The Beast

Chapter 2: Dangerous Knowledge

He took a deep gulp from the jug he had brought over halfway through hauling the bodies from the food hall. His throat was dry from inhaling all the dust as he dragged the bodies over.

Sliding his eyes to the body on the concrete slate. They were odd things. The humans and Narvic breed differently; he knew, as they had extra parts whereas the workers did not. They were bare and did not have genders like the Narvic. Strange creatures.

Pushing off the beam he had been leaning against he approached the body. Crouching he inspected the body. Nothing could be seen that was out of the ordinary.

This worker was strong and middle-aged. Next in line was a young under muscled worker but still no need for it to have died, so why had it?

None of them had any correlation this time. He snorted. It was almost funny. The workers propped up against the stall walls heads lolling. As if they were just asleep and would wake up soon and continue work.

But that was when he saw it. The small lump of raised skin at the back of the workers' skull.

Rushing towards the body he tilted it a degree further and the lump disappeared. Fantastic! That is why he had never seen it before.

Whoever put this here didn't want anyone to find it. Which begged the question of who put it there and what was it. Placing two fingers he pushed at the base of the skull where the lump was situated.

He could feel a long hard piece lodged there. Jumping up he went to the last body still remaining on the slab. Finding the same lump there when he slid his hand between its neck and head he started to feel excited.

Maybe he was finally onto something after two months of searching. Throwing the cabinet doors open he snatched a small pocket knife from the shelf. Rolling the body over he felt the thin slither sitting there again and began his procedure.

He remembered reading a book on a human surgeon as a kid. He had thought to himself that he would quite like to be one of those. But the Narvic did not need surgeons with their healing abilities.

Whenever he cut himself it would almost immediately scab over and by the end of the day, it would be no existent. If it was more than a flesh wound, which he had never seen only heard about, they had technology so advanced that they had become very hard people to kill.

Beheading or burning was your best bet with a Narvic.

His knife made a neat incision along the worker's spine, black blood dribbled out. He picked up the old rag lying on the bottom shelf of the cabinet and wiped away the blood.

Sitting right there in front of him was a silver bullet-shaped device. Upon closer inspection, it has a red blinking light and a number. 9127.

The same number scrawled across the worker's head. Meaning that it was likely administered with the tattoo. But why? He studied it closer and saw nothing that showed a reason why it was in the body.

Maybe it was just a tracker but the workers never left this farm so why track them. Or was there something we aren't being told, he mulled over the possibility and really wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

Climbing up into his loft he picked up one of his books that had holes in the middle, in order to hide stuff in. Stating, in gold scrawling text, that it was a book about corn.

Anyone in their right mind would never bother picking it up. Which made it perfect. It was in fact empty. The pages were blank and he was not sure what the author meant by this. But it made it perfect.

Sliding it next to his red bracelet, he hid the small slither of metal for later inspection in a little space he had cut out so he could store the bracelet.

The red bracelet he had found one day while in town. It was worn by the high born and royal Narvic. Somehow one had dropped his bracelet allowing the drones to identify and not shoot them in the chaos of an outbreak.

Not that the workers or fellow townsmen would dare, let alone around a pure blooded Narvic. But oddly enough there it had been. Sitting in a drain.

The bracelet was odd. Links of red chain and a small oblong box, with the same small blinking light as the device he was determined was a tracker.

However, unlike the tracker the bracelet didn't have a number on it as far as he could see. Closing the book and sealing the contents inside he placed it back under his blanket. Hiding the book from plain sight if anyone managed to enter. Somehow.

He had the only key as far as he knew but he could always be wrong. Better to be safe than sorry he consoled himself, chuckling at the old human term.

Turning back to the bodies still holding their silent meeting in the stall, he rolled his eyes. Curiosity killed the cat. Another human saying but would likely end out true for him.

Stepping off the loft and climbing down the ladder he walked up to the grey creatures and picked up the nearest one.

Slinging the body over his shoulders he shouldered his way out of the side door and trudged towards the pit. A large hole emitting the foulest smell.

He hated the pit and knew he was tasked with this job just so his father didn't have to do it.

Shrugging the body off his shoulder, he smiled to himself. He had finally found something. Something that could maybe be of great importance.

Maybe even his father might just smile. Where had that thought come from? He did not need his father's approval.

Growling he turned on his heel to get the next body and bring it to the edge. He had found out after months of doing this it was easier to pile them all up and then roll them off the edge.

Even if it did spark that strange pain up his spine. He didn't mind the pain he told himself every time. He just needed to clench his teeth and get over it.

He needed to be as strong as he could for the trials for the best female. A rule that had been made to form the strongest alliances.

The strongest in the village got the smartest female to mate with.

This way strong bloodlines were maintained even in the villages. Although they would never be as strong as the Narvic in the capital. But then again their power was unparalleled.

He shuddered even thinking about the ungodly amount of power they possessed. He had seen them occasionally on the broadcasts played in the main town.

They looked so cold and calm like they had never seen a hard day at work. It had irked him.

He had just grabbed the last body as the sun started to sink behind the far mountains. His break time was soon.

Aching for a meal and a chance to rest he made quick work of the bodies. Pushing against them, he shoved until the last one tumbled down into the pit.

Wiping his forehead with his filthy hand he pondered the pit. These workers barely rested. They were worked from the crack of dawn until the sun set and yet the best burial they gave them was being shoved into a pit. Or they were just left for the crows sometimes.

It didn't seem very fair to him but if he were ever to mention this to his father, he would just be called soft.

Straightening his bent body, he again for the second time today looked out and surveyed the land.

Sighing out through his nose he knew, he needed to go to town. There was only one person who could possibly help him with his new findings.

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Sorry for the shorter chapter. I will try my best to update as much as possible but please be patient with me!

This has not been properly edited so feel free to leave constructive criticisms in the comments or point out any mistakes I have made!

Feel free to leave ideas and anything else you would like. And please please comment and vote!! I hope you enjoy this book :) - thanks Lalia!