Chapter 82

Canada was not the best source of peace in the winter, and that was the case for the majority of North America the deeper north one went. Outside of that season, it was passable because of lands in the southern regions were great, while the north made the majority of Canada not suitable for large-scale efforts.

It was no place for large infrastructure or farms after the Dawn spread, but surviving was more than feasible—especially when a sizable part of the northern cold lands were yet to meet the worst kind of Corruption.

William spent two winters taking care of animals in the last two years and remembered worse times beforehand for some camp to be fun. Feeding animals dried grass and leftovers from farms from other seasons was simple, thought seeing such simple living animals was also strange to him.

Those two years passed quickly, and before he could know it, he appreciated these days. Everyday life was fine until it wasn't. His path implied something else, and somewhere, rather than nowhere.

This farming job was the work of Miss Anderson, who was quite keen on giving William whatever task he asked for. Of course, it wasn't for free. He could choose to take some resources for himself if his job went well, while he was still a young Walker who was under some loose standards. He ought to know what the military was about and some training and lessons came in a similar manner. Usually without Emblems in sight.

Any one of the set camps had a beginning and numerous plans, procedures for bad scenarios, and strategies to keep going. Leadership was a rather loose government made of normal people, which was usual, even if some Walker was usually in charge directly, or in name alone. There were also some occasional delegates from the Federation in more important camps, with Walkers who were always protecting them from shadows or walls.

People had rules to follow, with barter having some regulations like farming and trading. Certain feudal methods were similar to this, and people got used to them over time. Nothing better was close, while the Federation's supervising eyes were how they all began anyway.

Some compromises weren't surprising. The past proved that. The USA didn't have many opportunities for the tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people stationed across dozens of camps, and it eventually led to even worse compromises. That was decades ago before the Federation became what it was today.

In the past, the people who fell in power after the catastrophic decades had to make choices because there was nothing like Walkers protecting them. That eventually changed after the discovery of Emblems, but regular people did not forget the past struggles. The history didn't either, because it was a matter of decades, rather than centuries.

Earth was vast. Some places lived in madness and peace, trying to link the past and look from the darkness.

It was that kind of history that not many people wanted to bury themselves in, so they tried to dig themselves out of there.

Nowadays, who could even remember the Dawn? It happened more than a century ago and everyone who had seen it was long dead. Feelings prevailed, however, with stories spreading, coming from people who saw it with their own eyes, and every one of them saw an eternal mark on this planet and its people.

Generations following the Dawn weren't ruined. They took the past generations who saw the true ruins as survivors of the end. The average age declined rapidly. Even when Walkers arrived, they didn't help most places for a long time. It was turning better in recent generations, or one could see that every newer one was better than the other.

Nature was healing, many cultures and people noted, even if it was like picking a dry patch of grass in a brief drizzle.

It was unfortunate how Walker's births were stagnant due to their nature and how Emblems worked. Rules or creations about them were odd. A lot of Walkers fell short, were weak, died sooner, or ended up outside of camps, or proper people.

Their case in camps in Canada was one with the Federation, whereas survivors across the USA were scattered across enormous places that one couldn't see where Walkers could be or not. Then, the broader world encountered them differently, thanks to differences in cultures, reach, and ingenuity.

In America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, everyone had Walkers. How to use them was important, and how to approach them was difficult. Nobody cared about the former rules, laws, or some so-called Constitutions that were in the USA. Chaos ensued anyway, with Darks endlessly devouring the land, fighting, hunting, and corrupting.

Camps underwent major changes in the last decade since the Federation took some heavy consideration for them. The most correct reason was growth and stability. They decided to play the long-term war. It worked, thanks to a good beginning without any end in sight. It was the predominant reason why the Federation rose to power over half of the globe.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The reason came from many smart individuals at appropriately powerful positions and Walkers who managed, listened, or helped them. These things were hardly available at the same time in many places, while some places had neither. In the Federation, they had it all, if not some of that to spare.

Dozens of states fell short long before many got time to shine, and so did the people. Taking care of themselves, they fled or sometimes flocked temporarily before fleeing later on. Remaining on the run, killing others for survival, or thriving in any way was a rule of the jungle. That was the USA.

Walkers were part of it as well, due to the way how they were raised Outside. That had not only been happening for a long time in the past but also right now, in many places devoid of proper attention, or civility.

William knew the world wasn't united. It was more like a giant spider web with many gaps and countless predators. He grew up there, watched people, and could've ended up like any one of them. Somewhat, he didn't. Sometimes, he was the predator. Was it caused by his sentiment, Dann, or how he didn't want to end up like everyone dead?

William reminisced about those times in the past week and his inevitable end being Outside. He always shook slightly since he never knew how to live.

He tried, fleeting the remembrance of destruction and crashed hopes of many people. Some were crazy; worse than some Darks. Outside was no heaven. The Federation must not be that either, but what would be? He and everyone in this world couldn't flee. The world itself was bound like them, living through this dawn like the stars looking at them, or like the wounded moon on the opposite side of the world.

Outside was reminiscent of history or detecting that more than a place that wanted to seek a better future.

William wasn't like the Federation. He was curious about the past, even if it was dreadful, while the future was unknown. Outside knew a lot of words. Older people—who were lucky to survive to watch some history—were good sources of knowledge or stories. They were tough bastards who wouldn't back down from the chaos and death. A lot of people were like that everywhere in America, almost as many as those with insanity.

William kind of respected them in his own ways, though by any means it meant some preferences. It was just a minor interest, and no one could know everything. Old people delivered countless reports from the time they lived with people who had seen the Dawn. They watched it. Lived with it. They, either wept to tell the story or dreaded the consequences of that which they watched.

Newer generations had a responsibility to meet and hear older people, for there was a point in listening and taking their voices for granted. Years followed it, and among them were even tougher bastards if they lived through that.

It wasn't some vast history. It was a consistent way of humanity that was kind of fucked up and cooked. Timeless history or words were like whispers as well. Some were like a story from long ago that was just fantasy.

To William, the Federation made one thing clear to him. The sense of government was not lost. Waiting, fighting, and some insanity were akin to a coping mechanism or natural selection, while one could change from time to time, be clever, vicious, or enduring. Yes. Like Walker, wasn't that right and proper?

He couldn't think too far. Some assumptions were in his heart and mind. Nowhere else. From all he could guess, the Federation was like a king, with others being peasants. It was a weird idea that had a false foundation. The superiority of Walkers wasn't here, or at least it wasn't oblivious to the common eye.

William was uncertain about that as he clutched credits in his pocket and walked around the main square. Those papers were tokens of a king, creating and giving tatters some value, and worth to some citizens for their time. He reckoned it was worth for them, but one spark, and dust they could become.

There was also this city, those big towers, pillars, bridges, and who knew what else he was overlooking in this place. One big Dark, and they should become pieces and rubble.

Who would build them then? People? What sort of resources did the Federation possess, or from where it all moved? This island in the middle of the ocean was no nation to rule over the world, nor something that could free humanity. It was just a temporary hideout in his opinion, even if it was great and still in one piece after a long time.

William didn't understand what was wrong or right about his view. Soon, he will understand it and learn from it because it wasn't far.

He would make sure to get as much use from the library and generosity that Kaufman provided. The economics were far out of his touch. Sure, he could learn about it, whereas overlooking it completely sounded better.

After a lazy walk, a surprising face was back on William's face. He entered the edge of a rather big and open main square. Flat and surrounded by buildings, each was larger than his former orphanage. Then, there was a beautiful cathedral that rose into the air in its numerous sharp metallic towers. It had quite some style, with sharp edges, architecture, and size. William had seen bits of it as he walked around, yet he didn't understand that this was his destination.

The library was prominent enough to drop his mouth. The help of yet another sign was the last straw.

If not tall, what was tall? Did it have at least half a thousand feet? What was a meter? William was curious about how tall it was. Complex architecture had its appeal in the past, followed by large windows that had various colorations and paintings within them, providing no crystal clear vision inside.

There was also a flag depicting the Federation right in front of the library's sign. The rectangular flag depicted a round lotus with the Earth's continents inside of it.

Carved into the wall right above a large gate was the name of this old building. [Federation Library]

“I must have been an idiot to assume I wouldn't find such a thing. I even saw it from the walking and it sure is large enough to see it even away from this square, or that bridge? Perhaps only in bits. There are bigger ones further into the east, yet.... such a huge building is a library.” William scowled and glanced at the Emblem Association that Luke had shown him yesterday.

He didn’t marvel about it for long because it wasn't part of the main square.