On The Precipice: The Host Fanfiction

Outbound

After wolfing down his boiled and tasteless food Marc headed out of the great hall. As he was leaving, he saw several people start a basketball game. Tim waved for him to come over, the kid wanting him to play on his team. Marc smiled but shook his head sadly. Unfortunately, he had to meet up with Dell before it got too late in the day.

Tim's still small shoulders sagged in disappointment. "Oh, com'on," pleaded the boy.

"Sorry, maybe next time, Tim," offered Marc as he walked down the slope of the tunnel. The kid had done alright last night on his first raid and Marc felt a pang of regret for not sticking around to play a game or two. Childhood was precious and Tim was growing up fast. It had ended all too quickly for Marc and there were times he wished he could drop all his responsibilities. But with thirty mouths to feed and the ever present danger of the Souls it wasn't a burden he could drop.

Stopping by his tiny hole in the wall of a bedroom, Marc retrieved a working flashlight and a switchblade. Making his way down the passageway towards the exit of their sanctuary he pocketed the knife. Souls, even Seekers, did not by choice come down into these tunnels. They much preferred the clean and comfortable life in the city above. Through the chances of meeting one of the aliens down in this twisting maze was remote, Marc had learned the hard way with Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow to be prepared.

Marc smiled to himself as remembered the blond-haired Seeker trapped in the net last night. He had certainly turned Bri's little capture plan in on itself. He had taken to calling her "Bri" because it would always cause the Seeker to twist her face in irritation. So few of the Souls ever really got angry it was a treat when Marc could get under her skin.

Up ahead the narrow brick and mortar corridor widened out as it came to an end. The grey cement wall hosted only a decrepit old steel door that led to the outside tunnels. Lost in thought as he came to the drainage tunnel sealed door he almost didn't hear the small voice from behind him.

"Brother, are you going to the surface?"

Marc turned and saw Mia leaning against the wall of the ending passageway. The small Asian girl was dressed in her usual black tank top and dirty cargo pants. With her small size, it was easy to think of Mia as only a little girl of eight or nine, not a near teenager. Although even Mia wasn't sure of her real age, the general consensus was she about thirteen years old. Her short black hair framed her face as she stood looking up at him with an expectant grin. She had scouted out the best place to position herself so Marc wouldn't notice her till he was ready to exit. Pushing herself up as she balanced on the balls of her feet, Mai asked excitedly, "Can I go with you?"

Shrugging noncommittally Marc replied, "I'm just running up to the Duck Blind, nothing fancy." He leaned closer to the girl and tapped his watch for effect. "Isn't time you were in school?"

Mia made a face, a scornful look which communicated her displeasure with the whole idea of being taught. "I know my letters, my numbers, and how to use a knife, what more do I need to know?"

Marc sighed, appeals to Mia about her education wasn't going to work. "Sister Mary-Margret doesn't see it that way, and she's upset that you aren't in class. You don't want to make a nun sad, do you?" The girl did care how the Nun saw her and that was rare. For Mia was not one to be bothered about what others thought.

'Mia the wild child,' thought Marc as he waited for her to answer.

He could tell Mia was considering this while she was silent for a moment, but then she played her trump card. "When you were around Mia's age, how often were you in school?"

She had him there. Regrettably Marc's teenage years were not devoted to higher learning. "Okay, not going to argue with you on that, but if Mary-Margret asks you weren't with me," replied Marc. He began to turn the release wheel on the steel door. It shuddered once and then began to turn with a high-pitch squeak.