Hive - Breaking Chains

“Urry up Reg, If you’re late the dogs will dock our rations again”.

“Yes Ma” Reg called, “Be down now”. I stared at the wall just 5 seconds more before getting out of bed. Ma sounds tired again.

The dusty floorboards creek under my feet as I make my way to the sink, waters cold again, but who am I kidding its always cold these days, ever since the nobles decided the best solution to save on supplies was to cut off anything considered a luxury to us “Dronies”. Ah well, the cold water helps me wake up.

“Morning Ma” I yawn as I sit at the table for breakfast. Quarter Bowl ‘a’ Oats, I’ve always hated how it tastes but its all we get. Ma always gives me half of hers to, she thinks I don’t notice but I do.

“Morning Reg” she smiled, “Pa’s gone in to work early to get some extra rations for your birthday this weekend, can’t believe my babby will be 13, you’re growin so quick”.

“Ah Ma, he don’t need to do that, it’s just a birthday” I said, “As long as we’re together it will be great”.

She grinned, threw me my lunch, and carried on cleaning. “Be safe on the way in bab, I’ll see ya for suppa”.

The walk to work was as miserable as ever, we live in the outer district, the nobles call us the street rats, the ones that should have been left out in the nuclear war of 2107. It’s been 50 years since the war ended and nothing has changed, the queen and her nobles relax in the inner circle enjoying the luxury living and new technology made to keep them happy. I mean, the woman who saved us all, she is idolised by everyone from the middle district and up, I bet most of them don’t even know what happens down here. We are the “lucky ones” the dregs with no potential, where between the cesspit off thrown together shacks we stay. Only the dogs venture into these parts to make sure we remember who’s in charge. We are left with all the manual work and split into 3 sectors. I’m a farmhand. I help with farm lands, from sowing to growing to picking to delivering. I do it all. My Pa’s a scout, he goes up top and search for any supplies, chops wood, hunts and gathers anything he can that is useful to the queen. Then there’s the diggers and you guessed it, they dig us new tunnels to expand the queens underground lands. That’s our happy little haven we have thanks to the mercy of the queen for bringing us down here.

As I near the tunnel I can smell the multitude of bodies filing through before I can see them. Imagine hundreds of people who can’t wash cramming through a small tunnel that can hold a maximum of three a breast.

“Morning Reg” I heard a shout from behind, it was Hendrix, he works on the farm with me, we grew up together just like our fathers did. Well, that was before his dad died to the plague that swept through 5 years ago. Now his Ma has three kids by herself, he works real hard to make sure there is food on the table for his brothers.

“Morning H, all cleaned up for the day? The boss said we have special visitors coming to the farm today” I said waiting for him to catch up.

“Yea” he gasped as he finally stopped running to get to me, “I wonder who it is? No-one every comes down here”.

“Yeah me too, maybe it’s some important watchdog family, they always get a kick out of making us suffer” I said as I punched him in the arm affectionately.

“Who knows, maybe they have come to take me for a life of luxury in the Hive” laughed Hendrix.

Yeah, and the surface is liveable again” I jested.

We both stopped talking as we walked through the tunnel, focusing on where we were going, it is a long and rather dark walk, takes about 30 minutes from the sheer amount of people trying to get through at the same time. My eyes adjusted to the countless lights attached to the cavern ceiling spreading across the farmlands. It’s the only time we get to see some of the luxuries the middle class and above really have. The intricate details and brilliant engineering that has made it possible to produce underground electricity post war is amazing, shame they don’t think we are worth the extra resources in our living spaces.

“Best get to it H” I said as we reached the farm.

“Yea, I’m on deliveries today so I’ll see ya for lunch” he replied patting my back and walking off to the sheds.

I was in the fields today helping the boss, he always likes me in the fields, says I’m a hard worker and quicker than the rest. It was a average morning, we managed to harvest a full wheat field before lunch, the boss will reward us with extra rations for that. Hendrix was still out of deliveries so I went to eat by my favourite fence off the side of the wheat field. I usually come here to daydream, mostly about finding away to the middle district so my Ma and Pa can have a better life. I smiled, one day.

“Hello”

“AH” I jumped up with a yelp, “H, Hello? I nearly jumped out my skin, you scared me”.

She giggled, “What’s your name?” she said as she danced around me.

Then I realised, she wasn’t from round here! Her beautiful white dress was clean and smelt of lavender and her hair, it was brushed and so beautifully long. She must be with the visitors the boss spoke about.

“M, My name? I stumbled, “I, It’s Reggie Miss. Who are you?”

“Freya” she giggled again, “Freya Harris”.

“HARRIS” I exclaimed, “As in Master Harris, the Queens advisor?”

“Mm hmm” Freya nodded, “He’s my daddy”.

“Oh” I stuttered as I slowly backed away. If I was seen talking to her my family would lose a days rations for sure. I couldn’t, not when Pa had been working so hard. She seemed to gauge my hesitation and frowned slightly.

“Do you want to play?” She asked, tilling her head slightly. “We are down here all week and I have no one to play with”

“W, Well I, I, I have to W, Work you see” I stammered, turning quickly praying no one was around, but there they were running across the field.

“FREYAAA” I heard shouting across “FREYAAAA”.

“I’m here Daddy” she said smiling and waving. She was completely oblivious to the situation, but I knew exactly what was coming.

“FREYA” he gasped, “What on earth are you doing here with a filthy street rat!”

“He’s my new friend daddy, we were just playing” she said smiling at me.

He threw her over his shoulder and stormed off in a rage. “Mr Jameston, I expect this boy to be disciplined severely for this, my daughter could have gotten seriously ill!”

“Yes Sir, of course” said the boss, looking at me sadly. “Sorry kids, there isn’t much I can do. I’m going to have to send you home for the week, no rations.

“A week?” I felt the tears, but I sucked them up, what am I going to say to Ma! “But, I”

“I’m sorry kid, there’s nothing I can do about this” Mr Jameston sighed patting my shoulder. “Get yourself home, I’ll see you tomorrow morning”.

The walk home felt like a day’s walk, I felt nauseous. How was I going to explain this to Ma and Pa? They will be distraught. As I turned the corner to the street Ma was outside helping Ms Kelly, the old lady next door. She’s become very frail the past year and Ma does everything she can to help out.

“Hey Ma” I stuttered as I burst into tears.

She didn’t say a word, she knew it was bad but all she did was pull me close and hug me tight. “It will all be okay my boy” she claimed. “Lets get the suppa on shall we”.

I went to bed before Pa got home, I just couldn’t face him. I know he wouldn’t care but I felt so ashamed, all his hard work for me and I’ve ruined it. I’ll go in early tomorrow, maybe if I can get some extra hours in Mr Jameston might be able to change it to half a week rations instead. Yeah, surely he will I thought, tears rolling down my cheeks, he has too.

I don’t remember anything else, I must have fallen asleep. I wrote Ma a note to say I’d go early and made the walk in. It was quiet, no one comes in this early but I had to, I had to make it up to Ma and Pa. I turned the corner into the barn and there she was again! Dancing and singing to herself, I tried to back away but she noticed me.

“HEY! Reggie wasn’t it” She bounced over to me excitedly “Come dance with me it’s fun!”

“I, I can’t! I shouted.

She looked bewildered. “Why?”

“Cause I’m already in trouble and had a weeks rations taken from me because of yesterday” I exclaimed.

“Rations?” She looked confused, as if the word rations was a foreign language to her. Well it probably was, lets be real.

“People like me aren’t supposed to be near people like you don’t you get it?” I said.

“But I’m a kid and you’re a kid, so we should be friends and have fun” she grinned again and took my hands and flung me around into a dance. I mean apart from the fear coursing through me it was really fun, I completely forgot where we were, I felt like a nine year old enjoying himself. We were both laughing when I felt it, a huge crack to the face as I hit the ground.

“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY DAUGHTER” Screamed Master Harris “Are you hurt darling?” he asking turning to Freya.

“No daddy, he’s my friend we were playing” she said on the verge of tears.

“HE is NOT your friend and you will go nowhere near him again” he shouted. He turned to face me, “Next time I see you next to my daughter street rat you won’t be getting up again”.

I scurried to my feet as fast as a could and rushed home tears streaming and hitting the ground as I ran. All I could think was why, why couldn’t we be friends. Why do we have to be so different, are we not all survivors on the war, are we all not trying to live. Just why?

I heard Ma crying that night and Pa trying to comfort her. I had to get out for some fresh air, I hoped out my window and down the street and there she was.

“FREYA” I shouted “You can’t be here, you’ll get in trouble”.

“I had to” she said sadly, “Daddy explained everything, that we are noble and you are… not” she paused. “I couldn’t bare what he said, it sickened me and, well, I found this”.

She pulled out a shimmering silver heart locket, it glistened and sparkled, it was beautiful.

“I found this in daddies’ room, I thought you could have it, sell it! I caused so much trouble, this is the least I can do to help you. I just wanted to be friends” she cried.

She dropped it on the floor, and it split in two. “A map, there’s map inside! A map to a new land for everyone, above ground!” We stared at each other” Lets go to the new lands, where we can be friends forever”.