The moment the turnstile opened into the other side of the massive wall, all of Cub’s senses were assailed like he could have never imagined.
On the Fertile side, it was so crowded that vehicles had trouble moving through the old unused streets. Even walking through the crowds was an exercise in pausing and bumping. Here on this side of the wall, the numbers of people vastly exceeded that on the other as the sea of humanity seemed to fill every inch of ground, hung out of every window and leaned over every roof.
Though it was hot everywhere year round since the world had
supposedly tipped on its axis; here due to the vast numbers of people, high walls and buildings blocking the wind, it seemed twenty degrees hotter. Cub began to sweat from the heat let alone his already tested nerves.
His own perspiration instantly cued him in on the musty smell of unwashed millions. Dust drifting everywhere, undoubtedly their stinking sloughed off skin. It was not just the smell of filthy people themselves, yet all that they generated. It smelled like an open sewer in that he could see people up along the edge of the wall urinating, even defecating upon it.
There was the rot of garbage, worst of all, that of decomposing human bodies, bloated, in varied shades of green. Stepped over or walked around, eventually they would flatten enough to be walked upon. Their gore ground down adding to the greasy dust. Smoke was everywhere, most of it oily and putrid along with the fumes that everything seemed to generate.
Most of the people this side of the wall wore the pastel poly-paper jumpsuits that could be found in heaps everywhere. Many people wore sandals made from the treads of tires tied onto their feet with strips torn from other jumpsuits, that is if they wore any at all. Pink, green and yellow everywhere; though they were all the same, people had ripped and retied them attempting to grant themselves some semblance of fashion he supposed.
Those entering through the gate were dressed in traditional clothing, nothing impressive, mostly old t-shirts, shorts or pants, and common footwear. That said, it quickly became evident why some people living here, wore a mish-mash of styles. As soon as they passed the gate, he saw a man and woman swarmed over and stripped, simply for what they wore by a mob of tattooed men.
Confusing at first, Cub finally realized the din was so great he could barely hear. As he tried to fix upon one of a million sounds, finally one overpowered them all as he was given something to focus upon; the ringing in his ears becoming a clear voice.
"Cubby, put these on now!" shouted Rokka-Kae jamming his gun, batons and belt into his gut.
"My name is not--" as Rokka-Kae cut him off once more.
"I know what your name is, now shut up and listen! Stay near me and watch what I do and do what I say instantly or you will die here. Do you hear me? Pay attention to ‘me’ now, not them!"
Rokka-Kae yelled at Cub realizing how overwhelming someone’s first time in the Pastoral zone would be. Regardless, not even knowing what this was all about; he found it radically startling. In the brief few seconds he had looked around, Rokka-Kae had already put her own gun-belt, shifted her hand to her ear with her communication-set or "
comms’ " in it, and began to speak.
"Central Dispatch," Kae began looking up to the large putrid-green Soviet font characters above the gate.
"Close gate Thirteen-R inbound."
‘Roger Reaper-379… Thirteen-R inbound gate is now closed.’
"You! What did I tell you! Go back home now! Go back or die!" Rokka-Kae instantly began yelling as she stormed through the crowd toward a young couple pulling along a child.
Pushing and shoving her way through, the man and woman looked at each other, abruptly pulling the child in different directions. The man pulled toward the gate, the woman pulling toward the city. When her husband relented, she won the tug of war. In just a moment, she was already deeper into the crowd.
Rokka-Kae did not hesitate. Drawing one of her pistols, she fired sending two rounds into the woman’s back, passing through the woman also taking down three others in front of her. In a flash Rokka-Kae was up on the child who fell with his mother, pinning him with her foot, stepping on his back as she shouted at the man.
"Take him home now!" The man in a panic instead bolted. In an instant, Rokka-Kae had shot him also taking out a woman in front of the man in the process.
"Cub! Grab him and hold him!" Kae shouted as she stepped off the child and turned shoving her way into the crowd once again.
Cub however just stood there in shock as Rokka-Kae pushed her way enraged toward another couple shouting at them. When they turned to run toward the city, she cut them down along with two other bystanders as well. Racing up to that child grabbing it up by one arm, she turned back toward Cub literally shoving the child at him speaking into her comms’.
"Central… Gate Thirteen-R, sound the siren!"
It was then Rokka-Kae noticed as Cub fumbled for the second child that the first child was already long gone, scooped up by someone in the crowd. Suddenly the low threatening growl of an air-raid siren began to rise sounding at the gate. Once up to speed its raspy wail was deafening.
"Damn it Cub! You lost the first, hold this one tight!
"Central… Cancel the siren at Gate Thirteen-R. Sound the horn three-cycles!"
‘Roger Reaper-379… Horn sounding in three, two…’
Rokka-Kae yanked Cub’s hands off the child, trapping it instead with her knees and slammed Cub’s hands up to his own ears, quickly covering her own. Unexpected, more so stunning, a blare from a deep booming horn that shook Cub’s body to the core sounded. The resonant foreboding sound seemed to come from everywhere as though the horn of Gabriel himself was calling down.
Instantly people dropped covering their ears in agony. Although Cub’s ears were covered, it was still so loud and resounding, that he was urged to do the same. The horn sounded for two more tones, each equally debilitating. The second the last blast ceased, Rokka-Kae shoved the child at Cub, instantly moving into action as the masses recovered.
Reaching to the back of her belt, even though she had sounded both the siren and horn warning of a Reaper near, she heaved up into the air a small puck that just as it began to fall exploded generating a black spherical cloud of smoke. The final warning to all that could see it. A "Visual Alert" that a Reaper was harvesting.
Cub just barely noticed what Rokka-Kae had fixed upon as she drew both of her pistols and began firing. Even the deafening noise had not stopped a group of six similarly tattooed men from attacking another couple, trying to pry their child away that they fought to keep. In a moment those men, the couple and three bystanders were down.
A second later she was firing into the back of another pair of men pulling along a child. Then another woman carrying a child as she tried to flee toward the city, not the gate.
Quickly there was a reply to Rokka-Kae’s slaughter. This group or individual began firing back at her with their old beat up weapons. It was amazing how far from their mark rounds would strike as they tried to kill her before she would turn on them in response. Bystanders all around Rokka-Kae, more so those people shooting at her falling by the dozen.
In perhaps thirty seconds, it was over. Most of the people had fled, yet the ward was so crowded, that others who had not even been there began to flood into the area.
Cub was in shock as he noticed Rokka-Kae approaching him having gathered up three children by their wrists; all but dragging them to him as she turned round looking for others. Already it was too late as the crowd had begun refilling the area obscuring any others there. Cub began screaming, though Rokka-Kae simply ignored him for the moment continuing her work.
"What have you done! You murdered all of those people and you killed all of these children’s parents, are you insane? You’ll die for this Reaper! You just slaughter people without reason!"
"Central Dispatch… Send three Planters through the gate to my location immediately. Four Mics for pickup, possibly others. Also send Salvage. Approximately thirty for composting, they’ll not be marked."
‘Affirmative Reaper-379… Planters should be through the gate and at your location in fifteen seconds, Salvage dispatched.’
Almost immediately, a second voice from Central called over Rokka-Kae’s comms’.
‘Reaper-379, Central Dispatch… How much longer should the Ward Thirteen-R gate remain closed, over?’
"Central… Open Gate Thirteen-R in thirty seconds. Note Reaper 3-7-9 has arrived with the package intact and will not be marking and logging any harvest until further notice."
‘Roger Reaper-379… Package on station, logging offline.’
"You’re insane, a psychotic killer!" Cub shouted just as three people in full armor rushed up, literally putting leashes on the children and began pulling them toward the gate with their weapons drawn. "You had no reason to kill those people, and whatever this is I’m done with it now!"
"None huh? And if you’re done then fine, go. Enjoy living in the Thirteenth-R till you’re dead which will likely be in just a few minutes, but you can’t get back through the gate."
"What do you mean I can’t get back through? I’m--"
"I told you before Cub. I know who you are, in fact I know all about you. I even know about that little paper you wrote, your fancy speech and your big plans having no idea how the world really is… ****ing Circus fool.
"Anyway, unless you have a child of your own to take back through, or a child in the Fertile zone, or a pass, you aren’t going anywhere. Well I suppose you could go to the Q, M or S but I doubt you’ll make it, they’re worse."
By that point, Cub was sobbing into his hands just as he began to retch and vomit. Everything that she had done was so pointless. Even now, as the gate opened, more parents with children were pouring in. Rokka-Kae just stood there a moment until he was finished, then yanked him up by his arm simply saying;
"stay right next to me."
