The City Of Death

Chapter Twelve- Macy

This is going to be a long day. 

I can already feel it, even though the sun is just beginning to rise beyond the horizon. In the City, I woke up long before the lampposts brightened. Long before the sun started to rise, even if I couldn't see it behind the clouds. It was only natural that I'd still have that same sleep schedule. When I woke up, it was still dark out and there was nobody out and about, so I decided to look around. Acquaint myself with the new camp that is so much different than the one I remember. 

For starters, this one is bigger. There are more Renegades now than I remember there being fifteen years ago. And the camp is out in the open, not hidden in the trees. Atlas mentioned that the old camp is still hidden somewhere in those trees. Part of me wants to go into those trees and see if I can find my way back to it. The other part of me knows that going into the trees might just be a death sentence- if I get lost, who's to say I'll ever find my way out? 

So instead of looking for the old camp, I took the time to look over the message board. So far, there are very few jobs posted, but Atlas did say that he posts the jobs at sunrise. Along the bottom of the board are the badges, all stuck to the board with some kind of plant. The board itself is covered in a fabric that looks like it might have been green at some point. The years of exposure to the elements faded the fabric, but it's been kept in decent enough condition that the plant still attaches to the fabric. I reach out and pick one of the plants off, studying it intently. 

"It's called burdock." I whip around to see Atlas walking up to me, strips of fabric in his hand. 

"What?" I ask, and Atlas points to the plant in my hand. 

"It's called burdock. Savannah has people go into the woods a lot to find them. They're an invasive plant species, but thanks to our use of them, we keep the invasion at a minimum," Atlas explains. 

"And what do you use them for?" I wonder. 

"Well, the heads, as you can see, we use for the message board. They have tiny hooks, invisible to the naked eye. In nature, they're used to connect to fur and clothing to spread seeds. We use them... sort of for the same purpose. The roots, though? Savannah uses them for medicine," Atlas answers. I tilt my head, looking at the small plant in my hand. I know that there is a whole world of natural medicine that isn't practiced in the City. I found a book on natural medicine in the library, very close to the book on geography. One of the books I felt wasn't supposed to be there but got there anyway. 

I wonder what kind of medicinal properties the burdock root has. I'll have to talk to Savannah at some point. Even if I don't want to be a Doctor out here, I am interested in the natural medicine they practice. I'm curious about how she keeps everyone healthy without the medical supplies in the City. It'll be a learning experience, and maybe once I'm back in the City, I can use those lessons to make me a better Doctor. I'm always looking for new ways to improve how I take care of my patients. 

"When do I have to start taking jobs?" I ask, and Atlas looks at the little strips in his hand, walking up to the board and using the burdock to start pinning up the jobs. 

"You don't have to do anything. It's not like everyone is forced to take a job. If they don't want to, they don't. Every Renegade takes a job only because he or she wants to. They only take a job because they want to help out. That's how everything works out here. We help each other out because that's the only way to get everything done. We take care of each other," Atlas tells me as he pins the jobs up. "As soon as you're ready, I'll get a badge made for you." 

"Can I get one made today?" I ask, and he looks down at me. "I want to help out. If anything, I need something to do other than sitting around and twiddling my thumbs."