The sharp-eyed man introduced himself as Klaus. Taking the lead, he wove a path through the trees. He seemed to be aiming for another group.
The short woman had volunteered to join them and puffed up her cheeks when Klaus told her he’d be fine by himself. In the end she’d been convinced to stay and carry on picking fruit with the others.
Klaus walked along briskly. The dark seemed to give him no anxiety whatsoever.
After a while they drew closer to multiple voices and figures. Here, too, they were engaged in harvesting, but in comparison to Klaus’ group their movements were sluggish. They exuded a sense of fear and panic. Constantly monitoring their surroundings, they seemed to be jumping at every little noise.
In fact, it was their behavior that was normal.
“Any runaways?” Klaus called out to a man nearby.
He left a tree where most of the fruit had been picked and shook his head. “No, not tonight. Everyone here’s married. I doubt anyone’s thinking of escaping by themselves.”
“I see, thanks.”
Klaus began to walk, keeping up the same brisk pace. Not once did he turn to look at Gabriele.
No runaways. Everyone here’s married. Did that mean they all had dependents back in Quinta? Nah, that’s not enough, I need more information.
“Hey. Didn’t you say you were going to fill me in on what’s happening?”
“Just as you see,” replied Klaus, threading doggedly between the trees, “we’re picking fruit. Some days we gather vegetables, others we go after beasts. Regardless of what we’re doing, it’s called the Night Harvest.”
“I can see that… But is it really that bad? The food supply, in Quinta,” Gabriele asked, ducking under some low-hanging fruit. “I mean it’s relatively safe at night, sure, but we know there are aberrants, and there’s always the chance you might stumble into a regular Titan. Do you really need to do this?” Another group came into view, also engaged in the so-called Night Harvest. “Putting so many people’s lives in danger? What if you were all wiped out? Food can’t compensate for that. What are the higher-ups thinking?”
Klaus suddenly stopped and turned to stare at him.
“What?” Gabriele came to a halt as well.
“So you really don’t know?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
They locked eyes under the moonlight.
Klaus snorted, then looked into the distance. “Okay, fair enough.”
“Enough drama. Just tell me.”
“You must know Wall Maria was breached?”
“Of course I do.”
Hordes of Titans had crossed into the territory between Wall Rose and Wall Maria. Gabriele had eluded many in person, somehow managing to arrive here.
Klaus nodded, then continued, “Half of Quinta’s population was evacuated to Wall Rose, but the other half didn’t make it in time. They ended up trapped inside.”
“That part I understand. But you lost half your population. That means you only need half the food supplies. Why on earth would you have to─”
“The food situation is grave. But you’re right, not so grave that we have to do this.”
Klaus started walking again.
The Night Harvest continued around them. The men and women appeared tired but in a way that seemed more mental than physical. They were all dressed differently, but none were particularly ragged. The impression they gave was that of being ordinary townsfolk.
Glancing at the Night Harvest, Klaus muttered, “This is nothing but a tool, for that woman to maintain power.”
“Really? You mentioned her before. Who the hell is ‘that woman’?”
“A Garrison soldier currently in charge of Quinta. Her name is Rita Iglehaut. She’s young, only in the position she is because all the senior officers died or made a run for it.”
“Why have you got a soldier in charge? Normally it’d be a government official.”
“They were the first to leave.”
Gabriele clucked his tongue. He couldn’t believe their cowardice. “Okay…”
“The Night Harvest is mandatory for all civilians. Shifts come in fixed intervals and include every able-bodied adult. The exception is anyone who disrupts the peace. They get a higher proportion of shifts.”
“Hence this being a tool to maintain power. To make an example of people, I see…” It made sense. “I’d been wondering why you would do something this dangerous. But it’s a calculated move. She’s forcing people to engage in a frightening task─so she can rule by terror.”
“‘Rule by terror’…” Klaus contemplated Gabriele’s phrase. “You’re right. And she’s got a particular gift for it.”
“But why go this far? Quinta’s in crisis, surely the people would listen without her having to resort to this kind of thing. Is it that unruly inside?”
“Not at all. If anything, it’s so orderly it’s freakish. She’s obsessed with keeping it that way.”
“Sounds like a good thing to me?”
“It’s a question of degree. The way it is now, not even the slightest misdemeanor is permitted. The punishment for stealing, of course, is severe, but also for cutting in line at rations, for spitting on the ground, for badmouthing the troops. And people are being encouraged to inform on others.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah. It sucks.”
“I suppose that is out of whack. People must feel pretty frustrated. She uses the fear of harsh punishment to keep them in line, then.”
“I should clarify,” Klaus said, surveying the orchard and the frightened people working there, “that this is our duty. We aren’t being punished.”
“The actual punishments are much worse. Is that what you want to say?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“Not sure I want to.”
“Right, then.” Again, Klaus stopped amongst some trees. They were positioned a fair distance from each group of harvesters. Klaus had no doubt chosen the spot so they wouldn’t be overheard. “What do you think?”
“About?”
“The current state of the town.”
“Sounds crap.”
“You really think so?”
“Of course, however you look at it, it’s crap. Why even ask?”
“Just checking.” Dropping his eyes to his feet, Klaus ran his hand over the surface of one of the trees. “What was your name?”
“Gabriele.”
“Right. Gabriele, you’ve got two paths to choose from. You could continue to the gate, explain everything to the soldiers, and ask for shelter. Do that, and that woman would be interested in hearing everything you have to say.”
“I don’t know anything important.”
“You probably know things you don’t even realize. You know about the state of things out here. That’s valuable info.”
“What’s the second path?”
“We get a lot of runaways. People who’ve had enough of all the crap, to use your term. There’ll no doubt be one or two tonight. You assume one of their identities and enter Quinta instead of them. From then on you live without a name.”
“Any advantages at all to the second path?”
Klaus used his eyes to motion around them. “You wouldn’t be sent out to do this,” he said of the Night Harvest.
“Okay, I guess that’s actually quite big.”
“And you wouldn’t need to worry for food or a place to sleep. We’ll work something out for you.”
“Why would you go that far to help me?”
“We want to know what’s up outside of town, too.”
“I just told you, I don’t know anything of use.”
“And so? Which path do you choose?” pressed Klaus.
Gabriele brought to mind their earlier exchanges. Klaus’ team had a noticeably different attitude and mood compared to the others. Come to think of it, the short and carefree woman had spoken about “canvassing” people.
“I see. I think I get it now.”
Klaus, for his part, wasn’t making any particular effort to hide what he was doing. Maybe he was testing Gabriele’s wits, his powers of observation.
If so, I should prove that I’m no fool.
“You disapprove of the status quo,” he said. “You want to mix things up a little. By force. You’re amassing comrades to that end.”
“Who knows?” Klaus declined to confirm.
A cautious fellow. Gabriele adjusted the position of his sack. “Sure, sounds fun. Count me in.”
“Meaning?”
“I choose the second path. I’ll help you out.”
“I don’t recall asking for help.”