by Han Yang
The beast chased the treat, releasing its grip and flowing behind the boat before vanishing. I walked to the lip of the ledge and positioned myself in a better spot to drop for the beast on the other side of the rudder.
When this slender fish hit the water, those eyes continued to peer out at me, not the fish that floated by. I dropped another fish right on top of the eyes.
Splash!
The head violently devoured the fish, breaching for just a few seconds before returning to dive back down. When only eyes watched me, waiting patiently for me to feed it again, I sighed in frustration.
I stepped back, deciding to get a fishing pole. I didn’t want to risk the rudder with its violent actions.
Splash!
The narock leaped out of the water, snatched the jar of pickled fish, and vanished beneath the surface.
Roma and Yilissa stepped back in shock.
“Alright, no kids near the edges,” I said with a gulp.
“I froze,” Roma said with a tremor.
Yilissa grunted. “It was over before I could register to pull the trigger. Those beasts are freaky. Do you think it’ll follow us now?”
“Because we fed it?” Hariet asked.
“We will find out when we reach Lornsto and disembark,” I said.
“What now?” Roma said.
“We need a solid night crew for, well, forever. These beasts prefer the night and there’s no gambling, drinking, or… other activities to relieve stress when you’re on a boat full of people and kids. So, I’ll start rotating the upper guard and driver. Four-person crew, all night long. Swap people up to keep the conversations fresh,” I said.
“Gregory needs more sleep,” Hariet said. “Come on Yilissa, I’ll show you the flag method we use.”
“Should we post a guard on the rudder?” Roma asked.
I shook my head. “We should put a jar of fish and some sort of alarm system though.”
“I can do that. Take over for Gregory and I’ll get this going. Send him to get the jar and I’ll pull guard,” Roma said.
I nodded and walked by my boots, deciding to stay barefoot. The cool breeze allowed for a comfortable evening. After a few carefully placed steps over the people sleeping in the wheelhouse, I reached a very alert Gregory.
“Sorry,” he muttered apologetically.
“We learn, we adjust,” I said in a positive manner. “This section of the river is filled with hungry monsters. Even if we get sudden cloud cover, we press on and risk a beaching over anchoring.”
“That bad?” he asked.
“Yeah. Hey, Gregory. We may not make it to the mines. How about you pull a day shift with your kids. Even if you can’t get back to sleep right away, go be with your family,” I said.
“You sure?”
I smiled and said, “This isn’t you being relieved for making a mistake. I’m well-rested and ready to shift to nights. I really do feel you should see your family some. I can tell that you sacrifice for them.”
He patted my back. “Thanks. You’re the first man to give me a night off in years and you’re not even my boss.”
I let him leave, not pointing out that I was in charge. I didn’t need to feel special at this moment and could always lay down the who’s in charge talk at the mine.
A flag dipped down, telling me to turn left. I saw the bend in the river easily enough but did understand how if I drifted in thoughts that I might miss sticking to the middle of the water. The sail swung to adjust for the turn, propelling us forward at a slight increase in speed.
The water drifted by the shoreline occasionally providing some variation to watch. A home with a dock rested in ruin, destroyed long before any invasion happened. The interior did seem like a great spot for a nest, and I tensed when we drifted by.
A prog’narock loomed in the shadow, watching us drift by. This one seemed to be bigger than the others I’d seen before. Alphas were likely developing at this stage in their cycles.
Over the next five minutes, I wished we could go faster, constantly glancing back at that ruined hut. When it vanished and the big prog’narock stayed put I let my mind wander about if this was the right boat to pick.
The little fishing boat we passed up back at Laro would have been perfect for speed if it were just me and no supplies. Without a doubt, it would have been weighed down even without the extra people. Being low and slow in this water likely meant death.
I never believed in God. Nor did I believe that Darcy would use godlike powers to spare those folks who boarded that barge. If I had to guess, they were all dead now. If they weren’t, when they hit this section of the river, they’d have a fight on their hands.
The river’s bend stopped, and the flag told me to straighten myself out. Roma arrived and stood awkwardly at my side. I could see her blue eyes hesitating to say something. She stared up at me and I couldn’t help but notice her boom stick nestled in her bust.
“Go get a holster,” I ordered, letting my eyes linger.
This broke her spell of worry and she nodded with a grin. The river slowed, entering a long straight stretch. A few narocks of both types dove into the river to pursue us. Even though we slowed, we still drifted by at a fast clip.
When Roma returned, she said, “I take it, love is calculated and slow to advance for those on the Earth realm?”
“Yeah, it is. Lust tends to be the driving motivation for interactions. The problem I have with that is, I need a wife. A woman I can trust implicitly. That kind of relationship takes years to foster unless you take a leap of faith,” I said.
“Ah, and this girlfriend of yours. Is she why you keep your lust in check?” Roma asked.
“Girl and friend are better descriptions. I don’t usually sleep around, even if people are putting pressure on me to. Humanity will need children, without a doubt. The problem is, we need a space for them to grow in first,” I said.
“So, you avoid love here to avoid heartbreak out there?” Roma asked, folding her arms unpleasantly.
“I wouldn’t say that. If we survive. I will settle down as we find stability. I see you and Yilissa are interested in me, but we barely know each other. I think quick love is a way of the past and don’t judge it.
“For generations men strove to find a suitable mate in a fairly one-sided deal. Women struggled to find even a half decent man. Those they found, they pursued. The problem is what if you bite your toenails, or… or… whatever. There’s always something.
“This is why I wanted to get laid in the brothel. I’d never have to save that girl's life or disappoint her when we go to reduced rations,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t even know what you would want to do if you were rich and on top of the world. Not saying that is vital information, just saying.”
“Danny. Danny was his name,” Roma said, and I realized I asked to know more about her. This was her trying. “I was sixteen. A few families still used dowries to help new couples get on their feet. Some boys I fancied lobbied their parents, and they approached my father. He was frugal and actually had some crowns to give out.”
She sighed happily. Rightfully so. Even now arranged marriages exist. My mother tried to push three women onto me when I became a man.
Roma continued, “He told them all that I would pick the man I wanted and only when I was ready. I picked Danny, but thought we were just friends. He worked as a stable hand, sneaking me in to help feed the horses when I wasn’t washing laundry or doing small work. I love horses. So much.
“I let him court me. By seventeen the other young suitors realized they’d lost. Even I didn’t see it yet. Our private times became more… heated. I found myself wanting to make him happy, even cooking meals for him.
“Momma knew it. Eventually he asked for dad’s blessing and then mine, earning approvals for both. It wasn’t smooth sailing by any means. He invested the dowry for us to start hauling goods for trade.
“That very first run, bandits stole everything. They tied us up and left us for dead on the road. A nice co
uple rescued us and there went all our crowns. We moved in with his parents, working hard to get our own place.
“A few days after we had our own home, he passed. Now, I think he is one of these children on this boat. At least, I hope. He is having joy all over again and not even realizing the life he left behind,” Roma said.
“Maybe. It certainly is a warming thought. I don’t know if one body must die for another to be born, but I hope it doesn’t work that way,” I said.
“I was a wreck after. I tried to be positive. I spiraled down a dark hole of doubt. Hell, I figured I poisoned his dinner that night by accident,” Roma said.
“Fever is a killer, you’re not to blame. All you can do is try to make tomorrow better than today was.”
“That is a nice saying. Did you always want to have kids?” Roma asked.
“Uh, no. Don’t frown. I’m young. Where I come from, at least while we were among the stars, you needed to be at least thirty-five with a five-year relationship to apply for a child application. That will go away, and each pairing will be expected to have a whole lot of kids,” I said sadly.
“Why does that bother you?”
“I have to find a willing partner. Then she becomes a baby factory. It’s not fair to her,” I said.
Roma scoffed. “I had to write down and pledge my virginity was intact for Danny. After, no man would commit to courting me when I refused sex before marriage. When I tossed out that rule, they still didn’t commit. I know all about life not being fair. You don’t seem like the kind of man to leave a woman behind with three young’uns at home.”
“Huh, heavens no. I’d be a great dad. And will be. Husband too. But that is the thing. I can’t pick how my kids will turn out. I can pick my wife. I vetted Taiyo for months and she snapped at my beliefs,” I said.
“Oh… interesting. You’re winning me over with the ‘not being a deadbeat’ part. Tell me what drove this friend of yours to snap at you.”
I guided the ship a little to the left. The boat centered in the middle of the river. Feet dangled from in front of my viewport, and I heard Hariet and Yilissa talking about Lornsto.
“I believe that in order to survive, hard situations must be overcome. I don’t feel bad for killing Keb and his sister. I could have wounded them, tied them up, and gagged them. They might have gotten their weapons out before I could wound them, but I doubt it. The main thing was, when I drew on them, they didn’t put their hands up. So, I killed them,” I said.
“This Tammy doesn’t believe in killing?”
“Uh, no, no she does not. I hope to avoid killing humans if I can. And it’s Taiyo. Tai-yo. She is for mercy, compromise, and hope. I am for a dictatorship, hardships, and suffering to achieve the needs of the species,” I said sadly.
“Ah, so Taiyo is less rigid in the methods to survive?” Roma guessed.
“Yeah. Her skin would crawl to hear me say this, but… I also think that women should become breeders. They should have twelve kids so their kids down the road can make that choice. I also don’t think a woman should be able to say no because she doesn’t want to,” I said with a wince.
Before she could roast me, I clarified. “Look, Roma. This is about survival of the species. If I die out there, I’m stuck in here, a fragment of the person I used to be. Eventually, if we all die, this is all that is left of humanity. Recordings of past lives in situations that are fabricated.”
“So, you would sleep with ten women to balance out the parenting?” Roma teased.
I opened my mouth and closed it. “Right now, there are enough people and extra humans on Earth. I’d need a whole lot of time to do the math. But yeah, if that is what it takes. The bonus is we don’t have to share partners to make a baby. Both parents go in, scientist do their thing, baby is in momma’s belly without any sex.”
“Talk about taking out the fun part.”
“Yeah, well. Most folks are big on having fun while single. When coupled, that stops. Not every woman wants to kiss another girl,” I said, prodding her back.
“So, Taiyo doesn’t want to become a mom?” Roma said, deflecting.
“I don’t think that is it. To her, and guessing here, that strips humans of their humanity when you remove their freewill. If she wants one child, but Darcy does the math and says we need four, she doesn’t think she should be told to have three more. Some men won’t want to be farmers, but we need farmers. I don’t think either should have the choice. Or fighters or teachers or whatever,” I said.
“I see. Even I dislike this notion of removing free will.”
“Right, I hate it too, but if we do it now, one of three things will happen; we die anyway, we live and down the road our freedoms are returned, or we live and are forever slaves to a central power who controls all aspects of our lives,” I said with a sigh.
“You do believe in freedom of choice though, right?”
“Yeah, ninety-nine percent of the time. The one percent is when everyone dies if you don’t follow drastic measures and should only be used in dire emergencies,” I said.
“Okay,” she sighed happily, “that admission takes down the crazy a bit. Humans aren’t cattle.”
“Hey, I’m not crazy. Just desperate,” I protested.
“And in here. Will you take a wife? It is actually illegal for a man to adopt a little girl without a wife,” Roma said.
“Uh… the rules here are so archaic. Let me answer with a question. How many children did you want?” I asked.
“Three.”
“And if your next husband only wanted one?”
She giggled. “I can be convincing, and I’d have time to present my case.”
“Compromise?” I asked and she nodded. “Good answer. Will I take a wife here in Snagglewood? I don’t rush these decisions, and saying goodbye is not my style once I settle down. So, I would need to find out more answers about what exactly happens when or if I leave,” I admitted.
“Even better. You could lie to me to bed me, but you don’t. Part of why I favor you. As does Yilissa. She sees a better version of her father in you. We are being civil, but women tend to get… cagey when they fight over the same man’s interest. I appreciate the honesty, Theo.”
“Yeah, and so we’re clear, I’ll try not to lie, but sometimes I do. I didn’t want three hookers that night on the wall. The company of a blue-eyed damsel would have been great. And… Now that I know Yilissa, I could see myself talking to her for hours on end as friends as well,” I said.
“As friends, to start,” Roma said with a smirk.
I adjusted the wheel when a flag dipped down.
She hugged me from the side, and I pulled her in with a free arm.
“I’m conflicted about my love life. Give me time. For now, let me focus on keeping you alive. Last thing I need is to be trying to sneak out a quickie and the narocks attack,” I said.
“That’s a shame. Would be one hell of a way to go out.”
“Indeed. Just wanting to get it right. Let me ask you this. If you never met Danny, what would you be doing for work?” I asked.
“I wanted to be a bartender. The atmosphere, the conversations, the friends at work. Each time I went in for a job, I got it, but as a waitress with my tits up to my chin. Now I’m sailing to hide in a mine where we will have to live off the land. Never thought I’d become a farmer,” Roma said.
“Yeah, I dreamed about tilling land and planting crops for ages. We just gotta hope we can extract, germinate, and get seeds to grow in an arid landscape. Not an easy feat with monsters looming,” I said.
“There’s hope. I respect your wishes and will apply less pressure going forward. Thanks for talking with me,” Roma said, leaving the wheelhouse before I could say anything.
I watched her go, noting she seemed sad.
A moment later, Hariet came down to share the wheelhouse with me. She asked me to tell her about the future. For the next two hours, I did exactly that, enjoying her company. We didn’t talk much about her, m
ostly she was curious about inventions that revolutionized humanity.
When Yilissa rotated down, the black-haired woman didn’t say a word. She snuck between the wheel and me and clamped on for a hug. A few minutes later, the fierce woman quietly sobbed into my chest.
I could feel her struggling to cope and didn’t view her tears as negative. Her brother likely paid to have her killed and the home she knew her whole life was gone.
It wasn’t lost on me that Lolli awoke from a nightmare to cry with Yilissa. Even if we survived, we’d be broken. I focused on the trip, while rubbing backs.
The duo left the wheelhouse, noting I struggled to steer and comfort. I watched them hunker down and talk at the front of the ship. I didn’t have any problems staying alert and eventually the rising sun brought a new day.
21
Snagglewood Day 19
Bewu River - Lornsto Docks
After two full days and nights of sailing down the Bewu River, we arrived at the Lornsto Docks. We dropped the anchor out of the current as soon as we could see the docks and assess the situation.
A vibrant morning sunshine beat down, warming the chill of the night. Gusts of wind tried to push us back into the middle of the river while I stood near the anchor line, wary of its submerged nature.
A few thousand feet away, the docks seemed so close, and yet so far. Each slip rested empty minus one spot. That slip held a steamboat and while that sight was an amazing discovery. All I could think about was that Jenny would be alive if we’d used it.
A half dozen prog’narocks sunbathed in the area, all larger than the ones we saw trudging inland.
If I had to guess. These were the well-fed scavengers who feasted on the dead of Lornsto. In hindsight, I probably should have buried the dead.
“So, talk me through this again,” I said to Eric.
Eric came to the anchor line. The man flinched, as if at the edge of great height and pulling back would save him. A few webo’narocks slithered into the water, but none had dared an attack yet.
I learned that Eric served as Laro’s architecture and was a planning member for the town. Basically, he loved math more than I did. I asked for ideas about how to get to the docks with this cross wind, river current, and monsters lurking.
