Rachel

The expanse of mountains in the distance was barely visible through the foggy mist that had settled over her beloved lake. Rachel eagerly removed her shoes and dipped her feet gingerly into the water, coaxing them through the initial shock of cold. The weather was just warm enough to make the sensation refreshing, and she knew it would not be long before summer brought the oppressive heat that would drive her to the lake all the more. The sun was already beginning to stay out later and later. It was one of the reasons she loved the season. Mama let her stay out later when the light remained.

Leaving her feet paddling in the water, Rachel lay back in the grass, watching the bright patches of sunlight dancing along the ground where they broke through the cover of soft white clouds overhead. She savored their warmth  on her exposed skin. There was a reason she loved the lake. It was the only place she could really be alone within the confines of their village boundaries. Even Mama didn't fuss when she went here on her own, and Mama never wanted Rachel to wander.

Encased in rocky terrain on all sides, the lake provided them not only fresh water but protection. The sibla had no means to approach, let alone attack. The lake was the reason Mama and Papa and all the others had moved here. With the gates protecting the north, the lake protecting the south, and dense forest hiding them from those who might hunt them, the people of Demin were hidden. The people of Demin were free.

"Rachel!"

The sound of her mother's call surprised her. Rachel sat up quickly and turned to see Mama standing at the top of the hill overlooking her favorite corner of the lake. Even from a distance she could tell that something was wrong. Mama had her arms wrapped around her chest, hugging herself. It was a gesture Rachel recognized well. A gesture of fear. And her voice, there was a tremor to it. A tinge of desperation as she scanned the area looking for Rachel along the shoreline.

"Rachel I need you back at the house this instant!"

Rachel stood quickly, grabbing her shoes in her hand and running up the grassy hill barefoot.

"Oh Rachel thank goodness!" her mother exclaimed when she caught sight of her. The woman quickly wrapped Rachel up in a tight embrace.

"What's wrong Mama?" Rachel asked, trying to ignore the strange churning in her stomach. Her mother's face was unnaturally pale, and her grip on Rachel's arms as she held her close was painfully viselike.

"It's probably nothing," her mother answered, trying unsuccessfully to mask the fear that was so clearly plastered across her face. "Mrs. Carp came by. She heard a rumor that one of the sentries went missing. And your father hasn't returned yet. And...I'm certain everything is fine it's just that," she stopped. "He should be back by now. We should be waiting for him when he comes back."

Rachel nodded, trying to suppress her own mounting fear that her mother's anxiety meant that something might actually be wrong. It was growing late and she knew Papa should have returned already. Still, there were many reasons he might not be back, and Mrs. Carp, though a close friend of Mama's, was a known gossip in town.

Rachel reminded herself that Mama always worried, fearing hidden dangers at every turn and keeping Rachel constantly under her watchful eye. Mrs. Carp once told her it started when Mama and Papa's first child was taken. Back when the people of Demin lived outside of the forest in the valley.

There was no one alive now who still remembered Earth That Was, the age when humans still ruled. The sibla had taken over long ago and they did not like the idea of any other creatures living in the wild without observation. That included humans. The human settlements they did allow to remain free were subject to pay tribute as a sign of their obedience. In return for protection, the sibla required every registered human village to sacrifice a certain portion of their population each year to be sold into the slave markets. Mama and Papa never talked about it, but Rachel knew that once upon a time she had had an older brother. That was why the old village of Demin had "disappeared," so no families would ever again have to lose their loved ones to the sibla.

Rachel had only been an infant at the time, but she still imagined that some memory of the home where she'd been born remained hidden in her mind. From Mama's stories she knew it was very different. They'd had more lights, and running water, and a large concrete warehouse in the center of town for storing food, with rooms that stayed cold even in summer. But the people of Demin had given all of that up to escape. 

Even if she couldn't remember the luxuries they had supposedly had, Rachel was almost certain she recalled the day they had left along with the rest of their neighbors, abandoning the village and fleeing to the forest where they could establish a new settlement and no one would ever find them. She had a vague memory of cold nights and her parents' tight embrace as they carried her in their arms,  their backs burdened  with the weight of the few possessions and tools they had managed to take with them.

 Her mother and father described the journey often. How they'd traveled for days to loose the trail of any sibla who might have pursued them. How she'd been such a good baby, not uttering a single cry until they were safe. "A child born to be free," they said with pride. "You knew just how to survive, to keep quiet until the time came to make your voice heard."

Mama kept an arm around Rachel the whole walk back to the house, keeping her close like she was still a baby, in spite of the fact she was nearly nine years old. Normally Rachel would have protested and tried to break free of her mother's grasp, but she could tell how nervous Mama was. Maybe staying close would sooth Mama's nerves. It was unsettling to see her mother looking over her shoulder at every step, as if she expected an entire sibla raiding party to appear out of thin air.

Of course the fields they passed through were calm and quiet as they always were this far from the main town, the blades of grass swaying gently in the soft spring breeze, filling the air with their fresh scent. The dark forests in the distance remained in place, enclosing their world in shelter from the outside. As they walked, Rachel became more and more convinced that Mama was worried for nothing. She only hoped that Papa would come home soon and her mother would calm down again.

She certainly hoped that this panic wouldn't cause Mama to keep her inside for the start of summer. It had happened before. One time her parents had forced her to remain indoors for over a week after an alleged sibla sighting. They said it was for her own protection, that sibla raiders looked for young children they could catch unawares, but Rachel had hated being shut inside with Mama's fear.

When they reached their home, Mama quickly ushered Rachel inside, locking the bolts on their door with shaking hands before pacing anxiously.

"He'll be back soon," she assured Rachel, walking to the window and peering out. "We just need to wait for him and stay safe. "

"Mama sit down," Rachel suggested, placing her hand on her mother's arm and pulling her from the window. "I'm sure you are right. Papa is fine." She was certain Mama was worrying for nothing as she always did and was angry at Mrs. Carp for spreading rumors. It wouldn't even be dark for some time yet. Papa often stayed out later in the summer.

"Why don't we start getting dinner ready?" Rachel suggested, hoping to distract her mother as she'd learned to do when Mama's fears overtook her. "Papa will be hungry when he come home."

Mama's drawn face turned from the window as she forced a weak smile and nodded.

"You are right, my darling," she said, crossing the room and taking Rachel in her arms. "I love you so much Rachel," she said, giving Rachel a tight squeeze. "You are such a good girl. Such a very good girl."

Rachel smiled reassuringly at her mother. "It will be alright Mama," she said, standing on tiptoes and craning up to plant a kiss on her Mother's cheek. The woman nodded again and went to the cupboard.

Neither of talked much as they prepared their evening meal and though Rachel caught Mama casting the occasional glance at the window she could tell her mother was doing her best to hide the fears that grew with every passing minute Papa remained away. Still, the fear that radiated from her mother was enough to make Rachel uneasy, especially as the shadows cast through the open windows made obvious the quickly passing daylight hours. In fact, the sun was nearly setting when the sound of a knock on the door startled them both. Rachel could see Mama's body frozen in terror as the knock came again, but then the voice followed.

"Open up Martha, it's me."

Mama dropped the rag she'd been using to clean the counter and ran to the door, frantically unbolting the locks and throwing it open to fall into Papa's arms.

"Oh, Arthur!" she exclaimed. "We were so worried."

Rachel felt relief wash over her as she smiled at her father. Now that he was home everything would be fine. He would certainly calm Mama's fears in the way she never could.

"Welcome home, Papa," she said. It was then she noticed her father's expression.

Papa did not answer Rachel's words of welcome. Instead, he quickly pushed Mama back inside and closed the door behind him, re-latching all the bolts. Rachel's stomach dropped as she saw the look in his eyes, fear.

"What's wrong, Papa?" she asked. From Mama she expected irrational worry, but Papa never seemed to be afraid of anything...

Her father didn't answer the question, instead going to the windows and drawing the curtains.

"Shut off the lights," he said.

"But Papa," Rachel protested. "It's nearly dark and..."

"Don't question your father," Mama said sharply, casting a quick glare in Rachel's direction before pulling the chain on the lamp nearest her. "It's true then?" Mama asked. "There has been a sighting?"

Papa did not answer Mama's question. "We should board up the windows as well," he said, moving to pick up a pile of wooden planks he kept by the fireplace. "All houses on the outskirts of town are meant to do everything possible to show no signs of life." 

Rachel stood unmoving as her parents set about the house in a flurry of motion, shutting off their few electric lights, grabbing up hammers, nails, and wooden board to secure the doors and windows until all of the exits had been sealed and only the thinnest rays of pinkish orange could slip through the cracks, heralding the setting sun. They didn't ask for her help and she didn't offer, feeling the weight of claustrophobia settle on her chest. 

Mama moved to the kitchen in the dim light that remained and grabbed a single candle to combat the darkness and set it on the kitchen table as Papa fell exhausted into his chair. Rachel tentatively sat across from him, frightened by the haggard look on her father's face. Mama came to sit beside her.

"Mrs. Carp said that one of the sentries went missing," Mama said, her voice little more than a strained whisper.

Papa's head nodded. "It was earlier this morning," he answered. "One of the younger boys. Joey. We weren't certain at first. The kid only just started on the patrols and was known for being jumpy. Claimed he'd spotted a sibla hunter a few days ago, but the others saw no evidence and we wanted to keep it quiet. But then Joey went missing..." Her father trailed off.

"Arthur?" Mama pressed.

"We sent out a search party. Found his body in the woods a few hours ago," Papa said, shaking his head sadly. "They cut his throat and left the brand on his forehead. The mark of a slave."

"But," Mama stuttered. "He was found in the woods. Maybe the hunting party didn't find the village. We could move again. We could outrun them."

"I don't want to move!" Rachel said, finally interrupting her parents. Papa's fear, the dead sentry, Mama's suggestion they should abandon their home, it was all too much.

"Hush Rachel," Mama admonished with a frown.

"We just have to see what happens," Papa said, ignoring Rachel's comment altogether. "Commander ordered all the men with families to return home and secure the village. We are meant not to panic. With any luck the sibla who killed him was alone, and if not, maybe there is a chance you are right. That he and his friends didn't find the main village yet and left the body as a sign of frustration and warning. They might even have been trying to lure us into the woods en masse to uncover the settlement's exact location. It's too risky to move out now anyway. Can't leave in the dark. The sibla hunt better in the dark. We just have to stay put and pray."

Mama nodded solemnly. "Well," she said, standing from her seat with surprising composure. "Rachel and I already made dinner and I'm certain you must be hungry. Come and help me, Rachel."

Rachel nodded, standing slowly and following after her mother. She realized she was somehow more disturbed by Mama's sudden calm than she had been by her earlier anxiety. Together they plated the meal of potatoes and pork they'd prepared earlier. Rachel could not help but cast a wary look at the boarded up windows. How long could they stay shut inside waiting? Confined with her parent's fears the house already felt suffocating. She also knew there weren't enough supplies left to sustain them long. They had worked hard to make their rations last through the cold winter, but now with the coming spring they had been far less careful.

In preparing dinner she and Mama had used up nearly all of the remaining carcass of the pig Papa had slaughtered and smoked for the winter. They'd used most of the potatoes as well. The summer crops hadn't come in yet and the winter stores were all but gone. They couldn't last long unless they went to gather more food, but it seemed Mama and Papa were already determined to stay safely inside indefinitely.

And if her parents did remove the bars on their doors and force her to move? She didn't want to leave. Demin was her home. She loved their quiet village, the fields, the lake. How could they find another place to live? She knew that sibla roamed everywhere and it was rare for any human villages to live as peacefully as they did now. The sibla saw to that. How long would they have to run to find safety again?

In spite of the careful watch Mama and Papa kept on her movements, Rachel always thought they were just over protective. It never really seemed possible that Demin would be discovered after so many years. Sitting at the table, picking at her meal alongside her parents, watching their worried expressions in the dim light of the flickering candle Rachel couldn't help but think of all horror stories she'd heard about the sibla. Some said that they had evolved from human beings long ago, before the end of Earth That Was. But everything in the tales she'd been told suggested they were nothing like humans now.

The sibla were monsters, and ever since they'd taken over earth, they didn't want to leave any humans in the wild who might fight back. If they had discovered Demin they might demand that their village offer up sacrifices as they had in the past. Rachel didn't know exactly what actually happened to the people the sibla took away. Her parents always spoke of such things in a whispered hush, keeping details from Rachel's ears but she knew whatever the sibla did with their captives, it wasn't good.

They had just begun to clear the remainder of their uneaten meal when they heard it. A scream, far off in the distance, followed by another, and another.

"They're here," her mother breathed, skin blanching. "They've found us."