Johanna Mason & The Rebel

Chapter 3 - Talks

Rorke got to walking through the woods. The weather was hot and damp. He was already wearing regular District 7 clothing. He would have to find a way to exit the woods without looking to conspicuous, but first he had to hide his communication's gear. He knew it would have to be close to the treeline so that he could easily come back and pick it up after curfew. The last reports from District 7 were of heavy guarding and early curfews with 'shot-on-site' warning.

The most profound thing he noticed as he walked through the woods was the smell of the pine-trees. It dominated the air and entered his nostrils time and time again. It was a very different world to the one he had grown up in, living under thousands and thousands of trees. On the way, Rorke noticed a rather rotten tree lying on the ground. In fact, most of the area that he had been walking through was very much rotten. It seemed this was an ideal area to keep something hidden as it wasn't used for anything.

He grabbed his axe and dug deep underneath the tree and hid the equipment. He made an innocent mark on the tree so he would know where to look before he grabbed his bag and tried to find a more innocent path to exit the woods from. He got to the treeline and got a view of the village he was by. He found a more suitable place for him to exit the forest from and spent an hour carefully getting over there. Several times he had to stop and find the nearest peacekeepers to make sure he didn't cross paths with them.

He managed to find a side-track and slowly blend in with the crowd heading towards the village. Peacekeepers were standing there to check IDs. Rorke pulled his up from his pocket. Some of them around him seemed to also be new to the area and showed their identity-cards. One of the peacekeepers immediately pointed his gun at Rorke.

"Wow, wow."

Rorke replied, lifting his hands up.

"ID-card."

The peacekeeper said. The ID was in Rorke's hand. One of the other peacekeepers walked up to him and grabbed it.

"Marshall Ax, transfer from where?"

The peacekeeper asked as he held on to the ID while Rorke kept his hands up.

"From the paper-fabrics in the eastern part of the district. Disciplinary removal."

Rorke kept his cool as he answered. One of the peacekeepers searched through his bag while the other one ran the ID through their database. The one aiming his gun on him kept his stance as the seconds ticked by. Rorke looked around himself to see the same procedure with others.

"The ID checks out. Find your dump and drop your belongings there. You are expected to go straight to work."

The peacekeeper in charge said as the other one lowered his gun. Rorke finally lowered his hands and received the ID before grabbing his bag. They called on the next one as if Rorke was just a number. It was one of the first times in his life that Rorke had just been another face in the crowd, and it was something he wasn't used to.

He found a shed easily. It was the only the building in the village that looked like anything but a house. He studied it for a moment: the thin walls, the shaky structure, and the foundation underneath.

"You look new here, I'm Gray."

He heard behind him. Rorke snapped out of it and turned around.

"Marshall Ax, just moved here."

Rorke replied as he shook the Gray's hand. He studied Rorke for a moment before he shrugged off whatever it was, he was thinking.