The Color of Knowledge

Chapter Eleven (pt. 3)

It only took a moment for Yani to notice the pile of dead, dressed up in all the forbidden colors. She screamed and fell to her knees. "This was my sister's fate?" she cried over and over again.

After they had dismounted the pod, Enzo looked at Ivy and Zari with tired eyes, and without saying a word, ascended back to The Society.

"Have you lost your mind?" Ivy shrieked at Zari the same time Yani started her meltdown. "I told you I had a plan. Not for you to join me! What will happen to your sister?"

"Peyton will be fine," said Zari. "I know what I'm doing. You said you had a plan so I figured I could help you with whatever it was."

"I didn't need any help. I would have been fine on my own."

"Drop the act, why don't you! You don't have to be the hero. It's okay to ask for assistance."

"You're one to talk! How long has your father been abusing you and your sister? You never once asked for help."

"My father has never laid a hand on Peyton," said Zari. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine."

"Fine."

They fell silent only to hear Yani's wails. "This was my sister's fate?"

Ivy went to comfort Yani. It took a while, but she finally calmed down to gentle tears, which rolled down her wizened face.

"So what exactly is your plan?" Zari asked as the three of them stood facing the pile of rotting flesh. The smell was made stronger by the heat of the desert-like conditions.

"First, we have to reach those two bags up there," said Ivy. She pointed to the top of the pile of dead where two black bags sat, having been dropped from the clear tube above.

"Good luck with that," said Zari.

"I was thinking you could go since you aren't even supposed to be here."

"That's funny."

"I have an idea," said Yani. She wiped a combination of sweat and tears from her face. "Think of a number between one and ten. Whoever is the closest doesn't have to go."

Zari and Ivy both glanced at each other. Before Ivy could utter a word, Zari yelled out, "Seven!"

"I was going to say that," said Ivy. "Two."

They looked to Yani with bated breath and clenched muscles.

"I'm sorry, Ivy, but the number was nine."

A knot welled up within Ivy's stomach from the thought of having to climb the mountain of dead. Not only was it disgusting, she felt it was also disrespectful. She approached the heap to survey the best route to the top.

"Just imagine something else," said Zari.

"Easy for you to say." Ivy mapped out a path with the least people to step on.

"Better hurry before the air creatures show up," said Zari looking to the sky.

"You're not making this any easier. The air creatures don't come until four, remember?"

"So you were telling the truth up there?" Yani asked.

"Of course she was," said Ivy. "President Khamar is the real crook."

"Oh my goodness," said Yani, covering her mouth. "How will we tell everyone the truth?"

"We can't. Everyone we love will be in danger if we do."

"I thought you had a plan."

"I need to get those bags first."

"For what?"

"Do you want to die down here?" Ivy asked. No one said a word. "I didn't think so." She leaned over to brace herself on the bodies above and took her first step up. It was just like rock climbing, except the surface was mushy. Unlike stepping on solid rock, the human body was unpredictable—especially when lifeless. At any moment, she could slip and send an avalanche of bodies tumbling back to the ground along with her.

"There's much more bodies than last time," Ivy yelled down. She was nearing the top, the whole way trying to think of anything else besides the dead bodies beneath her. She tried to think about how happy Spencer had looked that morning as she received her presents.

The backpacks appeared larger now that she was closer to them. Her arm quivered under their weight as she tried to lift them. She was about to throw them down, but thought against it incase there was something fragile inside.

She wore one on the front of her chest and the other swung around her back as she made her way back down the mountain.

"Easy now," Zari coached while Yani knelt beside her, praying.

"I got it," Ivy yelled back. She was sweating from both the heat and concentrating hard on not falling. Close to the middle of her descent, she lost her footing and tumbled down the rest of the way.

"You did good," said Yani. She helped Zari slide bodies that were knocked loose off of Ivy.

"I just hope nothing broke."

"What's in them?" Zari asked, taking a bag from Ivy to carry herself.

"I don't know, but we should move away from here before we take inventory."

"Which way?"

"West."

Led by Zari who had a compass in her work-issued watch, the group moved westward with the sun to their backs. They walked for about twenty minutes under the blistering sun before stopping.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on now?" Zari asked. She slid the bag off her sweaty back and dropped it to the ground.

"We need to take inventory first," said Ivy, although what she really needed was time to organize her thoughts. She unzipped the backpack she had carried and sat on the ground to see what lay within.