The Chronicles of Smith & Jones

Chapter Six - Dystopian

Not only was he struck by the physical contact he had initiated quite accidentally, but something else struck him.

"Why Kris, you smell quite lovely," Jones said, much to his embarrassment.

"Shhh!" Kris hissed at him as she reached up and pulled him downward. Jones crouched beside her. Only then did he see they had reached the edge of the forest. And beyond it...

"Civilization!" Mr. Smith all but yelled from just behind them.

"Shut your traps, both of you, before they hear you." Kris snapped from her perch behind the brush.

The four companions crouched shoulder-to-shoulder, "What is it?" Smith asked in a much more subdued voice.

Kris rolled her eyes, "It's a colony, idiot. What do you think it is?"

"It's actually a commune," H'ver piped in from the far end of the line. The robot cleared his throat, "A commune is a type of colony, however not all communes are colonies. If you would like I could..." His words faltered as Kris turned her poisonous glare upon him. Apparently robots could tell when women were huffy as well. Good man.

"Where are we?" Smith asked, oblivious to the tension around him.

"Deep in the Appalachians by the look of it," Kris said. "Looks a lot like home to me."

"Yes," a voice said from the other side of the brush. Kris, Smith, Jones, and H'ver all gave a start. A woman with a thick brown braid streaked with grey smiled at them, hands clasped in front of her chest. She was dressed in the same monochromatic pallet as the rest of them, pants tidily tucked into sturdy boots that laced nearly to her knee.

"Welcome home friends," she finished. "I am Sarah. Come," and with that, the smiling lady turned her back to our four loop travelers, two of whom were catching flies in their mouths.

"Do we follow her?" Jones asked quietly to no one in particular.

Kris stood, brushing off her pants, and swing her red hair back over her shoulder, "Might as well," she said, stepping into the clearing.

"At least she doesn't have any weapons." Jones said, following behind her.

Smith huffed quietly, "That we can see."

The trio followed in the wake of their welcomer, H'ver humming quietly behind her. As they walked, the soft ground gave way gently behind their boots. With every step, Kris' typically sharp state gave way with the familiarity of her homeland.

Jones, however, felt his hackles rise as they passed one log cabin after another, eerie similar in their in their shape and size. "I don't like this," he whispered over his shoulder to Smith. "Where are the guns? The aliens? This is too... too..."

"Perfect?" Smith supplied.

"Yes!" Jones hissed.

H'ver held up a finger, "Actually, sir, you are correct?"

Jones' brows shot up, "What do you mean, H'ver?"

"Well sir, it seems to me that we have most likely landed in some sort of dystopian scene." He cleared his throat as if the wood smoke around them was tickling his throat as well. "It is the most logical explanation."

"If we are..." Smith never had the pleasure of completing his sentence for the quiet that surrounded them cut him off more effectively than a thousand shouting voices.

"Please, join our circle," Sarah gestured behind her with a polite smile on her face. The cabins had opened up to an immense clearing, filled with people, all seated quietly in a circle, as if they were waiting on something. Kris smiled at Sarah, returning her amiable expression.