In Sector 5, mornings usually began with the horrifying sounds of trees dying.
The forest north of the sector screamed, and those screams came back with echoes - creating one twisted rhythm of splitting wood. How merciless and steady those axes were! The harmony of birds chirping just added a more sick melody to it. Beautiful yet cruel indeed.
Among the burly-looking lumberjacks, a middle-aged woman named Alena was working as if her life depended on it. So focused. Sweat traced down her temple as her ax rose and fell with grace.
The music from the radio hummed in the background. But to Alena's ears, damn it felt like noise.
She lifted the tool again. Her hands gripped the worn handle, perhaps the only thing binding her to this human world. And then she brought it down with a crack, splitting the log clean.
Then, for a moment, she stood still. Her eyes lingered on the broken wood. The way the inner fibers frayed like torn skin looked unnatural from her perspective. The troubled woman imagined the fibers to be human bones instead. Maybe the thought generated from her demons she carried, or maybe its just her nature. Her nature to-
A shrill caw all of a sudden shattered her trance.
She turned. The harsh sound came from a crow perched on a nearby tree. It tilted its head, as if it were studying her. That too with an almost human curiosity. At least to her, it felt like that. Seeing the yellow ribbon on its neck, Alena understood who was about to make an appearance, "She's nearby, isn't she?"
Moments later, that 'She' finally appeared behind the trees. It's Georgia. The woman was wearing a floral yellow dress that swayed against her knees. Her tied-up hair bounced as she walked towards Alena. And right on cue, the crow with a yellow ribbon flew down onto her shoulder, letting out another squawk.
Georgia's left hand immediately reached up, scratching the bird under its beak. "Aww, hush, Kora. Mommy's here."
Alena grimaced, "That thing creeps me out. Birds shouldn't act like pets."
Georgia laughed, "You just don't know, baby." She kissed the air near Kora's face. The crow blinked slowly, as if it understood the human affection.
Alena rolled her eyes, grabbing her water bottle. "So why are you here, Georgia?"
Georgia finally looked at Alena properly, her grin stretching wide enough to split her over-optimistic skull. "He's finally coming to my house!"
Alena blinked, "He? Who? Nikk?"
Georgia nodded so vigorously that Alena thought her head might pop off.
Georgia: "Yes, Nik! Can you believe it?! We will roam around the city on his bike, and at the end….. He is gonna propose."
Alena lifted her eyebrows, "He told you that?"
Georgia's grin widened, "Nooo... but you know Fol? His friend, who introduced both of us. I've heard from him that Nik bought something special."
Alena: "You mean some flowers or maybe... a ring?"
Georgia punched her playfully, "Yeah. What else can it be? It's got to be for the night. I am so excited, Alena, I swear."
Alena smirked, "Congratulations, Georgia. Finally, I get a break from your awful sex jokes."
Georgia kept punching Alena's shoulder, "Shut up. Shut up. That's never stopping. I still want that shaved -"
Before she could finish, Alena clamped a hand over her mouth, "Stop."
Just for a second, maybe just for a moment, Alena imagined squeezing harder, silencing this idiot entirely. But before the thought could even linger further, the radio's music cut out. It got replaced by a crackling male voice,
"Hello, natives of the 5th sector. I'm your Captain Kostas from troopers."
That name alone stopped everything. Interrupted the work and the breaks. Georgia and Alena looked at the radio.
Georgia: "Isn't this the obsessive bum who's always trying to pick a fight with you?"
Alena shook her head, "Don't start."
Kora gave another sharp caw - like she was mocking the tension. And hopped off Georgia's shoulder. The bird fluttered down to a bush, pecking lazily at a cluster of red berries.
Kostas continued his announcement on the radio,
"There's a rogue and dangerous cult member on the loose. Everyone, for your safety, I request you all to stay in your respective homes. We will take some drastic actions. And we don't want any of you to get hurt. I repeat, I won't let any of you get hurt. So, do not open your doors for any strangers and report any suspicious behavior immediately. The troopers are always with you. Thank you."
Georgia groaned, lighting a cigarette. "His voice always sounds so intimidating. What's his deal with you anyway? Every time he's near you, it's like he's trying to crush you. Some sort of rivalry?"
Alena sighed, "I don't know, and I don't care. Don't align me with this guy. I am happy with my little family and my little world."
"Uh-huh." Georgia blew a puff in the air, "Anyway, you wanna sit and chat? I was just about to give you all the juicy details about Nik."
Alena looked at Georgia while packing the axe into her bag, "Didn't you hear what Kostas said? We need to get to our homes. And I've got some really important work to do, Georgia. Kinda busy today."
Georgia nudged Alena, "Your police stalker isn't gonna mind if we sit for ten minutes."
"Girl, what the- Look, my daughter's waiting for me. I need to get back as soon as possible."
Georgia sighed dramatically, blowing more smoke. "Always so serious. Kalli can handle herself."
"It's not about Kalli," Alena picked her bag up, "Kalli and Lys are at a school picnic. They'll be back tonight. It's actually Kate who is waiting for me back at my house. So I gotta hurry."
Georgia raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat, "Oh yeah, I heard you adopted your late sister's kids. Two of them, right? Man, the world's a crazy place. You have my condolences. I heard your sister and your brother-in-law got into that recent school shootout down the hill and-"
Alena nodded, "Died, yeah. It's fine, I have to be strong. And yeah, I am taking care of her children now, too. Lys and Kate."
Georgia's face softened for a moment, "Damn. That's tough. I know you are strong, but how are they holding up?"
"They are trying. Kate's eight," Alena replied. "And Lys is older, seventeen. And Kate's got paraplegia."
Georgia frowned, "Wait, what? From the incident or…?"
Alena: "No, she's been like this since birth. She just can't walk, so I am doing my best to take care of her."
Georgia took another drag from her cigarette, "What about Kalli?" In a mocking tone, "Your biological daughter."
Alena took a slow breath. "She's going through… a phase. Drinking. Smoking, Acting out. I don't know what's gotten to her. She's been like this since I told her she couldn't aim to be a trooper in the future. She's just sixteen. It's getting worse each day. I've tried disciplining her in... many ways, but nothing's working."
Georgia shrugged, "Go easy on her, girl. That's normal for girls her age."
Alena's grip tightened around her water bottle. "Not for her. I don't want her to go down that path. Nothing goes well when you are trying to pick a weapon for someone else's sake. I'm trying my best to keep her from… falling. Because I've been to those places at my age, it never ends well. Serving for country or justice thing - That is just complete bullcrap."
Georgia laughed softly. "Well, she's not you, Alena. She never experienced your experiences, if that makes sense. Let that girl breathe. She will get there eventually. You are too obsessed with this whole 'Gotta be different than my mom' thingy. Chill out, girl."
Alena's vision blurred for a second. The bottle in her hand felt heavier. Georgia kept talking, but Alena wasn't hearing it. She imagined taking the cigarette from Georgia's lips and shoving it into her mouth. Just silencing her right there.
"Yeah, just leave it. I don't know why I even started to talk to you in the first place. You will never know...." She said firmly. "You don't know what it's like to be me. Just focus on fucking Nik."
She turned on her heels, starting to walk away, "Good luck with your shitty-ass date."
Kora flapped once and again landed neatly on Georgia's shoulder, ruffling her hair.
Georgia grinned, stroking the bird's wing like it was a kitten, "Okay, I will fill you in with all the stories tomorrow. Also, if you need any help, just ask!!! You know, I am always here for you." In almost a mocking tone, she said, "Your best friend, right?"
"You fucking wish," Alena muttered under her breath.
Georgia's laughter faded behind her as she walked past her. Alena was finally alone with her own thoughts. That girl, Georgia, always acted like this. Making fun of the dear things Alena held close. She just adjusted the strap of her bag and started down the familiar path home. The forest suddenly felt quieter. Even the crow had gone silent.
As she was walking, Alena nearly forgot about Kostas's warning and continued to hum that same tune from the radio earlier. Hoping it might quiet the unease that clung to her. But no matter how much she tried, the anxiety just wouldn't shake off. And suddenly, as she was passing by a small house, a familiar but creepy voice rang out from behind her. That alone brought her back to this shitty reality,
"Alena!"
She stopped and turned to see who called her. That's when she spotted a Trooper's jeep parked beside that small house. The white emblem on the side gleamed under a film of dust.
Three troopers stood outside, talking to a family at the gate. Their posture was almost gentle - helmets off, hands open as they reassured the worried homeowners. The mother looked tense; the father nodded stiffly.
And then Alena's eyes found Kamala.
The trooper was kneeling on the ground, speaking so softly to a little boy clutching his mother's hand. Kamala's faceplate was off. You could see the tired but kind eyes. She pulled a small metallic badge from her vest - the Trooper insignia - and pressed it into the boy's palm.
That little boy smiled. Kamala smiled back. For a moment, it all looked so beautiful. That scenario caught our Alena off guard. That gentleness. That warmth. This is really surreal,
Alena sighed and thought, So different from their monstrous captain. They aren't that bad, actually. Maybe-
Barging into the beautiful moment, a shadow moved behind the jeep. Her brief hope soured immediately.
Freddie came into view - heavyset, thick-necked. The kind of man who looked like he'd sweat just from walking two meters. His uniform was stretched tight across his gut. And the buttons on his shirt were clinging for dear life. And That weird-looking face of his, was still carrying the evil-ish half smirk.
"Oh god, I hate that face he makes," Alena thought to herself.
Freddie wiped his forehead with his handkerchief and waved at Alena like they were old friends.
"Alena! Alena! Aleeeeena! Hehe. I never thought I'd see you here! Made my day."
Alena exhaled sharply through her nose. "Yeah."
Spoke too soon, she thought. Some still suck just as much as their captain, if not more.