“Mallus!”- Zala exclaimed- ” What are you doing here? “. Mallus groaned again and gestured to get it some water. Zala quickly got a glass of water and handed it to Mallus. Recovered somewhat from the tepid water, Mallus looked at Zala and asked- “Before I launch into my litany of woes, I would like to know as to what you are doing in this desolate place.” Zala recounted its tale-the wait for the Corporations, the repeated rejections, the agony, the decision to travel far and wide and the places it had been to and the people it had met so far. Zala explained that it came across this run-down mansion by chance and decided to rest here for the night. After it was done, it turned to Mallus and said, “Now it’s your turn. What’s your story?” Realising that it could not stall Zala any further, Mallus sat up and began to tell Zala what it had been through.
“Zala, what I am going to tell you may shock you but I want to,because I have had enough. The facade, the lies, the duplicity..there’s only so much one can take. My threshold’s been reached and I am not going to be quiet any longer. I wonder if it’s fate or chance that made you, my best friend back from our colony days, as my confidante today. I think it’s fitting. Friendship means a bond so pure that any kind of secrets kept from the other’s confidence is abhorrent to all concerned. I wanted to tell you this sooner, but alas, I was not allowed to. Zala, the prophecy that this world operates on today, is nothing but a clever front of the Corporations. The Corporations are after a medicine called the “Holy Serum”. This Serum is known for a lot of its properties but the one property for which it is being courted with such zeal, is its elixir like properties. The consumer of this Serum will forever be immune to any diseases known or unknown and will virtually be invincible. You may ask now as to why we never knew about this Serum. The reason for that is the fact that whoever knew about this, has been eliminated by the Corporations. The only people privy to this are the Corporations themselves and the recruited Believers or the “Hunters” from the various colonies. The Hunters, Zala, live in none of the Utopian conditions they tom tom about when they come for Recruitment. All the Hunters have to live in conditions so filthy, that even the poorest of poor in the world outside the colonies would be better off than them. They are not Hunters in the true sense of the word. They are nothing better than slaves of these filthy Corporates. The Corporations recruit them for hunting living beings yes, but for a reason. The reason is that the living beings guard the forests that yield the Holy Serum. The only way to get the Holy Serum is to eliminate the ones who try their best to protect it from falling into the wrong hands. The worst part, Zala, is that the living beings trust us and have been our allies for centuries. The Corporations shrewdly turned that trust into a weapon for themselves.The reason our race survives, is because of the Holy Serum that our ancestors had partaken of long ago. Since it is difficult to culture the serum from our bodies, the Corporations have to turn to the source-the forests. The Prophecy is rubbish. The forests (or the foliage that we eat), are not going anywhere. It was announced so that the Corporations could get Hunters in large numbers. It is true that fear unites. The Corporations just used it to their benefit.”
Zala was dumb-struck for quite some time after what Mallus told it. The silence stretched for a long time between the two, neither of whom wished to break it in fear of what may come out from the other’s mouth. After some time, Zala gathered the courage and asked Mallus- ” But, I don’t get it. The Hunters come every year to the colonies. How can they be pressurised to such an extent that no one dares to defy the Corporations?” Mallus smiled a wry smile and said-” Zala, it’s not that simple to go against them. The Corporations keep us in closed up ghettos. We are not allowed to venture out until and unless it is for Hunting or Recruitment. They are quite cunning. Our families live in the outside world. We are allowed to visit them once every three months in order to satisfy our longing and ensure that no seeds of rebellion are sown. However, the moment any of us reveals to the Non-Believers or the Believers what is really going on, our families will be eliminated, with no explanations or justifications sought for or asked. You know who lived in this mansion Zala? My parents. The moment I was declared absconding, Corporators aka the foot soldiers of the Corporates, swooped down and my family was wiped off from the face of this earth.” Zala interjected and asked-” Wait. You say we have the Holy Serum running in our blood. How can your family be killed?” Mallus said-” The Corporations have developed a laser gun. The laser neutralises the serum and then literally fries the body of the victim. That’s how my family was killed. And that’s how many families have met their end just because a Believer in their family decided he did not want to be a part of this anymore.”