"Let it go!" Senn shouted and, with a final shove, made the other man lose his hold on his basket. He shouldn't have been able to push him off so easily, but he was desperate and young. The other man had less to fight for and was older. The man looked at him with burning eyes but they were just embers. The fire had long ago died in that one. So he just walked away.

It was the second Leashed he had been forced to fight to keep hold of his basket. Naial had made it for Senn so he could gather more roots for both of them. Especially for her, since she had the baby growing inside her and she needed the strength.

Those were strange new thoughts for him. He had never cared about anyone except his mother and she had been gone so soon that he barely remembered her. She had been taken by a fever, or so he had been told by the few people in the neighboring hovels that helped keep him fed through those first years. He had been forced to fight and beg for food like any other street urchin, but he had been lucky enough in that regard. His mother had to have been a nice person to get another Leashed to throw a crumb in her son's direction. It was unusual, but kindness was heavily disguised in the Hub. That's what one had to learn quickly or it would be seen as a weakness and beaten out, taken advantage of, or mocked. But when he closed his eyes, he thought he could remember his mother's smile. Maybe others had remembered it too.

He didn't know why the thoughts of his mother had come back to him. It was probably the most he had thought of her in ages. Maybe it was because he would now be responsible for bringing someone else to that reality. Another child that would be lucky enough if he grew to be a teen and if he got to know both of his parents. But it was inescapable. It was just the way things had been like in the Hub for… it had to be forever, or at least the old women said so.

He was deep in those thoughts so he didn't notice the man approaching him. He grabbed his basket closer over his chest by reflex. They weren't going to take his things away. And then he saw who it was.

"It's been a long time, boy," said the man. He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and had all sorts of trinkets overflowing the pockets of his vest and trousers as if he had been collecting or hoarding stuff. The first time he had appeared to him Senn had been younger and very hungry. He had seen him on and off again since, but most times it had been barely more than a glance and a cryptic set of words. He had seen him passing him by in the crowds of the Hub, standing far away under the sun pointing toward the east, or knee-deep in the rice fields. He hadn't mentioned his apparitions to Naial or anyone else. Maybe one of the elders who fell into the trances would understand him, but standing out was not someone you chose willingly in the Hub. Anyone could turn him over to the Chainkeepers for a meal or get his hands on his meager possessions. So he didn't know if anyone else could see the man or if he was the only one. His chosen one, as the man had said.

"Why are you bothering me?" asked Senn, starting to walk again and sidestepping the man. But this time the man put a hand in front of him to make him stop.

"Wait, kid. It's not a game anymore. It's time."

"Time for what?" he asked.

"For what I've been preparing you to do," said the man patiently. "To finally get away from here."

"You're out of your mind. But then, it's probably me who's out of his mind and imagining you."

"You're not. You're still shackled, bodily yes, but mostly in your mind. You're not insane. You may be the only person that's becoming sane in this cesspit."

Senn thought about it.

"Get away? Where to? What's out there except the desert and more death?"

"That's what I've been doing this whole time. Finding out. And I just found the right place to start our own thing. Water, some vegetation, and wild animals. The whole thing. And no one to stop us from taking it over."

"There's just the small matter of escaping here and getting there."

"Look around, boy."

Senn did as he was told. He was on the eastern outskirts of the Hub, having come back from gathering bloodroots all day. The sun was about to set. Far away, he could see others returning from similar endeavors, making their way to the Hub with slumped shoulders. There were no Chainkeepers in sight. There was usually at least one or two looking out for strays. Sometimes they dragged someone back to the Hub. Other times, if someone was just sitting there refusing to go back, they would leave them to die of cold and thirst. The Chainkeepers were unpredictable sometimes, but they usually erred on the side of cruelty.

"There's no one to stop you from escaping because they no longer expect anyone to escape. They just expect anyone who tries to die. They have burrowed into everyone's head so much that you can no longer even entertain the idea of escaping. But you can. Here and now, with me. It's a long way to walk but I have found the means to survive. I can tell you where to dig for water and where to hunt for food. You'll make it. And then we'll come back and get more people. One by one, we'll get everyone out of here and into my new home."

Senn's mind could barely process everything he was being told. A hope of getting out of there. A way to survive and thrive. He knew he was strong enough to do it. He could do it. He could come back and lead more people out of that hell. He could lead Naial out.

"What about her? I can't leave her alone like this. She's carrying my child."

"You'll have to, Senn. With what little food you've gathered and the path I've made for you, you can make it. The both of you won't. She won't survive the trip. Besides, you can't go back and get her and then escape during the night. You'll never get out with the curfew."

"We can plan it better. I can gather more food and then…"

"You'll never do it. You'll find an excuse, or life will find an excuse for you. She will bear that child and then you'll never leave her side until the Hub finally kills you. Or her. Or your son."

"You don't know that," said Senn, getting restless and angry. "You don't know any of that. And it may be a girl."

The man stepped in front of him and seemed to grow larger in size. Or at least his shadow did, and Senn became a little scared.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I am a God," said the man. "I know some things. A son is growing in her womb. The three of you together won't survive for more than a few years. They will take them away from you. If she doesn't die, they'll take your son away. If they don't take him away, he'll barely live to be a teen, with a lot of luck. By then he'll be just like you. Except he will never get this chance I'm giving you. If you don't come with me now, I'll go away. I'll vanish for a long time until someone has enough balls to try to get what he wants."

Senn put his basket down and sat, letting go of his weight.

"You're a God, you say. Like in the old men's stories."

"Yes," replied the man, tapping his boots on the ground as if in a hurry.

"Then why haven't you gotten us out of this hell?"

"I am doing it now. But you have to get yourself out first."

"What will you get out of this?" asked Senn with a sigh.

"I'll get you to believe in me. And then you'll help me get more like you. And then I'll get all of you to believe in me. A God without followers is just a crazy man shouting in the desert."

"I don't know if I can leave her."

"You have to. Or you'll curse the three of you to a miserable life or an early death."

"I'm not a coward."

"No one will say you are one. It's not cowardice to escape a man with a knife when you have nothing to defend yourself. It's survival. And you're a survivor. It takes great courage to be the first man to leave the Hub in search of life, instead of searching for death. And you'll become a great hero to these people. But first, you have to come with me. You have to take this first step."

Senn held back his tears.

"She'll hate me."

"You will hate her if what you feel for her keeps you from doing what you have to do. In the end, it will be best for everyone. You may even be able to get her away from here. Both of them. But you have to be strong now. I chose you because I know you have the strength to get away. Was I wrong?"

Senn looked inside himself and knew the man or… God… was right. He got up.

"I'll come. But we'll come back as soon as we can and we'll get her out. Then we'll get everyone out. And we'll make those Chainkeepers bleed."

The man smiled, a wide grin so big as Senn had never seen. There weren't that many reasons to smile in the Hub.

"That's my boy," said the Lord of Greed.

* * *

Nightfall was approaching.

Where is he?

Naial kept asking herself that while pacing around the firepit. She was expecting Senn. He was supposed to bring food for both of them. She had worked hard all day and barely gotten a fistful of rice. Her baby needed more. Fortunately, she wasn't completely alone. The hovel they were inhabiting nowadays had a few friendly people, and two other young couples. They had banded together recently to be in a similar company. It was better as a couple to share with other like-minded people and not with children or old people. But that didn't make it any easier for Naial.

"Where is he?" she finally asked out loud.

Everyone had been talking, oblivious to her worries. Now they saw the tears beginning to streak down her face. They all looked at each other expecting someone else to talk. A girl called Miri finally gathered strength and approached her.

"I'm sure Senn will show up, girl. He must be delayed. You know he's working hard."

"We all are. As if we have any option. But he should be here already."

"What do you think happened?" asked Miri, crossing her arms.

"He may have been beaten by the Chainkeepers for some reason. Or beaten and stabbed just to get at his basket. The one I made for him. He knows I'm scared out of my mind now. He wouldn't let me worry like this for no good reason."

Miri didn't immediately reply and neither did anyone else. The others slowly returned to their chores: gathering water, mending sandals, cooking… whatever meant paying no attention to Naial. Miri lingered close to Naial for a while, not knowing what to say or how to extricate herself from that situation.

"I'm sure he'll show up," she said.

"I'm less sure with every heartbeat," said Naial.

"He could be hurt, that's true. We all know it can and does happen regularly. But Senn is strong and smart. He never gets in too much trouble. That much I know about him."

"This time is different. I feel it."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just feel like he's never coming back."

Miri sighed.

"Let's go look for him."

"We can't…"

"We can make it to the outskirts and back if we run for it. If we don't see him, we'll come back right away, all right?"

"Yes…"

"…What?"

"Thanks," said Naial and hugged Miri. They weren't friends, just people who had met each other recently and felt as if they were in a similar situation. Friendships didn't last long in the Hub. But she needed someone to hold onto. That was something everyone needed once in a while, even if the people they held close died or moved away or got taken away to the mines. It always hurt, so most people kept to themselves. But Naial was not one of them. And Miri wasn't one of them yet. Miri patted Naial's back and then pushed her away and toward the hovel's entrance.

"Let's go. It's now or never."

Senn had said he would be going east to gather roots. It was a tough job with no guarantee of reward but once you found some roots, it paid off as it could keep you fed for a few days or, if you tired of it, you could trade it for other food. When he wasn't being dragged off to the rice fields to work, as Naial had been taken that morning, he often went root hunting. But that made you a target for the ones who lived off of stealing from others. It was usually a short life, that of a robber. They were people so desperate that they forgot the Chainkeepers were few but were always around. And if they were found, they were made an example. Not by being whipped or otherwise beaten. They were chained up to die in the streets, and no one gave water or food to one of them. Still, they existed, albeit shortly. And one of them could have attacked Senn.

Naial ran unsteadily since she kept looking around and diverging from the direction Miri was running. But they made it to the easternmost hovels when the sun was halfway down the horizon behind them. They stood looking toward the empty wasteland, trying to see anyone, any shape or shadow.

"Look," said Miri, pointing to a spot northeast of them.

Naial ran toward it without thinking. It had to be two or three hundred paces away. It was often hard to know once you stepped into the desert and lost the references. But she made her way there quickly. Her heart was beating so fast she felt she would faint. She hadn't eaten since the morning. She tried to push that thought back. When she got closer to the object Miri had spotted, she slowed down to a walk. She breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't a body. Then she grew desperate again. It wasn't Senn. So where was he?

She stopped and dropped her head. But then she looked at the object again. She frowned and started walking toward it again. As she got closer and closer, her heart started skipping beats. She felt her mouth go dry and her thoughts raced in her mind but found only walls to slam into.

"No, it can't be…"

The object she had been walking toward was the basket she had made. It was different from other baskets because she was really bad at doing that so it had a few recognizable holes and pieces sticking out. She was sure it was the one she had made for Senn. And he was nowhere around. He would never have left it behind since any possession was precious in the Hub. And no robber would have left it behind either.

She knelt by the basket and then saw something inside it. A piece of root, big as her arm. No robber would have left that either.

She walked back with the basket in her arms. She was numb and walked past Miri, who had stood there waiting for her. She was lost inside herself as they made it back to the hovel. She was numb when they took her root away and she looked as though she would never come back from inside her pain. She was numb as they asked her to move elsewhere a few days later. She was numb while working the fields. She was numb as, sometime later, someone stole her basket. She was numb as the baby grew inside her.

She was alone. Senn had left her. He hadn't been lost to her. He wasn't dead. She knew in her heart he had left the Hub. She didn't understand why he had chosen to die. But he had said as much when he had left the basket with the root inside. No one would have done that except Senn. She understood his mind somewhat. It was a way of saying sorry.

She was alone. But she wasn't alone. Senn's baby was inside her. She could keep hating Senn, she could keep being angry at him, she could keep crying. But she had a baby to take care of. Maybe, for a while, it would be enough to keep the pain away.