The Tag Bearer

Chapter 4 - A New Tag Bearer

"Congratulations again. When your number is called please follow an Officer to your new job."

She began to call out numbers like it meant nothing to her. Like we weren't people at all to her. Each one she read aloud prompted a response from the owner and they stepped forward. Fear was slowly crawling its way into everyone waiting as each person before them disappeared into the awakening dawn. 

"B67."

Startled at the sound of my new name, I hesitated before willing myself to stand. I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of watching me be too weak to get up. My legs wobbled underneath me, and my ears rang louder than before. I anxiously made my way over to the Monster; carefully placing each step so as not to trip and embarrass myself further. 

She gestured towards an Officer on her left. "Please follow the Officer into Block 346," she said, not looking up from her clipboard. "You will also need these." 

A Drone hovered next to her. Its underbelly opened, dropping a neat little package into her outstretched palm which landed with a light thud. Somehow, the little machine looked vaguely proud of itself for achieving such a menial task. I almost scoffed with amusement, but my parched throat prevented it from ever surfacing. 

"Here," she stated as she shoved it into my hands.

She waved me on without a second thought. I really didn't mean anything to her; at least not anymore. Maybe once, she felt something for the children she watched die every week, but standing before her, her eyes were dead. She'd masked her feelings and detached herself from all those that were living. Perhaps she thought we too would die soon, and she wouldn't be entirely wrong either. I hesitantly looked past her, before my wobbling legs moved me on and I followed the Officer down towards the city.

He stopped at the edge of a mangled hill overlooking the warn-out city. A long, winding dirt path wound its way down to the city entrance. Tall shells of the buildings beyond lay on top of each other like fallen Lego blocks. The casings of cars had already been cleared out of the crater and tiny matchstick people moved over the piles of brown and grey. They scattered over the obsolete ground below; climbing over rubble, lifting limp things and hauling wagons wherever they went. Dust swirled up in clouds as hanging bits of building slowly tore off their hinges and gracelessly fell to the ground.  

My attention was grabbed by the presence of a young girl, not much older than myself, as she stood waiting. Her bright auburn hair was tied in two messy braids that draped over her shoulders and her eyes shimmered in the early morning sunlight. She held a belt in her right hand, and a large collection of brightly coloured necklaces in her left. A wide grin reached her face from ear to ear.

"It's going to be so fun having someone else to work with again! This past week has been so dull! I'm F89 by the way," she said as she hopped around me, fastening the belt to my waist. I stood awkwardly, watching as she zoomed around me, not bothering to ask whether it was a welcome gesture or not. "I must say, this job isn't for the faint hearted, but I'm glad you chose it!"

"What?" I said blinking furiously at her. "I-I didn't get to ch-"

"Anyhow," she started again, cutting me off. "In the morning we clean and tag the bodies from all the camps and then we march onto the city, cleaning the streets of bodies as we go. Any questions?" She finished fastening the final clasp around me and straightening up. "There. All done." 

She smiled, two dimples exposing themselves, before she turned and we began our descent down into the decaying city below. I nodded to myself. I had so many questions. What was this place? Why was I doing this job? And bodies...?

I bit my tongue. Did I really want to know the answer to that? Oh fuck it, I may as well get it out in the open. "Bodies...? What are you doing cleaning up bodies?" I asked, retracting slightly at the sound of my own voice. 

"The mostly intact ones," she said holding up a green tag from her pile. "You put the green tag on. The mangled ones," this time she was holding up a blue tag. "The blue tag. And any left-over body parts you find, the red tag," she concluded. "You got that?"

Baffled by her blatant ignorance, I started to speak again. "F89, what is this place?"

 I waited for her response, but when she gave none, I felt even more compelled to find answers. These were once living people! I knew enough to know that you don't treat a dead person by chucking them on a deposit pile. 

"I don't want to have to explain the tag system again to you. So shut up and follow my instructions!" she said abruptly. 

I nodded in response, not wanting to be cut off or ignored again. Maybe if I waited patiently, she'd give me the answers?

"Oh, and before I forget, if you find anyone alive, just blow your whistle. The Officers will fix that problem up for you. What was your name again?" she asked preoccupied by her own belt as she adjusted it on her hips.

How was I supposed to answer her? Did I tell her my name was Ellie or did I tell her I was just some number in a system? Her smile disappeared. She was now intently looking at me, waiting for me to open my mouth and speak.

"B67," I spat out. I didn't want to appear like I was dreading such a job, this was supposed to be an opportunity...right?

Satisfied by the answer I gave, she smiled and swung her hips around. "Glad to meet you B67!" she beamed. 

"No one lasts long in this position, do they?" I queried.

She stared back around at me, her face slowly shrivelling up. Had I said something wrong? Was I not allowed to speak of such a thing? I was afraid she would ignore the question, or worse, blow her whistle and leave me to the perils of an Officer. Finally, she shook her head. "Not nearly as long as the Pickers," she stated blankly, quickly looking down at her belt to adjust something else that was bothering her.

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