“Protein Bar,” read the label on something that looked like an off-white granola bar. Terra imagined it would be mealy and crumbly and tasteless—that was how it looked, anyway. Beside it was a round bulb filled with milky white liquid. “Essential nutrients,” the plain black label read.
Terra looked for different products, but there were none. All the shelves in the small store were filled with the same two things. Was this all the people of DY-12 ate and drank? How boring! But then, this whole world was boring, as far as Terra could see.
“Excuse me.” The unfamiliar voice interrupted her musings.
Looking up, she saw a person who might be the shop keeper coming towards them. V’rone was already getting into a protective crouch and an angry growl was rising in his throat. The other two Monstrum were looking wary as well.
Uh-oh—better head this off before trouble starts, Terra thought.
Quickly, she stepped between the new person—who appeared to be an older man wearing one of the ubiquitous white jumpsuits—and the huge Monstrum.
“Excuse me,” the shop keeper said again. “But can I help you? Do you wish something for your thirst or hunger? We have the finest protein bars and essential nutrient drinks.”
“So I see,” Terra murmured. “Er, we’re really not hungry or thirsty—we’re just passing through,” she told him, hoping he would mind his own business.
“Well then, perhaps you are low on your Peace Drops?” the man asked her. He pointed to the counter area of the store. Behind it, Terra saw rows and rows of small plastic squeeze bottles that looked like the kind used to hold saline for contact lenses. “It is very important to keep up with Drop usage,” the old man said seriously.
“What kind of drops?” Rive asked. “Where do you put them?”
“Why, in your eyes, of course!” The old man didn’t sound shocked, exactly, but his faded blue eyes widened slightly, which Terra thought was probably as close to surprise as the people of DY-12 could get.
“But what is their purpose?” Tem asked, frowning.
“Why…why to keep the Peace, of course!” the old man said, frowning. “Every Citizen is responsible for keeping up with his or her Peace Drops—they remove unnecessary turmoil and help us all fulfill the will of The Watcher.”
He pointed to the wall and Terra saw what she at first took to be a kind of clock. Then she realized it wasn’t a clock at all—it was a large, lashless eye. It had a blood-red iris and an obsidian pupil and it seemed to be staring at her—at all of them, she realized, uneasily.
“Thank you,” she said quickly. “But we don’t need any more, er, Peace Drops at the moment.”
“Are you certain? You appear to be in non-compliance,” the old man frowned at all of them. “Where are your uniforms? Why are you dressed in colors? Every Citizen knows that colors are forbidden—they cause mental turmoil and distress. Perhaps you belong in a Re-education Center.” He raised his eyebrows. “Or, are you perhaps from another enclave?”
“Yes, yes—we’re from another enclave,” Terra said quickly, hoping to avoid any trouble. “One where colors are allowed—on the other side of DY-12.”
The old man’s frown deepened.
“But The Watcher watches over all of us, all over the planet. How can the rules be different anywhere its eye falls?”
“Er…” Terra wasn’t sure what to say to this.
“It just is. Come on,” V’rone growled as he took her by the arm. “We need to get out of here,” he muttered in her ear. “That damn thing on the wall could be watching us and sending information to the authorities of this planet.”
He nodded at the lashless eye and Terra saw it move, the eyeball tracking them with small, minute movements and the pupil growing larger as though to record the events happening in the small store.
“Crap, you’re right. Come on,” she muttered to the other two Monstrum. “Er, thank you for your hospitality—we need to go now,” she said to the shop keeper as the four of them followed the glowing yellow path, which led to the exit door.
“Wait! You appear agitated—maybe I should call the Peace Keepers?” The old man sounded indecisive. Terra wondered if she ought to stay and reason with him, but the sight of that blood-red eye staring at her hardened her resolve just to get the hell out of there.
“Thank you, goodbye,” she called as the four of them exited the shop.
They found themselves behind the small shop building, exactly where they had been looking earlier. There had been nothing before but now they could see the glowing golden path continuing down the glassy white pavement. They hurried to follow it and Terra breathed a sigh of relief after a moment when the shop keeper didn’t follow them.
They had made it through without any problems…she hoped.
EIGHTEEN
“Well that was fucking close,” V’rone growled as they continued walking through the silent crowds, all dressed in white. “That old male was about to call the authorities on us. We need to stay out of the fucking buildings around here from now on!”