The Line

Chapter 1

It is day 34. The line stretches beyond the horizon. If it wasn't for the sound of shackles clinking to the beat of thousands of people on the move, this valley would be silent. We are all connected by chains. Our line is four people wide and seemingly endless. There is no sign of life, no birds chirping or small animals scurrying up the tall snow dusted pines. No cars on the roads or children in the playgrounds. All the towns are empty, leaving behind the sad scene of households hastily abandoned with all kinds of things strewn across the yards. Some poor little girl would be missing the company of her doll left on the driveway, the family obviously not willing to go back for it, or not even noticing its disappearance as they frantically left.

Every day is the same. The Three Eyes wake us up at dawn with the sound of cracking whips as they toss stale mouldy bread at our feet. They give us just enough to get us through another full day of walking through deep snow, before we collapse as the sun goes down. Some nights are so cold that I am afraid that if I sleep I won't wake up. The warmth of the people either side me has been the difference between life and death in some of these winter nights. It is only then, when we're huddled together, that we dare try and whisper to one another. What keeps us all silent is the deep fear we all have for a daily ritual we call the reaping. This happens just as we stop at dusk. A deafening horn sounds and a Three Eye picks someone in the line. It will then take them out of site of the line and what follows is ten seconds of blood curdling screams before abrupt silence. This is what keeps people from doing anything that might see them picked
when the horn blows.

The Three Eyes are humanoids half again the size of a grown man. A network of light grey scars run up an exposed muscular upper body. Their bottom half is covered in all different kinds of dark tattered long pants tucked into boots that reach their shins. The faces of these beasts have three eyes, the middle one, twice as big as the other two, which were positioned slightly higher on the face to either side of the big one. This is where their name comes from I suppose. Eye contact with these beasts seems to paralyse people leaving them incapable of movement until the Three Eyes breaks eye contact. Two small slits start on the middle of their face and curve up to small holes on either side of its head. This must be what it breathes from. Strangely, as far as I can tell it doesn't have a mouth or seem to consume anything. The Three Eyes wield heavy crude chunks of metal that resemble swords, or clubs, probably used as both. Whips are tied to the Three Eye's belts, commonly used to drive the line if it is moving slowly, leaving its mark on some poor persons back.

The blue sky today isn't a welcome sight as it promises a freezing night tonight. Charly is perhaps the only thing that keeps me from taking the easy way out. Her soul is so pure the fear of her being taken from this earth overrides the fear of the whips or the horn. Protecting her has become my reason for everything, without her, I would have probably let the cold take me by now, lying dead, frozen in some field. It's coming close to the end of the day and the cold is starting to bite through my layers. Luckily I was taken outside while clothed in warm winter gear. Most people that are still alive are the ones that were wearing warmer clothes when they were taken....What am I doing. This is pointless, nobody is going to read this stupid journal, and if they do, they certainly aren't going to try and help us. I close my little book and slide the pencil I found in the ring binding. I tuck it into my jacket and lift my head snapping back to the present. Hold on, what time is it?

Looking up I notice the sun slowly falling in behind the hills, my heart starts to beat faster. We stopped half an hour ago and once again I let myself get lost in that pointless journal. As I scan the people around me I can sense the rising fear as they anticipate the dreaded sound that will fittingly accompany tonights deep red sunset. Any minute now it's going to....BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! Eyes start nervously shifting around assessing whether any Three Eyes are near them. I can hear one nearby. The sound of boots crunching in snow behind me is getting louder. Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, CRUNCH, CRUNCH. The footsteps stop. A foul stench of death caresses my nose as the warm air instills a fear that threatens to take control of me. An enormous hand grabs my right shoulder. "You", the deep guttural voice says.