Глава 13

The first time I saw an Infected shatter was in the middle of a lake.

I was seven, young and innocent. It was my dream to become captain of the Miner's Patrol.

I'd get to stay up late at night, wear a cool uniform, and walk around with a bright torch.

Most families in Rim Billiton made their living in mining, digging, and processing ore. We did everything to prevent Infection.

But accidents happen.

One day, the adults came home early.

Mother and the other women of the house whispered in a corner. The men smoked in silence, until the entire room was filled with that acrid scent.

In between coughs, I ran around the living room, pretending to be a surveyor looking for new veins in a fog-filled valley.

Dad grabbed me by the collar and put me to bed.

I woke up earlier than usual the next day. I think I was trying to grab a can of soda while nobody was watching.

Grandma was sitting in the living room next to her luggage, She said she was going on a journey.

I pestered her to let me go with her. She could never say no to me. She said I could come a short way with her, then I had to go back home.

We saw a salt lake in the distance. It was a shallow one that only appeared in the rainy season, but it rained a lot that year. We couldn't see the other side of the lake.

Grandma told me that was as far as I could go. I said alright. She made me promise, like when she made me promise I would be a good boy when I first went to school.

But I wasn't a good boy anymore. I quietly followed her, hiding behind a bush when she got to the lakeside.

Grandma got onto a boat with a few people on it. They all had strange stones growing out of their bodies, and one of them was wrapped up in a blanket. The boatman turned on the engine.

I watched from the shore as the boat disappeared into the fog.

I was confused. Grandma didn't say anything to me on our way; it was like an ordinary picnic trip.

I was about to turn around, thinking about where I would have breakfast before going home, then I heard a sound like crystal shattering.

I turned around and saw Originium dust sprayed into the air, mixing with the fog, reflecting an eerie glow in the sun.

It was like a dream.

Was that how you got infected?

No, I was lucky. That time.

Maybe it really was a dream, brought about by a summer morning.

But I never saw Grandma again, and my family never talked about her anymore.

She...

She was always thoughtful and cautious. It wasn't like her to let a child follow her, putting him in danger.

For once, though, she made a selfish choice on her journey.

She wanted to spend just a little more time with her grandson. Maybe she even wanted to give me a hug.

Now I remember. I didn't even get to show her my report card that semester.

It was the best I ever did in school.

The sounds of the forest stopped. The flickering light shining through the shadows of the trees no longer moved.

Then, came the sound of lament and painful moaning.

On your guard, Red. The Victorians have stopped.

Looks like they're planning to make camp.

Here? It's only a few hundred meters from our camp.

They no longer have the strength to cover their tracks. Who knows if there's a scouting party shadowing them somewhere.

Red's hands never stop, even as he complains, cutting away the bothersome vines.

We approach their position and see their flickering shadows through the sparse bushes.

Soldiers lie on the ground in exhaustion, hopelessly burying their heads amongst the falling leaves. The sergeant sits down on a rock, silently polishing his sword, the only weapon he has left.

I guess they just didn't have the strength to go any further.

These people don't have the luxury to think. They're still living in a dream.

'It'll all pass.'

Were they really just 'separated' from the rest of the army?

These Victorians are lucky. They faced a gentle exile, not the swords of their comrades.

It's not easy to accept that you're Infected.

We should wait for them to understand who they are, and for them to make a choice.

Do you really mean to take them in? These... 'soldiers'?

We're weak. So are they.

What's the plan, then?

Finish the shift, and notify the sentries. Expand the patrols to include this camp.

The Infected stand together.

'Stand Together.' Pretty words.

Of course we had to stand together. What other choice did we have?

But are the words 'stand together' so simple that we fail to appreciate their true meaning?

Oripathy changed all our lives equally, robbed us of our futures equally.

But is what is taken from a farmer who has to pay his taxes out of seeds stored for next year's planting equal to what is taken from a wealthy merchant with a safe full of pure gold?

When what we had to begin with was not equal, neither are the choices that survive deprivation.

Who are we really standing together with, then?

You're Talulah, right?

Founder of the Reunion, leader of the Infected! They say you did great things in Ursus!

All the Infected of Victoria are talking about you. Is it true that you captured a city?

A city for the Infected? Is it still there?

I'm no leader. I'm just a member of the Reunion Movement.

Have some porridge. We're setting out soon.

Tell us more about your city, Talulah!

It's...

Oh, no need to hang your head! I suppose things didn't go so smoothly, if you're in Victoria now.

Of course the uninfected wouldn't let us win that easily, after trampling on us for so long.

What does it matter if those scum tripped you up once? You're Reunion!

We all believe in you!

Talulah looks down at the pot she is stirring, serving bowl after bowl of hot porridge.

The steam from the pot obscures her vision.

Careful, it's hot.

They all believe in you.

What do you think about that, eh? Being the hope of so many?

You're a veteran from Ursus, aren't you? What are you talking about?

Valiya.

I know... sorry, couldn't resist. Hmph.

Is it true that there was a bit of trouble at the camp yesterday?

It's fine. All taken of.

Stop crowding Talulah like that and start packing. We have a long way to go today.

Oh yeah, I still have fertilizer to load onto the truck.

And it's not 'You Reunion' any more.

Oh yeah, we're Reunion too. Haha!

See you later.

Guard...

It's fine. No need to say anything.

I take the bowl of porridge from Talulah. She's very pale.

There are things we can't tell them yet.

I know. It's your decision.

Reunion can't collapse again.

I'm the banner that you rally to in Victoria. I accept that.

But I'm deceiving them. I'm still...

It's no more or less than you deserve.

It's none of my business whether you see this as an honor or punishment for your crimes. What the others need is hope.

Are you going to tell them you were under the influence of an evil god, and everything that happened at Chernobog was an Ursine plot?

I would rather our organization be built on a lie.

We were built on a lie back then too.

I know. Payback will come, someday, but at least this time we lied for the Infected.