DEATH COLONY: SURVIVORS
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6
The
following morning, Mashan entered with two platters of fine fruits and
some water and placed them on the floor as two other tribesmen untied
Hal and Mia.
‘We
let you be free to walk about village until Gods decide. We ask you to
forgive our unwelcoming.’ said Mashan. ‘Please be eating the good
food, we will show you around.’ As they were untied, Hal and Mia
exchanged suspicious looks, each knowing exactly what the other was
thinking.
They’re
up to something, they thought. Last night they wanted to kill
us and now they’re treating us like they’re our loyal servants.
As they swapped a nod, they both thought: This looks grim, someone
is going to end up hurt… or worse. The thoughts were pushed
aside as they ate what food they could, guzzled down the water and
were ushered out of the shabby hut into the sunlight.
‘You
have a lovely home here.’ Said Mia, gazing around. The village was
nothing more than a dozen shanty huts, she counted. A young Talnis
tribesman – a young boy, if that what he were, ran past waving. She
waved back, smiled weakly. He had merely nubs for horns and his wings
were like that of a sparrow – frail and small.
‘My
son.’ Said Mashan, smiling proudly. ‘Gods choose him to be next
Shaman after they take my soul.’ Something about that comment
saddened her, and Mashan saw the expression. He laughed.
‘Come
now, be not sad. God’s choose for you to walk about village freely
as they have not decided. Much to be decided,’ he added
matter-of-factly.
Mia
and Hal made no reply.
‘Please
you be looking around. My village small, but Gods keep us healthy. All
have good families and crops. All speak Earth tongue as you say. I
will go now, I must meditate and await God’s choice.’ And with
that, Mashan was gone, heading back to his village like the humans
were never there.
Sticking
close together, Hal and Mia first headed for what a small patch of
trees. A brook of crystal clear water trickled through the middle, off
into the distance, probably to reach the large lake or the ocean, if
they had one. Mia crouched and splashed her face with the cool water,
instantly refreshed. Hal, however, looked troubled.
‘What’s
wrong?’ she asked, drying her face on her sleeve. Hal sighed. He
wanted to tell her a lot of things; how sad he felt for the loss of so
many lives, how he thought the two of them may aswell be walking on a
green mile and how he was starting to have feelings for her… so many
things, but he feared no time to express himself.
‘Hal?’
she asked again. He snapped out his own mind to respond:
‘Oh,
sorry.’ He said dryly. ‘I just don’t get why they’re treating
us so good all of a sudden.’
‘I
wondered that too.’ Said Mia, sitting next to him on the rock he
perched himself on. ‘But think about it; maybe they’re going to
let us go, but they’re just making sure we won’t retaliate and
bring an army with us. From the looks of things, they’ve not seen
the outside world much – whatever it’s like on this planet.’
‘Oh
we have an army,’ said Hal sardonically, ‘they’re all just in
pieces back on the ship.’ He received a nudge in the ribs from Mia,
though she couldn’t keep from finding him funny. She giggled,
muffled the sound with her sleeve.
‘You
sick arsehole,’ she said and broke out into a laugh.
Hal
did the same.
After
the laughter died down, they sat in silence for some time, mostly
expecting Mashan to return with either their marching orders or more
rope to tie them back to the wooden pole.
No
one came.
*
That
night, a great feast was held – apparently a regular occurrence
between the Talnis warriors – to worship the many God’s that they
believed looked down on them and protected them. Children danced and
sang, men played what looked like hand-man drums, pounding them with
dried sticks and the women danced, purely for the men’s enjoyment.
Even
Hal had to admit, for women with horns and wings, there was a majestic
air about them, almost magical.
But
nothing could keep his suspicions at bay.
‘Would
you just enjoy yourself?’ said Mia, clapping along to the beat of
the drums. ‘If they were going to kill us, they would have
already.’ She nodded toward the two guards standing either side of
Mashan, each equipped with two dangerous-looking spears.
‘I
just don’t trust them…’ Hal was interrupted by a very curvy
young Talnis woman, dancing seductively close to him. Taking his hand,
she pulled him up to dance, despite Hal’s beetroot red face and
words of objection.
‘I
am Tallish,’ said the woman, smiling brightly, her long violet hair
swaying gently like silk.
She’s
like an Amazon Princess, in that she could probably break my neck with
her hands tied behind her back, Hal thought as he danced. The
dance was not difficult, mostly arm movement and so he got the hang of
it easy. As he danced, he got a good look at her. The women of Talnis
were truly physical perfection.
He
did not see the glint of jealousy on Mia’s face as he danced through
the night.
*
That
night, in the hut they were originally tied up in, sleep for Mia came
quick. She did not want to think about the fact that she was beginning
to feel for a man who was in the same army that tried to have her put
in a penal colony over a murder she didn’t commit. However, Hal
wasn’t really that man. He was just a soldier in that army.
Her
thoughts drifted as she fell into a world of sleep.
For
Hal, sleep did not come. He kept thinking about Mashan’s words.
‘…until God’s decided.’ He had no idea how long this may be.
Perhaps they were planning on keep them as prisoners, but treat them
well. Since they had no way of leaving the planet right away, this
wouldn’t have seemed like such a bad option. Perhaps they were about
to let them leave, to fix their “demon” and be gone from Talnis
for good.
But
another thought haunted Hal’s mind. The thought they if they did
leave the village, it wouldn’t be alive.
Taking
off his jacket, as it was a warm night, Hal covered his face with it
and forced himself into sleep.
*
A
great horn bellowed through the village.
Hal
and Mia were awoken by Mashan’s two guards, who picked them up
vicariously by the arms, pulling them to their feet. Mashan entered
with a very clear look on his face and smiled.
‘God’s
came to me in dream.’ He said. ‘They tell me they have chosen what
your fate shall be.’
There
was silence for a moment, almost as if Mashan was holding his tongue
just to build tension. For a moment, Mia wanted to speak, wanted to
demand he get on with it, but thought better of it.
‘God’s
decide you no use here,’ said Mashan. ‘You of no use or good in
Talnis village.’
Mia
sighed with relief, but stopped short, unsure suddenly of what Mashan
meant. She looked at Hal, who was equally puzzled.
‘What
do you mean?’ asked Hal. ‘Do you mean, we’re banished from the
village?’ Mashan almost laughed, then his face became stone.
‘God’s
demand a sacrifice of the demon bringers.’ He said. ‘God’s tell
me in dream that demon bringers bring with them war and death. These
things we have not seen for many generations. God’s do not wish them
back and neither do we.’ This seemed to be the only statement Mashan
had made that hadn’t been said or decided by “God’s”.
‘What
exactly are you trying to say?’ asked Mia, getting a little
impatient. Mashan understood and took a breath.
‘The
God’s demand,’ he said somberly, ‘a sacrifice.’
