Chapter 13: Wild
The “Wildman” turned out to be remarkably easy to find. The problem had not been trying to find out where he was, it was trying to find out where he wasn’t. Every time someone gave me a Wildman sighting, I always got there after the fact. He was everywhere I wasn’t. Finally, at the advice of one of the Marks vendors, I found that the “Wildman” climbed the Eaglewood rock face at the east outskirts of the city. On Saturday morning, I didn’t bother inventing a lie with my dad, I left without saying goodbye and jumped onto an air bus.
Eaglewood was an expensive and exclusive part of the city. Mega mansions dotted the landscape, and the homes surrounded a large lake. Many homes had docks, boats, power skis and rafts along its lakefront access. But as my bus passed these homes, it was the scenery behind the mansions that caught my attention. The rock face rose up from behind the homes, a park sanctuary dedicated to hikers and climbers. Trails dotted the park. Hikers were the main users except for rock climbers like the Wildman.
As I got off the bus, I looked up at the rock face. In the distance, a climber in a red jacket was about halfway up. I stepped towards a trail on the left and walked upward to get to the top before the climber reached the summit. The air was cool and the woods were peaceful. I passed an empty squirrel feeder mounted to a fence post. I reached into my pocket and uncrumpled a bagful of peanuts. As I dropped a few onto the platform, I heard a chittering from above. I quickly left to let the animal come down from the trees.
I looked back to see a black squirrel jump down from a branch. How I envied the animal’s freedom, its ability to go where it wanted, when it wanted. There were so few living creatures in our woods that I marvelled at it movements. It scurried onto the platform, grabbed a peanut and disappeared up another tree. I looked around and noticed a camera on a lamppost. Even out the woods, the ‘safety of the people’ was maintained. Gag! I couldn’t even think the propaganda with a straight face. As I rounded the turn, I came to the top of the rock face.
The view was magnificent, and looking down I wondered if Dad could ever have afforded homes like these. Even if Mom were still alive, the homes were well above anything we could afford. Yet I wasn’t envious. I could see a drone cycle driving down a street as kids pointed at it. The rich were under surveillance for their own protection, just like the rest of us. Their wealth didn’t afford them any greater freedom.
“Pretty breathtaking, isn’t it?” I looked down and realized the climber had reached the peak. The Wildman was in his mid-twenties, with curly brown hair and a shaggy beard. He looked just like described.
“It is. Do you need a hand?” I offered to help pull him up.
“Right on.” He grasped my hand and used his other hand to pull up on his rope. He smiled and sat down on rock, his legs dangling over the edge. He pulled out an energy bar and offered me a bite.
“No, thanks,” I said as I sat down beside and a bit behind him. I wasn’t brave enough to sit so close to the edge. “Ever wish you could ever afford one of the houses down there?” He was silent for a moment, as if he was considering my question.
“No. Never thought about it B. I want to go places. Living down there isn’t one them.” Okay, now he’d piqued my interest.
“So where do you want to go?”
“There.” He pointed to the north. “And there.” He pointed west. “And…” I stopped his hand.
“I get the idea. But why? What do you want to see?” He fished out a pair of binoculars from his pack.
“Look over there.” He pointed to the West Mountains. I scanned the peaks of lush woods. Their beauty was immense, the land unspoiled, probably less traveled by cameras and drones. I could see the allure.
“So you like to climb?” I handed the binocs back to him.
“B, I love to climb. I live to climb. I want to climb the highest peaks in the world, Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga. I’m going to see them all.”
“What’s holding you back? Why are still climbing here?”
“Usual reasons. Need money, lots of it. Need travel visas. Takes time and more money. Need help. Some of these mountains you can’t climb alone. You need a team. But I need time and…”
“Money. Yeah, I got that part.” I had to admire him. His goal was simple — like me, he wanted out of this city. “By the way, my name is Pene, not B.” I extended my hand. Boys in my class had an annoying habit of shortening each other’s name and using the first letter instead of the full name. So childish. Jeffrey was J and Thomas was T. It was obvious that despite his age, he still had the mentality of a teenage boy.
“Stu, although my friends call Wildman.” He shook my hand. His felt gritty from dirt and hard with calluses.
“I know, I’ve been looking for you.” If he seemed surprised by this comment, he didn’t show it. He started to put some of his climbing gear into his backpack.
“Well, you found me. How can I help you, B?” I wondered if he realized calling a girl a B was rude. I was starting not to like him.
“A friend of mine told me he bought something from you.” I reached into my jacket and pulled out the spherical glass fragment. He smiled and manipulated it in his hands.
“Found that months ago, hiking in the west mountains. Went farther than usual that day, barely got back before curfew.”
“Curfew?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah, it’s not widely publicized. The idea is that for our safety, everyone should be within the city limits after dark. No overnight camping.”
“How would they know? What would they do?”
“Seriously? How would they know? Look around us. The cameras, the drones. They know our every move before we make it. In fact,” he leaned in closer, “I’ve heard guys talk about how everyone is chipped and they have some mega computer that traces our movements every day. With that history, they can predict where you’ll be a week from now.”
“You’re crazy. Why would anybody want to follow me?” I hated the drones but I was starting to doubt his sanity.
He laughed. “They could care less about you and me. We’re just cattle in a pen, B.”
“I told you not to call me that,” I interrupted, annoyed. Boys are so stupid sometimes.
“Sorry. You did say that. My mom always said I was a bit thick.” Wow — great mom. “Didn’t mean to disrespect you. You seem pretty cool. Anyway, they keep an eye on us, especially those people who don’t play by the rules.”
“Like you?”
“Like us.” I think he judged me pretty well.
“For our own safety.”
“That’s the party line.”
“And why do you think everyone is watched so closely?” I asked him. He looked at me as if I was conspiring with the government.
“Wait a second, you show up out of nowhere and start asking questions about the city. How do I know you aren’t one of them? Maybe you’re trying to trap me?”
“Do you think you’re worth it?” I leaned closer. He looked at the expression on my face and we both burst out laughing.
“Okay. Sorry, getting a little paranoid. Seems to me that shopkeeper I sold the glass to got into trouble lately. What was his name?” He tapped his forehead to try to jumpstart his memory.
“Lou. He’s the one who told me you sold it to him.”
“That’s right. But he got caught with his hands in the cookie jar. Think he was charged with stealing?”
“That’s what they say,” I answered nonchalantly.
“Well, he’s blacklisted now. I don’t imagine anyone will be selling him anything soon.”
I thought about his comments and immediately felt bad for Lou. He hadn’t committed the crime but had lost ten years of his life and possibly his business.
“So if you sold this to him, where did you find it again?” I tossed it over to him and he rubbed it. He pointed to the highest peak in the west.
“Found it with some other debris on the ground. Most of the stuff was smashed up and in pieces, but this piece was intact. Made me think of a fly’s eye.” He put it near his face for effect, and it reflected a cool blue.
“Where do you think it came from?” I asked as he handed it back to me.
“I don’t know. Bigfoot? Aliens? It could have fallen from the sky. I don’t know and I don’t care. But I did get a few credits for it towards my climbing trip.” Stu grinned and handed it back to me. He stood up and flung his backpack over his shoulder. “Like to stay, but I got places to go. Did you want to walk down with me?”
“Not now.” I looked down the trail. “I need a few minutes to think.” He looked at me as if I had a question. Which I did.
“You want to how to get to the West Mountains?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Unless you go through the city gate, the only other way is to climb there.”
“I know.”
He smiled, pulled out a piece of paper and wrote on it. He handed it to me. I saw a bunch of numbers. “These are the GPS coordinates. Look it up online and you will see where to go. Don’t keep the piece of paper — memorize the numbers,” he suggested.
“No problem. Thanks for your help. Will I see you around?”
“You never know. It’s a free world.” He snickered and scratched his beard. He walked down the trail and disappeared between the trees. I watched the road below and a few minutes later saw him walking away into the distance. I considered my options.
I hated school, my dad would never forgive me and the justice system was flawed, possibly corrupt. I really had only one option. I had to leave this city. And I had to do it undetected.