jokes during the inspection. Alex figured he was just nervous and was trying to lighten the situation, but their old inspector was a hard-ass. The kind of meathead that got kicked off the high school football team for poor grades and took out his frustrations on the underclassmen. Before Alex could blink, the inspector caved the man’s head in with one blow of his baton. The Soil Coalition set the tone of its reign early, and no one had tested it since.
When the inspector stepped out of the van, he handed one of the sentries a list. The sentry nodded and began his walk down the line, which meant someone was over the limit. The first member that the sentry snatched was Harper. His wife clawed at his arm, trying to pull him back, but the other sentries restrained her.
Then the sentry continued down the line of community members, searching for his next victim. The rhythmic stomping of his boots couldn’t drown out the thumping beat pounding in time with Alex’s pulse. Alex balled his fists tight. If he was on that list, he wasn’t going without a fight. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Just before the lead sentry made it to Alex, he snatched Meeko’s wrist and pulled him from the line.
“Let me go!” Meeko said, attempting to squirm free from the sentry’s grip.
Alex stepped forward but felt his arm yanked back. He looked down to see Warren’s hand over his wrist. Alex ripped Warren’s hand off him, then lunged for one of the sentries. Alex wrapped his arm around the sentry’s neck and wedged it into the crook of his elbow. He applied pressure, slowly choking off the sentry’s airway. The sentry clawed at Alex’s arm and tried reaching for his weapon, but he was slowly losing consciousness. The other sentries drew their guns. Alex propped the sentry in front of him to protect his own body. “Let the boy go.”
The sentry detaining Meeko pulled a knife from his pocket. He yanked the boy’s head back, exposing his throat, and brought the edge of the blade to Meeko’s soft flesh. “Release the sentry in three seconds or I kill the boy. One.”
Meeko’s whole body shook, and tears streamed down his face.
“Two.”
Alex released the sentry, whose knees hit the ground with a thud. The sentry hacked and spit, breathing in massive gulps of air. Even with the sentry freed, the edge of the blade was still glued to Meeko’s throat.
The sentry’s cold eyes held no emotion about his work. He could slit Meeko’s throat, toss the corpse to the side of the road, and go home and sleep like a baby. That was what they were trained to do. That was what they enjoyed doing.
“Stop!” the inspector called out. “The boy will work off his debt at the farm camp. Now wrap it up! We still have to hit three more communities before we head back.”
“What about him?” the sentry asked, gesturing toward Alex.
“He’s the community’s hunter. He’s not to be harmed.”
The sentry fisted a cluster of Meeko’s black curls then lowered the blade from his throat and tossed him aside. The sentry that Alex had subdued finally regained his composure. His face was reddened as he grabbed his rifle and smacked the butt of the gun into Alex’s forehead.
***
Indistinguishable sounds echoed through Alex’s ears. He groaned. His fingers reached for the point on his forehead where he expected to find his skull split in half, but all he felt was a tender spot just below his hairline. The voices grew louder, until one familiar one came in loud and clear.
“You’re an idiot,” Warren said.
“Then I guess it’s lucky I live with the community’s doctor,” Alex said, cradling his head. Alex’s limbs fumbled, seemingly disconnected from his brain’s ability to control them. He managed to push himself to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, where his feet found the floor. The room seemed to be lopsided, constantly leaning left, then right at a