The Human Farm (The Human Farm Trilogy Book 1) (12 page)

28  

The bell had rung for midafternoon meal and everyone was making their way to the central area to eat. Dawn and Lili waited until the area was clear and made their way over to the cow barn and climbed up into the hay loft. “We should be safe up here for quite some time, on our farm they don’t often come up to get hay, maybe once every couple of days, we usually store enough for several days down below. We should be able to watch everyone coming and going all around from the loft doors here.”    

They went to the doors and looked out, they could easily see for a long distance around the farmlands. They were able to see the barracks area as well as the kitchen area and dining area where everyone was eating. There were well over five hundred people in one area eating, many others were off on farther fields or on boats with packed lunches.   

They sat and waited through mealtime and everyone finally started heading back to work, they watched as everyone slowly milled about getting back to their jobs. Some stayed to clean the kitchen area and wash up the dishes and start preparing food for the evening meals, while others headed off to the nearby fields to pull weeds or kill bugs or harvest if the fields were ready to be harvested.

There were three that headed into the cow barn that Lili watched, two girls and one man. One of the girls had red hair almost as red as Dawns hair she was almost as tall as Lili, the other girl looked a lot like Lili and the man had brown hair and dark eyes. She watched as they entered the barn, she was not sure why but she felt that these might be the people that they could trust the most. It might be because they worked with the animals and because she loved animals so much.

Lili peered through the door that led into the barn so she could watch the three as they worked with the animals. She watched the redhead first, she seemed to have a way with animals she was talking to them and petting them as if they could understand everything she said to them. She watched the others as they worked, they seemed to care a great deal for the animals. They didn’t seem to care as much as the one girl but they still seemed to care for them. Lili looked to Dawn and pointed down, “these 3 I think would be perfect, I think we can really trust them. They seem very kind and gentle.”   

“Ok if you are sure. Let us observe them for a while longer before you approach them,” said Dawn.

“Ok, but I still think they’re the ones. They will be strong and hard workers as well,” she said.

They both settled down at the door and watched as the three went about doing their chores. They soon learned that the redheaded girls name was Sara and the other girls name was Gwen and their male friend was Gar. They watched as they cleaned out the stalls and cleaned and fed the animals. The three chatted and laughed and seemed to be good friends. They all seemed to share a great passion for animals much like Lili did. It was the next conversation they all had that caught Dawn and Lili’s ears the most.   

The three friends started talking about what it would be like if there was life outside the farms, how it could be boring doing the same thing every day all day. They talked about how they wanted something more to life than doing this every day. That was when Lili looked up at Dawn and smiled. Dawn just shook her head at Lili and smiled. Now Lili needed a plan of how she was going to introduce herself to these people. She figured the best way was to have Dawn hide behind a stack of hay and she’d make some noise drawing then up here. She would then talk to them about the world above and then introduce them to Dawn and see how things went from there.   

So Dawn went behind the large stack of hay and waited while Lili started making noises in the loft, she leaned against the far wall and waited until she saw a head of red hair poke up through the hatchway and enter the loft. She waited until she was all the way in before she said anything, “Hello,” she said.   

The girl jumped, startled at finding someone in the loft especially someone that was human and a human that she’d never met before. “W..who are you?” she asked.   

“It’s ok I’m a friend, I just wanted to meet you and your friends, if you would call them up here I will explain what I am doing here,” said Lili.   

The girl looked a little hesitant at first but she called her friends anyways, “Gwen, Gar, you guys really need to come up here!”

One of them yelled up, “What is it Sara?”

“Just get up here,” she yelled.

So one by one the other two came up the ladder into the loft and got a look at the visitor that awaited them when they entered. “Hello,” said Lili, once they had both climbed into the loft. “My name is Lili.”

The two looked startled. “Who are you? We have never seen you around the farm before. Where did you come from?” asked Gar.  

“I’m not from this farm,” she said.   

“This farm? How can you mean that, there are no other farms! That would mean you came from the surface but that would be impossible. The surface is poison,” said Gwen.   

“I can assure you the surface is not poison. I have been there, it is very real and very beautiful. It is the most beautiful and amazing place you could ever hope to see. Full of animals and trees and all kinds of wonderful things. We humans have been lied to,” said Lili.

Lili knew the moment she mentioned amazing animals she had them hooked because their eyes lit up with curiosity. A smile played on their lips at the thought of what she’d mentioned. “So there really are more farms, more people?” asked Sara.   

“Yes, there are many farms, what no one knows is that we are slaves being held on these farms when we could be living in the world above where we truly belong. The world above is where our ancestors came from,” said Lili.

“How do you know all of this,” asked Sara.

“I would like you to meet someone. She is the one who opened my eyes to the truth and showed me the real world above. Dawn you can come out,” said Lili.

Dawn stepped out from behind the mound of hay and the three friends were instantly frightened, going to their knees. “Guardian forgive us,” they said.  

“I am no guardian friends, get up off the ground you all look silly like that,” said Dawn.

They all looked up at her, stunned at the way she had spoken. “She won’t hurt you, she is very much like us and she has emotions and feelings. Somehow she has a human soul. She is the one that freed me from my farm and took me to the world above,” said Lili.   

They all got to their feet still stunned by the fact that they had a guardian in their presence, one that talked to them as a friend and didn’t look down on them as if they were a lower form of being. Sara was the first to step forward and speak. “I am Sara, these are my friends Gar, and Gwen. It’s such a pleasure to meet the both of you. We would very much like to see this world above, would you be able to take us to this world?” she asked.   

“We can do that, in fact that is why we came, to take you there,” said Dawn.  

“Oh this is wonderful, just wait until the others hear of this,” said Gwen.

“No,” shouted Lili and Dawn at the same time.

The others jumped when they shouted in unison. “You can tell no one about us and what we have told you. Your lives, as well as ours would be in grave danger if you do that. The more people that know about the world above right now the greater the risk. The more people that leave the farm, the A.I. that are in control would know and would start searching,” said Dawn.   

“We can only take a few of you at a time said Lili, in time we have a plan to stop the guardians and free all of humanity from the farms and return the world above to our people, but we must do it slowly,” said Lili.

“Oh, I see,” said Sara.

“When can we leave?” asked Gar.  

“It will be safest to leave an hour after the dimming of the lights when everyone is sleeping, if you can stay awake come meet us back here. We have friends we will be meeting back at the caverns entrance,” said Dawn.   

“Ok then after the dimming we will be here,” said Sara. The others nodded their heads in agreement.   

29  

Kev was extremely upset about what he’d heard from the A.I. “We cannot let them take him, I fear for what they will do to him once they get him to D.C.,” said Kev.   

“If they are expecting him to be there Kev, what happens if he does not show? They will come looking for him, then they will be onto us,” said Bard.

“Perhaps so, but with any luck we can be long gone by the time they realize he’s missing, please guys we have to do something,” said Kev.   

“Very well then, you and Bard go after them, see if you can quietly take them out and rescue him. I will get to the farm and try and get the girls out as quickly as possible. Do not wait for us, head back to the camp we will meet you there as soon as we can,” said Reggie.   

“Be careful Reggie, and tell Dawn and Lili as well,” Said Kev.  

“I will and you two as well, look after each other, and good luck to you both,” he said.

Reggie left to head ever downwards into the caverns to find the girls in the farm. Bard and Kev took off in the direction the guardians had taken the human. They had not gotten too far ahead because they could still hear the man pleading with the guardians to let him go. The guardians of course made no more noise and ignored his plea for mercy, they continued pulling him along.    

Kev and Bard slowly moved up behind the guardians, it was lucky that the man they were pulling along made so much noise, it helped make their pursuit easier to cover up. They snuck up behind them, Bard positioned his hands just inches from one of the guardians heads ready to yank the head while Kev took aim with the Hatchet ready to strike a severing blow. He looked to Bard and mouthed 1, 2, 3, and on 3 they both moved into action. Both guardians’ heads were severed from their bodies at the same time, the bodies falling to the ground lifeless.

The man they’d been escorting jumped with surprise at the sudden lack of guardian escorts and whipped around to see a human and guardian holding the severed heads of the other two guardians. He was in complete shock and didn’t quite know what to say.   

“Its ok sir we’re going to take you to safety,” said Kev.   

“W…Who, What, How.” the man stammered.   

“My name is Bard sir, yes I know I am a guardian but I am nothing like them. I actually have a human soul I have emotions and feelings just like you. This is my friend Kev. Now please if you will come with us we will take you someplace safe,” said Bard.

The man shook his head and smiled. “Thank you, my name is Mal.”

“It’s nice to meet you Mal, I promise I’ll explain more of what’s going on once we’re far away from this place and the danger that it holds,” said Kev.   

They quickly grabbed the batteries then lugged the guardians back to the storage closet, it would be sometime yet before they were discovered giving them more time to get away. They headed back the way they’d originally come in, being wary of any noises they heard to make sure no more guardians were nearby. They flew past the elevator that had made so much noise earlier and were soon back out into the subway tunnel. They quickly ran back into the shadows of the tunnels and made their way along the tracks until they came to the door that led them to the sewer system. “Bard do you remember the route that we took through the sewers to get back to the street at the edge of the city?” asked Kev.   

“Yes I have the route stored in my memory, getting there will be no problem. Getting past any guards that may be on the streets however may be another story entirely,” he said.

“Well let’s just hope that it’s not guarded or at least lightly guarded,” said Kev.  

“Where is it you’re taking me,” Mal asked.    

“We have a camp 150 miles outside of the city in the world above,” said Kev.

“But the world above is nothing but poison,” said Mal.

“I can assure you friend I have been up there, it is not poison, you have been lied to all your life. Trust me you’ll be fine. We’ll explain more when we’re safely away from here,” said Kev.   

They entered the sewer system and Bard took the lead heading back through the tunnels that would lead them back under the maze of lines and out to the edge of the city to their freedom. They raced along the sewer lines wasting no time in getting to where they needed to go. The faster they could move the sooner they could get there and the less likely there were to be any guards standing in the area they needed to get through.   

It took half the time to get back as it did for them to get through the first time, once they reached the spot with the manhole Bard went up first, lifting the cover slowly to peek out and make sure there was nothing up there. Once he saw the way was clear he pushed the lid aside and climbed out.   

He waited till the others were out and replaced the manhole cover. They made their way to the end of the street and peered around the corner, there was one guard at the far end of the street walking back and forth. “If we time it just right we should be able to run and get across without the sentry at the end of the street seeing us,” said Bard.

He watched and waited then took his queue and they ran quickly across the street while the guards back was turned. They had made it to the other side safely and now they were on their way outside the city. “We should set up camp outside the city and wait for the others,” said Kev.

“Reggie said we should head back to the woods,” said Bard.

“Yes but what if they get out and need help, or if someone is hurt or something else, what if they don’t get out?” he asked.   

“If they do not come out then we are all doomed. We will give them twenty four hours. If they do not come out then we must leave this place and come up with a new plan. We should move further from the city, at least 5 miles or so,” said Bard.

“Ok, we can do that much, I just hope they make it out,” said Kev.

The three moved out of the city and headed off to set up a small camp out of sight to wait out the next 24 hours and see if their companions would soon return.   

30   

The lights had been dimmed for nearly an hour, Dawn and Lili were waiting in the loft for the others to arrive. “How are we going to get back out, we won’t be able to use the elevator with so much weight?” asked Lili.  

“You can take them up in the elevator, without my bulk in the elevator you can make it. Take them back through the tunnel to the sewer. You are brave and strong Lili, you know how to handle yourself I know you can do this,” said Dawn.

“But what about you,” she said as a tear started to form in her eye, she wiped it away refusing to cry. She knew she had to be stronger than this now.  

“I will be right behind you. Once the elevator has reached the top I will call it back down and come up, wait for me once you are safely in the tunnels,” she said.

It was not long before they spotted the three humans coming across the yard to the barn and they descended from the loft to meet them. “Are you ready to go?” asked Lili.   

“Yes, we packed only a few changes of clothes,” said Sara.

“Then let us hurry and be gone before anyone realizes you are missing,” said Dawn.

They left immediately, sticking to the edges of the wall until they were completely out of sight of the living quarters. Once they were out of sight they made their way to the main road where it would be easier walking for the humans in the dimmer light. Dawn led the way as it was easier for her to see in this dim light. They were soon at the tunnel entrance and found that Reggie was there waiting for them but he was all alone.   

“Reggie where is Kev and Bard,” asked Lili.

“We had some slight complications along the way,” said Reggie.

“What sort of complications Reggie,” asked Dawn.

“Well there were two A.I. units escorting an older human, they said something about processing him and taking him to D.C., Kev did not like the sound of that so they went to rescue him. I told them I would come for you. They were going to rescue him and head straight back to camp and not wait for us,” said Reggie.

“Has he completely lost his mind?” asked Dawn.   

“He could get killed,” said Lili.

“I tried to tell him just that Lili but you know Kev better than I, he would not listen he was very persistent.” He looked to the new people, “Who might we have here?”

“Reggie, this is Sara, Gar, and Gwen. Guys this is Reggie. He is another guardian unit like Dawn he also has a human soul,” said Lili

Sara was the first one to step forward. She extended her hand and shook his, “It’s nice to meet you Reggie.”   

“And you as well Sara,” said Reggie. “And all of you,” he said to the others. “Now come we must be out of here quickly. The four of you will take the elevator up, Lili take them straight out to the sewers, you know the way it should be clear. Dawn and I will be right behind you once the elevator comes back down.”   

They quickly made their way to the elevator and the humans climbed inside. They ascended upwards, listening to the clinking and clanking of the elevator as they went. The three new humans looked frightened as they had never been on the elevator before, “It’s ok, it’s just noise. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” said Lili.

The elevator came to a stop and they all climbed out. Lili hit the button to send the car back down and then they headed down the tunnel and made their way to the door that would lead them into the sewers. They got as far as the edge of the tunnels when Lili noticed a shadow moving just at the edge of the tunnel, she motioned for the others to stop and be quiet.

She handed her supply bag to one of the others and dug out the hatchet. She slowly made her way to the edge of the tunnel and peered out, she saw a guardian standing watch over the tunnel entrance. She could feel the nerves taking hold of her as she hoisted the hatchet in her hands ready to strike. She crept up to the guardian slowly taking aim. She swung and lopped off the head, unfortunately her aim was a bit off and the hatchet skimmed off the body of the guardian and embedded itself deep into her leg.    

She let out an agonizing scream that brought the others running to her. Sara and Gwen were panicking at the sight of the blood. Gar immediately went into action he took off his shirt wrapping the shirt around the wound keeping as much pressure to the wound as he could. “Sara run back to the elevator get Dawn quickly.”   

She ran down the tunnel as fast as she could crying as she went. Gwen stood there in complete shock bawling her eyes out. She went to Lili’s side holding her hand. Lili was barely conscious from loss of blood. Gar could do nothing more for her but try to keep the blood from coming out any faster.   

Moments later Dawn, Reggie and Sara came running down the tunnel. “Step aside let me tend to her,” said Dawn.

Dawn removed the cloth and got a good look at the wound and saw the massive gash in her leg, she wasted no time, she opened the laser on her arm. “What are you doing,” exclaimed Gwen.   

“I need to stop the bleeding, using the laser will burn the wound closed and stop the blood flow,” she said   

She angled the laser so it would skim her leg, she yanked the hatchet from her leg and fired instantly burning the skin, closing the wound. Lili let out a scream as she passed out from the pain and blood loss. “We need to get out of here and fast before more units come,” said Reggie.   

Dawn lifted Lili in her arms and everyone else grabbed their gear and made their way down the tunnel to the door that led to the sewers. They flung open the doors and Reggie led the way through the sewers, they ran as fast as the humans following could keep up. They barreled on through the sewers getting to the spot they needed to climb out and got out to the streets in no time at all. They did not bother with the cover as they ran across the street, not even looking to see if there was even a guard at the end of the street. Luckily for them the guard had moved on to another section of the city and they were in the clear as they left the city and headed out of town.    

They stopped on the outskirts of town near the edge of a forest and set Lili on the ground. She was still unconscious but Dawn had stopped the bleeding so she had lost no more blood. “What happened back there?” asked Dawn.   

“We were about to exit the tunnel when she stopped us. There was a shadow at the end of the tunnel. She took the hatchet and took off his head, but the hatchet must have slipped off of something and it went into her leg,” sobbed Gwen.

“Well she sure made a mess of her leg,” said Dawn.

Reggie went into the woods and gathered some branches and twigs. He brought them out along with some vines he had found and fastened them all together to make a litter that they could use to better carry Lili on so she would be more comfortable. Once they had her strapped down they started on their way, it was a long journey back to their camp.