No one says a word. Not a whisper breaks the silence around them. Only footsteps on the frosty ground, and Ässä’s low crawl by Kaarina’s side.
More dark figures appear from the woods. They gather silently around the playground, not stepping in past its low log fence but lining up alongside it. Their blue thermo-shoes seem rooted to the ground beneath the slowly falling snow.
There are twenty or thirty of them… maybe more.
Markus moves closer, positions himself between the Yeti and Kaarina. He opens his fists, then closes them again. Is he second-guessing his decision? It’s not too late for him to tell the other blue suits that he was kidnapped. Dressed in women’s clothing against his will. Too terrified to run away, but dying to get back to his nightly tea, AR-glasses, and happiness-pills, all waiting for his return back in the city.
The Yeti grinds his teeth with a low growl. The sound breaks the uncanny, nervous silence, then gets louder as more muffled footsteps appear at the edge of the playground. Five more pairs of thermo-shoes join the group outside the fence. The Chipped stand tall, staring at the Unchipped inside the playground.
Kaarina wishes Bill would say something. That he’d crack a joke to lighten her nervous mood. She senses him there, tapping, watching. For the first time she can remember, Bill seems speechless.
She wishes for one of the horses to neigh.
For a wolf to howl.
For a rooster to crow.
But she’s not home at the barn anymore. She’s joined the Unchipped. And she’s brought the enemy right to her new allies’ doorstep.
One of the blue suits steps forward. “We’re looking for Miss Kaarina,” he says. The tiki torch next to him shines a warm light on his face—a face Kaarina vaguely recognizes.
From behind him, another blue suit steps into the soft red light. This face she recognizes instantly: the young man at Raino’s pharmacy, the one who lost his football team in a mass-suicide. Doctor Solomon has picked well. She’s sent the kind-hearted, the trusting. They’re here to do her dirty work.
Kaarina takes a wobbly step closer. “That’s me, I’m Kaarina. I know you’ve come to take me to the city, and I’ll come in peace. Just let the others be. They’ve got nothing to do with this.”
Yeti and Markus move forward quickly to stand at her side. She doesn’t need to look at the Unchipped leader to know he’s rolling his eyes.
“What are you, a complete dimwit? Like I’m ever going to let them take you back, Kid. Like it or not, you’re one of us now.”
A snowflake lands on Kaarina’s cheek, biting the sensitive skin around her scar. It wasn’t the Yeti who carved this marking on her skin, but the man who came before him. What rules is the new leader breaking, by protecting someone who has first refused to be part of the Unchipped community, and then started a war with the city?
Another snowflake lands on her long eyelashes. Maybe it’s snowing in the city as well. Maybe the Chipped are waking up to the charade that is their life. Maybe the artificial happiness is being exposed for what it really is. AR-glasses drop to the floor. Happiness-pills scatter all over the abandoned apartments and houses. Minds clear from their drug-induced state, suddenly awakened.
Maybe they’re done binge-watching the wellness channels. Tired of devouring veggie-nuggets dripping in grease. Uncomfortable in their blue overalls that mold into oversized gaming chairs.
But she knows better: it never snows in the city. If it does, the snowflakes are there to see, not to feel. Frostbite will never stand a chance—not where the Chipped live.
A woman in blue walks forward. She stops by the sand box a few feet away. Kaarina recognizes her immediately: she’s the one who tells knock-knock jokes. “We’re not here to take you back. We’re here to join you.”
“It’s a scam.”
“Shut up, Bill.” The Yeti and Kaarina speak the words at the exact same time. The woman with the knock-knock jokes frowns at their odd choice of words but doesn’t say anything.
“They’re here to slice and dice you. With blue bread knives hidden in their ridiculous thermo-suits.”
Kaarina’s heart pounds wildly against her chest. “Why would you want to leave the city? It’s cold out here, snow and ice all over. We have no power now. No shows or health care or proper food.”
The snowflakes get thicker, icy against Kaarina’s face. Markus reaches for her hand, squeezes it tight. Though his gesture feels odd, something out of this world, Kaarina lets him hold her hand. The Yeti rolls his eyes again.
“Getting laid all you two can think of?” His low voice rumbles through her head.
“Don’t judge our Kay-Kay, man. It’s been awhile. Who knows, maybe a good shag will turn that god-awful frown of hers upside down.”
It’s Kaarina’s turn to roll her eyes. I’m so glad you two wise-asses haven’t lost your sense of humor. But it’s not really a good time for a group-chat. How do we know these people are not here to harm us? Or spy on us?
Their group-chat falls silent.
More blue suits move closer. Markus’ hand squeezes tighter. Bill and the Yeti are holding their breath. She can hear their hearts beating.
An old, hunchbacked man appears from the crowd. Raino’s arm is wrapped around a young girl with long, black hair. As they move closer, the girl smiles and nods shyly at Kaarina. A tiny black and white head with pointy ears pokes out from the girl’s overalls’ chest pocket. A voice Kaarina’s never heard before—not inside her head—soothes her mind.
“Look at all the scar-skulls, Kaarina. I don’t have to hide Mister Bun-Bun anymore.”
Raino and Sanna stand so close to Kaarina that she can hear the old man breathe heavily. In their native language, he speaks slowly. “On aika jättää laatikko taakse. Ja palata oikeaan maailmaan.”
Staring at the old man, the Unchipped process his words. Kaarina investigates his face, his half-blind eyes. Not a
