by L K Hingey
The mental block on drinking the lukewarm ground water made Kimber gag, but she was grateful for the hydration and forced it down. Neither of them knew how long it would be until they would be able to get their fill of water again. She put hers hands up to let him know that she was done and with a tip of the bottle above his own head, he drained it. He stooped and refilled the bottle and drank more.
“Okay, it’s not good, but it sure beats nothing!” Tristan laughed and passed the bottle to Kimber. “I know it’s a little tough to get down, but try to drink some more? Then we can refill it and bring it with us.”
Kimber made a face and said, “Mmm,” sarcastically after she swallowed a few more large squirts. “That’s about all the fun I can handle,” she said and gave the bottle back. Tristan downed it again and refilled it one last time. He snapped the pop-up nozzle down into its locked position and put the bottle into Kimber’s bag. Kimber got the distinct impression that he took a deep breath as he leaned in. She stifled a smile and made a point to remember that she was not the only one with increased senses.
“Do you want me to take a turn with the shoulder bag?” Tristan asked.
“Well, what do you know? He’s a good runner and he is a gentleman! Tomorrow can be your day. We’ll switch on and off,” Kimber replied happily as she started to walk back up the hill. “Let’s go check this map out.”
They crested the berm together and skipped down it’s backside until they reached the concrete. Kimber walked over to the small wall that separated the vehicle lanes from the train lanes, and sat down, using it as backrest. She guessed that they had traveled about seven miles and although she was not gassed, she appreciated the break. Tristan slid down next to her and looked at his wristwatch as she pulled out the map.
“Okay. We are here,” Kimber said peering at the intersection of the river and I65, “and in a few miles, will be crossing a perpendicular road. I bet we will find a gas station or some type of shelter. What do you think about calling it quits for the night once we get up there?”
“Sounds perfect. Can I check out our route farther up?” Tristan asked.
“Sure. It’s a little too dark to read the words, but it’s easy enough to see the road and the bigger towns,” Kimber said as she passed him the folded map.
Tristan looked at their path. Getting lost would not be an issue but planning out where and when to stop and where to find supplies would be important. “Looks like after we get some rest tonight, we can set out for Bonnieville and see about finding some food. Want to have a piece of that jerky now? I could use one before we make this next trek up to shelter.”
“Good thinking. I enjoyed that... delicious... water so much that I almost forgot I was starving!” Kimber reached into the sack for the leather-fold of smoked meat. She passed one to Tristan and they sat there for a few minutes munching contentedly.
When they finished their snack, Kimber tucked the map back into her bag and stood up. She reached out a hand and pulled Tristan to his feet. “A few more miles?”
Tristan nodded with a grin. “A few more miles.”
They took off now at a slightly slower pace, weaving around the heaved concrete and jumping over the cracks in the road. Although traveling was easier on this mostly flat surface, it took more of the pair’s attention to watch out for the gaps that were laced with sharp rebar sticking out every which way. They made their way gradually north and in less than a half of an hour they arrived at the intersection of I65 and highway 88.
There was not much around except for a solitary building on the west side of the road. Its metal roof had blown off the back quarter of the building and most of the windows were busted. Kimber and Tristan crossed a ditch followed by a small road before reaching the building. A rusted sign that read Hart County Road Department hung above the door. Kimber and Tristan paused to gather their wits and remembered the standard rules that applied to all supply excursions. The most important one was to approach every new situation with extreme caution.
Not only did the Auroras recognize the dangers of falling in roofs and rotten floors, but they knew there were other serious factors to consider. The state that the flare had left the people of the world in was one of absolute desperation. As sicknesses skyrocketed and the vegetation around the world died, food became the most valuable commodity. Families holed themselves up in their homes, many taking measures to protect themselves from looters. It was not unusual to find booby traps in the entrances of houses or protecting designated panic-rooms inside the houses.
The Auroras had found out the hard way that the more desperate people felt, the more desperate their actions became. No one had been hurt, but in a town to the south of the caverns called Smith’s Grove, a shotgun was rigged to fire at any unlucky intruder who opened the door of one particular house. Thankfully, the door had sagged enough over the many years that the aim of the weapon was a foot high, otherwise Micaiah, the Aurorean who opened the door, would have had more holes in him than any amount of tardigrade DNA could heal.
When the Auroras stormed into the house angrily after the shotgun had fired, they found something that would remain in their psyches long after the memory of the smell of gunpowder had faded. A family was huddled together in the far corner of the room on a small couch facing the door. A large skeleton, which must have been the father, was hugging his family in a tight embrace while a smaller skeleton was holding onto two child sized skeletons.
Since that day, they had seen so many carcasses they had almost become immune to the sight, but seeing a family like that had affected each of the Auroreans differently. Needless to say, they had learned a few very important things that day. The most important of which was to never assume they knew what they were walking into.
Tristan turned the knob and Kimber stayed close. They pushed the door open and scanned the room in front of them. There was nothing but desks, dead electronics, and old road equipment. Kimber was ready to grab her flashlight, but there was no need; plenty of light was spilling in from the windows and the damaged roof for them to see by. They walked into the center of the room alert but already more relaxed. They knew the old road cones and bright yellow construction vests wouldn’t hurt them.
The messy desks were stationed around the room unaesthetically. Machines and large cans containing salt and gravel were also scattered about, hugging walls, or shoved into corners. Flat shovels and other tools were leaning against a far wall next to a stack of road signs.
“Leave it to a bunch of men to know how to decorate,” Kimber commented sarcastically.
The monitors on the desks were like all the others Kimber and Tristan had encountered in the various towns in Kentucky. They had never seen one turned on, but they understood that images and words would pop up on the paper-thin glass screens if they were to ever be energized again. The computer processing units themselves were positioned atop the desks near their respective monitors and were small enough to fit in one’s pocket. No wires or cords clogged up the area, but papers, files, photos, work gloves, and small handheld glass monitors were littered about.
A large television sat atop a clear glass hutch in a make-shift lounge. The T.V., like the screens of the computer monitors, was only a few millimeters thick. Unlike the computer screens though, the glass of the television was tinted an opaque smoky black. Circled around the television were a couple of reclining chairs, a couch, and a small rolling coffee stand off to the side. Over the high-tech coffee pot hung pictures of the employees, a few of which had fallen off the wall over the years and lay shattered on the ground.
“Score!” Tristan said as he walked over to the small lounge. The couch had an end pillow on each side and there was a fleece blanket in the lap of one of the reclining chairs. “We may not be good decorators,” Tristan grinned. “But we know how to make ourselves comfortable!”
“Couch or recliner for the lady?” Tristan asked as Kimber rummaged around the room. The Auroras had gotten into the habit of checking every nook and
cranny for usable items, and Kimber was hoping they would find some canned food squirreled away somewhere.
“I’ll take...” Kimber started absent mindedly as she riffled through the desk drawers, “Oo! S’mores! Oh man AND canned peaches!”
“Well, those aren’t exactly bedding options.” Tristan grinned and plopped himself down in a recliner, “but please tell me that means there is chocolate!”
Kimber came over and cheerfully set a bag of marshmallows, a bar of chocolate, a sleeve of graham crackers, and the can of peaches on a small coffee table in front of the couch. “Now that my friend, is a score!”
“You definitely earned the blanket tonight. How are we looking on expiration dates?” Tristan asked eyeing the chocolate bar.
Kimber picked up the chocolate and tossed it to Tristan. “Here, before you reach over and devour it wrapper and all.” Then she picked up the bag of marshmallows and squinted in the low light at the printed date. With a laugh she read, “March of 2190. So, only 19 years expired!”
The marshmallows looked sticky and were glued to the plastic bag that had imploded in around them. Kimber opened the bag and the scent of the sugary treats rushed out. They smelled delicious. The mallows were even gooier than Kimber had first thought though, making her think twice about eating them.
“I don’t know how they’ll taste, but they smell amazing,” she said, passing the bag to Tristan.
Tristan inhaled deeply. Sugary treats were a rarity in the caverns. Only on holidays and birthdays did the citizens get to enjoy the preciously sweet taste of cake or candy. Sacks of sugar were hauled into Inanna like prizes when the Auroreans found unspoiled caches hidden in pantries and cellars. The white powder was then immediately sealed away in moisture-proof containers. “Mmm. They smell wonderful... and I don’t even like marshmallows,” he laughed and threw the bag back to Kimber.
The Auroreans had sampled their fair share of illicit treats on the surface, stealing tastes of everything they could find ranging from hard candies to various types of chocolate. Much of what they sampled had long since spoiled, but the novelty of having access to sweets was exhilarating. Butterscotches and peppermints were carried around like treasure and often served as a currency to barter with. Exchanging root beer candies for massages, and hard caramels for chores, was not uncommon amongst the Auroras.
The Auroreans did not hoard all of what they found though, and hundreds of pounds of sweets had been delivered into Inanna over the years. Still, sampling the wares was deemed one of the few perks of the job. Kimber took one last deep breath of the vanilla-y goodness and cast the marshmallows aside.
“Maybe if we get desperate enough on the way back, those will look more appealing,” she said with a mournful look.
“Don’t sound so hopeful.” Tristan laughed, handing her a piece of the chocolate. “Plus, marshmallow-less s’mores are the best kind.”
“Marshmallow-less and cracker-less,” Kimber moaned opening the sleeve of crackers. The graham crackers had become so dry over the years that when Kimber tried to pick one up, it crumbled into a brittle pile of graham flour.
Tristan, who was way more amused than Kimber, commended her with a chuckle. “You weeded out the worst parts of s’mores! Well done!”
“Eating chocolate is not the same as enjoying a s’more,” she retorted and threw a pinch of graham dust at him.
“You’re right. It’s way better.” He smiled and reached a piece of the chocolate out to her.
Kimber bit into the chocolate. It was delicious and bitter. “Okay, I concede. The chocolate does make it better.”
“That’s because it’s dark chocolate.” Tristan popped another piece into his mouth and let it melt.
“Should we save the peaches for breakfast?”
“Definitely. That’ll kick start a good day of traveling,” Tristan said and passed Kimber one more piece of chocolate before wrapping the rest up. “And we can try to find a bigger dinner tomorrow evening.” He reached next to him and tossed the blanket onto the couch next to Kimber. Although the Auroreans did not get cold easily, blankets were a nice mental comfort, and Kimber recognized and appreciated the generosity.
“If we stay here on the way back, you can have the blanket,” Kimber said, hugging the fleece.
“Or we can stay here, and you can still have it again.” Tristan yawned and stretched out in the light of the borealis. After a bit of commotion, he reclined the seat backwards and placed his hands behind his head. A second later, he opened one eye and looked at Kimber who had not moved. “What?” he asked with a grin.
“Nothing,” she smiled. “Good night.”
Kimber settled into a comfortable position on the old couch and tried to shut her eyes. So many thoughts were racing through her exhausted mind: concern for her mother, confusion over Caleb, surprise regarding Eve, apprehension of what secrets lay to the north, uncertainty of the future of her species, the freedom of the world aboveground, and the surprising kindness of this boy who had volunteered himself to protect her.
Her breathing slowed as her body started to relax and sleep took over. The colors danced outside the windows of the rickety county building. In her mind’s eye, she saw Tristan running in front of her, his beautiful body shimmering under the borealis. Kimber’s slipping consciousness grasped for reality as long as it could, and the last thing she saw was Tristan turn and wink, a smile in his hazel eyes that assured her he would do anything to keep her safe.
Chapter XII
The dawn came quickly, spilling aggressively into the hole in the roof of the Hart County Road Department building. The light, which had started gradually, now flooded the entire world with a fierce tenacity. Kimber groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. Eventually, she peeked out and saw Tristan bent over the map.
“Why are you so awake?” she pouted, hiding her head back under the covers.
“Why are you so asleep?” came Tristan’s lofty response as he continued to survey the topography of the land.
Kimber sat up, squinting into the morning light and tried to gain her bearings. The shards of the shattered windows glinted sharply as the sunlight pierced through, revealing the pitiful state the building was in. The nighttime shadows had been much more forgiving and as Kimber gazed around, she was a little surprised that this place had not yet been blown away in a dust storm.
“I opened the peaches for you,” Tristan said with a grin, still not looking up at Kimber.
She didn’t say anything and continued to blink around at their surroundings. The couch was comfortable enough, but she was noticing that it was in worse condition than she had thought. The color, which must have once been a warm grey, was now faded to a dingy cream and one of the legs had collapsed. She looked up at the ceiling which looked ready to fall in at any moment and then back at Tristan.
“You need something a little stronger, I take it. I’ve got just the ticket.” Tristan broke his concentration from the map and reached to grab the remaining half of the chocolate bar. He quickly split off a piece and handed it to Kimber.
A smile spread across Kimber’s sleepy face, and Tristan beamed at her before returning to the map. Kimber looked down at her piece of chocolate and must have squeaked in dismay, because Tristan’s eyes shot back up in concern. He found her staring down in alarm at the chocolate in her hand. White spots dotted the face of the bar and he could tell she was distressed.
His concern immediately melted into mirth. He took the chocolate from her hand and took a bite out of it. Kimber stared at him skeptically, clearly rethinking her confidence in his decision-making abilities. He laughed as he explained, handing the now half-bitten piece to her.
“Chocolate bloom. Well technically, fat bloom. Happens when the triglycerides separate from the crystalline structure of the cocoa butter and deposit themselves on the surface of chocolate. A little funny looking but completely harmless... like me,” Tristan said, trying to make her laugh.
A smile did crack on Kimber’s
lips, and she took a little bite off the corner of the chocolate. She made a funny face and collapsed dramatically back onto the couch. Tristan chuckled and folded the map back up. He stood and swatted her on the thigh with it. “While you pull yourself together, I’m going to go take a walk.”
Kimber laid there for a moment or two longer before hoisting herself upright and stretching out in every direction, forcing blood into her tight limbs. She picked up the peaches and ate her fill, savoring the thick juice they were packed in. When she was finished, she stood up, shook the rest of her sleepiness off, and unpacked the water bottle. Hearing the water splash around made her need to pee as well, so she slipped quietly out the front door. The sun blazed overhead and a washed out borealis continued to pulsate high in the sky.
Kimber returned to the lounge to find Tristan looking quite proud of himself. He pulled two water bottles from behind his back. They were crystal clear and even slightly chilled from the night. “No bloom on these!” he said giving one to her and quickly opening his.
Kimber felt a little bad for acting pretentious about the chocolate and went over to where she had dropped her piece on the coffee table. She stoically popped the piece into her mouth and forced a slightly pained smile in his direction. Then she gratefully opened the water and downed it almost as fast as he had.
“That. Was. Amazing,” she said swallowing the last few drops.
“Oh, and check this out.” Tristan half pulled out two road flares that he had placed inside Kimber’s bag. “Don’t know exactly what we’d need them for, but seeing as how we are going back underground, they may come in handy if we get into a tight spot. There was a little shed out back with some old gardening stuff, and these were in there.”
“Brilliant,” Kimber said looking at them. She hoped they would not need them, but Tristan was right… if they did, that would have meant that they had gotten themselves into a very serious predicament. The extra light would be invaluable.
