I packed a light lunch for their planned tour of the province and even included additional strawberries in Cyler’s pack for reasons I didn’t fully understand. They waited in the common room for the transport to arrive, and once I was sure that they didn’t need anything else I bowed my goodbyes and made my way back towards the kitchen. I had a log of chores to complete in their absence as well as a considerable amount of meal preparations to coordinate for the extravagant dinner Mistress Stonewell had planned for this evening.
I looked forward to a break from the tension that radiated off of Josiah in waves. I also needed to distance myself from the fiery eyes that Cyler Black aimed at my every movement.
“Ashleigh, will you not be joining us today?” Cyler asked. His question caught me off guard, and I spun around clumsily to address the curious man.
“Assigned Walkers aren’t typically allowed to roam the province or utilize transports. We are given only a handful of designated routes to follow, and very few businesses allow Walkers on their premises,” I responded.
Most immune Walkers were allowed to run short errands on behalf of their households, but otherwise, laws prohibited Walkers from exploring Galla. As a child, I sincerely envied Josiah’s freedom to go to the zoo or fair. He knew this, so he would frequently bring me back small trinkets to hide in my room.
My desire to leave the home had diminished over the years, partly because I didn’t know what I was missing out on, and partly because I was simply too busy to have time for such trivial things.
“I’d like for you to accompany us,” Cyler announced. I gaped at him.
“I’m sure the Walker has chores to complete, Cy. Plus, Walkers aren’t allowed. The sudden freedom might be overwhelming for the poor thing,” Jules said in a cooing tone. Her broad smile was threatening as she straightened her floor-length, grey dress so that it hugged her small chest more.
“Nonsense,” Cyler began. “I think it would be enjoyable to see the province from her perspective.” He held out his arm for me to take, ending the conversation. But before walking towards him, I eyed Mistress Stonewell and Josiah suspiciously.
“Oh good grief, girl” Linda groaned. “Just accompany Master Black on the tour. He’s our guest, and we must oblige whatever requests he has, regardless of how peculiar they are.” Linda mumbled the last bit of her statement, but still, Cyler grinned.
After hearing Mistress Stonewell provide approval, I closed the distance between us and politely gripped his arm. The close contact made me self-conscious, and I patted my messy hair and my stained dress. I felt dirty in comparison to my prim companions for the day. Using my free hand, I attempted to smooth my wild curls, but Cyler grabbed it.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered. His acute awareness of me despite our brief knowledge of one another was unnerving. I glanced at Josiah to gauge his reaction to our close contact, but he appeared to be unaware of my presence and wholly absorbed in the task of guiding Mistress Black to the transport. Seeing them so comfortable together brought out the stark differences between us. Where she was refined and poised, I was a clumsy and out of place mess.
“I think I’m very much going to enjoy this,” Cyler continued while easing me into the transport and onto the seat directly next to him. Although I desperately tried to avoid contact, our thighs touched, and the heat radiating off of him made me squirm.
We started our drive, and Josiah pointed out various landmarks, most of which I had only read about or occasionally seen on television. The skyscrapers made of steel and glass kissed the clouds, while men wearing trousers and ties walked the streets below their towering presence. Bright screens of advertisements flashed annoyingly on every corner, and I found myself in awe of all the lights and sounds.
Occasionally, Cyler would ask me questions about my opinions on different buildings or sights, but mostly we remained in quiet awe of everything while Josiah and Jules flirted shamelessly with one another. After an hour or so of torturous flirting and aimless driving, Cyler made an odd request:
“I’d like to see the Walker Zones now.”
Josiah and Jules threw annoyed expressions at him.
“It isn’t common for higher-ranking individuals to explore the Walker Zones,” Jules said. She seemed uncomfortable and outwardly embarrassed by his request.
“I’d like to see the people we could be welcoming into Dormas. I’d also like to see their current conditions.”
Josiah wordlessly nodded his head in agreement and began programming a new destination for the dashboard. We rode in suffocating silence and palpable tension. Jules folded her arms and scowled like a toddler that didn’t get her way. She occasionally huffed in discontent, and I found her behavior to echo the childishness and naivety of her young age.
Outside, our surroundings gradually became less clean. Less pristine. Instead of the polished people gliding confidently on the sidewalk, Walkers migrated the streets with their shoulders slumped wearing torn clothing. The stark differences between the Walker Zones and the rest of Galla were harsh and intimidating.
The dirt, grime, and filth felt like smog in my lungs. Children ran barefoot on the sidewalk, and vendors sold various second-hand items that appeared to be either broken or old. Although I once lived in the Walker Zones as a child with my parents, I didn’t remember the overall helplessness of it all. Memories of my parents were few and far between, but I never remembered feeling unsafe or unhappy.
Walkers watched our transport as it hovered the streets slowly. Cyler wordlessly observed the conditions of the Walkers with a distinct expression of trepidation. His mouth dipped into a fierce frown the deeper we traveled into the Zone. Unlike the present city center of Galla, there were no skyscrapers of brightly-colored advertisements adorning the streets. Huts were made out of scrap sheet metal meant for shelter and decorated in graffiti. Trash littered the streets, and Walkers consumed every available pocket of space possible.
Josiah and Jules whispered amongst one another as we passed through the crowded streets. They smiled back and forth, seemingly unaware of the absolute poverty the people around us endured. A deep feeling of shame and hurt filled me to the brim. After seeing my heritage, I felt that what was once a river between Josiah and I had now become an ocean.
I felt sick witnessing, first-hand, the conditions I would have been subject to had it not been for the serendipitous kindness of the Stonewell family. I clutched my stomach as we passed a group of young children kicking an almost-deflated black ball. Despite the sadness and poverty surrounding them, they moved the ball between one another while chuckling and chatting. I looked over at Cyler to see that his frown had lifted a bit at the sight of these playful children.
“Stop the transport,” he demanded. Josiah looked like he wanted to do anything but that, his eyes squinted, and he released a loud sigh, but he complied. After punching a few buttons on the dashboard, we came to an abrupt stop.
Cyler wasted no time and climbed out of the safety of our transport while dragging me with him. He stomped his boots towards the courtyard full of Walker children while I shuffled cautiously behind.
Everyone stared at us with stunned curiosity. A sickening stench caused me to cough loudly and fight the overwhelming queasiness that bubbled in the pit of my stomach. Cyler made his way over to the children with ease while ignoring their gaping stares. A few smaller children, wearing nothing but diapers, cowered away from him. Cyler’s massive frame and gruff exterior were considered intimidating in even the best of circumstances, but now I could tell that it was instinctively programmed in these children to recognize any potential danger and flee.