Caleb felt his body shake with anger. "So we're just experiments to you?" he spat, his eyes burning into Jeremiah's. "Just creatures to toy with and observe. We're humans, too!"
"Of course, we realise that," Jeremiah said calmly, not fazed by Caleb's aggression. "But your people posed as a threat to ours, and we couldn't allow that."
"But that violence you mentioned hasn't been an issue during my lifetime, so why only let the twins back just because they don't have tattoos?"
"We have to be careful," Jeremiah explained. Then he blinked, as if just realising something. "I never asked, what's your name?"
"Why do you care?" Caleb growled, glaring at him.
"I'm just being polite," Jeremiah sighed.
"Caleb. My name is Caleb."
"So, Caleb, you would like the be readmitted into our society?"
"No," Caleb spat. "I want you to release the twins."
"I'm going to assume that if we release you and not the twins, you will just attempt to attack us again?" Caleb said nothing and merely glared at the leader. "Very well." Jeremiah turned to the man holding Tanya. "Take her to jail and leave her in a cell until further notice."
Tanya began to panic and Caleb immediately struggled against the ropes. "DON'T YOU DARE TAKE HER ANYWHERE," he bellowed, but Jeremiah raised a hand calmly to indicate silence.
"This is just temporary while I speak to you," he explained. "She can relax in there."
"Speak to me about what?" Caleb snarled.
Jeremiah smiled and spread his arms. "I'm going to explain to you why you should allow the twins to remain here."

Caleb tried to act nonchalant, but he couldn't hide his interest. "Why are you showing me this anyway?"
"Your...tattoos," Jeremiah said. "Are not a natural part of the human body. People aren't supposed to be born with them."
Caleb felt his jaw clench. "Then why have I and everyone I know done so?"
Jeremiah leaned back, a smirk hiding on his lips. "Haven't you wondered why the twins haven't?"
Jeremiah's words stunned Caleb. "Haven't they?"
An eyebrow rose on Jeremiah's face and moments after, the smirk spread across his lips. "You mean you don't know? The twins don't have tattoos."
"Like I said," Caleb said, trying to hide his concern for the twins. "We don't look at each other's tattoos. Not even the children."
"Surely somebody noticed when they were born?" The leader inquired.
"A healthy birth was more of a concern to us," Caleb argued through gritted teeth. "Than some writing on their arms."
"Nevertheless, the point I'm trying to make is that I believe the chemicals in your bloodline have worn off."
Caleb blinked. "Chemicals?"
Jeremiah nodded. "The substance that caused you all to be born with those." He nodded at Caleb's arm, which was still tied behind his back. "You see, your ancestors didn't escape from our civilisation. They were exiled."
"Exiled? Why?"
"They were volunteered for scientific testing. Our scientists believed that they had discovered a new drug that would induce superhuman abilities. However, when it was tested on our ancestors, something went wrong and they grew violent instead. We managed to keep it under control for a while, until those tattoos started appearing. Their concerns about the tattoos increased the violence and we were forced to exile them as they became a threat to our community. We were prepared to let their children rejoin, but we observed that they, too, were being born with these tattoos. The twins are the first two who haven't been born with one, so we took them under our wing, where we can raise them as humans should be raised."

"Leader?" Caleb questioned. "Leader of what?"
Jeremiah cocked his head and a quizzical expression arose on his face. Not a moment later, a sick smile crept along his lips. "They never told you."
"Who never told us what?" Caleb shouted impatiently.
"Tell me, what do you know of your ancestors?" Jeremiah leaned back in his chair, rested his right foot on his left knee, and carefully folded his hands across his stomach.
"I know that they escaped from this cesspit," Caleb spat. "This disgusting civilisation, and they created their own."
Jeremiah threw his head back and cackled. "Oh, this is simply marvelous!" The man leaped out of his seat, his eyes glinting, and twisted his chair around so that the back was facing Caleb. Jeremiah straddled the seat, his eyes dancing with excitement. "Bring me the girl!"
Tanya's captor dragged her over to Jeremiah and stood her beside his chair, his firm grip still remaining on her shoulders. Jeremiah grabbed the sleeve of Tanya's cloak and yanked it up her arm, revealing the black writing that was forever imprinted on her arm. Caleb squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to look at it.
"I assume you all know what this is?" Jeremiah said.
"Of course we do," Caleb said, keeping his eyes shut. "It doesn't take a fool to work it out."
"Why won't you look at it?"
"We never look at each other's writing," Caleb said. "Our last words are precious. We have the right to have the sole knowledge of them until our hearts stop beating."
"I've covered her writing," Jeremiah informed him nonchalantly. Caleb peeked through one eye to see that he was telling the truth before opening both eyes fully. "Have you ever wondered why you are born with them?"
Caleb blinked, clearly confused by the question. "It's...just a part of us. Just like we're born with a heart and two lungs."
The sick smile returned to Jeremiah's lips as he pulled up both of his own sleeves. Caleb's face fell and eyes widened as he scanned the man's arms. For the first time in his life, he saw two bare human arms...with no writing.

Caleb gritted his teeth. "Let her go." The man holding Tanya didn't move. Caleb's eyes met Tanya's. The girl tried to mumble something through the rag in her mouth, but Caleb couldn't understand her.
"Daddy said not to let her go." Caleb instantly matched the voice to the young girl's giggle he'd heard before he'd been knocked out. A small, strawberry-blonde girl - no older than eight or nine - bounced into view from behind Caleb. "Daddy's the boss, not you."
"That's my girl." The gruff voice came from where the little girl appeared from. "Annabelle, go back to Holding now, I'll see you later."
The little girl beamed at the figure behind Caleb before bouncing up to him, kissing him on the cheek, and dancing out of the building. Finally, the girl's father strode into view. He was a tall man - at least 6 foot - and very well built. His skin was flawless and his brown hair was neatly combed. He grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it in front of Caleb before sitting on it. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and his chin on his hands.
"Now then." His dark eyes burned into Caleb's. "What are you doing here?"
"You know why I'm here," Caleb growled. "Let my sister go, she has nothing to do with this!"
"Oh, but she does," the man said casually. "You see, she was about to steal from me."
Caleb's eyes shot to Tanya, who began to shake her head violently, begging Caleb with her eyes. The man's gaze followed Caleb's and and eyebrow raised at her protests. He stood up and approached the girl, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look up at him. "You deny attempting to steal from me?" He ripped the rag from her mouth.
"I was rescuing the twins, who you stole from us," Tanya argued fearlessly. The man threw his head back and laughed.
"That's adorable," he said. "Clearly you don't know your place." His eyes lifted momentarily to Tanya's captor, who forced Tanya to her knees and grabbed her hair, yanking her hair back to look up at the man in charge. "You see, my dear, I own each and every one of you."
"Who are you?" Caleb said, trying to distract the man's attention away from his helpless sister.
The man turned to face Caleb. "My name is Jeremiah Davis, and I am the Leader."

People say that a child's laughter is the most beautiful sound a person can hear. But when you are in pitch darkness and the sinister giggle of a young girl is the only noise that your ears take in, it is the most terrifying sound you can imagine. Caleb didn't get a chance to find the girl who made the noise, because by the time he had shut the door behind him, he was on the ground. Several hands were holding him down and, despite his struggles and groans, he couldn't escape before a cloth bag was yanked over his head and torso. The next thing he felt was a painful bang against his skull, and he blacked out.

When Caleb eventually opened his eyes, he found himself squinting at a blinding light hanging from the ceiling. What in the world? Once his eyes had adjusted to the light, he leaned forward - or, at least, as far forward as the ropes around his torso confining him to the chair would allow - and studied the light. It was like someone had captured a tiny version of the Sun and tied it to a rope and left it dangling from the ceiling. Caleb had never seen anything like it.

His awe was interrupted by squeals and protests coming from behind him. Before he had a chance to turn his head towards the sound, a tall, well-built man strode into Caleb's line of sight, his arms wrapped around a small figure who had a bag over their head.
"Who are you?" Caleb growled through gritted teeth at the man. The man merely grinned. It was a menacing grin that flashed two rows of the straightest, whitest teeth that Caleb had ever seen. His own teeth weren't as yellow and crooked as some of his fellow villagers, but they were a terrible sight compared to the teeth of the stranger standing before him. Without saying a word, the man grabbed a handful of the bag in his fist and tore it off of the figure. Caleb's blood ran cold. It was Tanya.

Caleb pushed the door of 'The Old George', but it wouldn't budge; it was locked. He tried to peer through the windows, but huge sheets of fabric hung from the inside of the building, blocking his view. He stepped back and observed the building, pursing his lips. There was a pile of bricks on the roof that looked to form some sort of hole that he assumed delved right into the building, but he had no way of climbing up there. 

Sighing to himself, Caleb jogged back to the building that Koda and Toki were exploring. He nudged the large door open and peered into the darkness. Straw was scattered around the ground and every ledge within the building. Caleb entered the building completely, looking for the two men. He dared to whisper the hunters's names, but heard no reply. The building was empty. He emerged further into the building, searching every ledge and every nook, but it was useless. The pair were gone.

Caleb stormed out of the building, having come to only one conclusion: they had been kidnapped. Both of them knew better than to wander off without telling him. If the inhabitants of the civilisation had them, that meant they would look for others. Caleb and all of the hunters were in danger. Caleb broke into a sprint, trying to remain as light-footed as possible, and began to search his surroundings for the other hunters and instruct them to leave. Caleb's mission was soon side-tracked as he found himself skidding to a halt in front of an enormous, white building. A building with a big, black door. 

Caleb's conscience scolded him; who knew how many buildings had big, black doors in this damned place? How could he be so sure this was the right one? Assuming that Grace's dream even meant anything to begin with. But Caleb began to move towards the building regardless. He touched the cool wood of the door and, inhaling a large, shaky breath, he pushed it open.

Caleb didn't show it, but he was nervous. He stood with the hunters on their side of the wall, looking up at the towering rocks that loomed over them.
"Remember the plan?" Caleb asked for the fourth time. The men nodded. Caleb took a deep breath. "Very well. Archers. Go."
Trey, Toki and Flynn clambered up the wall, their bows and quivers of arrows swung around their bodies. They peered over the top and saw two guards standing either side of the large doors in the wall and chatting. Their voices were rather quiet, but Toki - who was rather well known and proud of his accurate hearing - caught several strange words in their conversation that he'd never heard of before: "telly", "yorkshire puddings" and "Emmerdale". What were they talking about? He couldn't listen any longer. The three archers straddled themselves over the top of the wall. As agreed, Flynn kept look out for any witnesses, and Toki and Trey aimed for the ropes holding up a large canvas that was hanging above the guards' heads. Once Toki had whispered a countdown to three, the pair released their arrows and the canvas fell on top of the unsuspecting guards, whose surprised cries were muffled by the material. Trey remained on the wall with Flynn, also keeping guard, while Toki stealthily made his way down the wall and opened the large doors from the enemy side of the wall. The search began.

The hunters had already been divided into groups and given individual instructions. Caleb didn't waste a moment before sprinting towards a large tower that poked above the buildings, followed by his fellow group members, Koda and Toki. The tower had a strange white circle attached to it. From the centre of the circle, two black lines extended towards the edge, neither touching it, but one slightly longer than the other. Decorating the edge of the circle were numbers 1-12. What could that be? Caleb noticed that if he watched very carefully as he ran towards the tower, he could see the longest line move ever so slightly. How was it doing that?
"Caleb." The Head Hunter's thoughts were interrupted by Koda's whisper. "Should I have a look in there?" Koda pointed to a red, wooden building with a large white door. Above the door was a square hole in the wall, framed with white wood. Like a window, but without glass. Caleb nodded and instructed Toki to go with him, whereas he would explore a nearby building that had the words "The Old George" plastered above the entrance in peeling-white lettering.

Just as the moon was nearing its highest point in the sky and Caleb was planning to round up his men, he heard the soft patter of footsteps behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Grace standing there sleepily, her dark brown plaits ruffled from restless sleep.
"Grace, what are you doing up?" Caleb asked, standing up and bending down, scooping up his little sister. "It's the middle of the night."
"The building with the big black door," Grace murmured sleepily. Caleb looked at the little girl, his brow furrowing.
"What building?"
"That's where they are. Olive and Faye. In the building with the big black door." Caleb swung Grace around from his hip so that she was straddling him, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Gracie, how do you know-"
"I saw it in my dream," Grace explained. "They're crying. They're scared."
"Gracie, it was just a dream."
"It was real," Grace insisted, her big brown eyes widening with certainty. "I saw Daddy die, too."
Caleb's jaw clenched. "It's just because you miss him, Grace, but soon-"
"No, before it happened. I saw it. And I saw Olive and Faye. They were taken by the scary men."
"What scary men?"
"The Obedience."

Unable to come to terms with what he had just been told, let alone explain logical reasons to his sister, he convinced her that she was just tired and put her back to bed. But questions continued to whirl around his head. Was there really a big black door involved? Is that where the twins were being kept? Who were the Obedience? Caleb didn't let the questions delay him any further and set out to round up the hunters. He locked up Grace's information in the back of his mind and let his subconscious mull over whether to mention it to his men - to Rhys at the very least - and ask them whether or not to keep an eye out for this door.

"Another civilisation?" Markus exclaimed once Caleb had finished telling the hunters about their journey. "Are you sure?"
"Of course," Caleb said. "And I am positive that they are holding Olive and Faye captive."
"What are we waiting for then?" Jacob, the twins' father, yelled angrily. "Let's go and save them!"
"Jacob," Caleb said calmly, stepping forward and putting a hand on the man's shoulder. Jacob was a good foot taller than Caleb and very well-built, but despite his tough appearance, he couldn't fight the tear that trickled down his cheek. "We have to be strategic about this. They are armed."
"So are we," Koda said, standing beside his brother and staring Caleb straight in the eyes. "We have some of the best hunters."
"I know, Koda," Caleb said, his voice firm, establishing authority. "But we still need to plan what we're going to do. And, again, I'm not taking all of the hunters with me." Caleb ignored the groans of protest. 
"Caleb," Jacob said harshly. "You are not leaving me behind again. I will not stand here while everyone else fights for my daughters. I will be there to rescue them." Caleb's eyes softened when he saw the fiery determination in the man's eyes.
"Very well. Markus, Aidan and Cameron-" The three men stepped forward. "You will stay here and continue your duties." The men thought best not to protest and nodded. "Go and sleep," Caleb instructed. "Be up early for tomorrow's hunt." The three men were dismissed. "The rest of you, come into my hut."

The Sun was only a few hours away from setting when the men finalised their plan. They'd had to be quiet since Grace had already been asleep when they began. During their meeting, Tanya and Tobias arrived at the hut. Tanya put her younger brother to bed before joining the men and silently listening to their strategy.
"We will strike at night," Caleb ordered. "All of you go back to your homes and sleep. I will wake you all when it is time. Prepare everything you need before you sleep - you will only have ten minutes to be out of your homes before we leave without you."
The men dispersed from the Arrow home and Caleb was left alone with Tanya. Tense silence smothered them until they finally caught each other's gaze from across the room. Caleb sighed and walked over to Tanya, sitting beside her.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around," he said softly. "I know it's a rough time."
"It's okay," Tanya murmured, looking at the ground. "You have responsibilities." 
Caleb wrapped his arms around his little sister and held her close. "My greatest responsibility is you. All three of you. You know I'd do anything to protect you, don't you?" Tanya nodded.
"When do you think you'll be back?" She asked.
Caleb ran a hand through his hair. "It's hard to say - we don't know what it's like over there or how long it will take us to find the twins. Hopefully, we'll be back before sunrise. But if I'm not, you'll look after Tobias and Grace, won't you?" Tanya nodded. "In the morning, find Zahra. She might give you some extra meat. Go to bed for now, though." He kissed his sister on the forehead before watching her disappear to the next room. Then, he looked over the plan and spent the rest of the evening scouring it for any flaws.

Despite being 53 years old, Ares, like all of the elder hunters, was still incredibly fit. Although he wasn't quite as fast as Caleb and 25-year-old Rex, he still managed to grab onto the slightly unsteady rocks and hoist himself up the wall, with only a little help from his younger colleagues to get over the top. When the trio reached the top of the wall the sight they saw caused their eyes to widen and their jaws to drop. For as far as the eye could see, there were houses - brick houses! Not wood tied together with bamboo and dried mud. For Caleb and Rex, they could see the stories that they'd be told for their entire lives of a more advanced civilisation materialise before their eyes. For Ares, it brought back long, very distant memories of his childhood.

"I don't believe it," Ares exclaimed, being the first to break the silence. "All this time. All this time it's been right on the other side of this wall."
"It's a miracle!" Caleb said. For the first time in weeks, a grin spread across the young man's face.
"How has it been here for so long with no-one knowing?" Rex questioned.
"Oi!" A furious shout interrupted them. They looked down to see a man about Rex's age dressed in some sort of green clothing wielding a large metal instrument that neither Caleb nor Rex had seen before. But Ares had.
"Retreat, boys!" He exclaimed, for a moment forgetting that he wasn't the man in charge and letting his paternalistic side get the better of him. Despite the ignored chain of command, Caleb and Rex followed Ares' orders and hastily climbed their way back down the wall.
When they finally touched grass again, Caleb turned to Ares. "What was that?"
"A rifle," Ares said.
"My mother always told me rifles were tasty desserts," Rex said, his brow furrowed.
"Not a trifle. A rifle. It's a gun. A weapon. It shoots metal at you. It can kill you." Caleb and Rex's eyes widened, but Ares ignored them. "If we're going to rescue the twins, we're going to need a larger force. No doubt they have at least five men guarding that wall."
"Ares," Caleb said. "How much of your childhood do you remember?"
"Very, very little. We left when I was seven, so I was still very young. Why do you ask?"
"We need a strategy. I'm going to call a meeting for you and Jai as you're the only two who can really remember any of civilisation, and you're going to help me and Rhys devise a strategy to attack."