the Leader.
“That's a pity!” exhaled Radator, then he noticed the Mechanics, who were resting away from the melee. “Hey, guys!”
Thirteen and Zimmer didn't even try to get into the fight over the food with the others. So, they were just hungrily daydreaming and tried not to pay attention to the numerous screams, especially Yazo's because it stuck out the most.
“Hey, guys? You're going to fix this damage, otherwise I don't know how long I'll survive. It's getting more and more difficult to walk like this.”
“For now, there's nothing we can do to help you? You need reserve parts that we don't have. If we find some old suit, we might be able to use its parts to repair you...but until then, there's no way to fix it,” explained Zimmer.
“Damn it!” Radator was visibly worried. “If there was at least a little food for me...just to regain my strength for tomorrow. Knowing that I will have to drag this Shell around again. It's damn tiring, you know!”
Bars' stomach was twisted in knots, and his head felt heavy as he tried to think of some optimistic answer. He was himself worn out and hungry, but in comparison to Radator his problems were nothing.
“Tomorrow we're sure to find some slugs! And not just some scrawny dead slugs, but some big, juicy ones,” said Bars striving to smile.
“Yeah!” said Radator opening his eyes wide.
The short dinner was over and after the boys had settled down, Leegan called on the Defenders.
“We'll spend the night here. You will take turns protecting the group. Gor, you've got the first watch. I'll be checking on you from time to time, so be careful that I don't catch you unprepared!” After his talk with the Defenders, Leegan turned to the rest of the group, “Hey, listen up! We're staying here. Gather close together with the Mechanics and the Hunters in middle. On the outside should be the Gatherers and the Defenders, who are not on watch.”
; The boys began to follow the instructions and arranged themselves properly. Some of them were still dissatisfied with the miserly dinner. In spite of his empty stomach, Bars was grateful that this horrible day had come to an end. He felt as if he would collapse into a gelatinous glob if weren't for the suit keeping him together.
“Turn off your searchlights and try to regain your strength. Tomorrow's not going to be any easier,” continued Leegan. “The Hunters will head out earlier to find us something for breakfast...or at least for lunch.”
Bars, Thirteen, Zimmer and Vestule formed the inner circle, and the rest took their places around them.
“Sweet dreams,” said Thirteen and turned off his searchlights.
“Hey, move over there! I don't want you next to me,” replied Vestule.
“Neither do I!” added Luhar and immediately pushed the little Mechanic away.
“What's going on with you two!? Leave me alone!” yelled Thirteen annoyed with the boys while they kept pushing him in every direction, in order to get rid of him.
That's when Leegan stepped in, “Come over here!” He reached over and pulled Thirteen outside the group, then a short moment of chaos ensued. “You're going to stand out of the way...just for a little bit until they forget about you!”
“Why?! I'm a Mechanic, aren't I?! I'm supposed to be in the middle!” Thirteen tried to re-enter the protected circle, but Leegan blocked him.
“You're not in any danger. With your damned luck, nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“That's right!” yelled Rogar. “Stay away, freak!”
Some of the other boys expressed their relief that they wouldn't have to spend the night close to Thirteen, which caused him to lose hope that he would be accepted back in. He turned his back and stepped away another couple of meters, to a point where no one would feel threatened.
“I heard that it was exactly at night when all those strange incidents happened involving his roommates,” whispered Vestule.
“Yes, that's better! Let him stay over there,” added Lem, supported by others.
Only Bars remained silent, since he had a different opinion. And he also knew the stories connected to Thirteen even before he met him, but now they were outside the Fortress, with all kinds of dangers prowling around. Every member of the group deserved to be protected, even Thirteen with his damned luck. Leegan's decision to isolate him was unfair, dictated by the shared fear of the boys, but Bars didn't see any use in fighting it, since no one would support him.
The night advanced and it became even more dark and scary. On top of everything else, a strong wind picked up, which whistled among the suits that had gathered in its path. Bars was also trying to get used to the humming of the climate system. Inside his suit, he wasn't able to stretch out like he had in his old bed in room 35. From now on, he would have to sleep standing up, while the cocoon was rocked by the light vibrations of the suit. The comforts of the Fortress were no longer available to him, so he would have to get used to what his Shell allowed as soon as possible. Finally, sleep took him and he began to dream...
That was until Leegan's voice sounded in the darkness.
“Gor!.., where are you? Why aren't you at your post?”
There was no response from the Defender nor any trace of him. The boys woke up from the noise and feverishly began to look around.
“Did anyone see where he went?” asked Leegan, but no one was able to answer him.
“What's going on? What's this uproar about?” said Opatar trying to get his bearings, since he had been the only one, who had been sound asleep.
“Gor has disappeared somewhere,” Zimmer informed him.
“Who saw him last?” Leegan continued with his questions.
Everyone was wondering what had happened to Gor, but no one could answer the question. The wind, which continued to blow clouds of dust, had erased all traces of the Defender. No one had missed him and if Leegan hadn't made an inspection, they probably wouldn't have known about it until morning.
“Will we search for him?” asked Bars.
“Not on a night like this,” answered Leegan. “We'll try in the morning, when there's better visibility.”
The boys calmed down, since no one was burning with desire to stumble around in the dark. They were still tired and hungry.
“Continue resting and don't worry,” Leegan told them. “Now, I'll be on watch as well as that one, what was your name...Yazo.”
“I'm too hungry to sleep, anyways!” shared Yazo grumpily.
After the two Defenders took their post, the rest of the boys returned to their places. It didn't take long for them to get back to sleep, since they were worn out from the misadventures of the previous day.
Every one slept except for Thirteen, who, stood absolutely silent, not daring to close his eyes.
Chapter 8