Chapter 8

A rumble of laughter from the shadowy area of the cave reached me. I was wrong, but at least I didn't offend him. A heavy hand clasped my shoulder.

"Take your time, think on it funnyman," Puck interjected, smiling at the Vipers slowly boxing me in.

I wondered where Leif was, and I'd imagined he was near the back, nowhere in my immediate sight. I needed him. However, if I was to survive on Titan, best not lean too much on the gratitude of others. My mouth hung open, but no words escaped. An awkward silence invaded the cave. Puck pulled out a small vial, filled with a cosmic blue substance, and let two drops fall on his tongue. I recognized what it was. It's Blue Diamonds, the drug I used to confiscate by the tons in my rookie days. How did they get it in here? Who's their insider?

"The man asked you a simple question. You ain't got a simple answer, funnyman?"

Puck pushed me forward, and I fell on my knees. My face now crotch level with the tall man, my body on all fours.

"Looks like funnyman knows how to start a party. You was running with Leif on District 2? Running inside Leif on District 2? Must be in love with him or something, co-signing that bullshit story. We gonna get the real answers out of him, press him hard enough. Leif couldn't kill himself with a loaded gun stuffed inside his big mouth."

The Vipers near me sinisterly chuckled. The type of low brow laugh that symbolized an inside joke, and they all knew I wasn't in on it. They could sniff the green on me, that brand new prisoner smell. I was reeking of fear, and my knees wouldn't let me stand up.

"Go on now, open your mouth funnyman. I know you ain't afraid to do that. Coming from

District 2 and all."

"...I'm not, I'm not from District 2. I'm from..."

"District 4. We been here before, you forgot? Now tell the truth, Leif snitched didn't he?"

"I...no it was double murder."

Puck put his foot on the middle of my spine, then leaned his body forward, arm resting on the knee. My arms buckled beneath the weight, and I did everything I could to not smack my face on the cave floor. He pressed down and questioned me again. "You know how easy it is break a man's back? Especially in Titan, and I don't mean the good way either."

He pressed down hard, both my arms were trembling, the tall man took notice.

"Enough Puck, off him."

He waited a few seconds, then removed his foot from my back. I exhaled hard from holding my breath the whole time.

"Tomorrow," the tall man said.

"Tomorrow?" I coughed back.

"That's my name and the answer to the riddle. Stand up."

Tomorrow's open hand reached down into my view, I hesitated.

"You gonna learn, Vipers is the most honorable gang in here. Had you walked to Wren, the gangs over there, they would've flayed you for disrespecting them. You don't go there unless invited. And no one goes to Ronin. You get taken to Ronin. Now take my hand, funnyman," Tomorrow said, extending his hand further.

I gripped it, put my weight into it, and he lifted me up as if I was a feather, swiftly and smoothly. Puck clutched the back of my neck.

"Welcome to Titan," he said, as him and the rest of the crew, Tomorrow included, moved in and held me.

Squirming didn't help, and screaming would be useless. My right eye was forced open, and either tears or water ran out my eyelashes. I couldn't tell the difference. Terror had immobilized me.

"I don't know anything...all he said was for me to say it was double murder. I wasn't there," I pleaded, no one cared.

"Oh, we know."

Puck took the small vial of Blue Diamonds and shook the last few drops into my eye. I blinked constantly, but it seeped in any way. After that, they all let me go. Puck smacked his hand on my back with a friendly vibe. My breathing increased, my heart began racing, maybe this is some initiation, I thought.

"Hard part's over funnyman. Take em,

Tomorrow."

Tomorrow led me out the large cave. I threw my arm over his shoulder to help me walk. The dark orange sky seemed brighter than it was, and my mouth tasted of metal. He escorted me to a small corner of the dome mountain, shrouded with small bushes that glowed a beautiful lavender. I was spellbound by the vivid color, even though the wind was blowing, the bushes looked alive to me. Like it was calling me, soothing me, singing lullabies in my infant's ears. A line of drool dangled from my mouth, and my lips went numb. Beneath my skin felt like a mass of ants, crawling, some strange warmth bubbling in them.

Tomorrow pushed the shrubs out the way, and there was a small cavity behind it. It looked like a crawlspace. There's no way even a child could stand in it. Tomorrow pointed to it, signaling me to crawl inside. He looked nine feet tall, and the Ouroboros tattoo on his face slithered down to his chest and jumped from leg to leg.

I did as he said, though a giddy feeling was slowly replacing my fear. It was tight inside, and before I could say 'Goodbye,' Tomorrow moved the shrubs back to protect the entrance. They were hiding me. No one could spot me here. A burning headache erupted behind my eyes. My body temperature fluctuated from hot to cold. Within two minutes I was stone asleep.

I had my first nightmare that night. Darius, my old partner, was there. He was stalking me, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in District 1. I was chasing after my daughter Halo down below in a dark alleyway. There were dips, and peaks along the road as if I was running on a concrete snake. Halo called out to me, something inaudible.

When I finally reached the end of the alleyway, I'd stepped into a laboratory. There were octagon-shaped tiles on the floor, and along the sides of the walls were large tubes filled with blue liquid. Each one housed naked females, young, no older than ten, with snorkels attached to their nose and mouths. Monitors were protruding from the sides with EKG's showing their heartbeat. I slowly walked up to one with a nameplate at the bottom of it, a layer of frost covering the name. I wiped it off with my hand, and the title read: Halo.

I woke up in a panic and sharply hit my head on the roof of the small crawlspace I was inside of. I assumed the drugs wore off because when I looked at the shrubs again, it was full of brown, dying leaves, no lavender or bright colors at all. In fact, the sky was auburn, and the clouds were a hue of burnt sienna. I wiggled my way out to get a view of the flatland. At least ten pockets of chanters, all within one hundred yards, small fires glowing in the middle of them, holding hands. Their hums seemed to connect from group and group, with the lowest being about six people.

It must be a religious group that doesn't occupy a cave. Some peaceful monk type of crowd. I was tempted to speak with one of them, but afraid to break the prayer. I edged my way further out, on the left side of Serene. Two pairs of footsteps echoed behind me, closer, closer... I spun around with both hands in my pockets, but the pockets were empty. The chains were gone, did I lose them in my sleep? Did someone find me? Four hands went up, palms open as if an enforcer had pulled a gun on them. It was the twins.

"The large majority of Jezper's come out at night. They chant of things to come. Any Jezper seen during the daytime are praying for repentance," the twins said, simultaneously.

"Jezpers, what about the sash? Who's Omni?"

The twins fell quiet and backed away from me.

"I'm new, I'm just curious, and why is it on their sashes? What language are they chanting in?"