Going down the hill, he had never felt so many emotions at once. Desperation, panic, fear, anxiety, but the numbing cold drowned out everything else, and he was able to focus on the diminishing warmth he clutched in his arms.
As the freezing air stung his face, a newfound sense of warmth overwhelmed him, and he felt joy. But that joy was ended by a sickening crash and a child's echoing cry.
Gabe awoke abruptly, more surprised than scared. Dreams had never remained so vividly in his memory. Usually, he could only grasp bits and pieces, but one thing he always knew was that in his dreams, he was never himself.
But he would have to put aside that confusion for today. He had never really enjoyed the Winter Celebration, but the assembly was mandatory. During the assembly, his "tradition" was to fall asleep in the back during the Telling of the History, which dragged on for what seemed like forever. His two younger sisters had left him a note, saying that they had all gone to the assembly early to help set up. His mother and father knew well that Gabe was not a morning person, and they respected this about him.
The Telling of the History had already begun, and it echoed over the speakers. The Salvager is what they called him. As a Youth, Gabe had heard the story multiple times. The memories that they had Collected from the Salvager had saved the community from certain collapse. The mistakes that the Salvager's community had made were used as a foundation for the community Gabe lived in today. Although he had heard this story many times, it felt different. The words in the Telling seemed familiar, not in the sense of him having heard it for the past fifteen years of his life, but the story grabbed his attention, and it felt as if he was there, with the Salvager, with the memories. The bits and pieces that he had remembered from his dreams and visions, the unidentified aircraft that had brought unease to the Salvager's community; the Ceremonies, which represented maturity and control in his community; and an act of killing, which the Salvager's community called Releasing, made him feel a distant connection. But the more he tried to piece the details together, the more confused he felt.
Gabe immediately switched off the speaker. The one in his unit was silent, but the dozens of speakers outside projected to the vacant streets. His hands scrambled for the cabinet that held his unit's pills, which, until now, had remained untouched. Just like the Telling of History, Gabe had slept through this lesson during school as well. But he knew that the pills temporarily cut off the Capacity to See Beyond. And even now, as he held the pill in his hand, another memory was triggered by the sight of it.
The pills worked right away, and all of the memories faded away. The racing memories in his mind were silenced, but his confusion still remained. This had never happened before. Even if everyone in the community had the Capacity to See Beyond, he had never heard of someone taking the pills. The pills were for emergencies only, but no one had ever set the precedent for what would be considered an 'emergency'. What had happened was unpredictable, but Gabe knew that his next step would be reporting what happened to the Researchers and Scholars. He put on a jacket and ran out.
"Gabe? Are you feeling okay?"
Gabe turned around at the unexpected voice. He hadn't expected to bump into anyone because of the assembly, especially the daughter of the Overseer.
"Rachel. Shouldn't you be at the assembly by now? Your dad is a Speaker this year."
She shrugged lightly, "He made his speech already. He isn't scheduled to speak again until the Community Choir is finished with their presentation. Which we both know takes forever."
Gabe had the intention of replying to her, but with what had only now just happened, he could not find the right words. "So, your mother asked me to come wake you up. She wanted me to make sure you didn't miss the assembly. Therefore, I am here as your chauffeur."
"Don't treat me like a Youth. I can get there fine on my own."
"Sure. Okay. Just leave me out here. In the cold. Without anyone to defend me."
"It's just-"
And then it happened again. Rachel was still there, but she had changed. Her hair had taken on a vibrant red hue, and although he had never seen hair like this, he felt as if her presence was familiar. Like a distant memory. Unlike the usual pair of pale eyes everyone had in this community, this girl, whoever she was, had dark-colored eyes, and her face was riddled with small groups of freckles. And she spoke a name. His mind perceived the name Jonas. The girl gave him a smile and placed her hand on his forehead. He stared into her eyes and with a single blink, those eyes turned from dark to pale and he found himself with Rachel again, yet he had never left.
All of Rachel's energy seemed focused on the hand she rested on his head. Her once cold hands were suddenly filled with a warmth as she pulled her arm back.
"You seemed feverish. So I just-"
"Yeah. Thank you," said Gabe. He had heard from many people that she was a talented Healer, and the relief that she had provided proved all of the praise she had received.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Rachel asked softly.
"I never said I was."
"Did you-"
"Did I what?" Gabe asked apprehensively.
"The pills. Did you take the pills?" When she asked, she seemed a little scared. Maybe worried. But when he didn't reply, she asked again. "Gabe, did you take them?"
"Yeah, bu-"
"Did they work?"
"What?"
"Tell me, please," Rachel said, almost begging.
"I'm not sure. I don't think they did. I still don't feel like myself." Gabe admitted.
The look on her face was filled with terror. It was a jumbled mix of emotions similar to the ones he had felt in his dream. "You have to come with me."
Gabe was silent. The Community Choir eerily sang over the speakers, while the two of them didn't utter a single word.
"Rachel, you're scaring me. I have to report it to the Researchers, and they'll know what to do, right? It was just a dream. Nothing special. I'll just tell them and they'll say it's fine. It'll all be okay, we just have to go. They'll fix it, won't they?" Gabe's voice was shaky as tried to persuade Rachel-no, not Rachel. He wanted to persuade himself. He didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth.
"Gabe, please listen to me. You can't tell anyone about this. Not yet. We just have to-"
"What just have to what?"
"Gabe, there's something that you don't know about our community's past," she told him. "You just have to follow me. I'll tell you everything."
"What you do you mean by everything?"
"The real story of the Salvager. Which is you."
In the Hall of Records, they found themselves surrounded by a countless number of shelves filled with the records of the community. The public was under the belief that all of the records were solely collected on paper, but Rachel had access to a room where records were kept electronically. Her father was sure to keep this area closed off to the public, and separate from the other records. This important information was the base of the community, everything they had received from the Salvager.
Gabe watched as Rachel easily maneuvered her way through the maze of bookshelves, and she knew every turn like the back of her hand. "Rachel, what are you trying to show me?"
"This." Rachel stood only a few feet away from a closed door, decorated with over a dozen locks. She pulled out a keycard and placed it in a hidden slot. Suddenly, all of the locks turned in different directions, creating a loud echo.
"Won't someone hear that? Shouldn't there be guards?"
"They're all at the assembly," Rachel told him, as she used the same keycard and switched off several lights that surrounded them. "I shut off the security cameras, but it'll only last for a limited amount of time, so we have to hurry."
Gabe nodded and they both stepped into the small room, closing the door behind them.
The room was filled with whirring sounds and lights that nearly blinded the two. A single machine sat in the middle of the room. The machine spoke, "Welcome. Please provide identification."
"Say your title, Gabe."
"Gabriel, Son of Luke."
"Gabe, no, not-" Rachel whispered, "Not that one."
Gabriel hesitated. The fear of the unknown was standing before him. He gulped, took a breath, and Rachel's hand reached for his, shaking just as much as his own. Gabriel spoke loud and clear.
"Gabriel, The Salvager."