When they first announced that they had been around for as long as we had fear swept throughout the nations. We were living among the undead, things of our nightmares, and we hadn't even known it. There was fear as well as acceptance, as there was war and peace. I lived within a community of only humans. The segregation was something I had grown up knowing. I never left our confine.
"Mackenzie, what are you doing out here? Sunset's in an hour," I could hear the smooth voice of my brother behind me.
"Just looking," I responded staring out over the walls with the guards that protected our town.
The hill was my favorite spot to sit. I would come out here nearly every chance I had and just look out and wonder what the world was like outside this place. I enjoyed this place but it was hard not to think that outside this place there was something more.
"Come on, Kenz, mom's going to flip if we're not in helping to lock up."
I stood up and followed my twin Cole back to the house. Once we got there we bolted every window, door, and possible crack there could have been. There was still a half an hour until sunset. My younger sister sat and braided my hair as my father got ready to guard the wall. In a few weeks it would be my eighteenth birthday as well as Cole's, which meant Cole would have to get guard duty.
"Can I walk you Dad?" I looked up at him as Hailey finished up the braid.
My mother shot my father a look but he ignored it and handed me my jacket. We walked side by side towards the gate. I looked up at my father. He looked tired and worn. His hair needed to be cut and his beard needed shaping.
"I think Craig is at the wall tonight," my dad looked down on me his brown eyes sparkled with gold flecks.
"How mad do you think Momma would be if I brought him over some of the coffee?" I said linking arms with him.
He kissed the top of my head, "Go ahead baby. Don't stay out past dusk though. Your mother will have my head."
We kept walking to the gate and I grabbed a cup of coffee and climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the wall while my Dad took his position down at the front gate. I walked past the guards that stood their post. Most didn't acknowledge me but a few said hellos as well as a whistle. I was still in my school dress and the boys loved to react to the girls in them. I found Craig but he hadn't noticed me yet. I inched my way over to him tapped his shoulder.
"Kenz," his warm smile brightened his face.
"Brought you coffee," I handed it out to him.
He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and took the cup. I looked out past the wall where we told the undead hunted the humans who were not safely tucked away. It was growing darker as each moment past but I wasn't ready to leave yet. I could feel Craig's ice blue eyes on me.
"You shouldn't be out here this late. Macy's going to tan your hide the second you walk in the house."
"I'm surprised she hasn't sent Cole out for me," I responded turning to look at him.
Craig had been in love with me since he first moved to this confine. Originally he had lived in another development but they had been attacked. He moved with his father here where we had few attacks and won them all.
Every other girl living here would love to have his attention, and it was nice to enjoy the looks and his time, but he didn't understand my want out of here. He did make me happy, but he didn't fill that space that I needed. He hated the undead and everything about them, which after losing his whole family I could understand.
"I'm waiting for Mason to take my place. He should be here in a few minutes and I'll walk you back."
"Sounds good," I answered back.
He put his gun down and leaned against the wall. He sipped the cup of coffee that was always offered to the guards. As I stared out towards the open landscape, Craig stared into the confine. Mason soon arrived and the two of us walked back. I liked the darkness and quiet that the night provided but was always denied me.
No one shuffled and the only artificial light was surrounding the walls and seeping through the small cracks of the homes. Craig's rifle bounced on his back. I hardly ever was out after the sunset went down, but Mason had been late, it wasn't completely my fault.
Craig slipped his hand into mine. I knew he was worried about my fear of the dark, but it was only because I was too afraid to tell him I had seen the stars before.
I could see all of them twinkling around the large moon. Most of the people within the confine were afraid of them. It wasn't uncommon to see people, worshiping the sun and fearing the moon as if we were some sort of pagans. But I could see the moon and the stars and the planets that shone for what they were, awe inspiring and amazing.
Craig moved quicker forcing my gaze to the ground so I wouldn't trip, "Don't be scared," he said quickly, "We haven't been defeated by an attack yet, and you know I would never let anything happen to you."
I knew he wouldn't, but I couldn't help but think that maybe that wasn't what I feared.
"Kenz," Cole opened the door, "Momma's been throwing a fit since she lit the lamps," he whispered to me.
"Mackenzie Illiana Hemsworth!" my mother yelled as she heard the door close.
"Macy," Craig quickly sputtered in before my mother could spit out anything harsher, "I'm sorry. I asked Mackenzie to wait for me so I could walk her back. Mason was late. I should've told her to go without me, but I wanted to make sure she was safe."
As my mother walked through the kitchen doorway into the living room she saw Craig and I could see her angry face soften. She had always had a soft spot for his looks and his sad history, just like every other girl in confine. "Please don't be mad at her for my mistake," he finished up.
"Oh, Craig, why are you out so late? You're only eighteen. They're supposed to make sure you get home before sunset. Come on now, we're having supper. Is your father at the wall?" she asked letting her face soften towards the poor, handsome, motherless orphan.
"Yes," he sighed, "He went to the opposite end as I went off shift," he answered my mother while taking off his jacket.
I took it from him and hung it up and quickly took off mine as well as my boots before moving into the kitchen to set up with my mother. We made the table while the Craig and Cole talked easily about the undead and the shifts that were going to be called upon my brother. My little sister Lily moved along my side copying every move I made and helping me along with our mother as we set up the table for our supper.
"Sit next to me!" Lily grabbed my hand and turned her big blue eyes up towards me.
I never was able to tell my little sister no. I sat in Cole's normal seat, across from where Craig always sat when he had dinner from us, and entertained my sister as she held tightly to my hand. Mother had made potatoes and beef and carrots. Before anyone touched anything we gave thanks to the Sun God, our Protector, the Giver of Light, and the One who kept us safe from the undead.
Lily held onto my hand for most of dinner and I held back just as tightly. After dinner Cole told the old story of Cinderella he found in a book belonging to our grandfather. It was Lily's favorite and she asked him to reread it until she fell asleep with her head in my lap. Mother had clean up the dinner table and dishes and was working on a new dress for me for the upcoming dance at the girls' school.
"Craig, when does your father get off shift tonight?" my mother asked simply.
"Not until the sun raises, ma'am," he answered, the whole time never letting his eyes come off of me.
"Stay the night, then," she smiled, "It may be indecent, but it has been a while."
As she said this I picked my younger sister up in my arms and brought her into the bedroom. Craig would make himself comfortable on the couch. She was heavy, but carrying timber into the house from the woods was always worse, since I had to carry not only mine but Cole's share. I wrapped my arms around my sister and fell into a deep sleep in our large shared bed.
Mother woke me up early to collect timber with Cole. I found myself most days alone collecting timber while Cole would go see Mary-Anne, the seer of our confine. I didn't mind since while he lost track with Mary-Anne I knew I could lose track out in the woods and no one would notice. Being an underage girl not only was leaving the confine strictly guided by laws, but leaving without a guardian was prohibited.
Going on my own though was a nice change. Cole walked out the gate with me, as if it were completely normal. He snuck back in through a hole in the wall that had been in plain need of repair, but never fixed, and came back out that way a few hours later to fetch me at the old willow we always met at before collecting the timber I had found and making our way home.
I had a habit of collecting extra timber, and carrying more than we needed, so when Cole left me I had time to explore on my own.
Al that time by myself had me finding things I never thought I would ever see in my lifetime. I found a small creek that I almost didn't believe existed at first, but after spending a small time in the library I found out they were in fact a real thing. All this time I had thought the only way to get access to fresh, clean water had been through wells and underwater access, but here was water, clear as the air, bubbling along in a stream as if nothing in the world mattered to it.
I liked to sit along the creek and let my feet rest in the cool water. When I was feeling really ambitious I pulled up the skirt of my dress and let my legs dangle in the water all the way up to my knees. This was especially nice on days when the air felt thicker than the water itself. It was one of these days that my life seemed to change forever.
I could hear a familiar crack of twigs underneath the brush. Although it seemed early, I assumed it was Cole sneaking up on me as he normally did. I didn't even bother to open my eyes, only to let the leaves block out the harsh and blinding sun as it cooled most of my skin from the devastating sun.
I heard the twig snap and I jumped up. Suddenly I realized how silent it was. The only noise I could hear was the bubbling of the creek. I pulled my legs out of the water and let my skirt fall back over them. I looked around cautiously, moving deliberately and slowly. There was no way the undead could be here. It was noon, the sun high and no one around. That was until I saw the figure stagger towards me.
I picked up a stick the second I saw the smoldering skin in the sunlight. This couldn't be possible. They were moving slowly for the undead, fumbling around and moving from shade to shade. The breath caught in my throat as their eyes turned up and stared at me. Even from the distance I could see the silver eyes that defined the undead. They burned towards me but then they fell away to the ground.
I wasn't quite sure what to do. I felt frozen in time. A hand clasped over my mouth and picked me up by the waist.
I tried to scream as loud as I could but nothing happened. I struggled frantically. I wasn't able to move and no voice escaped my lips.
"Shh, shh," a warm voice whispered in my ear, "it's okay. You're safe."
I watched as someone stepped out from the trees and I could see the wooden stake dig into the hard flesh and the undead crumble into ash. The girl never let go of the stake as she stood up and moved towards us. I had heard of the Wild but I thought the stories of them were just that, stories.
"Let go of her Thomas," she said simply, "You're going to frighten her."
His hand pulled off of my mouth and I dropped onto the ground. I picked up the stick and went to swing it but he caught it as I swung it around.
"Woah, woah, woah, little girl, don't be scared. We're the good guys," his deep voice responded.
"What do you want?" I asked quickly fumbling over my own words.
"Nothing," the girl came over towards me. She knelt down where I sat in the dirt, "What are you doing out here alone?"
"Shit, she's not alone," Thomas suddenly sputtered out.
I could hear a gunshot and I pulled my arms quickly over my head. I could hear people hustling around me but I refused to open my eyes or drop my arms from around my head.
"Mackenzie," a familiar voice whispered in my ear, "Come on. You're safe now."
I opened my eyes to see my dad crouched next to me. I wrapped my arms around him and held on tightly.
"Shh, sweetheart," he hushed me as the tears spilled out of my eyes.
"How could you even think to leave her alone?" my mother yelled at Cole.
He just sat with his head down too afraid to meet my mother's eyes as she scolded him. My dad paced the house floor behind her. Our secret had been exposed and now we faced the scariest consequence of all, Cole had to go in front of the council tomorrow and explain himself. I would go to be there for him, but being an underage girl I would not be able to speak in defense of him.
Mary Anne had to also face the council. As a seerer she was denied the freedoms of citizens. Seerers were not to marry citizens, only other seerers so we wouldn't lose the gift of the future. They were the only ones who got glimpses of the future in their dreams, and it was a gift only passed on when two seerers had a child. She wouldn't face as harsh as a punishment as Cole was about to.
My mother was about to go off on him again when my father stopped her. It was a simple gesture, just raising his hand but she cut off quickly. He looked at her then at Cole, and finally rested his eyes on me.
"Mackenzie," he said in a sad tone, "It's about time to choose a husband. You need the protection."
I could feel a ball tighten in my throat. Choose a husband? Protection? I didn't want to be married! Certainly not now. I was still in school, if I were to marry I'd have to leave school, start work, have kids! I couldn't breathe as I stared back at my father.
"Macy," my father turned to my mother, "Please extend the offer to Craig's father for our daughter."
I couldn't even respond. What was happening? This was not the life I wanted. In a matter of a few hours my life was somersaulting. Hailey was jumping around excited, my father sat in his chair and opened a book as if nothing was changing, mother was putting on her coat and preparing to go off for Craig's home, and Cole just stared at me.
I looked back at him. As the tears welled up in his eyes they started in mine.
"Go," my father's voice boomed. "You three have chores to finish."
Cole and I took Hailey to the market with a list. As Hailey ran around giddy for my impending future Cole and I held hands and shuffled through the crowded market.
"Kenz," his voice was quiet, "I'm so sorry."
"We're almost eighteen," I sighed, "It was going to happen." I was trying not to think about it.
"Craig is a good guy," his voice tried to pick me up but it wasn't working, "He'll be good to you."