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Chapter 13



Emma and Nick eagerly followed Kevin, whilst AJ trailed behind them, a little more suspicious of this man that said he’d escaped from Endwise. Maybe the Luminary had a new plot, to send a guard after them acting like he had escaped too, knowing that the three of them would follow this person wherever he led them, including right back into the Luminary’s clutches.

“How long have you been living out here?” Emma asked Kevin.

Kevin stopped and looked at them. “There will be time for questions later, right now I need to meet up with the rest of my group.”

“You mean there are more out here?” Nick asked excitedly.

AJ looked around, wary of his surroundings. He couldn’t believe that several people lived outside and they were just now running into them. He moved closer to Emma and spoke in hushed tones. “I keep feeling like this is a trap.”

Emma looked at him and shook her head. “How would the Luminary have found a man with hair that long to trap us?” She had to briefly admit that her thoughts had briefly gone the same route as AJ’s. What if he was a trap?

“Maybe the Luminary has a section of the guard for this.” AJ held Emma’s wrist and tried to get her to stop walking so quickly after this man that could be leading them to their doom.

“He would never do that, it would be admitting that people escaping from the city was a bigger problem than even he wants to acknowledge.” Emma said with finality. She made her mind up, Kevin was not going to turn them over to the Luminary, and he could be trusted. AJ sighed and continued walking, he would follow Emma. If something were going to happen he wanted to be near her to help save her at least.

“The others should be around here somewhere.” Kevin announced to the others.

“Others?” AJ asked even more suspicious. He looked over at Emma who was showing apparent concern now. He was glad that she was taking what he said to heart, it would be easier if she ran with him if they had to suddenly make a break for it.

“You should never hunt alone.” Kevin turned to them and smirked playfully at them all.

AJ grabbed Nick’s arm and pulled him away from the strange man. “We should really be heading out now.” He started to back up in the direction they had come from hoping that Nick and Emma would take note and start to follow him. He just admitted he was hunting after all.

“I don’t think you want to go that way.” Another man’s voice from behind startled them and caused them all to jump.

“Stuart, there you are. Where’s Katherine?” Kevin asked obviously elated that his reinforcements had finally arrived.

Emma took in the other man. He, like Kevin, was shirtless with sweat dripping down his chest. He also had a spear and a bag draped over his back though his bag looked to be bulging in all directions, full with something.

“She should be around here somewhere.” Stuart strained his eyes to look for the woman; he took little notice of the three others standing in front of him. When he finally did look down he huffed a little before moving closer to Kevin. “You have a way of finding strays Kevin.” Stuart laughed and patted the other man on the shoulder.

A rustling noise from behind Kevin had the entire party looking in that direction. A woman walked out pulling something heavy behind her. “If you men are done gossiping I could use some help.” Nick noticed the size of the beast that she drug along behind her. It had to be at least as heavy as her with long stick like things sticking off its head.

“Deer,” Kevin smiled as he moved to help her.

“Impossible,” Nick finally found his voice and spoke up. Emma felt herself slightly jealous as Katherine looked in Nick’s direction and flashed him a brilliant smile.

“That a woman should be able to kill this animal without the aid of these two?” She laughed at this. “I am the best hunter.”

Stuart and Kevin shook their heads as they tied the animals hooves together with a stick between them to help ease in carrying.

“Deer are on the list of extinct animals.” Nick blushed a little as he gave this information, which was obviously false.

Kevin chuckled to himself. “You will find that many things you thought were true are actually very false. It’s part of how the leaders of Endwise, the Luminary in particular, keeps control.”

“But this is a jungle isn’t it where there are tigers?” Emma asked. She thought she was in a jungle where tigers ruled supreme.

All three of the hunters laughed at Emma and she felt herself growing red in embarrassment. “You shouldn’t laugh,” AJ said defensively.

“No, no, we shouldn’t. This isn’t exactly a jungle but from the stories passed down from the elders there were a few tigers roaming the country after the world went dark. They escaped from something called zoo. It is very unlikely that you will run into a tiger out here, but if you do say a prayer to the great one because it will likely be the last thing you see.” Stuart spoke with a smile on his face the entire time.

“We should head back,” Katherine piped up; AJ noticed she was looking skyward. What was she looking at that told her it was time to move?

By now the three escapees were feeling more confident that these three hunters were not with the Luminary as they briefly thought they might be, and Nick was excited at where they were taking them. The way they spoke there was a town with, elders? How old were they? Forty? Nick couldn’t imagine someone so old.

Stuart and Kevin walked in front carrying the deer between them on the stick. Both men still carried their sacks on their backs. Katherine walked behind Emma, Nick and AJ her head constantly looking around as if she sensed something beyond the trees.

Kevin talked as they walked through the woods. “Do you know if the Luminary is still searching for you?”

Emma looked at the other two and then jogged to catch up to walk next to Kevin. Ignoring his question she had her own for him. “Were you a part of the rebellion when you fled? How long have you been on the outside? What’s it really like living out here? How many people do you live with? Can I request a meeting to speak with them all?”

Kevin took his chance while she took a breath to insert his own comments. “Once we get back to the town and get a hot meal in you and your friends there will be plenty of time for questions and answers.” He smiled at her and Emma melted back to walk with Nick and AJ.

“Was this your mission?” Nick asked.

“Finding life outside the walls was only part of it. My assignment has only just begun.” Emma watched the two men walking in front of her and prepared herself for giving the speech of a lifetime.

~*~



The tents were all set for the night and the Luminary was fuming that they still had not come across the three that had escaped. If they did not come across them soon he would have to take them all back to Endwise, there were rumors of an uprising stirring while he was away.

“Sir, the decree?” Howie was standing across from him attempting to bring him back to the present. “Will you sign?”

The Luminary scanned over the pages in front of him. He was re-examining the doctrine that only allowed the people of Endwise to have one child. The ban had been put in place only a couple of generations ago but it had taken its course and lowered the population but now, since the monthly executions were still taking place, the working population would soon be too small to sustain them. He poised the pen above the paper and signed his name to the bottom, shoving it across the table in Howie’s direction. “Get those back and advise those who remained that we will be returning within the day. The search for these three has turned up empty, they are either too far to cause harm or they have died on their own.”

The Luminary huffed but Howie looked at him with wide eyes. “You will be returning?” He pronounced the words carefully and precisely.

“Did I not just say that?” The Luminary glared Howie.

“You did, but I thought it was important to you to capture the blue and the purple, to set an example.” Howie looked nervous as he stood there and the Luminary eyed his commander suspiciously. “Give it two more days. I can go back and deliver these papers and take care of Endwise until your return. You can count on me.”

The Luminary nodded, he did want to hunt down those that escaped. Perhaps he would get out his old bow and arrow if he found them and practice some shooting instead of returning with them to Endwise.

“Yes, I will stay a couple of days.” He smirked thinking about shooting the arrow through one of the escapees. “Take half of the men back with you to help squash the stirrings that I hear whispers about.”

“Yes sir, you can count on me.” Howie clicked his feet together and bowed before leaving. Letting out a deep breath he headed towards the men’s tents to pick the men who would stay and who would go. He would have to choose carefully so the balance was not upset.

Chapter End Notes:

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