Abandoned City

The rest of the day passed in a haze of excitement and activity. Word had spread surprisingly quickly about the sighting of Police Hounds above ground. Suddenly, there was a roaring trade going on, both in the Market and in the alleys. Around every corner some toddler or growing child could be seen with an extra knife on hand, illegally bought - for nobody under twelve was permitted a personal weapon - and food was being traded in mass quantities for storage through the troubled times ahead. Prices soared, poverty reigned, more tyrannical than ever, forcing many to beg or starve.

Six walked through all of this chaos, never resting, dead on her feet and unable to shut her eyes. She'd chosen her replacement almost immediately upon returning to her Bunk: Travis Wheat, an able-bodied fourteen-year-old whose birth she'd been present for, had been her only option. Plenty were willing to take up the job, of course, and others may have taken longer to make the decision, looked over their choices. But Six had known, as soon as she'd realized she'd need to pick a successor, that Travis would be the one to pick. He'd proved himself ten times over to her. She'd even brought him Hunting once or twice. And, above all, he would take the job seriously like nobody else would.

Due to the furtive glances and smirks she saw shot at her throughout the day, Six was well aware of the excitement spreading like a disease through Mecha. The Hunters and Protectors were off to risk their necks for everybody's safety - and they'd be choosing the next generation of Elite. It was every child's dream to become one of these - revered, respected, feared. And why pass up the chance to become a Hunter? After all, if they couldn't go above ground during the Hound Hunt, it would be the easiest job in the world.

Six had taken it upon herself to quash these ideals. Right after she'd appointed Travis, newly dubbed Sixteen, she'd turned to the rest of her Bunk mates. They had all been staring openly at the informal appointment, sulking.

"Listen up!" she said loudly. "I know what you're all thinking, and let me make one thing perfectly clear: Hunters will still be going topside to procure game!" There was a loud intake of breath from all around her, and she plowed on, "Do you think we'd appoint them just for the fun of it? No! While myself and the rest of the Hunters and Protectors are searching for Hounds, the Hunters will be placed among us, hunting animals where they can. We will not hoard food like vermin. We will take care of ourselves.

"Neuve will be here soon enough to appoint a new Protector. Don't put yourself forward thinking lightly of it. You'll still be bargaining for their surgeries, pointing them in the right direction for deals on food. You may have to go Above to talk to Doctors. You've been warned. Think about it."

This pronouncement had not been met with enthusiasm. Indeed, she'd been hissed at and booed as she left the Bunk. It didn't matter. Travis had taken the responsibility, stony-faced and determined. She'd seen him out of the corner of her eye, telling his younger brother - Will - to go and see if any other Hunters had been named, and to round them up for an impromptu meeting. It was that, more than anything, that told her she'd made the right choice.