He and Kyrie, along with her family and the other passengers, entered into the cool dark of the building. Little sunlight crept in through the windows, so most of the light in the crowded room came from oil lamps crudely cut from old tin coffee cans.
No one was in the room to greet them other than a few more guards who lined the walls. The passengers began to murmur among themselves, and to take note of the armed men in black who seemed to be their new masters. Their shirts were black as pitch, and in the poorly lit room they stood like shadows armed with sword and club.
Though they gave the impression of a disciplined military, their shirts didn’t match. They had all been dyed the same deep black, but they were all a different cut. Whatever shirts these men happened to own became their uniforms when they fell under the reign of the head of the camp.
The tension grew for less than a minute when the guard with the hat tapped one of his men and pointed toward the front of the room. The other guard saluted him and moved before the crowd. His voice was shrill, and soared above the grumble of the passengers: “Quiet. Tarc has a few words to say. There are to be no interruptions when he speaks.”
Those words ushered in silence, and a big man came in from another room. Authority was in his bearing and in his blood, and in fact this man Tarc was Governor Vac’s brother. He walked like a wall cloud: big and slow, but gripping the attention of everyone within twenty miles, because it was clear that somewhere in his being he carried the strength of a whirlwind.
“Welcome,” he said, facing the small crowd. His tone was as friendly as dirt. “You’re all here today because this world is dying, and this farm is not. Because outside those walls people are killing each other for bread, but in here, there is food for anyone who works. You’re here for your own survival. I’m here for my survival. In that way we’re very much alike. The difference is this: My job is to make the rules that help keep us all alive, and your job is to follow those rules.
“Today I want to give you a brief overview of those rules. If you don’t learn them today, that’s fine. I have no problem with slow learners. But understand that there will be consequences. Loss of eating privileges. Corporal punishment. I don’t prescribe these things because I don’t like you—I do it because I have found that these are the best ways to help slow learners. If a dog doesn’t sit when you say ‘sit,’ you strike it—and this is an act of love.
“You have seen a small portion of this camp. The men’s village is just outside; the women’s village is on the other side of the camp. Any man who thinks about sneaking over to the women’s camp, consider the fruit of your secret visit: that woman will have to toss her baby over the wall. Because in this camp no one—absolutely no one—who does not work will eat. It doesn’t matter if they are little and cute. It doesn’t matter if it’s your baby.
“If any man is injured, he must work, because—by the laws of survival—we cannot afford to feed him. Therefore, your safety is a great priority for you as well as for me. Anyone who puts himself at risk of injury will be punished. I see a cripple in the crowd here. It used to be that there were resources in this world to take care of people like you. Those resources are gone. So now you will have to earn your survival day by day like the rest of us. The same goes for the children.
“No one is to leave the camp and no one is to go into the city without my express permission. No one is to eat more than his fair share, and no one working with food or crops is allowed to eat anything. If any man should steal, his rations will be garnished until the debt is paid twice over. If he starves, we will call it justice.
“Now, as I’m sure you can tell, you’re still alive. Your hearts are still pumping blood through your veins. And that means that the world isn’t over. And life isn’t over. And the times will get better. But for now things are going to be difficult. You’re going to have to work—and work hard. And you’re going to have to follow rules that you won’t like. But the times will get better. If we persevere. If we work together. Is that understood?”
Whether awed by Tarc’s presence or terrified by his guards, all were silent.
Don't miss a single word of stories as they are published! You'll also receive first notice of special sales and behind-the-scenes information.