The Tag Bearer

Chapter 19 - A Garden of Bloodied Beauty

I gulped.

Reluctantly, I followed Sergeant Hill back down the long corridor and past the other empty cells with empty beds. I held my breath, silently wishing Bryce and Matthew were trailing after me like personal bodyguards. I felt like this whole mess was my fault, but I knew better than that. It was fate, and fate meant it was also partly Matthew's burden to bear.

"You know, we won't hurt your friends."

I stared ahead in silence. Sure, you won't.

"You mean a lot to us - a lot to me. You see, you're special. Special enough for me to keep you here, in the safety of New Atlanta." He smiled down at me, small dimples appearing on his aging face. "All the answers you've ever wanted are right on the other side of those doors."

I made no move to consolidate the information. I had many questions, but none that Sergeant Hill could answer. At least not the ones about the things I've lost. I glanced at Hill. I didn't trust him with even my pinkie.

"Welcome to The Dome."

He grinned as a pair of thick double doors were pushed open.

Before us lay a glass tomb. The glass, clear as the sky, curved itself high up over us. Colourful birds chirped and fluttered from tree to tree, watching us curiously. Tall pine trees made the place smell like a freshly carved wooden dresser and small ferns spread a calming pattern out across the floor. Tulips blossomed whilst the crawling daisies fixed themselves firmly onto the surrounding trees. They gave off little bursts of white and yellow that complimented the tulips and other arranged flowers.

It was a large forest, filled with the most wondrous colours that shimmered wherever you laid your eyes. It grew around a fashionable old bomber, dotted with a matching camouflage, that sat stationary and faded into its surroundings. The green of its wings spanned out, crawling daisies securing themselves to it like a wreath. The Dome was not small by any chance. By the expanse of its roof, it appeared to weave on in a maze of bushes like a real forest for hundreds of meters.

A water feature sat towards the entrance of the dome-like structure, a grainy path winding around it and disappearing into the maze of plants. A large stone eagle sat on top, and water spewed out of its mouth, trickling down over the sparrows beneath it.

"I had the last stonemason specifically build it," Sergeant Hill said, noticing my gaze fixed on the statue. "Good, isn't it?"

I nodded. Unsure of what to say. It certainly was magnificent amongst all the greenery of the little forest. And the detail on it too! I could see every feather shaft, and every riff on its claws. It didn't matter that the pond beneath it had little floating stone ducks of equal accuracy.

"We built The Dome from scratch. Scavenging what was left after the weather ruined most of the planet. As you can see, we plan to replant similar domes to kickstart ecosystems in our other cities."

"Why are you showing me this?" This was like walking into a dream, and as much as I wanted it to be real, I believed it wasn't. A man of his reputation didn't just build beautiful things because he wanted to.

His icy blue eyes watched me with an unnerving appeal. "Because you are the reason we were able to do such a thing."

"How? How, on God's earth, can I be the reason you were able to build a greenhouse from nothing?"

His eyebrows lifted slightly. I knew I had caught him in the middle of a lie this time and I knew he knew it too. "You saw me once," he said.

My mouth gaped a little, and this time it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Saw you? Me!?"