Gabriel was the last to pass through the door, joining the other three who were trying, in vain, to shield their eyes from the morning light. The sun was still rising on the horizon, warm and inviting. They weren't the only ones awake so early; many pedestrians hurriedly walked back and forth, and the sound of gates opening made it clear that the city was beginning to open its shops, even those that hadn't closed since the previous day.
A girl rushed by, carrying a bag full of candles on her back. She put out the ones that were still lit and replaced them as needed.
"I hope you all slept well," Gabriel said, stretching lazily. "It's going to be a long day."
They entered the streets, walking from one side to another, moving through wide streets and others so narrow they had to queue to walk. Livya quickly lost her way.
The market was beginning to open, vendors were in a hurry, and from one side to another, they carried their precious goods in wooden crates, doing everything they could to make their stall more attractive than their neighbor's.
"Livya, they teach about the Vala in training, right?" Naomi asked.
The young woman, who had been focused on a woman skillfully tying the roof of her stall, turned and took a moment to respond.
"Yes, they taught us it's where they take people suffering from radiation."
"That's about right," Michel said. "But you know why they separate them, right?"
"They tried to keep people together before," the young woman interjected.
"That's what they say," Gabriel scoffed, his voice clearly disbelieving.
"But there were a lot of incidents."
"Prejudice, Livya," Naomi replied, staying at the front of the group and leading the way. "And inequality in treatment. That created a lot of hatred, and it became necessary to move these people to a different place."
"They can't be that many, right? I mean, just one neighborhood, at most."
The three veterans looked almost stunned, letting out some laughter. Livya didn't understand the reason for their reaction and felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"Imagine," Michel said. "The Vala is like a shadow of the Cova, both in size and population." Seeing the surprise on her face, he continued, "The Transporters pass by at least once a week to take the children, don't they?"
"Relax, Michel," Gabriel interjected. "She'll see it for herself soon enough."
They crossed the market, making their way deeper into the city, walking for several minutes, dodging people. Eventually, the houses began to thin out. Soon, it was just them and a few others walking along a dirt road.
Naomi stayed by Gabriel's side as they walked. They didn't speak, keeping their eyes focused ahead. The newcomer noticed it was just the four of them walking at that moment, and what had once been a well-trodden path now seemed like a barely visible mark on the ground.
That's when the smell hit them.
"What's that?" Livya exclaimed, putting her hand to her face to shield her nose from the odor that made her eyes water.
"We're close," Michel replied, showing no sign of concern for the smell, just like the others.
Makeshift fences appeared in sight. Animals of various colors—pink, brown, and black—bathed in mud. Pigs with swollen bodies and lumps of tumors, with legs and limbs disproportionate to their size and heads the same size as when they were born, wandered in their pens.
Livya was starting to accept the smell and knew the origin. Among the animals, people were tending to them, some with small mutations, like one arm smaller than the other, or upper gums so large they extended beyond their mouths, to more serious deformities like a head still forming, growing directly from the middle of a person's belly.
The Crow woman had to concentrate not to look at the figures staring back at them. She realized the others didn't care; Gabriel was even looking back.
"There's that legend that the Ancients used to eat pigs," Livya said, trying to distract herself and not look back. "Is that true?"
"From what they taught us," Naomi replied indifferently, "the radiation from the Third War changed many animals drastically, so, maybe."
What had once appeared to be small hills now revealed themselves as houses made of clay or mud, resembling caves, as not all of them had windows. It was like walking through a giant ant nest. People came and went from their homes, often having to crouch to fit through the small openings. Some houses were made of wood, but they were poorly built.
A crowd ahead formed a large circle, where five bonfires roasted meat and spit-roasted pigs. Livya made the connection when she saw the animals were the main source of food in the area.
At each of the bonfires, someone cut chunks of meat and passed them to the outstretched hands of people from the crowd.
Once again, Naomi was leading the way, and a mixture of emotions followed them wherever they went: fear, anger, distrust, and even envy.
When they turned right, a building unlike the others grew in front of them. It was a wooden house with many windows. The right side was surrounded by cows, tended by a woman with a large lump protruding from the middle of her back.
Several other women stood at the entrance, wearing large white robes and holding bundles. At the main entrance, which had no door, a woman with arms that reached down to her shins and extremely muscular, observed everything with great seriousness. She had a large knife hanging from her side.
Livya took a quick peek as they passed in front of the door. The floor was completely covered with mattresses where babies and young children, or infants, played and were breastfed.
On the opposite side of the cows, the handcarts of the Transporters could be seen. Livya paid attention.
"So this is where they bring the children," she muttered quietly, but got no response from the others.
They went deeper into the city, and the house disappeared from view. This time, the cries of vendors ahead caught their attention. There were few stalls, with scarce products, and vendors who showed no reaction at all to seeing the Crows.
"Coins are coins," Michel said to Livya. "It doesn't matter where."
A woman with one side of her body drooping, as if melting, came out of one of the wooden houses. With a bag that seemed full of coins, she bought a nice piece of meat.
Soon, they saw the grand building. A massive stone house, with a marble staircase flanked by concrete beams. It would catch attention anywhere, but here, it was almost as if it were from another world. With the great number of people moving around, it became clear they were at the city's main nerve center.
"We've arrived," Naomi said.
They climbed the stairs, at the top of which two hulking men stood, resembling the woman who guarded the children, both with long knives strapped to their belts. Naomi moved ahead, saying:
"We've come to see Thomas." When the men didn't show any reaction, she added, showing her ring. "We're Crows."
The two brutes exchanged a few words and cleared the way for the group.
"It's time," Naomi said, turning to the three of them.