Growth

“So we’re here. What do you want?” Alice asked.

“Some of us animals have heard that your quest was to join the Protectors and we wish for that quest to continue.”

“That’s still our ultimate goal,” Alice confessed.

“Yeah, we just want to get the Primal first.”

“And then run away with it, yes. Your plan is predictable. The Crusaders most likely suspect this as a possibility. You will not get away with it. Your faces confirm our theory, a theory that took us all of two minutes to consider.”

“Well do you have something better in mind?”

“We do. And it seems we are ahead of schedule.” The fox stood and looked behind the women. They turned too and saw an approaching buck. Clare and Alice’s packs hung from its antlers, as did a perched bald eagle. And within that eagle’s beak were two vials of Primal.

“What have you done?” Alice asked.

“They aren’t going to like that.”

The eagle flapped to the ground and set the Primal at the women’ feet. “They did not. But I have misled them during my flight. You have time to escape now.”

“Why are you helping us?” Clare asked.

“That concoction was never meant to belong to the Crusaders. They are too extreme in their ways.”

“Why do you even stick around then?”

“They do not know that they make us uncomfortable while they treat us like royalty. This theft may harm relations but it is necessary.”

“Who should be watching over Primal instead?” Alice asked. “The Protectors?”

“That would be preferred. Their leader is a responsible woman. If she were in control of the laboratory, she would likely destroy it or at least hide it, even from her own Protectors if need be.”

The buck interjected by slipping the packs into the women’ hands. “You must hurry. The eagle and I will find a way to further disrupt the Crusaders’ hunt.”

The women took their packs, each securing their vial within. “Thank you,” Clare said to the animals. “You are doing us a great service.”

“And for that, you may one day have to repay us,” the eagle replied. “But until then, safe travels.” The great raptor took to the air.

Then Dianne burst from behind a tree. “I heard everything! Traitors on day one! You won’t get away with this.”

She made to attack the women but the buck jumped in her way with his antlers ready to impale. Dianne weighed her options and retreated to Terra.

“You must go!” the buck shouted. He pursued Dianne.

“Come!” the fox said. “We must hurry. In which direction are you heading?”

“South. We need to get to New Orleans.”

“Oh dear.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s go!” The fox started running with Clare and Alice on its heels.

The three managed to run a considerable distance before Clare needed a rest. They slowed to a fast walk. It would have to do for the young woman. And then a short time after that, they reached a road.

“This will take us southward,” the fox said. “We are doing well so far.”

A crow soared down and alighted upon a branch above their heads. “I have a message for the pursued,” it said. “The Crusaders have begun pursuit in large numbers. Good luck, walkers.” The bird flew away.

“Short and sweet.”

“And not good. Come, we must run again.” The fox picked up the pace. Clare groaned but joined the other two ahead of her. But before long, her pace slowed yet again. Alice’s strength was waning as well. The fox stopped them.

“What is wrong, humans?” the fox asked.

“We just aren’t in good shape,” Alice answered.

“How is this so? Are you not experienced travelers? Your companions are Protectors.”

“They are Protectors. We aren’t,” Clare huffed.

“Then we have no choice. You must drink the Primal now right now.”

“Why now and not before?”

“It takes only one minute for Primal to take effect and we can hardly spare that amount of time. But there is no other way. Please drink it.”

Clare and Alice wordlessly took out their vials and held them at the ready.

“Will this hurt?” Clare asked the fox.

“I do not know. I have only seen this occur from afar.”

Clare reached out a trembling hand and took Alice’s. The two felt a little better.

“Well then…”

“Here goes nothing.”

They drank. Nothing happened for the first few seconds, but then their bodies grew warmer and warmer until they were experiencing an internal burning pain. It was the worst type of stomach ache. The pain did not fade away until the one-minute mark the fox mentioned. And when it left, it left fast. The relief was like taking a deep breath after being underwater for an extended period of time.

The fox seemed less concerned with the women and more concerned about the whereabouts of the Crusaders. It had been pacing the whole time.

The women finally stood. “I think it’s over,” Alice said. She stretched and looked herself over.

“Thank God.” Clare did the same. They both looked more athletic. The change was not drastic but was still very much noticeable.

“Wow,” Clare remarked. “We look good.”

“I feel good too, like I have enough energy to race around the world.”

Clare’s observations roamed from their bodies to their surroundings. “Hey. Something’s different,” she noted.

Alice looked around. “It’s all so clear. I can see everything.”

“And hear everything. And smell everything,” Clare added. “This is incredible.”

“Are you ready now?” the fox asked. “We have wasted a lot of time.”

“Calm down, fox! Let us enjoy this for a minute, would you?”

“We really should get moving,” Clare said.

“Ugh. Fine.”

The fox excitedly joined the women as they resumed travel. Clare immediately noticed that running had grown considerably easier. Former weariness in her legs gradually faded away as time passed.

“How are you feeling?” Clare asked.

“Awesome, actually,” Alice replied.

“Me too. And getting better. I could do this all day.”

The fox cut in. “This is good news. We must put considerable distance between ourselves and the Crusaders. Do they suspect where you are heading?”

Dread showed on the women’ faces. “About that...”

“We did tell the Overseer.”

The fox growled and increased its speed. The women soon had trouble keeping up with it. But the sprint did not last. The fox slowed to a stop. “This will not work forever. We need to go off course if we are to properly lose them. Come this way.” The fox veered into the woods.

“What do you have in mind?” Clare called out.

“We will cross the river and head south from there. The water will throw them off our trail.”

Leaves rustled, and a Crusader ran out of the bushes. “Here they are!” he shouted. He pulled something from his clothing and aimed upward. The gun popped and fired a bright red flare into the sky.

The fox dashed forward, latched its jaws onto the Crusader’s ankle, and shredded it. Clare gasped as the Crusader fell and clutched his bloody ankle.

“The fewer pursuing us, the better. Let’s go. We continue to the river.” They resumed the mad dash, but not before Alice looted the Crusader for his gun and two extra flares. She loaded the gun and slipped the other flare into a pocket.

More Crusaders appeared, drawn by the light overhead. But just as they would emerge in their path, the fox would disable them as well. Its brilliant orange fur darkened to maroon. And it did not take long for the women to notice how much energy the fox was expending. Its pace was in decline.

“Think you can carry two packs?” Clare called to Alice.

“No doubt in my mind,” Alice answered. Clare slipped her pack off and tossed it to Alice’s waiting arms. Clare then scooped the tired fox into her arms and the women could resume running faster.

“You should leave me,” the fox said through deep breaths.

“Not a chance.”

Of course, without any hands or a vicious animal bodyguard, Clare and Alice were defenseless. The Crusaders could only be evaded by maneuvering through the trees. Fortunately, Primal was working quite well. The women could handle the weights in their arms.

“I think I have an idea,” Alice announced. She managed to fire the gun high and to their left. The number of audible feet behind them decreased as the Crusaders who did not have the women in their sights turned in the direction the flare was falling.

“I think it’s working.”

“Hold up!” Clare turned and hid behind a bush where she set the fox down. The perplexed Alice ran around a tree.

“What are you doing?” Alice whispered over.

“Just wait.”

Footsteps. Clare peeked out and saw two Crusaders nearing. When they were close enough, she leapt out and tripped them. While they were down, she knocked them unconscious with a strike across their jaws. Another Crusader appeared just as she returned to the fox. He tackled her and the two wrestled for dominance. Clare gained the upper hand and pinned the Crusader down. It was Marco.

“Don’t do this!” Marco pleaded. “Just surrender and maybe the Overseer will have mercy.”

“Primal was not meant for you,” the fox said.

Clare mouthed a “sorry” to Marco, and then knocked him out cold as well. Alice and the refreshed fox moved to resume their escape but Clare remained over Marco.

“Clare!” Alice shouted.

Clare sighed and lifted Marco.

“What are you doing?” The perplexed fox demanded.

“I have questions,” Clare said as she secured Marco on her shoulder. He was surprisingly light.

“They’d better be very fucking good questions!”

“Relax. If they catch up I’ll dump him.”

The escape continued and no more Crusaders cut them off. The flare had worked quite well. And then as luck would have it, they reached the Mississippi River.

“I can’t believe I forgot I can’t swim,” Clare said.

“That won’t matter with that current. Do you have an idea, fox?”

The fox looked around. “The current will be our salvation. If we can find a floatation device, we need only hold on tight and let it take us.”

“What can we use?”

“Over there. That driftwood is large enough for the four of us.” The fox pointed its nose down the bank at a log.

“It’ll have to do,” Alice said. They moved to the log and started preparing it for a river ride but rustling bushes caused them to halt. Dianne emerged from the forest, and she was pissed.

“Found you,” she said. She was better equipped now, with twin short swords at her waist and makeshift armor of bark and other natural materials. She unsheathed the rather fearsome blades and gave them individual twirls. They whistled as they cut the breeze. “I could tell from the moment I set eyes on you that you were going to run off with the Primal. I just didn’t think you’d get this far.”

Clare and Alice drew their knives. Dianne chuckled when she saw them.

“It’s two against one and we drank the Primal,” Alice said confidently.

“Don’t underestimate us,” Clare backed her up.

“Too late for that, little women.”

“You’re younger than us, tween.”

“I may be younger but I can kick both your asses.”

“Then walk the walk, bitch.”

Dianne charged and ended up between the women. Though momentarily surrounded, she unleashed a magnificent kick in midair that struck both women in their chests and pushed them apart. Dianne focused on Clare as Alice stumbled and fell over some rocks.

Clare could barely hold her own. Dianne’s swords were but blurs to her but Clare surprised herself with her newfound dexterity. She was able to parry or evade the weapons, but there was no chance for her to go on the offensive.

Alice regained her footing and attacked Dianne from behind. However Dianne expected the move and kicked again. Alice clutched Dianne’s leg under her arm. With a strong tug, Alice pulled Dianne away from Clare and tossed her onto the rocks. Perhaps it was dumb luck but Dianne’s head stuck a large one, and she did not get up.

“Jesus, you killed her,” Clare said.

“No, look, her chest is moving. She’s just unconscious.”

“Who cares?!” the fox yelled. “Leave her and let’s go.”

The women left Dianne and hauled the log into the water. Marco was slung face-down on top, head above water, with the fox on his back while the women dangled from the sides. The current was indeed formidable and everyone held fast as they floated downstream.

“If you can, start paddling to the far shore,” the fox said when they had floated a while.

“Easier said than done,” Alice complained. But the women tried. Progress was slow but they were able to make it, though they were worn out by the time they crawled onto the shore. At the fox’s insistence, they summoned the last of their strength to haul their packs and Marco inland and out of sight.

“Picking up our trail will be very difficult now,” the fox said.

“It’d better be,” Alice huffed.

“Can we rest now? I actually need a rest,” Clare complained.

The fox looked around behind them, then sat its butt down. Clare and Alice did the same before rolling onto their backs. They used their rope to bind Marco before napping on the dry leaves and soft grass.

A few hours passed. The sun was beginning its descent. When the women awoke, they felt the full soreness from all the exercise. Marco was still out. An incredible hunger had set in as well. The group moved a little further inland and set up a real camp. It was not as good as something their Protector friends could put together but the fire was warm and there was flat ground for beds. The fox procured dinner by hunting down a plump hare. Alice skinned it and turned it over to Clare who had set up a fire spit.

Bellies full, the women stretched out on their beds near the fire. The fox curled up near them. Marco was laid down on leaves in a comfortable position at the base of a tree. Clare had a heart.

And then Marco awoke. It was slow and steady at first but the memories quickly came rushing back to his mind and that was when he started freaking out. He jerked and tugged at the rope around his wrists and ankles before Clare jumped on top of him.

“Whoa there,” she said. “You’re okay.”

“Clare? Where am I?” He struggled with his bonds.

“Stop it. Stop!” Clare sat on Marco’s chest until he was forced to calm down.

“Clare, I think he’s dying,” Alice said after a short while.

“Oops!” She slid off. “Sorry.”

“What’s going on?” Marco said between gasps.

Clare put a hand to her chin. “I guess you’re our prisoner now, for starters.”

“Where are the others?” Marco looked around. Clare grabbed his head and held it still.

“All gone. It’s just the four of us now.”

Marco showed confusion before he noticed the fox staring at him. “I see.”

“Are you really calm?”

Marco took another deep breath. “I am calm.”

“Good.” Clare returned to her bedroll.

“What exactly did you want to ask him?” Alice asked.

Clare made herself comfortable. “I was getting to that. Marco?”

“Yes?”

“Where did the Overseer get all of those children?”

Marco kept his mouth shut.

“Marco…” Clare said like an angered mother.

Marco looked away.

“Marco, I will hurt you.”

Marco looked back at Clare. There was skepticism followed by total disbelief, so he smirked.

“You don’t believe me?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.”

Clare sat back up and crawled closer to Marco. “And why is that?”

“Look at you. You’re just a little girl.”

“Hey!” Alice started.

But Marco’s scream cut her off before Alice could let him have it. Clare had shoved her dagger through Marco’s hand. Alice shut up and sat back to watch the show.

“Oops. It slipped.” Clare pulled the blade out. “Now what were you saying?”

“I was just saying that the Overseer had them kidnapped from cities, towns, Refuges, all over.”

“How many of you Crusaders are there?”

“We have an army, a big one lying in wait. Not all in Terra of course. We are spread out across North America but we can communicate with each other very well. You won’t escape us.”

“That remains to be seen,” Alice cut in.

“How long have the Crusaders been around?”

Marco counted in his head. “We’ve been growing in number for ten years, I think.”

“That is longer than I expected,” the fox admitted.

Clare sighed and ripped a sleeve off. She rinsed it with canteen water and began bandaging Marco’s hand. “What a day,” she said. Her work was crude but acceptable.

“I can’t say I’ve ever been chased by a cult before.” Alice began to settle down on her bedroll.

Clare finished and looked up to the sky. Only a few stars were visible through the thick canopy above. “Hey Alice?”

“Yes?”

“I killed a man and slept like a baby. I saved animals and then ate one not five minutes ago. I stole from the Crusaders. Sorry, Marco. Am I a hypocritical murderous thief?”

Marco was about to answer but Alice cut him off. “Think of it this way: You’re starting to define yourself. These situations and decisions are all making you into a whole new person. Isn’t that what you’re after?”

Clare returned to her bedroll and spread out. “I like the sound of that. Helps me forget how messed up my life is now, though it pales in comparison to my old life.”

“Don’t start thinking that you’re a bad person, Clare. There are perfect justifications for our actions.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night,” Marco commented.

“Let me think. Ryker was a slave owner who treated me and a lot of other slaves like dirt. No one misses him. I killed those poachers because they were just as bad as Ryker in my book.”

“A book you can’t read.” Alice mocked.

“Oh, shut up. But I can’t say I regret any of that. As for that rabbit, we needed to eat. We weren’t left with a lot of food when we were thrown off the boat. Money, yes, but not enough food.”

“True.”

“Stealing Primal was a means to an end.” Clare groaned, “But stealing is stealing.”

“Yes, it is,” Marco said.

The fox spoke up. “As I mentioned before, Crusaders are much too extreme to be in possession of Primal. When the Protector Master learns of Primal, she will act against them.”

Marco rolled over to face away.

Dawn. The fire extinguished itself and Clare was awoken by the crisp morning air. Alice was on the border of awakening as well, tossing and turning from the cool temperature. Marco was in a similar state but his all natural clothing actually did the trick of keeping him warm. The fox was sleeping peacefully. Lucky, furry devil.

From what Clare could tell, their escape was a success. Surely the fox had something to say otherwise, but that would come later. Clare began reviving the fire as quietly as possible. Flames soon arose and Alice and Marco’s uncomfortable squirming ceased.

Now for food. Clare took her dagger and began a little exploring. She cut little notches in trees to mark her trail as she continued deeper into the woods. It was peaceful out here. Early birds chirped and rays of sunlight shimmered through the thin mist. Clare’s search was fruitful. She found a plethora of blueberries and in her excitement, uprooted two entire bushes to bring back to the camp.

The fox had awoken and was a little closer to the fire. Alice and Marco remained asleep. Clare offered blueberries to the fox, who ripped a little branch off and helped himself.

Clare started her little breakfast. She had finished half of the berries of one bush before Alice awoke. Clare generously left the rest for her. Alice rose and ate in bed.

“So what are we doing today?” Alice asked between mouthfuls. “Getting back on course?”

“Yes. We should find a road and head south,” the fox said. “It would be best to keep a good pace today. Word of our deed has undoubtedly already spread amongst the Crusaders.”

“That sounds fantastic. Let’s get packing. I can eat these on the road.”

“I think we’ll be fine for a while. They have injured to attend to,” Clare said. She walked to Marco and shook him. “Rise and shine.” He grumbled but readied himself.

The group set out after their very brief breakfast. Marco’s hands were tied in his front so he could feed himself. It was hours before they found a flat trail. But it was unlike what Clare had seen thus far.

“What’s with this road?” Clare asked.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not like the others. It’s just dirt. No cracked rocks, but definitely a road.”

“Not every route is a big sturdy road. They had stuff like this long ago as well,” Alice explained. “And those rocks were once something called asphalt. There’s your history lesson for the day.”

The fox was perplexed. “How do you not know this?” it asked Clare.

“I lived in a Refuge the greater part of my life until about a week ago.”

“Then you have fewer survival skills than I had originally thought yesterday. I did not expect this. Not at all.”

“Didn’t it show? She was having a hard time running, remember?”

“That, she did. I overestimated her, it seems.”

“I’m alright now though. I feel like I could take on the world.”

“Yes, I suppose Primal would benefit you greatly given these circumstances. You are lucky.”

Marco scoffed.

“You are,” Alice agreed. “I had Alfred try to whip me into shape. That dick. I’m still not up to his standards somehow.”

“I was born fit,” the fox bragged.

“Hold up,” Clare said. “Do you hear that?” She turned and looked behind them.

The sound neared until two large trucks came into view. They took up the entire width of the path. The four stepped off to the side.

“Just let them pass,” Alice said. “We don’t need to get ourselves into anything.”

“Rule number one.”

The trucks ran alongside the group and just when it seemed like they were going to ignore them, they stopped.

“Get a weapon ready,” Alice whispered. Clare complied by hiding her knife in her rear waistband. Marco backed off a few feet but did not move to run.

The driver of the first vehicle stepped out. He was a large bald man with impressive equipment strapped across his body. Though the weaponry was military, this man suggested his profession was rather mercenary work.

“Hello, folks,” the man began. “And fox. You lost out here?”

Alice answered, “We know where we’re going.”

“And where would that be?”

“New Orleans.”

“New Orleans? We’re heading to New Orleans! Would you like a ride?”

“We’ll be just fine walking.”

A bald man with a goatee walked up. He was even bigger than the first, and had a scar across his cheek. His angry brown eyes were all business. “What’s the holdup?” he called.

Alice’s knife almost magically appeared in her hand as she jumped at the bald man. He was quick and got Alice’s wrist in his grasp. None of the onlookers knew what was going on. “I finally found you,” Alice growled. “I’ll have your head!” Her increased strength broke the man’s hold and the dagger came down into his shoulder. He grunted and threw Alice off of him.

“You bitch! Knock them out!”

Four shots rang out, and each member of the group found themselves stuck with a red-feathered dart. Another mercenary with a rifle had snuck out to take the shots. She walked into view as the four lost their legging.

“I didn’t even do anything…” Marco mumbled as he fell.

“Let’s get them to New Orleans,” the man said as he examined his wound. “We’re selling them to the worst bidder.”

Then darkness.