The Hive: Part One (special preview)

For as long as I can remember, I have never been still. I have moved and wandered from the moment I was born, and I am sure I will continue to journey until the moment I die. I was told that, if we stop at all, then we will be found, and that would not be a good thing at all.

I have always moved with the suns, and rested with the moons. It was my father who taught me these things, that it is best to move forward with the suns at our backs, and sleep with our faces towards the moons. He died so many suns ago, at least, I believe him dead. He had grown sick and weak, and when he could no longer walk on his own, he forced me to continue my journey.

“Never let the suns face you,” he commanded me. “Never let the moons outrun you. You cannot fear for me. You can only fear for yourself.” He threw rocks at me, striking me several times when I refused to go. I had to leave him, though, and I could not look behind me when I did. I couldn’t let the suns face me, I couldn’t let them see me cry.

And so I became alone, traveling on my own so that the journey would never end. Although, I am not all alone, I have my Nanny with me, and she is the only living thing I keep with me. Nanny is a goat and, from her, I get milk which I can use for various things my father taught me. Nanny is company, even if she cannot understand me, or even look me in the eye. At least she is there.

I do not know what is looking for us but I wonder if they found my father. Are they hunting us like we once hunted rabbits, or do they wish to use us like I do my Nanny?  Are we supposed to serve like Nanny to whoever we are moving away from?

I have never come across another like me, and if I have, we have kept ourselves secret for so long. Whenever I must travel through someplace inhabited, I keep myself covered, putting a specially made basket over my head to conceal myself. I cannot be seen, I cannot be found. None of us can, whoever we are.

Some suns ago, I had come across another like me. It was my first time seeing someone like that aside from my father. He was big and hairy like my father was, his skin was dark and his hair was styled in many long braids. I wasn’t sure what to think then, at first I was afraid. I wanted to run and hide from him, but he offered me a gift.

He shared his food with me and I gave him some of Nanny’s milk. We talked under the suns, walking the same path on our journeys until we came to a fork in the road where we had to part. We stayed there, laying under the moons together.

We shared our mats, and we shared our bodies. There have been times where I have thirsted and could not find water, and the desperation inside me grew. The moment we shared bodies, I felt that desperation again. I felt the need to hold on for dear life, to keep He with me always. His body was strong and warm, something that I wanted now on certain nights. I felt him so deeply inside me, I cried. We both knew that once the suns rose, we would have to keep moving, even if our paths were different.

I woke before He did and I left, taking Nanny with me. I did not look behind me despite how desperately I wanted to. I wanted He and I to be together, even if I had only known He for a short sun. The need to be with someone was strong.

Recently, there has been lots of rain. It comes and goes with little warning, causing hindrance to me moving. Eventually, Nanny and I come upon a great structure. There is a hard black ground before it, stretching out to the horizon. The building itself stands very tall and wide, following along the hard black ground into the horizon. Trees and vines grow around it, almost making it look like any other forest I have gone through. The only thing that gives it away as a structure, and not a wood, is the glass. I see it shining through the vines as well as the entrance.

I know I am not supposed to venture into structures, but this rain is growing violent and I fear for Nanny. I step only inside the entrance, and I keep the basket on my head to hide myself. I watch through the glass as the storm buffets and blusters, blowing over trees and whipping up the vines. I kneel down with Nanny, feeling uneasy since I cannot move.

“We should be moving. If we stay here, they’ll find us.” I put my arms around Nanny and her head flits back and forth. “Maybe, because of the storm, we’ll be okay.”

Nanny screams and wriggles from my grasp, she runs through a broken door and deeper into the building. I give chase after her, finding myself in a massive room filled with mess and piles. I can hear Nanny scream somewhere, but I have become fixated on the room I’m in.

All around me, I see figures like me, but they are unmoving and still. They wear such strange garments on their bodies, long flowing pieces in bright colors. I sort through the piles around them, some have fallen over, while others hang from metal stands. The fabric garments do not look as though they would protect from anything outside, but they are soft and airy, and the colors are like nothing I have ever seen before.