Chapter 3 - Carcass

Asia's plan to spend the two months of vacation at her house on Epsilon Zone never happened. Instead, a day after she was injected by the green fluid, she was visited at her apartment by the same soldiers from the Registration. There was a short orientation and then she was brought to Psi Zone--a forested zone which doesn’t seem to have a residential area.

For those two months, she was left there to fend for herself to become an official trainee, together with other people who survived the injection of the green liquid into their body.

Asia now knew the name of the fluid, it was called Myrtus, the same name as the green plant myrtle according to the soldier who gave her the orientation aboard a plane that took her to the Psi Zone. They said that the name was derived from the green color that it has. But if that is so, she wondered if any genus of plant would do. They didn’t say it was extracted from myrtle anyway. It seemed like the scientists who developed it fancied the name and used it.

“What are you doing?” Angus interrupted as he passed by her. “Staring into space again?!”

Asia looked at him. It took her days to realize that like her, Angus was also compatible with Myrtus. He gave her a headache before and now that they’re in the same place, he’s still making her life difficult.

The first week that they were in the forest, a teacher was with them to lecture them on the basics. They were taught how to hunt and create convenient things using what nature could provide them. They were taught martial arts including the use and creation of primitive weapons. After the first week, he left and went back to Ashkelon, saying that he had another mission and that it was more important than them--the new recruits.

Ashkelon. It was the name of the government agency that injected them with Myrtus and the agency who started to train them. The name was not familiar to people living close to the Delta Zone--where most of the academes were situated. The farther away one lives from the Education hub, the more familiar the name of the Ashkelon was to them.

“What?!” Angus asked, evidently annoyed at how she stares at him.

Asia ignored him like what she had been doing all the time. She shifted her attention to the wooden spear that she created to defend herself against the beasts of the forest. Asia knew that a spear won't help her as much as using her bare hands, because when myrtus was injected into her, it transformed her body into something superhuman. She could move five times faster, her muscle mass increased, her eyesight, which was starting to dim, was as clear as day. Heck, even her body had become more sturdy than the makeshift spear that she created for herself.

“Hey, useless,” Angus called once more.

From the spear, Asia switched her attention to him again. His hair had grown and it looked like shaving had been the last of his priority. He also fits in perfectly with the other Ekrons. That is what they were called within the agency. The Ekrons, another term to refer to the injected people compatible with myrtus. Lame in naming things perhaps, but at least the scientists had the decency not to unnecessarily remind them of the pain they had to go through to become an Ekron. And being called an Injected sometimes brought back the memory of the pain. But only the memory of it, being an Ekron had made them devoid of any pain, at least that was the theory.

“You’re gonna hunt with us this morning,” Angus informed her.

Aghast, Asia could not speak. Every morning, it was Angus’ team duty to catch a game, or rather any animal they could put into their stomach. The people under his team were the Ekrons that were the best in fighting, people so compatible with myrtus that all their emotions were gone, and in exchange they’ve become the strongest among the trainees. And with Angus as their leader, there’s no denying that rejecting him would be a bad idea.

“What? Ready yourself and we’ll go.”

Asia stood up and hoped that she wouldn't make any mistake through the whole ordeal. She was supposed to be responsible over the cleaning and cooking. Venturing out in the wild was something she was scared of, yes scared. Despite the myrtus injection and the obvious increase in her strength, out of all the emotions, it was fear that was left inside of her. It was so acute that even Angus scares her at times. That the idea of venturing into the wild fills her with dread that she grabbed the spear so tight so she could forget about her fear. What’s more, she could even imagine the lethal snakes and spiders that riddled the whole jungle. It’s not like those would kill an Ekron but nevertheless the memory of pain that accompanied it scared her.

Angus slapped the seat beside her. She jumped from fright but Angus put her in place. He leaned towards her and she immediately lowered her eyes and stared at her exposed feet instead.

“You will be our bait today,” he commanded.

She shifted her attention to him. “But, I--”

“You heard the leader,” a girl said who sat next to Asia. Her name was Anita. She was small but the fastest in the group. “You can’t say no.”

“It’s hard to hunt when our aura scares the animals around.” It was Gill who looked like he would collapse at any moment. Looking at him, no one would even guess that he was one of the best Ekrons. He wouldn't be in Angus’ team if he weren't special at least.

“Go alone and we are going to hide,” Angus suggested. He reached for her arms and pulled her up. “Go,” he said and pushed her.

However, the push was not a simple push. She found herself spiraling from where she was sitting before, saw the smirks on the faces of Angus team, the cliff where their camp was built and down from it, all the while hitting all the vegetation below, and landing with a loud thud at the bottom.

Asia groaned. There was a slight pain on her butt but if she’s not an Ekron, her ass would be the last concern in her mind.

Asia stood up. This is annoying, she thought as she walked from where she landed towards the forest. Being the bait was not good for her at all. If there was an Ekron who could clearly remember what cowardice and fear was, it was her. Her sturdy built and strength was short of the average in Ekron standards. She could do more than a human could do but being an Ekron means not exhibiting any normal human abilities.

Once, Angus called her a failure, was he referring to her inability to fully assimilate with myrtus?

Suddenly, Asia heard the rustling of the bushes behind her. She did not look behind in fear of knowing what it was that was growling at her. The sound of it became louder and she could feel the vibrations in the ground as it started to pounce on her.

Asia sat down and rolled herself into a ball out of fear. She heard the whizzing of an arrow just an inch away from her ear. She heard a heavy thud behind her. When she could feel that the other Ekrons came out from their hiding area, she finally had the guts to look behind. It was a brown bear. She was aware it was the largest predator but she never imagined it to be this huge up close.

“You really are a failure,” Angus said and once again, he forcibly took her arm and made her stand up. “I wouldn't be surprised if you'd soon be disposed of.”

Asia did not respond. She knew that those who survived but failed in assimilating with myrtus were killed by Ashkelon. One proof that one had not absorbed it fully was the existence of their human emotions. And for her, it would only be a matter of time. Maybe the agency was hoping that she’d make a mistake and die in the wilderness.

“With this, it will last us a week,” Gill said, interrupting her thoughts as he helped Angus chop up the bear. “Then we are going back to civilization, at last.”

“And all the conveniences we can get.” Another girl said as she stretched. “I'm already bored of taking a bath at a river full of leeches.”

“But aren't you and leeches best of friends? Especially the medicinal leeches?”

“You are gross!” The same girl said and hit Gill. “Even if I use it, doesn’t mean I don’t find them repulsive.” Her name was Keira and she was the most knowledgeable Ekron when it comes to alternative medicine. She flipped her hair and that single movement Asia wondered how come she was strikingly beautiful when she had the same brown hair as her.

“You’re not supposed to feel anything anymore,” Gill commented.

“The memory! Just the memory of its grossness creeps me out!”

“Let's go back,” Angus said quietly and gave Asia a portion to carry. “I hope you didn’t think that you’re exempted from carrying these,” he said to her.

Asia accepted the chopped part of the bear and walked silently towards their base. Asia was not expecting anything. They were left by the agency in the jungle to train. Yet, so far she had been the cook and the cleaning lady of the trainees. She stayed at the base while the rest of the trainees went out to train. Angus was right. It wouldn't be long until the agency decides to discard an Ekron as useless as her.

They paused at the foot of the cliff, tied the bear's remains and their makeshift weapons at their back. Then each Ekron started to climb the steep cliff using only their bare hands. Asia followed and started the ascent.

“You are back!” Another boy named Peter said eagerly. He jumped over the short fence that warns them of the cliff edges.

Before leaving the other Ekrons, Asia looked over the heights she climbed to reach their base. They took advantage of its altitude to separate them from the wild animals in the jungle. No normal human would make this cliff their base even with a rope. An Ekron, on the other hand, had no need for it. It may be instant death to humans if they fell from the sheer height of the cliff, but for them, it would only be a scratch.

Initially, they have a base at the lower ground, but the annoyance of being woken up at the middle of the night by the prowling wild animals--who’re looking for prey--made them decide to leave the place. For Asia, it was different. She feared living down there. She could even barely sleep in the first week of their training.

When Asia entered the base, she was greeted by the unseemly peacefulness inside. This kind of silence never happened before. It seemed like she was in a dream. She looked around and noticed a boy named Rowan with a sickle in his hands that was dripping with blood. She even witnessed as he struck the nearest unsuspecting Ekron.

Asia was about to turn around when Rowan saw her. “Hello, Asia,” he greeted.

“What are you doing?” she responded.

“Can't you see? I'm playing.” Blood splattered around Rowan as he hit the same victim again.

Asia knew that Rowan’s victims were not yet dead, just unconscious. But seeing it happen gave her a throbbing head and she was terrified... again.

“Want to play?” Rowan asked as he put up his bloodied sickle for her to see.

“I'd rather not. I'm leaving,” she answered.

Normally, Ekrons wouldn't do anything that could hurt other Ekrons. It just means that his sanity was nearing its end. It was quite normal for Ekrons to lose their sanity due to losing their emotions.

“Don’t go. Let's play,” Rowan insisted as he caught her hands.

Asia gasped at Rowan’s speed. Within seconds, he was able to reach her from the other side of the room.

"I don’t want to, let me go,” Asia swallowed her growing fear. She couldn't show him how afraid she was of the sickle he was holding that was coated with blood.

“But I want to play with you!” Rowan screeched and tried to hit her.

But Asia was too nimble for an Ekron nearing his end. She jumped and pushed him. When Rowan blocked the door outside, she ran to one of the rooms and hid herself under the bed like a scared little girl. She was hoping he won't find her underneath no matter how moronic a plan it was. No one else must know how real the memory of fear was for her.

“Found you,” Rowan said and Asia ran as fast as she could, towards the ledge, outside the base, beyond the cliff.

Rowan was persistent but most of the diminishing Ekron were dull in the head. She sidestepped when he came rushing to her and then he fell from the cliff. She could even make out the smile on Rowan's face as he fell. She was aware that he was not going to die from the fall but at least he won't be hurting any Ekrons without going up again.

“You got him,” Gill said, who approached her silently. She did not even feel him coming.

She noted his bloodstained shirt. Gill smirked, “Did you know that Rowan actually killed some of the Ekrons?”

But Asia was not listening, she was looking past him and towards the scene behind him. Angus and his lackeys were carrying the other Ekron bodies and throwing the corpses over the ledge.

“It was a hassle to clean them up today,” Gill said. “We can do it tomorrow or when the agency decided to come and clean it up for us.”

Asia could not believe it. They all acted like it was nothing to see their comrades killed. They just threw their cadavers like that. She was no different though because when Rowan was killing another Ekron, all she could think of was how to escape.

Asia shivered as she approached Angus’ team and looked at the corpses at the foot of the cliff. She hugged herself to stop at least a little of the trembling. She really was no longer a human. Looking at the corpses and she felt nothing. No guilt or remorse. Only fear, cowardice and her instincts to survive no matter what happens. She did not even bother to ask herself how Rowan managed to kill the other Ekrons.

“Stop showing how much of a failure you are,” Angus’ voice came from behind her. “Emotions were not supposed to be displayed by an Ekron and yet here you are, trembling in fear.”

“I am not afraid,” she denied in an unnatural high pitched voice.

“Whatever you say. Go back and clean the base,” he ordered but before he left, he whispered, “Watch your back, Asia.”

To be continued…..