Becoming (6 page)

The support team in the centre were a further fifty metres behind the front team. They were headed up by a female leader, Shia. Gaia knew little of her. Young and new to the island she seemed competent, if a touch nervous. She had not yet built up the aura of confidence that commanded respect. It would come, as it did with most of them. Some had it from the moment they arrived, with others it took time to build. Those who had been on the island a long time had it without thought. Those like Kali.

Aran was in the support team. Gaia could make him out through the spray of the beating rain which blurred her vision. He was at the back of the group, head moving from side to side, always on the lookout, always alert. They were in open ground, with no woods or foliage at either side. The rats would not be here, and if they did attack they would be seen in good time. This was not the place to feel vulnerable, but that would come soon, further down the road where the overgrown fields began, backed by thick woodland.

Gaia’s team were at the rear, led by Kali. Freya was at the front just behind Kali, her shadow as always. Freya was small and slight in comparison to Kali, but mirrored her in many ways. Gaia watched the way Kali and Freya moved. Even the rhythm of their steps was identical. Left-right-left-right, marching in perfect time together. The arch of Freya’s back mirrored that of Kali. Freya was almost a part of Kali. To Gaia she was an irrelevance, something temporary. Without Kali Freya was nothing.

Gaia sneered, her bones were aching now with the chill of the rain as it seeped into her pores. Her hands were stiff, finger tips wrinkled and white. The mission was risky, the weather an added danger. The distance they could see ahead was short. They were more vulnerable and exposed. Despite its melody, the sound of the rain dampened everything around them, including the sound of the rats. Ordinarily the rats could be heard from some distance, but the cacophany of the hammering rainfall limited that. Once they reached the stretch of road lined with the overgrown fields and woodland they would be a moving target. The weather also limited their movements. The effects of the rain on their skin and joints, the weight of the water in their soaking clothes. All combined to slow them. They needed to be as mobile and agile as possible, but they were not. The leaders knew this. They all knew it. Many heads were down, faces grim.

Gaia hoped the weather would narrow the scope of the mission to no more than a scouting trip. The teams needed to avoid the risk of encountering groups of rats. They knew where the rats favoured for their lairs. In this weather the rodents would tend to stick close to them. Unless the creatures were hunting. There was always a chance the teams would encounter a group of hunting rats. Usually, the hunter groups were smaller and easier to deal with. They never hunted in the large pack numbers that attacked the community. These rats only ever attacked in those numbers when they were desperate. Attacks on the community were a last resort, hence their infrequency and savagery. The creatures feared humans more than humans feared them. At least in the past that had been the case, but things were changing. The behaviour of the rats was changing. The world was evolving and so were they. The rodents numbers were growing, and they were attacking more often, and more effectively. As the rats evolved the balance of power was shifting. The balance of fear was moving.

The team at the front stopped, the others followed their lead. Tarkan signalled them to enter the field on the left. It was a long stretch of open field, thick with tall grass and wild flowers. On a sunny day it would have been idyllic, picture book, but today it looked limp and grey. Beyond the field was the start of some woodland, a small copse of well-established trees. The wood was known to them, a popular site for lairs. The missions had destroyed several, but the rats kept coming back.

The front group moved through the tall grass and paused at the edge of the wood. The other teams followed. Once they had all crossed the field the first team made their way into the trees. The woodland had become wild and untamed. Brambles, weeds and an assortment of wild plants spread across the floor between the trees. Walking was difficult as the plants were thick and strong, many with harsh spikes that either clung to their trousers or ripped through and scratched the flesh. The first team used their spears, machetes, and boots to hack a pathway through. The other teams waited and watched. The rain was less severe now. They were sheltered by the canopy overhead. The sound of the downfall had changed. The rhythm and rattle was different as the drops smashed against the leaves above. Still they listened. They were trained to listen and look for any signs, any movement or sound, any small change, however suspicious. There was nothing, just the sound of the rain.

Gaia focused on the cracks between the trees, scanning the furthest point for any movement. She noticed Aran approach, but did not respond. He waited, not wanting to speak for fear of alarming her, crouched by her side. Gaia scoured the dark woods, head moving back and forth. She could see the vapour from Aran’s breath from the corner of her eye. Without stopping and breaking her focus Gaia whispered.

‘What do you want?’

‘I just wanted to check you were OK after last night, and if you read my note?’

‘Yes, I read it.’

‘And?’

‘And what? You tell me. What’s changed so suddenly?’

Gaia continued to look ahead, scanning the woods.

‘I can’t say here, but there’ve been some things, worrying things. I’m planning to leave in the next few days. There’s a full moon and I can’t wait another month. It’s too risky. Are you in?’

Gaia took her time before answering. The options played out in her mind, but Kali and Hakan kept flashing through her head.

‘I could be, but don’t build your hopes up. I think you might be right about me being watched. I had a meeting with Kali this morning. Let’s just say she’s keeping close tabs on me.’

Gaia paused, thinking about Hakan and the incident the night before. Should she tell Aran? Perhaps it was best if she was honest with him.

‘Something happened last night when I got back to the dorm.’

Gaia stopped looking into the woods and faced Aran. His face was wet, skin red with the cold.

‘Did someone find you?’

‘Hakan was waiting for me when I got back. I gave him some bullshit about needing some air, but he knew I was lying. I had to give him the key. I said it was left in the door.’

‘You did what?’

Aran stabbed his spear into the sodden earth.

‘Don’t worry! He isn’t going to say anything. The problem is now he has something on me, and you know what that means with Hakan.’

Aran was well aware of the behaviour of some of the leaders. Boys were largely left alone. It was the girls that suffered at the hands of a few. Hakan’s reputation was known, and Aran knew what this meant for Gaia. She now had to make a tough choice.

‘I’m sorry Gaia. You know it’s only a matter of time now. He won’t let this go.’

‘I know, but Hakan is just one more reason to get out of this place.’

‘I understand, but I need to know you’re committed to this. I can’t carry people.’

There was a pause. Gaia began to scan the woodland again, not looking and not caring. She focused on Aran’s words, her excitement, her fear. There were doubts, but Gaia knew what she had to do.

‘Count me in, but there’s a condition. There are holes in your plan. You need to convince me this isn’t a suicide mission. Sort them and I’ll come. You’ve got twenty-four hours. Now go, before someone sees us talking.’

‘OK. Give me a day and I’ll let you know.’

Aran moved away from Gaia and crouched about ten metres to her right. She continued to scour the cracks in the trees while they both settled in and waited for their orders.

Gaia was annoyed and relieved. Aran’s timing was far from ideal. Her mind was cluttered now, awash with thoughts of the escape. The questions tumbled inside her head, the many questions and doubts. There was the memory of the previous night, a sequence of events she had hoped to bury. The decision had been made for her though, and it felt as though at least one of the weights had been lifted. Now Gaia needed to focus. The mission was dangerous, the risks were high. Any weakness could mean there would be no need for escape. For now the rats were the main concern.

Gaia looked along the line to left and saw Freya who was looking in Gaia’s direction. Their  eyes met. The rain and cold weather had freshened Freya’s beauty. Unlike the others who looked weary and fed up, Freya looked alive. Her pale skin almost translucent in the biting rain. Her red lips a more intense hue than ever. Freya locked onto Gaia’s gaze and returned a stern, piercing stare, a knowing stare. Freya smiled. It was the faintest of smiles, just enough to let Gaia see it, to know she was aware. Freya had seen them talking, had been watching. The stare and smile said everything. Kali’s eyes were watching.

The support team moved into the woods, following the path of those in the frontline who had moved on ahead. After a short while Kali gave the signal for their team to follow. They set off through the woods, one team after the other. The first ploughed a path through checking for imminent danger. The others provided cover from behind, extra eyes and ears to locate any threat. They pushed on for about twenty minutes then Gaia noticed the front team slow and stop. Their leader raised his arm and crouched low, moving towards the cover of the trees. Each member of the team splintered and found cover. They lay low facing the teams behind. Tarkan gave a signal to the other two leaders. Shia led her team off to the right, moving around and further into the woods, curving back in on the area the others had stopped. Kali led Gaia and her team in the same movement, but to the left. It was a pincer movement, forming a circle, a trap, so nothing could escape, at least not without a fight. Tarkan had found something. It was a lair.

Gaia was on her knees behind the trunk of a tall, sprawling tree. She could feel the water seeping through her trousers onto the skin, but was soaked beyond the point of caring. The others dotted the trees. Gaia peered from behind the tree into the centre of the area they encircled. There was a mound of earth overgrown with a blanket of foliage. Harsh, spiked plants hugged the earth. Gaia could not see anything unusual, though the mound itself was typical. The rats would burrow into them and create a maze of passages and chambers below. Somewhere concealed beneath the thick undergrowth would be the entrance holes, the doorways into the passages below.

The first task of the mission was to wait and observe, to see if there were any rats above ground. These would need to be taken out first. The teams would then need to locate the holes. It was never easy to find them all. Most were concealed, and several would be well away from the mound. A team member would each take a hole, cover it and wait. The leaders used smoke bombs to flush the rats out. They were a crude cocktail of chemicals that produced a noxious gas when mixed. The teams would roll these deep into several of the passages. The rats would then come running, desperate to escape certain death, fleeing the choking fumes which burned their eyes and skin. The teams would be waiting. The rats would flee one by one from the tunnels and into the traps. The knives, spears, machetes, axes would be ready, all poised for the slaughter.

Gaia scoured the area, but could see no sign of movement. Tarkan stepped out from behind his tree and approached the mound. This was the signal for the others to follow. The team members each crept out and eased forward. The rain continued to play out its relentless symphony overhead, the thick canopy of leaves and branches still providing a natural umbrella. Fragments of droplets worked their way through, enough to splatter the people and ground underneath, but without the brutal sting of the deluge overhead.

Gaia shuffled through the leaves and web of vines in the undergrowth at her feet. She kicked and crushed them as she inched forward. Her eyes surveyed the area, watching, ready, like a coiled spring. As Gaia neared the slow incline of the mound there was a gap in the foliage. The vines in front had been disturbed. There was a large hole in the ground. The earth entering the hole had marks, of feet with claws. They were unmistakable. Gaia took up a place just above the entrance, a vantage point over the rats as they fled the gas. They would be panicked and disorientated, but would still be quick. Gaia would have the advantage, but she would take no chances.

Gaia could see the others crouching at an array of entry points, most on the mound. Some had moved outwards, snaking in, looking for more, making sure that nothing had been missed, that all the doorways had been found. Soon everyone was in position, weapons at the ready. Aran was to Gaia’s right just a few metres away, paired up by a hole with Freya. Gaia’s heart jumped, a rush of anger rising from the pit of her stomach. Why had Freya paired with Aran? What was she up to?

The leaders prepared the smoke bombs, the plumes of smoke rising from their hands as they added the reactive chemical. Tarkan gave a signal and one by one the leaders rolled the bombs into the entrance holes, moving around in a circle till they had each planted a few. Everyone waited. It would not be long now.

The rain drummed overhead. Gaia stared down at the hole, still shivering in her wet clothes. Her teeth chattered, and shoulders ached. She tried to keep focused and her hands steady. A long razor sharp knife was in one hand, an axe in the other. The axe was heavier, but both were lethal in her hands. The rumble came from underground, muffled squeals from the tunnel at her feet. The sounds intensified, a deep thudding coupled with the beating snare drum of the pelting rain. The shrieks and squeals got louder. They were horrifying. The sound of blind panic and fear, of pain, of the rats sensing their imminent death. The creatures had no choice but to flee. It was escape or suffocate. The rodents were writhing in agony in a fiery excruciating death. If the rats did not run their throats would be ripped out with the flames, their eyes scorched with its acid vapour. The choice was to run or die, when running would mean certain death. In the immediate panic the rats would not think of this. They had no time to think. Instinct took over. The desire to preserve life, to survive was all that mattered. Something in the creatures’ brain told them to run. It was the best chance they had, their only hope.