-CHAPTER 3-

A soldier slammed on the door of our home. It was early, maybe 6:00 AM? Mother and I were sleeping, and when we heard the knocking, we were awoken. Although, we didn’t wake up and answer the door fast enough.

“It’s MORNING! Announcements are outside. Do you hear me? Hello?!” The soldier took the liberty of entering our house uninvited. “It’s wake up time!”

Mother and I quickly got ourselves composed, and headed to the fountain in the town square. The soldiers lined the Laosarch in rows. Once collected, we were spoken to. The lead soldier spoke:

“Do any of you have any clue why you’ve been gathered here today?” We all looked down, and shook our heads silently. “You know who you are, 3 persons ventured out of Red yesterday…”

Across the rows, me, Keshet, and Naomi glared at each other.

“3 of you left our precious city. Why oh why would you leave this beautiful place? What is it that there is on the outside that we don’t have here?” I cringed when I heard the lead soldier say these words. He knows the outside better than any of us, he knows exactly why we would want to leave.

To get away from them.

They do nothing but mistreat us. Nothing but widdle our numbers and force us to reproduce. They are nothing but devils.

Leaving is my only hope. My Mother has lived in Red her whole life, and her Mother, and her Mother before that. I must break the cycle!

I will free everyone. Each and every smiling face, I want every Laosarch to love G-d without being persecuted.

The only ones that stand in my way are the ambassadors of Sarah.

The soldiers continued to rant about the 3 of us touching the edge of freedom.

“Step forward now, the 3 of you, or 3 of your most critical men will perish.” 3 soldiers raised their tools towards 3 townsmen. “You have 15 seconds. 15. 14. 13.”

I contemplated standing up. But it was too scary a task. I had been conditioned my whole life to think leaving is unforgivable, so admitting to it seemed all too terrifying.

“12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,”

Surely they were exaggerating… They weren’t actually going to kill 3 people in our place, right?

“5, 4,”

We’d gone to the outskirts plenty of times before, they wouldn’t inflict a punishment now, would they?

“3.

2.

1.”

B A N G.x3

“Go back to your houses, and contemplate what you’ve done.” The lead soldier said.

On the walk back, I caught a glimpse of the young soldier who shot the boar. Our eyes met.

“Thank you,” I said silently. He read my lips.

Lesson: Never doubt the levels a soldier will go to.

----------------------------------------

The next morning, I met with Keshet. He insisted we meet at the fountain, and I obliged. Although, I didn’t really like the fountain. It was always really loud, and it was constantly home to many soldiers.

Keshet was there before me. Running over to him, I started talking.

“Why did you–” Keshet covered my mouth.

“Look.” He whispered, “The soldier from the woods.” An immense amount of guilt came over me. The night before, I was haunted by the thought of the bloodied floor.

“What if I hadn’t done it? What if I just kept us on the path?” I sobbed with Mother, “They’d still be ALIVE!”

Mother had completely forgotten about punishing me, or even getting angry at me for going to the outskirts. The soldiers had given me enough trauma already.

“Should we ask him about why he was in the forest?” Keshet asked. I was snapped back into reality. It’s hard to believe Keshet was staying level-headed when it was just yesterday that two people were killed here. I asked him about it, ignoring his prior question. He said,

“What does it matter? Whether we went into the forest or not they were going to find a reason to get rid of those people. Yes it's sad, but it’s not our fault. Don’t let the soldiers get into your head. That’s exactly what they want.” I was taken aback. Keshet had clearly done some thinking about this. Keshet’s quiet, but he seems to have an unparalleled ability to sort through information. To put it plainly, Keshet’s a thinker, I’m a doer.

Keshet and I approached the soldier who saved us. We made subtle eye contact, and when he noticed us, he jumped a bit.

The young soldier was tall, and skinny. His lengthy arms secured the weapon strung around his shoulder. His helmet, which was too large for him, covered the top part of his eyes.

We were very head-on with how we phrased our question towards the young soldier. We put it so directly that it would be impossible to avoid. With powerful eye contact, I posed the question.

“Thank you and all, but why?” The young soldier was shaking.

“Hush! You and I both know that soldiers like 37a would hand us over an open flame if he found out I helped you!” He whispered with ferocity. Aggressive, but still rooted in kindness. “If you truly want to know the truth, meet me back here at 12:00.”

I looked to Keshet, then back to the soldier. I nodded.

“You agree?” The young soldier confirmed, “Then skedaddle!”

Keshet and I retreated back to the safety of our homes. Once isolated, I grabbed a pen, and wrote down the plan.

You see, my Mother surely wouldn’t be okay with me leaving the house at midnight. Unlike Naomi's parents, my Mom is concerned for my well-being. I can empathize with Mother. I can see why she wouldn’t want her 12-year-old son going out into the night, let alone with a soldier. Although, right now is not the time to worry about what could happen, I need to know the truth.

What is it that the soldiers are hiding?

I dipped the pen in some ink I stole from Mother’s bedroom. Ink is quite expensive in Red, so we usually only use it for special occasions. I wrote the plan on my page.

11:00 - Complain to Mother that it is too hot inside, open window.

11:30 - Make a joke that it’s gotten cold again, put on clothes.

11:45 - Mother falls into deep sleep.

11:55 - Grab shoes, and escape through the window.

11:57 - Meet Keshet outside his bedroom.

12:00 - Meet young soldier at fountain.

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I waited for the ink to dry, then folded the paper, and put it in my pocket.

Mother arrived home at 7:00, and forced me to bed at 9:00. I reluctantly agreed.

But before I slipped into the covers, I snatched the mini-clock from the kitchen.

I kept my eyes open, as I hid under the covers, illuminating the clock with a small candle. I was staying very careful, to make sure I didn’t light my sheets on fire.

Each hand spun slower than I could possibly comprehend. Each moment of torture, knowing that I could wonder no more in just a bit of time.

9:00. 9:01. 9:02. 9:03. 9:04. 9:05. 9:06. 9:07. 9:08. 9:09. 9:10. 9:11. 9:12. 9:13. 9:14. 9:15. 9:16. 9:17. 9:18. 9:19. 9:20. 9:21. 9:22. 9:23. 9:24. 9:25. 9:26. 9:27. 9:28. 9:29. 9:30. 9:31. 9:32. 9:33. 9:34. 9:35. 9:36. 9:37. 9:38. 9:39. 9:40. 9:41. 9:42. 9:43. 9:44. 9:45. 9:46. 9:47. 9:48. 9:49. 9:50. 9:51. 9:52. 9:53. 9:54. 9:55. 9:56. 9:57. 9:58. 9:59. 10:00. I passed out around then. The spinning arms were so mesmerizing, I ended up surrendering my consciousness.

11:10. I woke up, and opened the window. As I thought, Mother was also awake.

“What are you doing, Lavi?” She hollered.

“Just opening the window. It’s hot in here!” I responded.

“Make sure it’s only cracked!” That injected an issue into my plan. I couldn’t climb out the window if it wasn’t fully opened, and I couldn’t just open it all the way anyways, because she would see it in the morning. I also can’t shut the window on my way out, it would make too much noise.

I ended up just leaving the window cracked. I would just have to hope that the window opening and closing wouldn’t wake Mother up later.

At 11:30, I went to put some clothes on. The dresser creaked as I opened the drawers.

Mother climbed out of bed, and came to my room. She stood in the doorway.

“It got cold. I was just putting on some extra layers,-” I helplessly explained.

Mother kneeled down, and fixed the collar of my shirt.

“Where are you going, my son?” She asked. I was mortified by her all-knowingness. So much so, that I immediately dropped the act.

“To meet up with Keshet.” I responded. I technically wasn’t lying, I was just withholding the information that I was meeting up with a soldier. I awaited the punishment from Mother. I knew she would be angry with my recklessness. My face grimaced.

“Well? Are you going to put on your shoes? You wouldn’t want to leave him out there alone in the cold for too long.”

I looked up, and made eye contact with Mother. I grinned.

“You’re right.” I said, hurriedly putting on my shoes, and dashing out of the house. “Thank you!” I called on my way out.

I jogged over to Keshet’s house, and knocked on his window 15 minutes early. Lucky enough for me, Keshet was already prepared.

I helped Keshet crawl out his windowsill. His parents sleep on the opposite side of the house, so we didn’t have to worry about noise.

After that, we got onto the road. It was silent. I never thought I’d see the day. Red was always bustling with activity. If there weren’t any Laosarch, there would surely be guards. But now there was naught.

I listened to the sound of our feet hitting the pavement. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. As I listened, I unconsciously began to sync with Keshet.

We approached the fountain. In the distance, I could see a small light. It illuminated the water of the fountain, and the light bounced back towards my eyes.

A figure holding the light waved at us. We continued towards it.

“Hey,” The figure said, “How about we go inside? It’s cold out here.” Keshet and I nodded, and followed him. Keshet tugged on my sleeve.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” I assured.

He led us to a small wooden hut. I didn’t know where the hut was, because it was too dark to see which direction we were heading in.

The figure opened the door for us, letting us waltz inside. The figure came in behind us, and closed the door behind him.

The figure removed his hood, confirming his identity as the young soldier. He held out his hand, unclenched for a handshake. I grabbed it.

“I’m 99a. You?” He asked,

“Lavi,” I answered, “And this is Keshet.”

“Nice to meet you.” 99a affirmed. I decided that I had to get straight to the point. I breathed in, then asked,

“Why did you save us? And why are you so open to a conversation like this?”

“It’s…” He exhaled, “It’s complicated, and it’s not the kind of thing that’s reflected on well by my co-workers.”

“Yeah. I imagine you haven’t told anyone about this?”

“I tried not to. But another soldier said he saw 3 Laosarch head into the outskirts, and I was left with no option but to affirm that story. I didn't tell them I went in though, or that it was two children that I saw.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s no way I could tell them about 3 children… That’s essentially sentencing them to death, or worse… I could never live with myself.”

“Then why do the other guards seem so numb to it, or even excited for it?”

“All I can do is tell you the full story. Then… Maybe one day somebody can finally end this madness.”

My eyes widened, I was more prepared than ever, I had to know.

“Go ahead.” I said.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone, alright?”

“Got it.” Keshet and I nodded.

“When I was younger, I grew up in the heart of Sarah, known as Crater. In Crater, there are buildings much taller than the ones you see here, the roads are bustling with people, and the skies are so blue you could faint. In Crater, there are no Laosarch, and no guards. Just people.

While I was in Crater, my parents taught me a lot of things, and even sent me to, ‘School,’ to learn more things. But they all taught me the same story:

In the beginning, the world exploded into existence, and eventually, humans arose. Although, they had a problem. Some people wanted to work, and others didn’t. These people made a deal. For 1,000 years, half the world would labor, and then they would switch. Rinse and repeat forever. The people who didn’t work were called the, ‘Laosarch,’

1,000 years passed, but the Laosarch had forgotten about their promise. They had come to have no gratitude for the workers of the land. The Laosarch were so far removed from the labor of the world that all they knew was ease.

The Laosarch didn’t give up their comfortable place. They put workers in prison-like conditions, and made them suffer.

After 2,000 years, the workers revolted, and simultaneously struck the Laosarch at their core. The workers won the war, and have restricted them, so that they may never gain a position of power again.

However, to this day, the Laosarch continue to plot the destruction of the workers' society. They pray to their fictional god about freeing themselves, and beginning to rule over the workers once again.”

“But none of that is true! We don’t pray on others' downfall, and only wish to be treated like human beings!” I responded in a sudden fit of anger.

“That’s why I’m here with you today. I know that’s not true. The Laosarch are people, just like the rest of us. They’re so far removed from their ancestors, they wouldn’t even know of a time when they weren’t powerless.”

“How did you come to learn this? It sounds like everyone around you believed it.”

“When I was 13 my Mother died. She seemed healthy, but in reality a disease was eating away at her for years. There was no hope for her by the time we found out. The last thing she said to me was, ‘Never trust Sarah. For I am a Laosarch, and they have deceived you.’

My Mother was a runaway Laosarch, and when she told my Father, a doctor overheard what she said. The doctor called for the, ‘Keepers of The Peace,’ and my Father was shot on the spot. My Mother died of natural causes soon later.

I lied, and the Keepers of The Peace believed that I never knew of my Mother’s true origin. I was sent here, to Red, to learn what happens to Laosarch. Contrary to their plan, it only enforced what Mother said. The workers had deceived me.”

“So this is why you’ve shown us kindness? Because your Mother was a Laosarch?”

“Not quite. I don’t think it matters much that my Mother was a Laosarch. Anyone who has had the truth revealed to them would act in a similar manner. Blood relative or not.”

I paused there. I thought for a while.

“What if… We told everyone the truth?” I considered saying it out loud, but thought that now wasn’t the right time.

99a looked at a clock sitting on the counter. He was taken aback,

“Jeez, it’s late. There’s an early roll call tomorrow, you guys better get some sleep tonight.” He lightly tapped us towards the door. However, I turned around in the doorframe.

“99a… Will you promise me that you’ll tell me more about the outside world?” He hesitated at first, but when I held out my pinky, his interlocked with mine.

“Promise.” He said.

“Alright, goodbye then!” I waved, beginning to run off with Keshet.

“Goodbye!” Keshet added as well.

99a waved, and then shut the door calmly.

I rushed home with Keshet, so I could go to sleep faster, and see 99a in the morning sooner.

I really wanted to ask him what his real name was.

I climbed under the sheets, and recalled 99a’s friendly smile as he shut the door.

That was the last time I saw 99a.