John awoke to a pounding in his head, as well as darkness, from something on his face. As he tried to move his arm in an attempt to remove the object, he found that he was unable to move it. Attempting to move his other limbs revealed that they too were restrained to something.
"Easy, you took a good blow to the head, possibly a concussion," said a familiar voice. "The veterinarian said that you shouldn't move, at least for a few days."
"Is that you Robert?" John asked.
"It is," said Robert. "The restraints are for your own good. I know how you are when you get hooked up to these machines. After all, you are Dangerous."
John growled. "Mind taking the cloth off of my face?"
A moment later, John was blinking from the brightness. As his vision came to him, he found himself looking at Robert.
"How do you feel?" Robert asked.
"Like a damned fool, letting that other fool hit me," John said. "Still, can't blame him too much - as far as he's concerned, I'm a traitor to the human race, for foiling his attempt at escaping."
"I haven't eaten him, nor any of the others, just in case you want to watch his punishment being carried out," said Robert.
"Tempting," John said. "Still, I got a better idea."
"What would that be?" Robert asked.
"He wants Freedom, so let's give him a chance at Freedom," said John. "You got some regular hunting property, about ten miles north of here, right?"
"Deer, rabbits, occasional feral pig, and a few other things," said Robert. "Good stream for fishing, plus fruits and vegetation that could be gathered and eaten by humans."
"Spring, Summer, and Autumn, perhaps," said John. "Winter's a different animal altogether. Most Herds stock up and put away some of what they gather or kill in caches, just to make it through the cold, and harder times."
"So, what are you saying?" Robert asked.
"Take Matthew and nine of his buddies, mixture of genders and Grades, to this spot, with tracking bracelets, one on their right wrist, one on their left ankle, the sort that can't just be removed," said John. "Give them clothes, three days of food and water, five knives, and five hammers. Tell them that if they make it for two weeks, they'll have their Freedom, and I mean actual freedom. They can then chose to join a Herd, or live in the City. But, if any of their group members die, there'd better be a good reason as to why they did, like a bear showing up, and an injured one playing Decoy in an attempt to protect the rest."
Robert chuckled nervously. "I remember our bear hunt."
John grinned. "My leg and your ribs."
"John, be honest, would you have joined him?" Robert asked.
"My running days are over, and you know it," said John. "Still, if he'd stopped, and listened to me when he first started, and made his attempt five months from now, you would have woken up to see most of them long gone, and I'd have the biggest grin on my face, knowing that they had the best chance at Freedom that I could give them."
Robert chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. What about the rest of them?"
"Tell them that they'd best hope that Matthew and his buddies make it," said John. "Otherwise, they'll be stuck dealing with those pigs of yours, and we know what those things like to eat more than anything else."
"Them, and a lot of other animals," said Robert. "Never did see a point in raising humans to be animal feed or fertilizer. Waste of time and money."
"At least you don't eat as many humans as others seem to," said John. "Mostly, you prefer goat, deer, sheep, chickens, and cattle."
"Don't want to eat more than necessary, unless I want to replace the whole lot every three years, like some fools do," said Robert. "Now, to keep Matthew and his companions from just finding their way back here, I'm going to get some blindfolds, and drive around in circles and such for a few hours."
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