Windswept: A Dystopian Science Fiction Story (The Sandstorm Series Book 2) by T.W. Piperbrook

Author:T.W. Piperbrook [Piperbrook, T.W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Post Script Publishing
Published: 2018-10-27T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 31: Neena

Neena and Darius sat in silence for a while. The leaders no longer felt like men, but giant, faceless enemies, plotting and conspiring. And Red Rock was their crop bed, which they tended with lies and deceit.

"What are we going to do?" Darius asked, breaking the quiet.

Neena watched him. "I wish I knew."

"My only thought was to get your story," Darius said. "Hearing the things you say confirms my worst fears. The leaders can't be trusted. Our lives are in jeopardy."

"And yet, our knowledge does nothing for us," Neena said, wringing her hands in frustration.

"Even if we wanted to leave Red Rock, there would be nowhere to go. Of course, we can't tell anyone what we've figured out, without jeopardizing them, too."

Neena swallowed, regretting what she'd told Helgid. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Are you certain the man named Kai knows nothing else about the creature?"

"He told me everything of which he was aware."

"They said he was a criminal, an outcast," Darius said, repeating what the leaders told everyone. "You're sure you can trust his story?"

Neena thought on it. "He lied to me, at first," she admitted. "But when we were in the cells, he told the truth."

Neena recalled their time together. She'd never forget the deep conversations she'd had with Kai in the alcove, under the stars, or the way he'd looked at her when she fashioned the spear. He'd regarded her with awe, rather than admonishment. He certainly had more respect for her than any of the other hunters her age. Even though he had deceived her—at first—she believed him now.

"I believe he is a criminal only in that he tried to provide for his family," Neena said. "He wears the stigma of his people. No one can dispute that. But he saved me in the desert. We helped each other. If it weren't for Kai, I might never have made it here alive, or reunited with my family."

Darius didn't disagree.

"It was his idea to admit to the delusions," Neena continued. "Without his plan, I might still be in the annex."

"It is too bad we won't get to speak with him again," Darius said gravely. "The leaders will never let him out of the cell."

"And I left him to his fate." Neena's guilt felt like it might swallow her.

"In all likelihood, they will kill him," Darius lamented, speaking her worst fears. "Keeping him alive serves no purpose. He is not a colonist whom they can teach a lesson, and let go. He is a source of paranoia. And they can't afford to feed him when we are starving." Darius stared at his boots. "I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in one of the caves, the way Akron did."

Neena envisioned The Watchers dragging Kai's carcass to a dark, deep cave. Her breath caught in her throat.

"This is my fault."

"Why?" Darius was confused.

"I brought him here to die."

"He wanted to come here," Darius clarified. "In fact, he lied to accompany you."

Neena swallowed. "He did it for a better life.

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