anders/book-1/12.tex

\chapter{12}

Even if it wasn't by much,
the part of the city that Katt and her tribe lived in was different than the part where he had met the cat girl and ran for his life.
There was one important difference:
The night sky that spread out above the crumbling roofs of the ill-treated city wasn't a light-swallowing darkness,
but a completely normal sky with a small sickle moon and countless twinkling stars.

And they had only left the house for a couple of minutes when it got bright.
The sky in the east started to turn grey and started to brighten almost unnaturally quickly,
but Andrew kept his thoughts in check even though they wanted to go on absurd wanderings.
They were high in the mountains,
which was known for how quickly it got bright,
but also dark in the evening.
Even if he didn't have a shred of proof for it,
by now he was completely sure that he was on a different planet in the future or in another dimension.
And he was also (pretty) sure that he wasn't having a nightmare or was hallucinating the whole thing.
He was in the time he belonged in,
and he was actually experiencing all of it.
He just did not have a single idea as to why.

Katt had accompanied him out of the house obediently,
but had stood still,
keeping just as silent as before and Andrew had left it at that for a while.
What he was seeing was enough to keep his thoughts busy for a while.

Bull, Liz and Rex weren't the only uncanny mixtures between human and animal that he saw that morning,
and not even the most bizarre.
Andrew chose not to focus too much on a lot of the figures to keep them from following him into his nightmares,
but he did see that not \textit{all} of the members of the tribe were as mutated as Bull or Ratt.
A lot of the figures that sat,
ate breakfast,
or were just taking in the sunrise at the extinguished fire looked completely normal.
If they even had any mutations they were either hidden under their clothes or were so little that they weren't noticeable.

After they had silently strolled across the Plaza for a while the silence got so uncomfortable that he couldn't stand it any more.
He stood still,
 turned around to her and tried to catch her eyes,
but he didn't manage it.
Just to say anything
(and to not talk about Bull and the rest;
he wasn't motivated to do that)
he asked: ``How is Bat doing?''

Katt threw a quick glance in the direction that they had come from before she answered.
Fires burnt in most but not all of the buildings that surrounded the Plaza.
One of them was lit up enough that it was bright as day inside, with fires even going on the roof of the three-storied building.

``She's getting better.'', she said.
``She's having a baby.
But it doesn't look good.''

``I'm sorry'', answered Andrew.
``Hopefully it isn't anything too bad?''

Katt shrugged.
``It will only take two or three more days.
Then we'll see.''

``Is she your friend?''

Katt looked at the well-lit building again before she answered.
``She's having a baby'', she said as if that were enough of an answer.
It could be that that was enough of one for her.
Andrew didn't ask her to elaborate any more.
He didn't really want to talk about Bat.
It was just about breaking the increasingly awkward silence to him,
and he had finally succeeded.

``So this is your \dots''
He searched for the right word for a moment.
``camp'', he settled on.
Katt just nodded.

``How big is your tribe?'', asked Andrew.

``Very big'', answered Katt.
A trace of pride was interlaced with her voice.
``We're almost a hundred strong.
The biggest tribe of all.''

``There are other tribes?'', asked Andrew surprised.

``Five others'', answered Katt.
``But none of them are as big as ours.
And we have the most successful hunters.
Last winter nobody starved to death!''

``And even that is a success, huh?''
Katt's answer made him mad since he could feel that the whim of fate wasn't the only thing responsible for the miserable life  Katt and all these pitiful creatures had to live.

``That is more than some other tribes can say'', Katt reciprocated in a lightly wounded tone.
``Is it not like that where you're from?''
She apparently did not understand his anger.

``Of course not!'', he answered furiously.
``Most people where I'm from don't even know what hunger is!''

``Then you are from a very happy place'', said Katt.
She sounded sad.

Andrew was going to give an even more furious answer,
but left it at a wordless shake of his head,
adding:
``Sorry.''

``What for?''

``Nothing'', said Andrew.
``Well, tell me about your people.
How do you live here?
What do you do?
What do you live on?''

Katt looked at him for a long time and in a way that sent a shudder down Andrew's back.
``I would much rather hear something about you'', she admitted.
``About the outside.''

``You don't know anything about it, do you?''
Andrew's gaze left Katt's face for a moment and glid to the mountains that surrounded the ruined city on all sides but one.
Only the north was empty of mountain peaks,
with only hazy distance to be seen.
``Have you all always lived in this valley?''

``Nobody knows'', answered Katt.
She shrugged and for a moment her gaze glid in the same direction Andrew's did.
A peculiar look appeared in her eyes that Andrew couldn't identify.
But it wasn't pleasant.
He wasn't sure he actually wanted to know the story that was behind that look.

``I was born here and so was my mother'', she continued after a small eternity,
unprompted and very shyly.
``Nobody knows what was before.''

``What do you mean, nobody?'', assured Andrew.
``There must be people who remember.
Your parents!
Or the old ones!
I don't mean Bull and the supposed old ones,
but the \textit{actually} old ones!''

Katt looked at him unintelligibly.
``Nobody gets older than Bull or Liz.'', she said.
``Bull has almost survived twenty winters.
Nobody before him has lived that long before him,
and the only reason he made it so far is because he is so strong.
But he might not survive the next hunt or the one after that.

``And that doesn't bother him?''

``That's how life is'', said Katt apathetically.
``Bull knows that.
Is it different where you're from?
Do you never die?''

``We do'', answered Andrew.
``But not like that!
At twenty?
Life is just starting at that point!''

Katt looked at him with a look that he didn't understand at first.
Then as he understood her look he recoiled and felt bad about what he had said.
If what Katt had said was true,
then she already had most of her life behind her;
In fact it was the \textit{biggest} part of her life.
His words must be pure scorn.

``Sorry'', he said again.
``But I \dots I just don't understand!
What happened here?
Why won't anyone help you\textinterrobang''

``Help?'', repeated Katt uncomprehending.
``But who and why?''

Andrew ignored the question about \textit{who}.
The only contact that these pitiful creatures had had with people from the outside were clearly just the men from the black fighter helicopters,
which these people aptly named \textit{Dragons} and that had already demonstrated what their \textit{help} looked like.
But why?

``Why did you help me?'', he asked.

``Because you had saved my life before that'', answered Katt.
``I repay my debts.''

``That isn't true'', Andrew insisted.
``You started it.
I would have been dead if you hadn't pulled me off that roof.
And now don't you tell me it wasn't dangerous!
They would have shot you just like they would have done to me!''

``Maybe I was just being dumb'', Katt answered spitefully.
``Or maybe I didn't want them to win.''

Her change in tone didn't elude Andrew.
Apparently it wasn't common for people to help strangers out here,
and Katt seemed to be embarrassed to have broken that rule.
He left it at that,
at least for the moment.

``So, what happened here?'' he asked again.
He made a wide gesture.
``Who did this to you?''

``Did this to us?''

``Somebody destroyed this city'', Andrew persevered.
``You must know who or why.
There \dots must be some kind of stories!''

``I don't know what you mean'', said Katt.
It sounded honest.

``Nobody here has any memories of the past?'', asked Andrew doubtfully.
``No lore?
Not even legends of a big fire that fell from the skies,
of as far as I'm concerned the wrath of the gods,
or maybe a dragon that had burnt your world?''

``That's nonsense'', answered Katt.
``It has always been like this.''

``No, god damn it, it was not!'', contradicted Andrew.
``And it isn't even that long ago!''

``How would you know?'', asked Katt.
Suddenly her mistrust was back, stronger than before.
``Until now you have been acting like you don't know anything about us.''

``That is true'', answered Andrew.
``But you know,
we have cities like this too.
Just that they are very different.''

``And how?'', Katt wanted to know.

``Not destroyed'', answered Andrew.
``Not burnt like this one.
The houses there have roofs and windows and doors.''
He shook his head.
``Have you never wondered who built all of this?''

``Nobody builds anything'', answered Katt offhandedly.
``It's not allowed.''

``Nonsense'', said Andrew vehemently.
``Something isn't right here Katt.
Something happened here.
Something terrible.
And apparently none of you want to know what it was.''

``Knowing is dangerous'', answered Katt.
It came as quickly as a lifelong memorized reflex,
a litany that she automatically recited without thinking about it for a fraction of a second.
``And useless.
What do you get from knowing what happened before?''

Andrew started to formulate a sharply-worded answer,
but he let it go.
It didn't make sense to argue with Katt.
He kept silent.

``Maybe Rex and the others are right'', said Katt.

``Right?
About what?''

``They say that you're dangerous to us.''

``Yeah, maybe'', Andrew said with a shrug.
``But you don't have to worry.
I won't be here long enough to actually be dangerous for you.''

Katt wrinkled her brow.
``What do you mean?''

``Just like I said'', answered Andrew.
``I'm definitely not staying here.''

``Nonsense'', Katt rebutted.
``Nobody leaves from here.''

``Has anyone ever tried it?''

``A couple'', answered Katt.
``They all died.
Nobody gets over the mountains.''

``I can'', Andrew insisted.
Katt wanted to talk back again,
but this time Andrew's quick and slightly louder tone cut her off
--- even though he felt like he shouldn't say it.
``I'm not just anyone, you know?
I mean:
I'm neither extraordinarily important nor famous or irreplaceable.
But my father is a very influential man and is also filthy rich.
He noticed a long time ago that our plane hasn't arrived like it was planned,
and he will move heaven and earth to find me.''
With a snide noise he motioned towards the black mountains that loomed over the roofs of the city
like gigantic stone prison guards.
``Those mountains would have to reach all the way to the moon.
I'll bet it won't even take three days before he finds me.''

``Are you sure?', asked Katt.

Something in the way that she asked that irritated Andrew.
Maybe it would have scared him if he would have let her.
He still nodded.

``You had the sickness,
Andrew.'', Katt said after a couple seconds.
It was still in the same empathetic tone that was making him more and more uncomfortable.

``And?''

``You had a heavy fever'', Katt continued.
``We all thought that you would die,
but you made it.''

Andrew stared at her.
His heart started beating.
``How long \dots did I sleep?'', he asked hesitantly.

``Ten days'', answered Katt.