The Ruler

Chapter Three

LII

I washed the blood off my face in a basin outside the counting post near where I was stationed. It wasn’t something we had to do, but I never could stand leaving the blood on my hands and face until they dried.

They belonged to the Livings.

Humans.

People that I watched get crushed to death by the creatures—because they were in the way and by objects that fell from the destruction of buildings and structures around.

The water turned pink, as I straightened, my head thundering behind my eyes at the sight and my stomach churning with bile.

Two years and I still hadn’t gotten used to it.

A few feet away, some other Heard had gathered, going into the houses that were still standing to get a head count of the people that were still living. Others were counting the people on the street.

And there was the sound of ambulances punctuating the air, stopping to pick up injured survivors. They were piled up into the back of the van, as if no one expected them to survive.

Forty-one living. Nineteen dead. Ten survived. Three streets without a roof.

I wiped my hands on my uniform as I stood back, my arms folded and my breathing gradually returning to normal.

Oren walked out of one of the houses, caught my eye and gave me a tired little nod. Then he moved on, because there wasn’t any time to waste.

My comm cracked to life. "Heard LII."

I straightened sharply. "Here."

It was the Ruler's voice, calm and unhurried, but with a sense of urgency that made my posture rigid.

"You are relieved of the east line, effective immediately," she said. "A vehicle will be there to pick you up and you’ll proceed at once to Annex Nine.”

“Annex Nine?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. It was the headquarters, where everything that was confidential happened. Only a handful of Heard had been there and they were sworn to a vow of silence.

Why me?

“Did I do something wrong?” I quietly asked, careful to keep any tone of accusation from my voice.

The comm clicked off without a response.

I stood there with my hand pressed to my ear, my heart thundering in my chest, thinking all the worst things possible. The smell of oil drifted past my nostrils, before I saw Oren standing in front of me.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, kiddo,” he said. “Any issues? Other than the obvious.”

"Annex Nine," I mumbled. “I’ve been summoned there. Do you…” I bit my lower lip. “Know anything?”

He looked at the other Heard, before shaking his head. "Not really. But I doubt you’re in trouble. The Ruler wouldn’t invite you for a slap on the wrist.”

He patted my shoulder when they sagged lower, and my brow furrowed when I felt a slight tremble in his touch. Before I could ask, he pulled away and tucked his hand into his pocket.

"Go on, kiddo," he said finally, putting on a smile. "Orders are orders. Besides, your ride is here."

I turned at the sound of a low hum, watching as a black van pulled up. The door opened smoothly and I looked in, but all I could see was semi-darkness.

My stomach dropped low.

“Orders are orders,” I reminded myself as I took a deep breath, walking over to face what awaited me at the other side.

***

Annex Nine stood at the edge of the administrative district, where only people with special passes could access.

Even then, most places were off limits.

It was a bunch of high rise buildings around that the creatures hadn’t touched. Almost as if they were invisible.

In the center was a low, flat building, grey as dishwater, with a white and black colored flag that hung over. There were no walls or guards at the gate, like I assumed.

If the van hadn’t stopped in front of it, I would’ve assumed it was abandoned.

The door opened with a soft whoosh and I got down, my feet hitting the ground with a thud.

I faced the building, staring at a grey-colored nondescript door.

What was I supposed to do, walk over and knock on it?

“Hi,” I turned, tilting my head at the passenger’s window. I hadn’t seen anyone’s face when I got in, because the back was empty and there was a wall of thick metal blocking off the front area.

I squinted, trying to see through the tinted glass. “How do I get in? Is there something—”

I barely had time to move out of the way the engine roared to life, a gust of wind kicking up as the van sped away, and almost knocking me off my feet.

“Great,” I grunted, sarcastically. “Thank you for being very helpful.”

I had no other choice but to try my luck, so I hesitantly made my way over to the door.

It opened before I knocked.

The person on the other side wore a uniform with the same sealed mask I remembered from the night I was recruited to be part of the Heard.

It made it impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman. Or if they were looking at me.

"LII," they said, with a robotic voice.

"Yes." I nodded.

"This way."

That was all.

They turned and I followed after a second of hesitation, my boots thudding loudly on the polished floor.

I breathed in and out, as we passed white corridors that looked like they belonged in a hospital, glancing at the ceiling covered in black glass to allow sunlight in, because there were no windows in sight.

It was empty too.

The building.

The hallways.

There were no people moving around, no sounds except for my boots…nothing to indicate any signs of life except for the masked person in front of me. I placed my hand lightly on my holster as I continued walking, telling myself I was just doing it to be safe.

At last, they stopped at a double door at the end of the hall. I watched as they pressed a palm to a panel—lit up a screen that scanned their palm—before stepping aside.

"Please wait inside," they said. "She will speak with you shortly."

The doors opened and I walked in.

It closed again, leaving me behind.

My jaw dropped, my lips parting in surprise as I took in what was in front of me. It was huge. The office was over ten times bigger than the house I grew up on, stretching so far and wide that I felt very little inside it.

There was a desk closer to the north wall, with four chairs placed in front of it, and one larger chair behind it.

A bookshelf filled with books sat in one corner. A large potted plant beside it. And then a tall object that looked like a projecting screen was hanging from the ceiling, dropping down to inches above the desk.

I stood just inside the doors, not sure where to put myself. Was I supposed to sit? Introduce myself? I wasn’t given any orders or information.

I waited as minutes passed, fidgeting with my hands, moving my weight from one foot to the other. Just as I was starting to get restless, the screen above the desk came to life.

It was a harsh, hissing static and the sound filled the room, bouncing off every wall until it felt like it was coming from inside my head.

And then it stopped.

A symbol appeared a second later—a white circle, split down the middle by a single line that had a space inside covered with black. It looked like an eye, staring right at me.

Where was the Ruler?