Free The Collective by Kenan Hillard Page B

respect were allowed to pass through without injury.
Those who did not were taken before the council and their punishment exacted
without conscience. Tequil tracked the other men to a nearby location, but had
sensed the presence of the foreigner who was heading toward the center of
Grazen. Tequil was not alone in his surveillance. His brothers and sisters were
among the branches and beneath the bushes.  When the empty water bottle touched
the ground they all shook, symbolizing the impending death of the intruder. But
something strange happened, the man retrieved the rubbish and apologized. It
was uncommon for out-dwellers to have this type of consideration. This man was
different. Tequil shifted his weight on the branch and sprung across to the
next out stretched branch, gliding across the canopy. His body was long and
muscular, honed by years of living off the bark and sap of the trees. Only his
torn jeans covered him, leaving the tribal mark on the middle of his chest
exposed, a full moon with a broken arch behind it symbolizing an eclipse.  The
day that the earth was thrown into darkness when the Collective rose to power.
Born in the forest, Tequil never ventured beyond the tree’s shadows. All he
knew were the elders’ stories.  The council believed that the Collective would
be destroyed one day, but such a war would cause the annihilation of all around
it. Until that day came, Tequil and his people fought fiercely for their home.
Perched on the tree, Tequil moved silently as the wind.  He needed to inform
the council of what he had seen.
    Abel had worked his way through the overgrown plants and
was a few feet from the light source when he heard the voices. Ducking into the
brush, he took cover near the group. Peering over the plants he could see two
gang members sitting around a makeshift fire. As one of the members turned to secure
his weapon, he was able to make out their markings. If memory served, they were
part of the gang he encountered in Bourdain. 
    “Where the heck did Harvey get off to?” One of the gang
members asked.
    “Heck if I know.” The other answered.
    “He needs to be here when Sledge comes back with the rest
of the guys.”
    Abel shrunk down. The rest of the guys? This was all he
needed. More of Reaper’s gang roaming around. In the last encounter, his
surprise attack caught the group off guard. If he had to fight four or five
armed bikers in the woods with light weapons, the outcome may not be in his
favor. 
    “I can’t wait to get my hands on the guy that attacked
Reaper and disrespected  
    the
crew.” The biker punched his hand into his open palm.
    “Seriously man.” The other said with some clarity that
contrasted with his leather clad, brusque appearance. “This has got to stop.
We’ve already given too much territory to                                  
Warden. We can’t have some nobody rallying the folks in Bourdain.”
    “Don’t worry brotha. When we get done with this guy, no one
will disrespect us again.” The two shook hands violently, brandishing their
scorpion tattoos, one claw open and one claw closed on their biceps as he
shouted. “We’re going back to the old days and the old ways!”
    Abel stepped back silently keeping his eye on the pair of
bikers. He needed to work his way around and complete his mission. Once he got
back to the Jeep, he had a biker gang problem solver in the trunk in the form
of an M-16. As he backed up, he hit something solid. He thought, I don’t
remember a tree behind me? Suddenly he felt massive arms wrapping around him,
lifting him off the ground. The assailant shouted towards the group. “Hey, look
what I caught. We got a spy!”
    Both members jumped up looking in Harvey’s direction, guns
in hand. “What the...? Bring him over here Harvey.” The first Scorpion said.
“Let’s find out how long he’s been listening.” He pulled out his knife and
wiped it across his leg. Harvey lumbered