The Fledgling

TWO

I step out of our home after deciding not to wake my mother up and let her sleep. The morning blaze meets me as the sun is slowly rising up. Stepping out of our modest abode, I was greeted by the crisp morning air, a hint of the approaching change in seasons lingering on the gentle breeze. I sniff the smell of the morning as it calms down my self, make me felt like everyday is normal, when I know to myself that it is not. It is just rare to smell this kind of breeze when the air always smells like dust, poison, when it smells like chemical, so I am just not wasting my time as I know it’ll be long before I smell this kind of scent again, this kind of breeze that joys me and fulfill my day even though it is hasn’t started yet. The familiar sights and sounds of our Quarter's morning routine unfolded before me.

The distant symphony of livestock, the rhythmic swaying of crops, and the industrious farmers beginning their day.

Our house is near the market, also called as the capital of Quarter two as the houses are side by side to each other and that it is near, not only to the market but also to the trading building where we trade our crops to other quarter with their product, such as meats, tools, fish, some coals from other Quarters, headed by the Jade. They are very strict when it comes onto trading, we should follow the rules of trading, we can’t trade other stuff to other things, especially personal things, or trade something that is not a crop. Since we are farmers, each family only trade rice, crops, or grains, others are forbidden, such as woods, seeds, or anything you want to trade for something better, bigger, for something more. Once caught, you’ll be hanged in the hanging tree in the middle of the Capital, so people would watch you die and remind you to follow and not disobey the orders that the Manor ruled. I get why they are doing that, what we trade is not enough. We need more. And to be honest, I, myself do trade what I hunt in the forest, but not in the trading building, it is like I am trying to be dead if I do that. I trade for something that my family need, medicine. I know there is no cure for sickness that is spreading all over the place, but I can’t help but try, even just to preserve mother’s life more…

Our house is nestled within a labyrinth of structures that define our humble Quarter, a patchwork of dwellings assembled with varying degrees of craftsmanship. Ours, despite its simplicity, holds a distinct charm amidst the clustered urban sprawl. It stands as a testament to time, bearing the marks of wear and weathered resilience, its faded exterior blending harmoniously with the surrounding architecture.

The only thing about where we live is that, our workplace, where we do our farming is away from the capital of quarter two, which means that you have to walk minutes before you arrive the farming ground and it’ll make sure that once you arrive, you’ll arrive in sweat and dehydrated. And at the end of the farming ground is a lake, connecting every Quarter and to what we learn in school, the lakes end is near the Manor’s ground, but we we’re not sure of it since no one in the Quarter is allowed in the Manor, except for those who are selected as participant of the Curnest. No one is even allowed to exit the place limitation, which is the lake. And at the other side is the tunnel where usually the Military cars are coming from every Curnest year. The tunnels are filled with Jade, you must have a valuable reason why you got there, because that place right there, is a territory of Jades. There’s also a building there where the Curnest is happening. We were forced to watch that event that’s why I know, a stage where the first test is happening and a building behind that stage is where the final test happens.

While before the Capital of Quarter Two is a mountain at the end of the forest. But that area is restricted. An electric force field of fences topped with barbed wire are what keeping people away from that forest. No one ever tried to come to the forest, except me, and my friend Jaime. That’s where I hunt. The fence is not a high voltage, it does not electrocute you, it is just made to scare people away, from what my instincts, a secret away from the Quarter that they wanted to hide.

I arrived at the farming ground where others are already starting harvesting and planting. As I am doing my work, I can’t help but to notice that each day, farmers are slowly becoming young… it is noticeable shift that is taking place among the fields, an evolution in the demographic of our agrarian community. Where once the seasoned adult stood as the pillars of our agricultural prowess, their numbers seemed to drop, their roles increasingly usurped by fresh-faced adolescents and youngsters barely out of adolescence. It struck a disconcerting chord within me, an eerie transformation in the very fabric of our farming community.

Not very far from where I’m at, one of the farmer was suddenly seized by a fit of coughs, each convulsion contorting his youthful features with distressing intensity. The moment seemed innocuous at first glance, but the truth beneath the surface revealed itself—the cough, dismissed as a passing inconvenience in the past, now carried ominous weight, a telltale symptom of the looming menace that plagued our society. And I can’t help but to think, this is the reason why adult farmer are being replaced by the young, who is inexperience, not matured enough to farm. "Are you alright?" I inquired, my voice layered with a genuine sense of unease. Attempting to regain composure, the young farmer straightened, endeavoring to mask the tremor in his voice."Just a passing cold, nothing to worry about," he asserted, though his words faltered, punctuated by a subtle wheeze that betrayed his attempt at reassurance.

Yet, I knew better than to dismiss it as a mere seasonal ailment. The insidious virus, a nameless specter haunting our existence, often began its ominous dance with innocuous symptoms, masquerading as trivial maladies before unveiling its destructive potential. It was a cruel cycle—a seemingly innocuous cough could pave the way for a swift decline in health, sealing the fate of its victim.

My eyes widened when two Jade held him tight both of his side arm. They force him and drag him out of the field and I was there to watch the scene where it become dark when one of the Jade put a gun on his head and a gun shot was fired, milliseconds later, the body collapses on the field, spreading his blood on the crops. I was too shock to speak… This is the first time I had witnessed a murder in front of me, I felt like my whole damn body is going to collapse too from weakness as the cold shivers down my spines. “Any shows of symptoms of sickness during work is forbidden and must be eliminated immediately! You don’t know that your sickness could held on the product you trade not only to other Quarter, but also to the Manor! If you know you are sick and not eligible to work, do not come to work! Stay home, stay safe, and lastly, stay away from the young who are healthy and can be the future of the Capital! Words by President Servus, from the office of Manor!”