The Retribution Initiative

Nothing We Did Was Right

-Lucas- 

The days stretched out incomprehensively. I was chronically panicked. It wasn't good.

The last egg in my pocket rolled against my thigh. I slipped my fingers behind the fabric and brushed its smooth surface. It was warm with the heat of my body. I still felt guilty about taking it. The egg was another stolen car, a product of my instinctive panic. I was better than this. But not this week. Ethics wane in the face of desperation.

When I had first left the Endar farm- what was that, three days ago? Maybe only two days; I'd lost track. When I had first stepped back into the prickly grass of the Reparation Zone, I felt like I was being swallowed. The sky, the meadow, the breeze brushing past, everything felt so big. So exposed. I had realized then that there was no going back for me. I'd never have the safety of the familiar Mamre skyscrapers. I'd never sleep in my own bed again. Heck, I'd never see Ansel Hebron again. Every step was something foreign. I had to plan ahead.

So, hating myself the entire way, I had crawled through the grass back to the farm. I managed to avoid Henry the evil chicken and the gun-happy farmer. I had intended to scope out his plastic-shielded garden. The familiarity of the plants drew me in. But as I crept around the outskirts of the farm, I came across a nest of eggs tucked away in the grass. There was no chicken nearby, but the eggs still held a trace of warmth. They were brown, thick-shelled, and abundant. Five of them confronted my conscience. I tucked away the lessons my parents had taught me, just as I tucked the eggs into my pockets. Then I left.

My stomach growled until dark that night. With the food prices in Mamre continuing to rise, I had grown accustomed to only eating once a day. But that night, I could scarcely wait until suppertime to eat. My head felt light. My stomach growled ceaselessly. Maybe your appetite acts differently when you're on the run from the Endar authorities.

I had been walking through the Reparation Zone for hours. The scenery had hardly changed. Behind me, I could still make out the rooflines of the farm through the gathering dusk. Ahead of me, the boulderous mountains smoothly mounded on the horizon. I was heading for the mountains. I wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the instinctive desire of a city boy left out in the open. In the tall things, I could feel safe. At any rate, I wasn't getting there that night. So when I couldn't bear my hunger any further, I sat down on a rock and contemplated my dinner. I hadn't been sure how to eat the eggs. I'd never had eggs before. Only rich Endars could afford to pay for real eggs in the city. The rest of us poor folk used manufactured protein powder instead. Pulling one of the eggs from my pocket, I rolled it around in my hand. Then, gently, I cracked the shell on the rock.

A white, rubbery substance leaked between the fissure. Don't waste it, Lucas! Impulsively, I had put the egg to my lips and sucked. The innards of the egg leaked between my lips, filling my mouth with a tasteless slime. I almost gagged. Squeezing my eyes shut, I swallowed the contents of the egg. For good measure, I broke open the shell and licked the inside clean. It was disgusting, honestly. But it was food.

That night, I laid next to the rock and stared at the sky. The storm clouds had drifted away, mercifully sparing me from a shower of stinging raindrops. Millions of sparkling bits of light were sprinkled across the sky instead. It was the first time I'd ever seen stars. They were perfect. I wish I could say that I fell asleep peacefully under a blanket of stars, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The reality is that I was still paranoid, and my surroundings weren't helping me. Every time I had closed my eyes, the grass rustled ominously. I swear there were things moving around in there. Once, an inhuman shriek split the silence. It must have been an animal. I slept in fits, cushioned by nightmares of insects and predators.

Last night was a little better, but mostly because I was exhausted. My body was not made for the amount of exertion I had put it through. And I was getting dehydrated. My head hurt. My lips clung to my teeth. The inside of my nostrils burned with every breath. My stolen eggs were probably the only things keeping me alive. But still, I pushed forward. The mountains were close now. I could make out individual rocks tumbled aimlessly across their slopes. Today, I'd reach the mountains. Today, I'd finally get out of this forsaken meadow. Today, my luck would change.