Of Gears and Humanity

| 08.2

[DAMIEN]

When night came over Sector One, I took Arvon's advice. I was sure it was hours after he hoped I would talk a walk and clear my head. But Arvon knew the dangers of the sun. Outside of our Sector, without the protection of the town's barrier, I wouldn't last. I would die, suffocate and drown under my own sweat. If Arvon really wanted me to die after one mistake, he would've done it himself.

But I knew that wasn't the case. So once the moon sat high within the night's sky, I left. I packed a bag with the book I held close to my heart for so many years. I also packed a bottle of water, an extra shirt in case I ruined my own, and a weapon-the wrench I had taken from the garage that morning.

This night, compared to other nights, I hadn't thought of dodging the drones. My first instinct would've been to fight them head-on. Now, a wrench wouldn't ruin them all, but I knew with it I could dismantle two or three of them. And if they cried and sent their alerts back to my Sector, back to Arvon, I knew all would be fine; Arvon had been the one to tell me to walk, so why would I run from his machines?

But the farther out I walked towards the Gate, I realized I hadn't spotted a drone. Not once. The sky was clear without their humming. All there was above me were the stars and the single moon. Still, I wouldn't take the chance and drop my guard; Arvon had taught me better than that. It was why my hand stayed around my bag, my fingers feeling for the outline of my wrench. If I needed it, I'd pull it out and use it in a heartbeat.

The closer I got to the Gate, the more I thought I would.

"What's going on over there?" The Gate was clearly in view, the tiny cracks in stone picking up the moonlight shining down upon it. But over it, on the other side, I heard whimpering. Running feet. And out of instinct, I gripped the wrench through my bag.

I called out, "Hello?"

There wasn't a response, not a real one. Now, I thought I would get a hello, just like I'd gotten the night before. But a full scream was what I heard and I knew it wasn't meant for me. Still, I knew it was a sign of danger.

My slow walk turned into a run as I approached the Gate. At the door's iron bars, I reached out and grabbed them as I watched the shadows on the other side. At first, I saw nothing; no movement, I heard no noises. But after a moment, I saw a figure hurrying in my direction. Small, cowering as it ran. Based on the outline, it was hard to tell what it was.

A demon? No, there weren't demons, only humans on the other side. Perhaps it was an animal, one I hadn't seen or read about before. I couldn't put that out of the thought of the possibility.

Yet that moment shifted in seconds as the figure's cover fell from its face-a cloak covering a young woman's head-and the girl from the other night came clear in view. I smiled, but that changed when I saw her frightened face, her flushed cheeks. When she was closer, I noted the tears in her eyes. And when she reached the iron door and grabbed onto the bars in front of me, those tears fell from her face.

"Hey, woah," I looked at her closely, trying to see if she was hurt at all, "why are you running like that? What happened?"

Sucking in gulps of air, she pressed her face against the bars as she closed her eyes. Two more tears fell down her cheeks. "There's something out here," she panted. "It's howling. The sound is a thing of nightmares."

"Nightmares?" I eyed the darkness behind her. Yes, I saw shapes and shadows, and of course, someone could compare them to nightmares. But there couldn't have been anything so terrifying on her side. And if it was the howling, then-"A howling could be a few things. If you're hearing it from my side, then it's the buildings you hear. Wind pushing through them all of the time."