Tiny Bites Page 16

  "Boring," Arjun said. "We never get to hear anything."

  "You mean lucky. Not only do you get all the sleep you want, but you're closest to the safe house. If the monsters get in, I'm first to go."

  "Yeah, but you guys have guns and stuff," Axel said. "I wish my family was in law enforcement. When I turn thirteen, I have to start learning surgery. Dad can't wait for another doctor to help him out."

  "You're actually going to do surgery?" Dex asked.

  Axel rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I'm going to watch, and then he's going to teach me everything he knows. I'll be old—like twenty—before I do any of that."

  "Yeah," Arjun said, like he knew everything. "Just like your dad'll teach you all about law enforcement. At least you guys have cool jobs when you turn thirteen."

  "Fixing the vehicles is awesome," Dex said. "I think that would be fun."

  "I'd rather be riding the vehicles."

  "Oh, I know," Axel said. "I want to see what's outside the walls."

  Dex's stomach churned. "Hearing it is more than enough for me."

  Arjun's eyes lit up. "Yeah, but the guys who go on supply runs get to fight the monsters. Jovan's brother says their brains spray out like ten feet when they're shot. From one temple and out the other."

  Van, a boy who was about turn thirteen and start his job, came up to them. "Did you guys ever stop to think that the monsters aren't real?"

  "That's stupid," Dex said. "They keep me up every night."

  "Think about it." Van stared into his eyes. "The adults don't want us to leave town, right? What if it's just scary stories to keep us close?"

  "You're just mad because you only get to work at the armory," Axel said. "None of us gets to go out of the walls, either."

  "Yeah," Dex said, standing taller. "Everyone knows the monsters exist. Ever seen the blood and guts on the runners when they come back?"

  "Did you ever think that maybe those are just animals? Like bears or something." Van's face was turning red.

  "Bears?" Arjun laughed. "Right. I suppose you're going to say horses and cows are out there, too. Maybe some unicorns are with them."

  The three younger boys laughed.

  Van's eyebrows furrowed and his mouth formed a straight line as he stared at each one. "I think it's all a joke. They just want to keep us trapped inside the walls."

  Dex stopped. "Why would they do that? The walls are up to protect us."

  "What if it's the other way around?"

  "What?" Axel asked. "So we can get ourselves killed like the wanderers?"

  "Think about it." Van's face visibly relaxed somewhat. "We've got the forest all around, right? What's really out there? What about beyond the woods?"

  Chills ran Dex's back. "You really think the monsters haven't destroyed the world?"

  "Don't listen to him," Arjun said. "He likes talking out of his butt. It's a neat trick."

  Van shoved him. "Get outta here, mechanic."

  "I'm not going nowhere, armory guard."

  Dex was still thinking about the possibility of what could be beyond the walls. "But if there aren't monsters, what's scratching the walls every night?"

  "The grownups."

  "That's ridiculous." Axel laughed.

  "Yeah," Arjun said. "Why would they? They've already got the walls up. We couldn't get out if we wanted to."

  Mrs. Heller walked up to them. "What are you boys doing? Go home and get your lunches. I gave you plenty of homework to do until free time."

  "We're just talking," Dex said.

  "Talking leads to trouble." She tapped her stick on the ground. "Off with you."

  The four boys grumbled and headed their separate ways. Dex couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of what could be beyond the forest. Were there other protected cities? How close?

  What if there were places that didn't even have monsters? When his grandparents were kids, there weren't any walled cities. People traveled freely wherever they wanted—whenever they wanted. Every family had at least one vehicle.

  "Hi, honey." Dex's mom smiled at him when he got home. "I hope you're hungry. We have a real treat for lunch."

  "Rabbit stew," called his dad from the kitchen.

  Dex's mouth watered. "Did the runners bring them in this morning?"

  "They found a whole bunch, and today is the law enforcement's turn for meat."

  "Wash your hands and join us. We're all waiting."

  He dropped his satchel and hurried into the kitchen, where the delicious smells welcomed him. His dad and two younger sisters were already waiting at the table.

  "How was school?" asked Lanie. She was six, and couldn't wait to start school at her next birthday.

  "Boring."

  "Dex," warned his dad.

  "You're just saying that." Lanie frowned.

  "Nope." Dex sat down at his spot.

  His mom brought over the biggest pot they owned. It was full of stew. That could last them a couple days.

  Dad dug in first. Then mom dished out food for the little kids and herself. Finally, it was Dex's turn.

  "How many bowls do we get?" Dex asked.

  Mom smiled. "Two."

  His eyes lit up. Two servings for one meal. It really was their lucky day. He shoveled in the delicious stew, burning his tongue, but not caring. After he was done with his meal—banquet was more accurate—he leaned back in the chair, stuffed. It was like a holiday.

  He and Lanie helped their mom clean up. Dad kissed everyone and went back to duty.

  "Mom, can I take a nap?" Dex asked. "The scratching kept me up all night again."

  She frowned. "You've always been such a light sleeper. Maybe we can put the fan in your room to block some of the noise. Or perhaps by the time summer rolls around, the monsters will have moved on."

  Dex wanted to ask if they were actually real, but he knew better. Not after the last kid who questioned an adult about it. He shuddered just thinking about it. Dex could still hear the screams in his head. Mrs. Heller had really put her stick to use that day.

  "Sure, Mom."

  "I'll get it set up before bedtime tonight. Everything's quiet now. Go ahead and get some rest. Just make sure you get your homework done. I don't want you getting into trouble."

  He nodded and went up to his room. He went over to the window and stared at the wall. It was a massive structure, thirteen feet tall and made of solid steel, reinforced with cement and steel rods. It had been put up when his grandparents had been teenagers.

  Chills ran down Dex's back. That was a long time ago. Could it still hold up against the monsters? Especially now that there were so many more of them? Or at least more making their way toward their town.

  Everyone said they'd eaten all the other people in the world. The animals and weak people had been the first to go. Then the town's founders had come together to build up their community from an abandoned neighborhood.

  Legend had it that not many had been able to set up safe areas like theirs. The town founders had been really lucky to find the metal for the walls not too far away at an abandoned factory.

  Dex pulled his window open a crack and pressed his ear against it.

  Scratch. Scratch.

  He shuddered. It was a lot quieter now than at night. Was it because of the light? Did the monsters sleep during the day? Did they sleep at all?

  Dex closed the window and went to his bed. It had been his dad's before him and would probably be his own child's after him. As he sank into the mattress, he wondered what a new one would feel like. What would a new anything smell like? His grandparents had told him about how exciting it had been to have brand new things.

  He adjusted the blankets around him and closed his eyes. Sleep would overtake him momentarily—he could feel it. In the next room, he could hear his mom singing a lullaby.

  When Dex opened his eyes, everything was dark. He could smell the rabbit stew again. His mouth watered. If only they could feast like that every day. He tried to pull himself out
of the post-nap fog, but then just got out of bed feeling strange. It was always harder to wake after a nap. It was no wonder he didn't like to take them anymore.

  Downstairs, his family was already eating.

  "We decided to let you sleep," his mom said. "I hope you don't mind. You seemed really tired."

  He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "Thanks."

  "You can have two servings again," Lanie said, eyes wide.

  Dex's stomach rumbled as he sat and dished himself up. He scarfed down his rations quickly. "I could get used to this."

  "Don't." Dad narrowed his eyes. "Animals are rarer every day."

  "I know," Dex snapped. "I was just saying."

  "Everyone just relax," Mom said. "Let's enjoy our feast while we have it."

  After cleaning up the meal, they all gathered for stories in the living room. Mom and Dad told stories from days long gone. Dex had heard them all a hundred times, but he knew how important it was to hold onto them. The only way to keep them was by telling them to each other. There wasn't enough paper to make books. He barely had enough for his homework. To make everything fit, he had to write tiny, and that usually gave him headaches.

  "You can carry the fan up to your room if you'd like it," Mom said. "Hopefully it helps block the noise of the monsters."

  "I hope so." He was exhausted despite the nap, and he still had to do his homework.

  Dex found the fan and brought it up. It was clunky, but at least it was loud. He might actually get a full night's sleep with it running by his bed. But first, he had to do his homework or suffer the wrath. He set up the fan and then went for his school satchel.

  His heavy eyelids kept trying to close. It would be so nice once he turned thirteen and didn't need to worry about this anymore. His next two birthdays couldn't come soon enough.

  Scratch. Scratch.

  Chills ran down his back. He could hear the noises despite the noisy fan next to his bed. Dex focused on his studies, but it didn't block out the sounds. Especially not when he knew what the causes were.

  But then Van's words ran through his mind. Could the monsters really be a farce? Was that even possible?

  He rubbed his temples, the thought almost too much. Surely, everyone wasn't lying about them. All the grownups? Just to keep everyone inside? It couldn't be. Van was just trying to scare the younger kids. Older kids scared the younger ones. It was pretty much a rite of passage. Wasn't it?

  Dex hurried through his work and then went over to his window and opened it a crack. The scratching was louder, but that wasn't the only noise. There were also moaning and snapping sounds.

  He was tempted to slam the window shut and run back to his bed for safety. Instead, he stood and kept listening. In the distance, he heard screaming. Runners? Wanderers? It had to be them. The runners knew what they were doing. Usually.

  Once, a couple hadn't even returned. Attacked and killed by the monsters. At least, that was what everyone said.

  He closed the window quietly and went out into the hall. Everything was quiet. The kids would already be asleep and so would his parents. Dad worked early hours during the week, and sometimes on the weekends, too. He needed his rest to keep the town safe.

  Holding his breath, he crept down the stairs, careful to avoid the areas that creaked and groaned. Dad was always ready to wake at a moment's notice. Dex walked around downstairs, listening to the horrible sounds. It was worse than when Mrs. Heller's chalk scratched on the board the wrong way.

  Van's words ran through his mind again.

  Dex had to find out for himself.

  He went into the office, where Dad sometimes stored weapons in the desk. The only reason they were allowed any in the home was because they were a law enforcement family—and because they were so close to the wall. They needed to protect themselves.

  He opened the drawers, again careful not to make a sound. The second one held both a revolver and a pistol. Dex's pulse pounded in his ears. He'd never even held one before—Dad had strictly forbidden him until he reached the age of training.

  Dex closed that drawer and opened the next one. It held some knives. He'd at least had some practice with the ones in the kitchen. He and Dad had both helped Mom skin various animals over the years. When the runners came in with their bounty, they didn't do anything to it. It arrived at the house as it had been when killed in the wild.

  He picked up a knife with a blade nearly as long as his forearm. It shone in the moonlight that came through a broken blind. Mom was working on curtains. If monsters ever got in the community, they couldn't risk light from in the house letting them know anyone was home.

  His heart raced, but he slid the knife back into its sheath and slid the drawer closed. He could hide the blade in his jacket.

  Dex was going outside to walk along the wall. He would have to be careful. If any of the nighttime law enforcement found him and brought him back home, he'd receive the beating of a lifetime. No one was allowed outside after dark unless it had to do with his or her job.

  He was sure everyone in the house could hear his heart racing, but everything else remained quiet—except for the scratching outside.

  Shaking, he managed to get his shoes and coat on. The knife fit easily into the inside pocket. Now came the tricky part. Getting outside. He'd be stupid to go out the front door. Any of his neighbors peeking out a window at the wrong time could see him. He would have to slide out a window from the back and then go through a loose board in the fence.

  That would put him almost at the giant wall. Dex tiptoed to the back of the house and went to the laundry room. There was a good-sized window there. He could slide through easily, assuming it hadn't been sealed shut.

  He tested the window, and it slid open once unlocked. It creaked about halfway, and Dex stopped immediately. It wouldn't give him much room, but he didn't have another choice. He needed to go through it and find out if the monsters were real. Then it wouldn't matter what Van or anyone else said.

  What if there weren't any monsters? What if they were just being kept inside the community, and there were actually other people outside? Bustling cities, even. Just like the days when his grandparents had been kids. Stores with ready-made food. Clothes you didn't have to make. Hospitals with medicine for headaches and growing pains.

  Dex's heart raced not with trepidation, but excitement. What if there were places with secondary schools and kids didn't have work until they were grownup? Places where they could play sports and be on teams—just for fun and exercise.

  A shining metropolis could be just a day's journey away. Or maybe a little more. However long it took to get through the woods.

  He slid through the window, careful not to make a sound. His feet found the porch below and once steady, he closed the window. The scratching was even louder now, along with the moaning. The screaming had ceased. That couldn't be good for whoever had been crying out.

  Dex looked up, and all the windows appeared to be clear. His family was still sleeping, and should hopefully remain that way until he returned—knowing the truth.

  He crept along the house, not daring to walk through the middle of the yard. Then he moved along the fence until he found the loose board. It was a tight squeeze, and he scraped his hands along the old wood, but he made it out of his yard.

  Glancing up and down the rocky path, he didn't see anyone. The scratching and moans grew louder, echoing off the wall. The monsters had to have been using their nails or claws to try to break through the metal.

  If they existed.

  Dex darted across the gravel road and pressed himself against the wall. He could feel the vibrations of whatever was on the other side. His pulse raced in his ears. Only the metal kept him from the monsters.

  Were they really so bad that the hunters were afraid to fight them at night?

  Pressing himself against the wall, he went farther down. He was headed away from the main entrance and the law enforcement office, where hopefully all the officials would stay f
or the night. They were supposed to walk around the walls and the town for their patrols, but he knew the nighttime shift rarely did unless there was a problem. His dad had told him all the stories.

  The moon was full up above. That was both good and bad. It gave him more light than he would usually have, but it also made him more visible. He'd never walked along the wall before—it was strictly forbidden. Safety was in the middle of the town. Everyone knew that. The farther in you were, the safer you were.

  Surely, there had to be a weak spot. Somewhere he could look through—or even go through. He imagined the freedom of being outside the walls. To be able to run between the trees. Maybe climb up one and look down at everything below.

  Dex kept one hand on the handle of Dad's knife and the other against the wall. There had to be a way out, or at least to see out. A crack in the structure. A space underneath. Something. And it would have to be before he reached the other side of the community where he could run into anyone outside on official business.

  The scratching lessened the farther along he went. Maybe the monsters just liked that area near his house. Wasn't he lucky? Not.

  "Come on," he whispered. There really had to be an opening soon. He couldn't waste this trip. He was practically putting his life on the line. Nothing would be worse than coming back empty-handed—with no story to tell his friends. He couldn't let them know he'd come out and found nothing. One of them would probably let it slip, then he'd still get beaten.

  But if he found something, one way or the other—proving or disproving monsters—then even a beating would be worth it. He might even be a hero.

  He imagined the celebration if he could tell everyone there were actually no monsters. That they could all run through the woods and find civilization. Maybe they could watch movies or television. He'd always dreamed about having that kind of entertainment. Or video games. Those sounded like so much fun. Grandpa's old eyes had lit up whenever he talked about those, even up until the end of his life. He couldn't remember what he'd eaten for breakfast, but he could remember life as a boy.

  Dex continued, nearly ready to turn around. He was getting too close to the town entrance, which he was sure would be heavily guarded. It sure was during the day.