Ahndrian Archives

The faces surrounding Alice were all familiar to her in some way. Yet, she never seemed to know exactly what they did. They were often around Zeta— training or running errands. Sometimes the younger ones, like the two out that rushed out into the forest, would run around the city playing together or hanging out.

The older one that they keep referring to as Chief, she’d recognize him from a mile away. He was a giant next to them. Every muscle on his body seemed toned and his face was hardened. Alice remembered seeing him for the first time. The sight of him was jarring, but his scent seemed calm and far reaching, like it could envelop all of Zeta.

The lights of the city were harsh on her eyes after being in the dark for so long. She looked around, but she seemed to be the only one bothered by it. Everyone else kept their heads low and moved forward. Rabbit waited next to her as she let her eyes adjust.

Rei stopped a few meters in front of Alice and turned back.

“Don’t get lost in town with a wolf. People are gonna get the wrong idea about you.” she yelled.

“Nobody knows who she is. How are they gunna get the wrong idea?” the Chief whispered the question to Rei, doing his best not to let Alice hear him.

“Well, if they think she’s crazy before they meet her. It’s not gonna help her.”

“Like I said, we have no idea who she is. We can’t let her meet anyone just yet. Let them think what they want. We’ve gotta learn something about her before we just let her walk around town like it’s nothing.” the Chief glanced back at Alice who simply looked down at the ground.

They might have whispered, but Alice could hear everything. Every word they said she had heard before. Whenever she visited Harriet and Harriet’s friends were over, she could hear their whispers too. Only Harriet always stood up for her. Even before she knew Alice could hear every word they spoke, she always had a few choice words for anyone who questioned her decisions.

The further they walked— the more uncomfortable Alice felt. She was used to walking through the towns. She was used to going unnoticed through the streets. Now, she was a spectacle. Maybe it was Rabbit. Maybe it was the massive man in front of her or the armed men around her. Maybe it was the darkness of her skin— maybe the way she was dressed. She had no idea.

What she did know was that everyone’s whispers became a chorus that only she could hear.

Who is that wild little girl?

Is that a wolf with her?

What are the roamers thinking bringing some strange girl in like that?

What if she’s a bandit?

Can we trust her?

She could smell them too. Their fear of the unknown. Their distrust. All of it made her uncomfortable. She could feel her breathing getting heavy. She dropped her gaze to the ground and did her best to focus on something else. Anything else that could stop her from hearing everything they said. From smelling every scent they gave off. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself like she was taught.

Then, like they were never there, it was all gone. Every smothering smell and loathsome voice vanished from her senses. All she could hear was the crunching of the dirt beneath their feet.

“You look like you’re really freaked out,” Rei’s voice made Alice jump.

She looked up and realized that Rei had fallen back to walk beside her. She didn’t know when, but there she was. Alice stared at Rei silently for a moment before she could figure out how to respond.

“People staring at me. I don’t get along with it well.” Alice replied.

“You know, you talk kinda funny. I like it. Right words, but the wrong way.” Rei smiled at Alice, but Alice wasn’t sure why. She wasn’t even sure she understood what Rei meant.

Rei stuck close to Alice the rest of the walk. About halfway back, Thomas dropped back to them too, but nobody said another word.

Their trek finally came to an end about a kilometer from where they exited the forest. The area they were in was familiar to Alice too, but this was the closest she had ever been to it and the first time seeing it from the ground.

The large concrete structure was one of the most intact buildings in Zeta. Most of it was put together and stable. Only a few of the walls were damaged by whatever destroyed the city, but none of them had more than a shallow crack. The windows were all busted out. Some time when they found use for it, they busted out the rest of the glass and left empty holes on the side of the building.

People carrying weapons always walked in and out of this building and the smaller ones surrounding it. They were often in the west side of the courtyard swinging swords at the plastic dummies or sparring with each other on the opposite end.

Alice used to watch them whenever she came to Zeta. The way they swung their weapons or danced around the stone sparring circle, twisting, and flipping on the ground and in the air. Some of them were more brutish— clashing with swords and shields or with their bare fist. They always looked exhausted afterwards, but they always looked like they were having so much fun.

As they stepped into the courtyard, the Chief turned and addressed everyone, “I’ll head inside. The rest of you grab some three-man teams. They might not come in, but the howling might have caused them to swarm the perimeter.”

All of the older men and women around Alice rushed off in every direction. Alice couldn’t help but be amazed. They left without question— despite only just returning from the forest.

Alice had more stamina than the average person, but even she could feel the fatigue in her legs and the weight it added with every stride.

“You three,” the Chief turned to Alice, Rei, and Thomas, “with me.”

Rei and Thomas hung their heads and walked past him begrudgingly.

“Stay here. I’ll come back.” Alice told Rabbit.

The Chief raised an eyebrow at her. Rabbit was a lot like the other roamers to him. He didn’t put up any fuss when she spoke. He simply sat back and let out a sharp bark, as if to confirm his orders.

The Chief walked over to him and placed his hand on Rabbit’s head. The wolf leaned into it— more like a domesticated pup than a wild beast.

“Did you train him?” the Chief asked Alice.

Alice shook her head and knelt down next to Rabbit. “Rabbit trusts me, and I trust Rabbit. No reason why.”

The Chief laughed.

“You can understand him?” he asked.

Alice simply nodded, looking up at him as if she were waiting for an explanation on why he had to ask.

“Right,” the Chief turned and held the door open for Alice. “Well, come on. We need to have a chat.”

Alice hadn’t gotten any sleep that night. The myriad of words swirling in her head were equal parts interesting and confusing.

Those who are born into this world are supposed to be Roamers— that’s what the chief said.

As much as she wanted to learn more about that, she couldn’t get past the reason she was there in the first place. No matter what the Chief said while they were inside of the Roamer HQ, Thomas’s emotions never changed. Whatever confused Alice lingered and it only grew heavier and heavier with every minute that passed.

The only time it became anything else was when the Chief told them that if they went out into the forest again, they’d both be held back a year in their training. Thomas’s emotions flared in that moment. Just for a moment— there was nothing but the deep, overwhelming scent of sadness.

Those memories from last night played on an endless loop in Alice’s mind. Each time she wanted to ask Thomas about it, they were interrupted. The one time she did get the words to come out, he ignored her, and Rei did her best to change the topic. It was the Chief who remained silent.

tap! tap!

The knock on the door provided Alice an escape from her own thoughts. She rolled off the bed of the HQ’s guest room and pulled the door open, meeting Rei’s enthusiastic gaze on the other side.

“You get to train with us today!” Rei announced. “Chief said we’re gonna figure out your fighting style. Come on, get changed.”

Rei was inside the room before Alice could say a word. Alice just stepped out of her way and watched as she pranced across the floor and plopped onto the bed.

“So many people. Lots of words. I’m very tired.” Alice grumbled.

“There’s no time for tired. If the Chief can confirm you’re a roamer, you get to stay. You’ll be a year behind us, but you’re about the same age, so we can still form a team after we graduate!”

Alice stared blankly at Rei.

“Sorry, I’m just excited. Not many other girl Roamers get sent here. Just me and mom most days. The other women are all way older than me, so I’m just really excited that you turned out to be awesome.”

Alice sighed and scratched her head as she grabbed the clothes the Chief left out for her the night before. She started to change and stopped as Rei gasped at the scars covering Alice’s torso.

“What happened to you? It’s like someone came at you with a bunch of knives.” Rei asked.

“Sometimes knives. Also arrows and swords. Harriet told me to run from guns.” Alice told her as she finished putting on the clothes and walked towards the door.

“Shit!” Rei exclaimed as she hopped from the bed and followed Alice out of the room. “Why was someone trying to kill you?”

Alice shook her head, “Went through bandit’s area. They defended it from me.”

Rei picked up her pace for a few steps and stood beside Alice, “Why were you attacking bandits exactly?”

“Sometimes because I was traveling. Most scars are from after Harriet died. They took her weapon. I took it back.”

Rei started to speak, but she pulled back before the words escaped. She was silent the rest of the way out into the courtyard.

The Chief stood next to two people that Alice had not seen yesterday. One was a man that looked a lot like the Chief, but he had far less muscle and his entire demeanor made Alice think of the librarians in Alpha.

The other was a woman draped in a long white robe— embroidered with red and a gold Zeta symbol stitched into the breast. Her hair was wrapped in a white scarf, concealing every strand with an artful knot atop her head.

As Alice and Rei approached, Rei raced over to the woman and wrapped her arms around her.

“Mom, it’s really good to see you.” Rei whispered.

“It’s good to see you too, baby. While I am sorry, I’ve had to spend so much time at the clinic, don’t think I don’t know what your father caught you two doing yesterday.” her mother spoke sternly.

Rei winced and tried to laugh it off, “We didn’t go that far out. I swear.”

“Any distance out is an issue. I would rather not see you in my clinic.” She knelt down and looked Rei in the eye, then turned to Thomas and made sure he met her gaze, “That goes for both of you. Got it?”

Rei and Thomas nodded their heads then stood next to each other silently. The man next to the Chief laughed and turned to face Rei’s mother.

“Condi, I’m sure they got an earful from my brother last night. Let’s leave them be for now.” the man spoke.

“If I understand correctly, it was your idea to hold them back a year immediately instead of giving them another chance. I hardly think you can preach going easy on them to me, Trevor.” Condi retorted.

“If the two of you would pause this spat until later, I’d like you to meet Alice.” the Chief interrupted.

Condi and Trevor both turned to Alice and looked her over with intensely discerning eyes. Condi was the first to step forward. Her lips parted in a serenely genuine smile as she spoke.

“My name is Condi. I’m the anointed Healer of Zeta, Rei’s mother, and the Chief is my husband. Pleasure to meet you.” Condi extended her hand to Alice, who took it and shook it awkwardly.

“That might have been a little too formal, madame heal...uh, mom.” Thomas stumbled over his last few words and looked up at Condi, almost apologetically.

She smiled at him, then looked back at Alice and with one last smile, stepped back.

Trevor’s face hadn’t changed, despite the conversation around him. His eye was stern and continued to study Alice. Even as he knelt down and reached out his hand, she felt like he was analyzing everything she did.

“I’m Trevor, the Oracle of Zeta. Despite the fact that the title really just makes me a glorified librarian. It’s up to me to figure out exactly what you can do since we didn’t receive you with a data card.”

“Harriet told me it was taken by someone when I took her back to where I was born.” Alice explained.

“I see,” Trevor muttered to himself. “Who exactly is Harriet?”

“From what she’s told me, I’m pretty sure she’s talking about Harriet Brewer, the former chief of Alpha.” the Chief answered.

Trevor sighed and stood up straight, “She never followed a damn rule in her life. One hell of a shot though. Don’t suppose she taught you how to shoot a gun?”

Before Trevor finished his sentence, Alice ran back inside the HQ and up the stairs to her room. She came back down a few minutes later with something that was wrapped in a white sheet— tucked beneath her arm.

She stopped in front of Trevor and the others as she unwrapped the sheet. Everyone stared in awe as she pieced together the semiautomatic rifle that was tucked away in her pack.

Once she was done, she stood up and presented it to them with pride. Despite her obvious familiarity with the weapon, it was clearly too big for her height.

“Can you fire that thing well?” Trevor asked.

Alice nodded. She reached into her pocket and loaded a handful of the bullets she’d brought down with her. Once she loaded the last one, Trevor held his hand out and produced a plastic ball out of thin air. He handed it to the Chief and pointed off into the distance.

“I’ll have my brother throw it. All you have to do is shoot it.” He waited for Alice to nod, then looked back at the Chief.

The Chief waited for Alice to ready her aim, but she simply stared off in the direction he would be throwing with the rifle dangling by her side. After a few seconds passed, Alice looked over at him.

“Throw.” She ordered.

 The Chief shrugged it off and decided to see what happened. He wound up his toss and threw the ball across the courtyard.

Alice watched as it went up and flew out about ten meters before she made her move. With ease she lifted the rifle up with one hand and fired. Alice stumbled backwards as the shot grazed the ball.

“You’ve got a strong eye and an even stronger arm. Any other surprises? How’s your hand to hand?” Trevor asked.

Alice was taken aback by how quickly Trevor seemed to be moving her through these tests. She thought she’d be training, but it really felt like that was just an excuse to get her down there.

“Spar with Rei or Thomas. I’d like to see how they’ve improved as well.” Trevor added. “Also, since we did just kind of blindside you with all of this. If you win, we’ll give you some kind of reward too. Sound good?”

Maybe he won’t get hurt. She thought to herself.

“Thomas.” Alice decided.

“Thomas it is. The two of you step into the circle. We’ll go one round. Show us what you can do.” Trevor instructed them.

They all walked towards the west end of the courtyard and stood inside of the sparring circle etched into the sandy concrete beneath their feat. Thomas sighed as he walked to the opposite end, away from Alice. He hadn’t intended on fighting anyone.

Thomas raised his arms, but he found it hard to focus on his own form as he watched Alice. The way she crouched made her look more like Rabbit than any human fighting stance he’d seen. It was primal. It was intense.

“Begin.”

Without hesitation, Alice charged forward. She was faster than any of them had expected. She cleared the distance between she and Thomas before he had a chance to react. All he could do was brace for impact.

Impact never came. Alice stopped her fist just short of his stomach. Thomas didn’t even realize how open he had left himself until Alice’s arm had wrapped itself around his torso— her hand clenched around the side of his neck. In two fluid motions, Alice picked Thomas up with one arm, and slammed him back down.

Thomas felt the ground crack under their weight. Had he not hardened his entire body when she launched her first attack, he was sure something would have broken.

Alice rolled away from Thomas and assumed her animalistic stance once again, until she heard Trevor say, “The winner is, Alice.”

His words reached her, clear as day. She was absolutely certain of that, but Thomas didn’t seem to get the memo. He hopped to his feet and readied himself once more— hoping he was prepared for another assault. Alice’s eyes darted between Trevor and Thomas, unsure if she should continue her attack after being declared the winner.

With a laugh and wave of his hand Trevor stepped forward to explain, “Seems your hearing is just as good as Rei reported. My words were but a whisper, yet you seem to have understood them exactly. The fight is over Thomas. You did well.”

Thomas relaxed his body and dropped to the ground. He took no notice of the hard impact he made with the ground, instead focusing on burying his head in his hands as Rei sauntered over to the battlefield.

“Just say it. Clearly you’re holding back for my sake.” Thomas groaned as he heard her footsteps halt next to his head.

Rei didn’t laugh, but her smile never faltered, “She kicked your ass, and it was great.”

Thomas shrugged off her amused expression and turned to face Alice. She had already walked over with Trevor to the Chief and Condi. Thomas watched as they talked to her about how she learned to fight. The name Harriet came up a lot.

“Hey, Thomas.” Rei whispered.

“Yeah?”

“You should tell her.” Rei spoke up.

Thomas’s calm expression started to sour. He didn’t dislike Alice, but he didn’t trust her. He didn’t know her.

“Why? We know nothing about her. We literally found her in the woods. Not exactly a place full of friends.” Thomas tried to keep his voice as low as possible, but he was sure Alice could hear them. The fact that she wasn’t reacting meant she at least had some respect for privacy, he assumed.

“When we were upstairs, she said something to me. When that Harriet person died, some bandits got a hold of her weapon apparently.” Rei started to explain.

“So what? Just cause something kinda similar happened to her doesn’t mean she gets it.”

“I think she does. At least a little bit. Her body is covered in scars. It honestly made me a little sick to see it. When I asked her about them, she told me about the bandits taking the weapon. She also told me she took it back.” Rei continued.

Thomas took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Just like me. Thomas thought to himself. He couldn’t help but feel stupid. He got angry before he knew the truth. Rei was right. He was really sick of her being right.

“Alice,” Thomas spoke in a whisper, but he turned towards her to make his point. “Meet us by the storehouse from yesterday. Tonight, after everyone heads to bed.”

Thomas kept his eyes on her for a few more seconds, but she didn’t make a move. When he still didn’t see anything after another thirty seconds, he moved towards her, wondering if he really wasn’t loud enough.

“Finally decided to join us?” the Chief asked as Thomas and Rei walked over to them.

“Uh, yeah.” Thomas muttered. He looked over to Alice who stared blankly back at him. As their eyes made contact, Alice smiled and nodded one time— enough for Thomas.

“So, did you figure out what she can do?” Rei asked.

“I believe so, but it’s not something I could explain all at once.” Trevor answered. “In the simplest terms, it seems our new friend is a Lycan. If the texts are to be believed... likely one of only a handful left in existence.”

“Not to be a downer, but that would be the case for a lot of people and things in the Ruined City.” replied Rei.

Trevor and Condi laughed, but the Chief couldn’t help but sigh.

Trevor leaned in closer to the three teenagers and did his best to add just a bit of adventure to his tone, “No one in the history of the Ruined City has ever seen the other side of the forest. We only know what existed here before through text and stories passed down by our ancestors. Who knows if the world truly met cataclysm, or if it was only our ancestors who paid the price?”

As he spoke his last words, he leaned back slowly, never breaking eye contact with the mystified trainees. Condi smiled behind her hand as she watched them stare wide eyed and cling to every word Trevor spoke.

The Chief turned their wonder into suspicion with three words, “Don’t forget us.”

Rei and Thomas took a moment, then the weight of the Chief’s words hit them. Roamers aren’t born the way the Dwellers are. Roamers are born into this world from a metal box. They’re given their name and their place. They’re told who will raise them. They’re already six when they’re born into this world. Yet no one knows where they come from. As far as Rei and Thomas knew, nobody had even questioned it.

Alice was already ten steps ahead of them. She’d seen the outsiders. She’d walked away from her box on her own. But that was all she knew— nothing. They existed. That much she was sure of, but in all the time that she and Harriet talked about the outside, Harriet never wanted to go. She had no dreams of crossing the forest. All she cared about was Alpha and Alice.

“Listen up kids,” the Chief’s voice called them all back to attention. “Starting tomorrow, Alice, if you want, you can officially begin training as a Roamer.”

Alice opened her mouth to speak. She was certain that she wanted to. She wanted to know what it was like. She wanted to stay with the others in Zeta and run around the forest with Rabbit. She wanted to learn something new.

The Chief put his finger in the air and laughed, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Before you give me an answer, I need to give you the big speech. It’s the best part about being the Chief. Now, everyone pay attention!”

Rei, Thomas, Trevor, and Condi all stood at attention. Alice’s eyes darted between them, and she rushed to mimic their stances— with considerable difficulty. Rabbit, having rested thoroughly under the shade of the training dummies, rushed over to Alice when he heard the Chief’s booming call to attention. He circled her legs twice before sitting next to her.

The Chief looked around him and smiled, “The Roamers are a proud group. We and we alone possess the ability to protect the townships we live in. Together, with the other roamers in the ruined city, we push back the plague of the black beasts and the threats from those within our borders. We do this together because we are at our best when we are together.

“So, Alice. If you have decided that you are willing to take on this task, then tomorrow I will officially declare you a...,” his voice trailed off as he thought over his words. “Harriet clearly began your training when you were far younger than was needed. Typically, everyone begins their fifteenth year, but even at sixteen, I’ve decided you will still have to start in your first year. Training last for 3 years. Afterwards, you will become a full-fledged roamer and you will be assigned a squad.”

Alice listened closely to him. She understood what he said— almost every word. It actually made sense to her. She had some understanding of fair and this fit her description.

However, she didn’t have long to dwell in her thoughts before every hair on her body stood on end. When she looked up at the Chief, she realized that this feeling was coming from him. The protective aura he gave off earlier had grown tenfold.

“I will tell you what I have told every new Roamer in Zeta. Your squad is the most precious possession of any roamer. So, if you ever betray your comrades...the only thing you have left to fear is me.”

The time had finally come. The Chief had gone to bed long after Trevor and Condi said their goodbyes. Alice’s body felt electric— it always did when she knew she was about to get an answer. It was the only thing more exciting than exploring. Every answer is a gamble. As much as you think you know the answer, it could always surprise you.

Once she heard the Chief’s low, guttural snores, she hopped out the bed as silently as she could and crept down the stairs. Once she was clear of the front door, she wasted no time speeding across the courtyard and out towards the warehouse.

Rabbit waited patiently outside until Alice blew past him. He was right behind her within seconds, swinging his tail furiously against the wind.

After a minute or two at top speed, Alice had made it across town and stood in front of the weapons storehouse she’d seen them at just the other night. Thomas was already waiting out front. He looked calm— seated on the ground just off the side of the warehouse. His relaxed demeanor was only betrayed by the growing scent his emotions gave off.

“Boo!” Rei whispered a few feet away from Alice.

Alice yelped and swung out at the air behind her. She could feel her heart trying to escape her chest. She couldn’t help but stare wildly in the direction of Rei’s voice. She was sure she’d been wronged in some way.

“Wow,” Rei appeared once more out of thin air. “So glad that works on you from a distance.”

Rei walked over to Alice and lifted her hand in front of Alice’s face. Alice stared at her fingers and waited, then Rei flicked her one good time on the forehead. Thomas did his best not to react, but he was sure he heard the thump from where he sat.

“You left me, asshole. Did you forget we’re in the same building?” Rei’s face was painted with as much false animosity as she could muster. Alice couldn’t help but laugh at how sweet she looked despite her horrible display of anger.

“Sorry. I was excited. I get to know.” Alice answered her— rubbing the small red spot rising on her skin.

Thomas lifted himself from the ground and joined his friends in front of the warehouse. Alice couldn’t smell it, not with Rei standing so close to her, but she knew it was there. His smile couldn’t hide it.

“Glad you’re both here.” Thomas paused, then looked up at Alice. “I’ll tell you the story, okay? But only while we’re on the move.”

“I knew this would happen. Why did I let you say the warehouse? I’m an idiot.” Rei asked and answered— to her own dismay.

“Look, I know it’s dumb to go back out, but I have to okay. Alice, once you hear my story, I know you’ll understand why.” Thomas’s eyes were desperate. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a notebook. It was small, no bigger than his palm. The outside of it was bent and the edges had begun to fray. The pages could be described as rough at best— each one full of writing, two different types, and sometimes small sketches.

The drawings were often of two boys. One of them looked a lot like Thomas, but she didn’t recognize the other one. In every drawing, the two boys were smiling, no matter what they were doing— running in the city, the forest, training, or laying in the grass.

“Please,” Thomas begged. “Please help me.”

Alice couldn’t believe it. Looking up at Thomas’s tear-soaked face. She no longer cared about the truth. She had her answer.