Three days later, Barrent received a visit from a tall, dignified man
who stood as rigidly erect as the ceremonial sword that hung by his
side. The old man wore a high-collared coat, black pants, and gleaming
black boots. From his clothing, Barrent knew he was a high government
official.
"The government of Omega sends you greetings," said the official. "I am
Norins Jay, Sub-Minister of Games. I am here, as required by law, to
inform you personally of your good fortune."
Barrent nodded warily and invited the old man into his apartment. But
Jay, erect and proper, preferred to stay in the store.
"The yearly Lottery drawing was held last night," Jay said. "You,
Citizen Barrent, are one of the prize winners. I congratulate you."
"What is the prize?" Barrent asked. He had heard of the yearly Lottery,
but had only a vague idea of its significance.
"The prize," Jay said, "is honor and fame. Your name inscribed on the
civic rolls. Your record of kills preserved for posterity. More
concretely, you will receive a new government-issue needlebeam and,
afterwards, you will be awarded posthumously the silver sunburst
decoration."
"Posthumously?"
"Of course," Jay said. "The silver sunburst is always awarded after
death. It is no less an honor for that."
"I'm sure it isn't," Barrent said. "Is there anything else?"
"Just one other thing," Jay said. "As a Lottery winner, you will take
part in the symbolic ceremony of the Hunt, which marks the beginning of
the yearly Games. The Hunt, as you may know, personifies our Omegan way
of life. In the Hunt we see all the complex factors of the dramatic rise
and fall from grace, combined with the thrill of the duel and the
excitement of the chase. Even peons are allowed to participate in the
Hunt, for this is the one holiday open to all, and the one holiday that
symbolizes the common man's ability to rise above the restraints of his
status."
"If I understand correctly," Barrent said, "I'm one of the people who
have been chosen to be hunted."
"Yes," Jay said.
"But you said the ceremony is symbolic. Doesn't that mean no one gets
killed?"
"Not at all!" Jay said. "On Omega, the symbol and the thing symbolized
are usually one and the same. When we say a Hunt, we mean a true hunt.
Otherwise the thing would be mere pageantry."
Barrent stopped a moment to consider the situation. It was not a
pleasing prospect. In a man-to-man duel he had an excellent chance of
survival. But the yearly Hunt, in which the entire population of
Tetrahyde took part, gave him no chance at all. He should have been
ready for a possibility like this.
"How was I picked?" he asked.
"By random selection," said Norins Jay. "No other method would be fair
to the Hunteds, who give up their lives for Omega's greater glory."
"I can't believe I was picked purely by chance."
"The selection was random," Jay said. "It was made, of course, from a
list of suitable victims. Not everyone can be a Quarry in a Hunt. A man
must have demonstrated a considerable degree of tenacity and skill
before the Games Committee would think of considering him for selection.
Being Hunted is an honor; it is not one which we confer lightly."
"I don't believe it," Barrent said. "You people in the government were
out to get me. Now, it seems, you've succeeded. It's as simple as that."
"Not at all. I can assure you that none of us in the government bear you
the slightest ill will. You may have heard foolish stories about
vindictive officials, but they simply aren't true. You have broken the
law, but that is no longer the government's concern. Now it is entirely
a matter between you and the law."
Jay's frosty blue eyes flashed when he spoke of the law. His back
stiffened, and his mouth grew firm.
"The law," he said, "is above the criminal and the judge, and rules them
both. The law is inescapable, for an action is either lawful or
unlawful. The law, indeed, may be said to have a life of its own, an
existence quite apart from the finite lives of the beings who
administer it. The law governs every aspect of human behavior;
therefore, to the same extent that humans are lawful beings, the law is
human. And being human, the law has its idiosyncrasies, just as a man
has his. For a citizen who abides by the law, the law is distant and
difficult to find. For those who reject and violate it, the law emerges
from its musty sepulchers and goes in search of the transgressor."
"And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"
"Of course," Jay said. "If you had not been chosen in that way, the
zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using
whatever instruments were at its disposal."
"Thanks for telling me," Barrent said. "How long do I have before the
Hunt begins?"
"Until dawn. The Hunt begins then, and ends at dawn of the following
day."
"What happens if I'm not killed?"
Norins Jay smiled faintly. "That doesn't happen often, Citizen Barrent.
I'm sure it need not worry you."
"It happens, doesn't it?"
"Yes. Those who survive the Hunt are automatically enrolled in the
Games."
"And if I survive the Games?"
"Forget it," Jay said in a friendly manner.
"But what if I do?"
"Believe me, Citizen, you won't."
"I still would like to know what happens if I do."
"Those who live through the Games are beyond the law."
"That sounds promising," Barrent said.
"It isn't. The law, even at its most threatening, is still your
guardian. Your rights may be few, but the law guarantees their
observance. It is because of the law that I do not kill you here and
now." Jay opened his hand, and Barrent saw a tiny single-charge weapon.
"The law sets limits, and acts as a modifier upon the behavior of the
lawbreaker and the law enforcer. To be sure, the law now states that you
must die. But all men must die. The law, by its ponderous and
introspective nature, gives you time in which to die. You have a day at
least; and without the law, you would have no time at all."
"What happens," Barrent asked, "if I survive the Games and pass beyond
the law?"
"There is only one thing beyond the law," Norins Jay said reflectively,
"and that is The Black One himself. Those who pass beyond the law belong
to him. But it would be better to die a thousand times than to fall
living into the hands of The Black One."
Barrent had long ago dismissed the religion of The Black One as
superstitious nonsense. But now, listening to Jay's earnest voice, he
began to wonder. There might be a difference between the commonplace
worship of evil and the actual presence of Evil itself.
"But if you have any luck," Jay said, "you will be killed early. Now I
will end the interview with your final instructions."
Still holding the tiny weapon, Jay reached into a pocket with his free
hand and withdrew a red pencil. In a quick, practiced motion he drew the
pencil over Barrent's cheeks and forehead. He was finished before
Barrent had time to recoil.
"That marks you as one of the Hunted," Jay said. "The hunt-marks are
indelible. Here is your government-issue needlebeam." He drew a weapon
from his pocket and put it on the table. "The Hunt, as I told you,
begins at first light of dawn. Anyone may kill you then, except another
Hunted man. You may kill in return. But I suggest that you do so with
the utmost circumspection. The sound and flash of needlebeams have given
many Hunteds away. If you try concealment, be sure you have an exit.
Remember that others know Tetrahyde better than you. Skilled Hunters
have explored all the possible hiding places over the years; many of the
Hunted are trapped during the first hours of the holiday. Good luck,
Citizen Barrent."
Jay walked to the door. He opened it and turned to Barrent again.
"There is, I might add, one barely possible way of preserving both life
and liberty during the Hunt. But, since it is forbidden, I cannot tell
you what it is."
Norins Jay bowed and went out.
* * * * *
Barrent found, after repeated washings, that the crimson hunt-marks on
his face were indeed indelible. During the evening, he disassembled the
government-issue needlebeam and inspected its parts. As he had suspected
the weapon was defective. He discarded it in favor of his own.
He made his preparations for the Hunt, putting food, water, a coil of
rope, a knife, extra ammunition, and a spare needlebeam into a small
knapsack. Then he waited, hoping against all reason that Moera and her
organization would bring him a last-minute reprieve.
But no reprieve came. An hour before dawn, Barrent shouldered his
knapsack and left the Antidote Shop. He had no idea what the other
Hunteds were doing; but he had already decided on a place that might be
secure from the Hunters.