Chapter 3

After the Bathory twins left the house, my mom chewed me out for the decision I'd just made. "You're still kids. What do you know about the world?" she said.

"Mom, please. I'm sixteen. I'm no longer a kid."

"You are to me!"

"Face reality for once, Mom! You can't keep being afraid of the world. What if Aidan is right? What if there's something out there? What if the Green Zone is real?"

"Stop it, Tes!" Mom slammed the table, and the remaining liquid in her cup spilled. I stared at the spilling liquid, wondering how my stingy mom could treat precious water carelessly. She had never hidden her repudiation of such a notion, but her reaction seemed excessive.

I studied her face: her uneven breath, her creased eyebrows, and her quivering lips. It wasn't a mere irritation. "What's wrong with you, Mom? Why are you like this? Now that I think about it, your denial of Aidan's theory is suspicious. I know that he makes no sense, but you act as if you're afraid of something. Is there really something out there? Do you know anything about it? Are you afraid that I'll find out?"

Mom bit her lower lip, and her eyes shook. I was right; she knew something.

"Mom?"

She awkwardly fixed her hair and stood up. "Get me the usual. Don't be late. And don't you dare bring the small oxy-tank with you."

As the only daughter of the best Medicine Brewer in the Copper Zone -- and probably up until Zone B -- my job was to find the substances she needed to create medicine and vitamins, or as we simply called them, ingredients, deliver the final products to customers, and collect payments.

"You haven't answered me!"

Clack. Click. And she disappeared into her working chamber, locking it behind her.

Her working chamber was a tiny space dedicated to her work. The last time I entered the room, when Mom was so busy that she skipped meals, I saw lots of equipment on the shelves and tables.

I let out a heavy breath. Even though I didn't inherit her brain and passion for science, I did inherit her stubbornness. There was no changing her mind once she had decided. Just like she couldn't sway me against finding the boy's whereabouts, I also couldn't force her to speak when she had determined to stay silent.

I got up, put on my cloak, and the medium oxygen tank.

***

Due to the extinction of animals and plants, artificial alternatives had to be created to support the well-being of citizens. However, experiments resulted in the creation of mutants, some of which were violent and others that were beneficial.

The violent mutants were a mixture of robots and ancient animals. In contrast, beneficial mutants like the Daisis and Nettellis could be combined to create a remedy for sore muscles. The Chrydrol produced by these plants could rejuvenate human muscle tissues in a short amount of time.

The mid-grade metal used in vehicle construction contained Praintine, which, when exposed to toxic dust, created a substance that could relieve symptoms of exposure in less than three minutes. However, an exposure exceeding three minutes would most likely result in death. Meanwhile, the Okaxon found in toxic water could ease the pain of prolonged hunger-induced stomachaches.

Although Praintine and Okaxon could be obtained through manual scavenging, Daisis and Nettellis were bred and expensive due to their value. Despite the high value of these products, my mother insisted on fair pricing rather than overcharging.

By selling these products, we had the potential to become rich, but acquiring Daisis and Nettellis was difficult due to their high cost. We relied on the Mutant Forger to acquire them.

"Four pennies and two tokens," Hog said.

"Are you kidding me? Why did you raise the price?" I asked.

"Things have been tough around here lately. Thieves and robbers are more open about attacking us," he explained.

I eyed him with annoyance. Hog, the Mutant Forger, was smart. He might not have the brawn to stay alive, but he used a hundred percent of his brain to ensure his and his family's safety. He traded the plants in exchange for protection.

"Alright, what about a week?" I asked, trying to negotiate.

"No, you'll need to stroll around the house every evening," he said firmly.

I creased my forehead and let out a resigned breath. "Fine," I agreed.

He smiled as he handed me Daisis, a weird-looking circle made up of lots of branches glued together, and Nettellis, a larger plant with long leaves that had round kernels hanging from the end of each leaf. "Four pennies, then."

"Are you serious?" I clenched my fist on the table so that it was visible to Hog. Four pennies could buy me a new house in Zone E.

He gulped and said, "Okay, the usual."

I reached into my jacket pocket and drew out five silver coins, equivalent to one penny, the same price as a good spare part for my automobile.

"Have a good day, Tes!" he smirked. "Say hello to Mrs. Rho for me."

As the only Mutant Forger in the Copper Zone, he was close to my mom, but Hog was a cunning middle-aged man whom you couldn't fully trust.

"Laters, Hog!"

He forged and sold the mutant plants from his home, two floors above mine.

I dropped off the mutant plants at home for my mom to work on before fetching the other two important ingredients. Then, I took the elevator and pulled myself up using the rope.

The elevator brought me to the surface of the Copper Zone. As I walked down the path to the big gate of Zone E, I sensed several presences behind me. To avoid alerting them, I lightened my steps and focused on my hearing.

One. Two.

Something must have happened in Genesis to drive people to this kind of recklessness. Normally, even the most desperate people would hesitate to approach me, but lately their courage seemed to have grown. Or maybe my reputation had waned?

I suddenly stopped and turned around. "What do you want?"

They gasped, and one of them visibly shook. "We... we d--we don't want to hurt you."

"The feeling is mutual. So what do you want?"

"Give us your food!" Another person pulled out a kitchen knife at me. Their arms were thin and pale, a stark contrast to my caramel skin. I bet they had been dependents all their lives, hardly ever stepping out of their houses unless it was necessary.

"Where are your breadwinners? Why did they let you folks out here doing this? You could lose your neck." Seeing people who couldn't fend for themselves reminded me of my mother. I'd hate to harm them even a little bit.

The person with the knife started crying. "Shut up and just give us your food."

"Please." Their partner in crime dropped their hands and blatantly begged. "I have two kids at home. They haven't eaten anything for three days. She has three kids."

"Stop telling her things!"

These two seemed to be in a bind. "Don't you have your husbands?"

"They left."

"Both of your husbands?"

"Yes." She wiped her tears and adjusted her gas mask.

To be continued...