Chapter 4 | Ethan | Onset

On the day of Numen, Ethan is dressed in a plain grey t-shirt, only slightly contrasting with his black comfortable joggers. The Kix are kind in lending clothes—he has never had to worry about them while growing up. Clothes don’t fit anymore? Tell the district head, and they’d be there in a few days. Only, since their overlords do not particularly care about human fashion, sometimes the clothes are terrible, and sometimes everyone ends up having similar clothes. He knows that he’ll find plenty of people wearing the same kind of clothes when he reaches the Numen exam site, but according to him, that is an advantage. He does not want to overly stand out and risk being ridiculed or judged too harshly by their overlords, so all of the clothes that he has packed in his bag are simple and comfortable.

Della wouldn’t have done so, he thinks. She would have picked up the flashiest clothes she could have found. She would’ve tried to stand out. Umida is also dressed plainly, wearing a plain short-sleeved blue blouse. She is hugging her parents and her mother is crying. Ethan can't understand what they are talking about since he doesn't understand Japanese, but he can tell that Umida is trying to console her mother and stop her from crying. He turns away from them, then waits patiently. The clock in the room tells him that they still have half an hour left.

It takes Umida ten more minutes to part from her family, and they both leave. Ethan does not look back at her parents—he cannot face them. Umida is his responsibility now. If she is sent to the frontlines as a soldier or taken as a research subject for God knows what, it’s all his fault.

He does not comment on her tears as they walk to the district garden, where an airship lands just as they reach it. There is only one more person from the district that is willing to take the Numen. Royce, Khanya’s son and Della’s best friend.

Ethan has never ridden an airship before, and his stomach churns just at the thought of moving quickly. As the airship descends, Umida and Royce keep their hands over their head, stopping the wind from messing their long hair too much. A Kix steps out and glances at the three of them. It goes over its screen, nods at each of them, and walks back into the airship. Six Krot guards escort them inside, walking on all fours in a circle around them.

The inside of the airship is cold enough to be awkward, but not enough to be a problem. Perhaps it’s not that cold. Perhaps it’s just the blue interior of the spaceship, making it feel colder than usual. But then Ethan notices his skin standing and thinks otherwise.

Their destination is a small packed room with about fifty chairs, and there are already about twenty people sitting on them. Must be humans from other districts. One of the Krots orders them to sit, so Ethan and Umida obediently sit down next to each other. The rest of the humans stare at the newcomers but do not say anything, then the Krots leave.

Nobody talks to Ethan or Umida for a minute as they stuff their luggage, but as soon as they are done, everyone gathers around them asking them about the district, about the Kix that oversaw their district, about how many people did the district have and all sorts of generic questions. Ethan answers their questions briefly and curtly, shrinking under so many accents, so many different faces, and so many different physiques. Umida looks to be faring much better, her hands dancing as she talks to great length about herself, her old district, her new district and how she almost missed the flight because her mother could not stop crying. That brings a chuckle and smiles to others' faces.

The airship finally begins its flight but takes an entire minute to rise into the air before speeding up. Ethan almost feels dizzy looking outside the window. Someone yawns right behind him. Someone takes out a loaf of bread to munch on and makes too much noise while eating. A few people talk to each other—some loudly, and some in whispers. Are they comrades or enemies? The Numen has a fixed intake, and no information about how many humans would be taken is disclosed so far. “I’m Eric,” he hears someone say and turns to find Umida talking to a bald man. He has occupied the empty seat next to her. He wears a plain blue t-shirt over comfortable black sweatpants—a combination that his father particularly liked. Strange. He must be the oldest amongst all of them, Ethan thinks. Perhaps he’s in his forties. Is he a father to someone too, like Ethan’s father?

The airship slows down and Ethan can see from his window that they are descending onto another district. It has barely been two minutes. She was right, then. The districts really are close.

Umida introduces Ethan to Eric. "Oh, I see," Eric says, "So there are three people from your district."

Ethan nods. “Where are you from?”

“The 11th district,” Eric says. There is something about the way he speaks that makes Ethan feel at ease, just like Umida. An authoritative voice tone that puts you at comfort, thinking that he would take care of every problem.

The 11th district. He must know, then, Ethan thinks as he asks, “Do you know of the new woman that transferred there? Is doing well?"

Eric tilts his head, “Oh...Melissa. She transferred a few weeks ago. She’s doing well.” He laughs. “Everybody does well in the eleventh district.”

The human districts often operate with homogeneity. It’s a human tendency, Della has told him. A hive mind. “And that is why a perfectly docile district like us continues to be docile,” she has said. “And also why rebellious districts like the 5th and the 23rd continue to be rebellious. We are heavily influenced by each other.”

He is glad to know that his mother is doing well and allows himself a small smile. Eric stares at him but does not enquire further. He probably figures it out on his own. “What field are you aiming for?” he whispers.

“Armed forces,” Ethan says, and Eric smiles at that, replying, “Aiming for the top, eh? I like it. I hope we will be seeing each other often, then.”

“What about you?” he faces Umida.

“Transport. Woooosh,” she says, making her right hand go up like the Kix airship.

Ethan is about to ask Eric about his interests when the door opens and the Krots enter again. This time, they escort five humans inside, then leave. Ethan looks outside the window, looking at the district they just landed upon. It doesn't seem any different than his own. Patches of ground between thirty buildings.

The conversations start up again and involve mainly the five newcomers. He is glad about that. He looks at Umida—not only does she manage to hold conversations with so many people, but she also does it effortlessly, and perhaps all this quagmire is only a small, menial thing for her. He sighs. He cannot do it like her. He knows that the people here are not guaranteed to be his friends.

“Is everyone done preparing for the first test?” Umida asks when the conversation has started to die and Ethan leans forward, raising his eyebrows. Now, this is something he wants to hear opinions about.

“Of course,” someone says.

“I’m terrible at theory tests,” someone else adds, shaking her head. “I’ll just have to cover myself in the practical tests.”

Eric nods, then says, “The test is in Ikari, so we’re at a natural disadvantage compared to…” he pauses, then adds, “the aliens, but I think they’ll go easy on us as ours is the first—”

Umida whistles loudly and jumps repeatedly, saying, “Hey! Look, look! I can see a spaceship!”

Ethan, just like everyone, looks outside the window and sees a huge black spaceship enclosed in an almost transparent dome. It floats in the air, and Ethan cannot see the other end of it. To the sides and the centre of the spaceship, there run narrow red glowing lights, and there are large buildings on the spaceship itself. Ethan covers his mouth with his hand—how can Della even think that humans could fight that thing?

Chapter 4 | Della | Murder

The soil is soft and clammy, which makes digging the holes easy. If only the soil in the district was this soft, Della thinks, she would have finished two whole months early. Granted—the hole she dug in the district was a lot bigger than this eight feet deep narrow one. This hole barely takes her half a day, and she quickly climbs up and covers it. “So thirsty,” she complains, out of water. She finds herself eating more and more fruits, getting the juice out of them as a substitute for water, and then goes to sleep on a tree.

The next morning, she wakes and digs up another hole, and finds a tree of nuts next to it. She happily munches on them as she digs with her bare hands, multiple veins visible on her forearms now. She should have checked for shovels in the abandoned district, she thinks.

The second hole is sloppy and only six feet deep, but she cannot continue. She is too tired, and all the nuts and fruits are not fulfilling at all. She needs real water, not sugary juice from fruits. She covers the holes to the best of her ability and then goes on a tree branch. Tomorrow, she thinks, looking up at the moon.

She wakes up with an unexpected alacrity, and practices running on the muddy soil. Slipping down would mean death. Leaving her bag on top of the tree branch, she takes out the two knives and the cleaver. Then, she finds a large rock and puts it close to the hole.

The Krots are like medium size canines, four-footed and quick…but these ones seem smaller than the average Krot. They have a laser gun mounted on both of their shoulders. She walks towards the gate, thinking of what should she scream to these yellow-skinned four-footed aliens. Probably not a good idea to offend them, she thinks. Maybe ask for help? That might slow them down. Might.

“HELP!” She screams in Ikari as soon as she can see them, “There’s a big animal here!”

She can barely make out that their heads have moved since she is so far. Then, all of a sudden, she can see one of the small Krots becoming bigger—no, not bigger, just coming closer. "Goddamn it—why isn’t the other Krot chasing?" She curses. She wants to lure both of them at once but has no choice but to turn and run. She glances back and sees that the Krot is a lot faster than her expectation, and it has already covered half of the distance. At least it isn’t shooting.

She slows down a little just before the hole to let it catch up and takes a long jump over the camouflaged hole. The Krot falls inside the hole, and she quickly throws one of her knives at it. It hits the back of the Krot. But it’s just a kitchen knife. Screaming, she jumps in the hole, grabbing the large rock she has kept prepared. She lands on top of the Krot, and then smashes the rock against its neck, over and over, unsure of when the Krot truly dies despite all the blood it bleeds. She’d never imagined that it would be red. Tears run down her cheeks and she looks up at the sky.

The adrenaline wears off after a minute, and she realizes that she has been hit by the Krot’s claws in her ribs. Cursing, she takes out the bloody knife off the Krot, and then excruciatingly beheads it using the cleaver she has taken before. She also cuts off all of its 12 toes from its 4 legs and puts them down on the ground near the hole. She should have just taken the red dress instead of the green dress instead, she thinks. Her green dress has become red anyway and the metal scent of blood permeates in the air.

She grabs the beheaded head of the Krot. She was expecting to use both of her hands, but it’s light enough that she holds it with just her left hand. Keeping it safe on a tree branch, she walks back to the gate with her cleaver. When the other Krot finds her in the bloody dress, it runs to her. She runs towards the second hole, quicker this time. This time the Krot shoots, knowing that Della is a threat. She keeps on running, hoping that she doesn’t get hit and leaps over the hole. As soon as she lands on the ground, she knows something isn’t right. Blood seeps out of a hole in her left shoulder and she screams. She’s been shot.

Turning around, she finds the Krot almost on top of the hole she has dug.

“Stop, stop!” Della begs in Ikari, walking backwards, cleaver in her hand, “Take me alive! Take me alive! The Gorons don’t want to unnecessarily kill humans, do they?”

The Krot keeps its distance. “How did you get out? Answer me!”

“There is an exit,” She says, her voice dry. “I swear. I can show it to you. Please, please. Let me live. I surrender.” She drops the cleaver but makes sure it's within a reachable distance. Just moving a little hurts her shot shoulder and thigh.

The Krot watches her disarming herself, and steps closer to restrain her. After three steps, it loses its footing because of Della's camouflaged hole. It doesn’t fall, but a moment of opportunity is all Della needs. She grabs the cleaver she has dropped on the Krot's orders and jumps over the hole—towards the Krot.

The Krot shoots once again, but being off-balance, it only hits Della’s right thigh. Before it can get another shot off, Della slits its throat, screaming. It all happens in what feels like an instant, and when that instant is over, she slits the Krot's throat five times again to be doubly sure. She curses in pain as soon as she looks at the two new holes in her body.

She slaps herself with her right hand and gets up. From the bag that she has left behind near the hole, she tears up a dress and binds it across her shoulder and thigh, containing the blood. Then, she turns and grabs the severed head of the Krot, along with the toes that she had cut off it, beginning to walk. Her mother has once told her about existing human security, about how some human devices could be unlocked using face, eye, and fingerprints. From far away, the gate didn’t seem like it had any place to enter a password so she hopes that Gorons have had similar ideas.

She swallows her saliva. She would kill for some water right now. She already has, but she would do it again if water was a reward.

It takes her three minutes to get to the giant black gate leaving a bloody trail behind, and through her blurry and blackening vision, she finds a strange white device, low on the gate. The Krots are four-legged canine-like animals. It makes sense that the device would be low, as their faces and eyes would be lower. Relieved, she holds the head in front of it…and nothing happens for five entire seconds. “Please,” she thinks, her vision almost fully black now. She doesn’t have time to experiment through all the toes of Krot.

Then there is the hissing of air. The gate opens, and Della stumbles inside the district, fainting and hitting the ground on her third step inside.