Chapter One

Toby Edison 18 9326

Ive tried forgetting that day, for as long as I can think, that day has haunted me, haunted Naomi.
Mum told me that if the Raven were to as much as see us, we would be dead. When I asked her why,
she said: Revenge is a cruel mistress. Dont let them get you. And that night she walked out into the
open and handed herself over, not knowing what the Raven would do. He talked for a moment, said
some strange things about duty, and the law. He then drew out his gun and next thing I knew, Naomi
was out of bed, and my mother was lying dead in the sand. I froze, I did what I was told though.
Toby, Im going out to hand myself in, Ill tell them you kids have died, and hopefully hell believe
me. Keep out of sight, and make sure Naomi doesnt know. Tell her Ive gone hunting, and after a few
days, move to a new place and say youre looking for me, get as far away from here as possible. Look
after your sister, she is all you have, but no matter what, dont let them catch you, you are way too
important. Then she left, she went and never came back. I went on playing hide and seek with Nims,
but I couldnt get Mum out of my mind, so I went outside to wait for her, to see if she had changed
her mind. When I saw her I almost called out but I could see The Raven talking to her, they talked for
a long time, then Naomi stood beside me.
I remember the sounds, Nims breathing, the wind hitting the corrugated iron shed, but the thing I
remember the most was that gunshot, the loud bang ringing out and hitting my ears. I cant forget
the look on The Ravens face as he turned away and looked at me. He just smiled. He left my mum
lying in the dirt.
I dragged her body out to where she taught us to catch our own food. When she taught us to swim,
that was a luxury that little people knew these days.
Naomi and I grew apart, we had nothing to say sometimes. The only thing Naomi wanted to say was
what did mum say? Where are we going? Or Im hungry, thirsty, why cant we stay here? I would get
so tired of the questions I would go hunting, for days sometimes, setting traps and waiting for
something, a wild pig, and bunny. I would also wait till I had no energy left, I became an empty
vessel.
I tried to be happy when Naomi made a necklace out of stones and carved Trish into it. That was our
mums name, Trish Edison. She was the bravest woman I ever knew. She promised me on the night
before my 15th birthday that I would be free. I didnt understand then but I now get it, she and dad
promised me freedom, I never knew freedom came with such a high price.
Back at the camp every boy was tested at 15 and paired with a girl, sometimes he would be able to
choose between girls. I never had the chance. I was meant to go to the mill with my father and start
my lives work, and retire at 65 and die with a family, two kids, and a beautiful wife. But instead I had
freedom and a little sister. My father died when we escaped, mum cried for days, weeks even.
Naomi was little so mum told her that dad stayed behind to distract them. Truth, he was dragged
away and most likely put in the cells till he was trial and then executed for treason. The raven would
have personally done it. Tied him up and lit the flame.
Let him have mercy on your soul. The chant rang out as my father screamed till his own flesh burnt
like wood. I still hear the words, I say them before killing, and it has been ingrained into humanity
since the Government changed, since I can remember. I slit the wild pigs neck saying those words.

Let him have mercy on your soul. Before eating, Let him have mercy on your soul. Before
sleeping. Let him have mercy on your soul. I didnt want whoever him is to forget who was saying
those 7 words. Toby Edison praying to keep his soul pure. Naomi doesnt say them, she never did.
She couldnt go to school because she was too young. I have to teach her to my best abilities.

Oi mate you want a drink or are you just gonna sit there doin whatever you is doin. I was at a
rebel bar sitting on a stool writing.
Yeah, just the Usual Juan. Juan was probably the closest I could call a friend, he had a daughter
once but the Raven got her, she turned up now and again in her uniform. She was one of the Ravens
little birds, his league of assassins. She was my age. Pretty girl but I had no time for pretty girls when
I still had Naomi to care for. One day I had said to her.
One day, then maybe we could that was when she told me to shove my someday up my ass. In a
more vulgar way. Juan says that even now he would call me his son if it helped him sleep at night. I
miss Katy, she was cool.
Ya know kid I bet that if you and that sister of yours head over the mountains you could actually
find someplace nice. Settle yourself down. Juan brought my bottle of whiskey over, I had almost
killed myself last time drowning my sorrows.
You know what is up there, little birds like Katy. We both know I cant dodge them, even with Nims.
Its impossible. I complained pouring another drink.
I never said over mate, I heard from a bloke the other day, he was on about some passage, all you
need was a key, and the little birds have those keys on their uniforms. All you need it a little bird and
hey presto youve got to the other side. Juan seemed genuinely proud of his research skills.
Thats still quite a task, just get a Little bird. How do you expect me to do that? I was tipsy now,
getting onto my third full glass.
Mate you dont think I havent seen your traps outside, you killed a hog the other day. Betcha one
of them could get a Little Bird good. He made a good argument when he had been analysing on his
lonely days. Having a bar nowadays was hard, whenever the Ravens little army of birds came flying
in he had to trash the place pretending that it was abandoned. The amount of times that I had come
into the bar to drink and forget was countless, but it was nothing compared to the amount of times
spent cleaning glass off the floor.
I better get back to Nims, shell be up soon. Naomi usually fast asleep when I left for the bar, she
was normally waking up when I stepped through the door. I would let her see me for a while, then I
would go out and sit near a trap. Waiting, watching, and even sometimes getting a wild pig or bunny
for dinner.
Toby, at least try it mate. You have nothing to lose mate. Juan called out after me. I waved my
hand back like a wet towel, I was more than a little tipsy today. But the pain was gone.
Naomi, NIMS! Hey Nims, whatcha doin I slurred when I saw Naomi fiddling with a trap. The world
was moving around me, and I almost puked, but I held myself together.
The traps are going missing Toby, you were supposed to watch them. You have been drinking, I can
smell it on you. She said without looking up.

I would have said some cruel thing about her but all I could think of was a one syllable word; Yup. I
then fell over and laughed, yeah not a fine moment. Juan said something bout birds, mountains,
and keys, Ill remember it later. I am just gonna rest here for a while. I just stared up at the sky,
most days I would stare at the sky. Waiting for a sun flare to burn me up. I would normally walk
inside with sunburn.
Just try not to get burnt, and if a sun flare does get you, dont scream, I quite like this place.
Naomi had lost her childhood so I never complained about her humourless attitudes. But it was
boring some days, I liked Juan because he knew a good joke or two.
Mountains Nims, mountains. I slurred as I fell asleep.
I woke up an hour before the sun set, I had been moved through. I was now out of the sun and
leaned up against a tree, I looked around dazed and confused. I saw a figure in the distance, it was
headed back to Juans place. I could hear something squealing in a trap behind me, a bunny. I felt so
angry at Naomi so I recued the creature. I was really hungry and sad, today was my birthday. That is
why I was drinking so heavily, Juan knew now days not to say anything, today would have been the
day I would have gotten permission to have a child. I rarely sit and brood over things like how
different my life would have been. Today was also the day my father was captured and hung above
the camp like a warning sign, if caught rebels will be executed on sight that was what played
through the sirens, and the loud speakers embedded in the walls. From inside the walls everyone
believed the walls were protecting them, from where I sat now, they reminded me of a prison.
I say beside the tree holding the bunny, I was tempted to let it go. I held the bunny close as I
rambled through broken rubble, looking for a box I had seen earlier. I placed the bunny in the crate
and I picked grass and leaves for it. I had always wondered what it would have been like before the
flare, Mum said that she had a pet bunny called Peter. She fed him grass and carrots, her cat had
caught Peter and she saved him. Mum was great at story telling. I knew that Peter and her cat was
just a story made up because the day of Naomis birth, two people came to see mum, they were
elders, she called them Mum and Dad.
They were killed along with Dad. Three skeletons hung over the camps walls, along with others, The
Raven had been hanging the bodies of rebels for years, but my mothers was never up there. I had
made sure of that.
I carried the box into the shed we called home, I saw Naomi cooking up the last of the wild hog I had
caught last week. Hey, sorry about before. I really dont remember what I said but sorry. I placed
the box in the back corner, and smiled if I told Naomi now that I had spared her dinner she would
probably kill it there and then.
Its fine, you said something about Birds and Mountains, and a key. Mostly drunk babble. She was
actually really mad because she was cutting the meat as if she were stabbing someone. I looked at
her hunched over shoulders, they were shaking. She was crying. So I did what any big brother
should have done years ago. I turned her around and grabbed the knife from her small hands. What
are you do I cut her off with a hug, I held her against me as if she was about to break, which she
did, I could feel her tears soaking my top.
We are going to be okay, we are fine. Nims, hey, look at me. Naomi lifted her small head, her eyes
were red and puffy. We are going to be alright, look I got you something. I still held onto her as I
walked us over to the box in the corner. He was stuck in the trap, I was being all sentimental and
saved him. I lifted the top off the box and Naomi smiled, she hated it when I brought home skinny

bunnies and baby hogs. I was going to let him go but if you want we can keep him, at least for a
while. I looked at Naomis reaction go from sad to happy then back to sad. Well I had tried. Nims
whats wrong, oh god you hate him, you probably think Im stupid, its okay Ill go and get the knife
you stay here and make sure he doesnt run away, well make a stew or something. I stood up and
left Naomi looking at the bunny, walking over to where the knife was I looked at Naomi, It worked.
She was now holding the bunny, and smiling.
Toby. Stop, we can keep him. Hes kind of cute. Naomi said turning around as I cut into the meat
on the table. You arse. You never were going to kill him. You are an idiot. She buried her head into
the bunnys soft fur, and went to sit in the corner. Im calling her Darcy. She called out to me. That
was her middle name.
Fine but you have to feed her. I said placing what little meat we had left in our makeshift pot.

Chapter Two.
I was out watching the sun set while Naomi slept, it was peaceful and a lot quieter for some reason. I
was picking grass from the small burnt patches of earth when I saw the convoy of military vehicles
thundering towards us. I jumped up and ran inside dropping the grass for Darcy in her box as I called
out. Naomi! Wake up! We gotta go. Ravens here! I shouted as I packed up what I could. This
wasnt normal, usually theyd come past Juans place and you would see the smoke rising from the
small shack. This time they had come straight here.
I knew of rebels that had been shot on sight and hung above the camp walls. I wasnt about to let
that happen to us. Naomi came running down from the loft with her bag, she grabbed hold of
Darcys crate and shoved it in. What do we do? Toby? Where are we going? she was confused and
I was acting as I thought. It wasnt ideal. I should have planned better.
Mountains, head for the mountains I am right behind you. I started to climb the ladder to the loft
and dispose of whatever was up there. Naomi was far gone and I was up in the loft when Raven
stormed in, crushing the ground with his boots. He wasnt worried about who heard him, he had no
one to hide from. I cowered down in the hay and tried to cover myself.
Find him, I want the boy found. The girl I couldnt care less about. Just get me that boy. He
commanded. I had fought him back for years leaving many of his solders in the dust with their
dignity just as low. So when corned I decided to fight back. If the Raven wanted me, he would have
quite a fight on his hands.
Sir, what about this? He pointed at where I had cooked us dinner for the past few months, I hadnt
cleaned up the food from last night. If they were here then they didnt leave long ago. The raven
looked up to the hay loft almost right at me.
Check everywhere. And with that he had gone, but his minions hadnt. One climbed the ladder and
almost stood on my hand, he poked into the hay with the head of his gun, and I looked right down
the barrel and saw the end, a Taser. He wanted me alive. Big mistake on his part.
Over the years I had learnt to defend myself. Admittedly I had hoped to be welcomed back into the
camp and be a Guard. But now I knew that there was another thing they wanted from me. Naomi
was able to run fast so I never expected her to have to fight, but for me, running had involved
tripping and arsing up in the dirt. So now I fight. The guy didnt expect a fully grown boy to jump out
at him and disarm him so quickly. I pointed the Taser gun at him and slid past him. I wasnt a killer.
Let me go, dont call out. Also strip, I need your jacket and shoes, oh and the pants. The man
listened to me, oddly he did as I said and gave me his clothes and shoes. Sit down in the hay and
dont move until the others leave, then run. Run home and tell them that I gave you mercy, I spared
your life so that I could get a message to the Raven; Leave us alone, Or else. I knew it probably
wouldnt work but I had to try, I threw on the Jacket and transformed myself into guard. I grabbed
the helmet of the guards head, he was only a boy. Much younger than me, he had tears in his eyes. I
almost felt sorry for him.
I left down the ladder and looked around the back door that Naomi left out of. A guard was slowly
making his way over to it poking at the rubble laying around. I raced over to the door giving the
guard a strange look, I recognised him, he was probably in my class at school or maybe he had come

to the church when I was there with my mother. But I recognized his face. Ill just have a look out
here, you check the loft. I acted all proper and like I knew what I was doing.
Fine mate, just hurry it up. He smirked and walked over to the ladder, I had approximately 3
minutes to get as much distance between me and the squad of guards. As soon as I was out the door
I ripped the helmet off and ran a mile. I was still dressed in the large leather coat, the pants, and the
shoes. I heard shouts from the shed, I turned around for a second glance, the guards werent
following me, and they just stood there, watching me disappear into the distance. Up ahead I could
see Naomi running, she was almost at Juans. She probably thought that it was an empty shack, but
Juan would be waiting for customers, and he would get Naomi. Then she would figure it all out,
where I had spent majority of my childhood. We had never gone far from Juans and for good
reasons, he was my only link to some form of society, telling us where the rebels were how far they
were, when the Raven was coming.