CHAPTER 7
"Move low and stealthy, be as quiet as you can be."
23 said as he signaled the men to move, and in an instant they moved inside the cave. Sage followed and 23 went in right behind him. The cave was dark, very dark. The only illumination that could be seen was that of the light displaying their Jalo tags. All five men moved deeper into the cave trying to keep low.
Sage followed, his body moved but his mind was somewhere else. He thought about the nightmare, the same nightmare. It was eating him up from the inside, but how do you explain having the same nightmare 5 times in a row?
All of a sudden, the one taking the lead halted, forcing the rest of them to a sharp abrupt halt. He made a fist and raised it in the air signalling the rest.
23, who was behind them at the back of the line, turned his head frantically. "Why are we stopping, Milo?"
Milo, the one taking the lead, placed his index finger across his mouth asking 23 to shush. He proceeded to point ahead of them. Everyone's eyes darted from 23 to the direction of Milo's finger, including Sage, but none of them could see a thing. Night vision goggles were busted, for some reason they were working. The cave was very dark and it took time for their sight to adjust, but it did eventually.
Up ahead was a clearing in the cave, a bit wide compared to the view of the cave from the outside but it was there.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Milo whispered with a hushed voice.
"There is something down here, I can feel it."
"You guys quiet down," Milo said again.
Sage simply stayed crouched down. He wasn't much of a talker, he only spoke when necessary. That was the difference between him and Damon.
"Oi, 302, what's your take on this? You're the master of terrains," 23 asked as he looked down at Sage.
Sage stood up, scanning the area. He placed his hands on the wall and felt it instantly. It was warm, too warm for a cave. He moved past the crew and stepped slowly into the clearing. The floor was damp and his boots squelched like they were floating on it. He crouched on the floor, feeling the soil beneath him.
"The ground is moist, the cave walls are warm. We won't find anything here. This place is dead."
Sage muttered with zero expression written on his face. He stood up slowly and was about to turn back, and that's when he felt it. They all felt it. The entire cave vibrated and shook. It wasn't violent but it moved. It almost felt like it was…breathing.
They all immediately got alert and in an instant, they all pulled out their blades, the little light on their uniforms reflecting on the blades.
Sage moved back up, away from the clearing and back to the crew.
"What the hell is this?" One of them asked, he was shaking bad. 23 grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Calm down, boy. This isn't your first time out here. Get a hold," 23 growled as he shoved him aside and walked up to Sage.
"What do you think?" He asked as he looked around frantically.
Sage was about to give him a reply when a loud growl echoed across the cave, the sound bouncing off the walls repeatedly. Soon enough, the sound of snarling and snapping followed, hundreds of them.
"Prepare for a fight!" 23 commanded and the few got into fighting stances. Sage, for the first time, pulled out his twin blades. He pushed a button and they burst into flames, giving the cave a little bit of light.
The snarling got closer and closer, the vibration of giant footsteps pulsing through the ground as the men prepared to defend themselves.
***
Damon walked through the garden. He kept his head low to avoid making eye contact with the matrons. It was a rule, not a written down rule, but just a rule these matrons made because they could. One would call it numbing, but it was just a thing. Don't make eye contact unless spoken to, and in some cases, don't make eye contact at all. The punishment for breaking this 'sacred' rule was you lose the eye.
Matrons and overseers moved in the garden as well, pacing and watching as the Slumborns worked. Damon was headed to his work station. He was a farm labourer, not a garden labourer. Eventually he reached the end of the garden. Up ahead was a terminal. He turned around to the scenery behind him. Slumborns crouched planting God knows what, sweating under the scorching sun, dressed in rags. The only thing decent about their clothing was their Jalo.
He let out a sigh as he turned back around and entered the terminal. The terminal blinked to life as it whirled and floated up in the air. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared. The terminal moved in a blur, entering farther into the Daxin estate, and eventually it slowed down on the other end. Damon stepped out and adjusted his trousers. Taking a brief look at his reflection, he noticed his hair was a bit messier than usual, but he didn't mind it.
As soon as he stepped out, the air hit him. The smell of roses filled the air, even lavender. All around him, Slumborns like him moved in groups, all going to their designated area. He, on the other hand, was alone. For some reason unknown to him, he was the only Farm Labourer from Section B among the sections of Astra city's slums.
"With me," an overseer barked from behind him, immediately snapping him away from his little daydreaming.
He quickly followed behind. Up ahead was his kingdom, The Farm. He chose to call it his kingdom because that is where he got to be alone everyday, away from the hell of the world he lived in. It was his solitude. But the calmness within him was replaced with tension in a matter of seconds as the overseer walked past The Farm.
"Excuse me, where are we going? That's the farm back there," he asked, still keeping his head low.
"I'm not blind, slummer. You're not going to the farm today. You're going to The Dome," she said with a dark smile.