Answer:
East.
Explanation:
Stephen Vincent Benét's short story "By the Waters of Babylon" is a story about a post-apocalyptic world where metal remains the most dreaded yet important item/ element. The story follows newly appointed priest John and his journey to the Dead Lands, and his desire for more knowledge leading him to the forbidden "Place of the Gods".
The story begins with the lines "The north and the west and the south are a good hunting ground, but it is forbidden to go east. It is forbidden to go to any of the Dead Places." And later on, when the narrator is about to venture on his own as a priest, away from the presence of his father, his father told him "It is forbidden to travel east. It is forbidden to cross the river. It is forbidden to go to the Place of the Gods. All these things are forbidden."
Thus, the correct answer is east.
