Seeds of War

by Fisher, Rachel

  Fi choked and laughed at the same time. “You think that I keep them safe?”

  “You do,” Kiara said seriously. “I know they protect you too, but they need you. Even Ash. He told me that when two people fight together, they need each other.”

  Fi felt her heart squeeze at her little sister’s wisdom. “Thank you, Ki.” She tucked Kiara’s hair behind her ear. “You know, sometimes the brave thing is letting someone else take a chance, and waiting for them to come home. I think that you’re a very brave girl.”

  “Just like you,” Kiara said, burying her face in Fi’s chest.

  When Fi actually had to leave, she nearly broke down and decided to stay. It was excruciating. All of this time she had focused only on keeping Kiara safe, and now she was going to leave her. The thought went against every bone in her body.

  It was so strange the way things had changed on their journey. Maggie would always be their mother, but when Fi took charge…when she’d had to take charge, it was like Kiara became hers. Her only real thought, her only real worry. Even when others joined them, it was Kiara that dominated Fi’s thoughts. Kiara…and Fi’s promise to their dying father to protect her.

  When they first escaped, and the soldiers had nearly caught them on the road, she remembered the way she’d grabbed Kiara’s arm and dragged her into the forest. Not her mother. Not Sean. Not Rachel, or Zoe, or any of the others. She’d heard the Hummer coming, and what she’d done first was yank Kiara to safety. At the time, she’d been incapable of any other thought, but when they’d all huddled together in terror in the dirt, she’d felt a deep pang of guilt. With all those people in her care, all Fi had focused on was Kiara. She’d wondered if it really boiled down to that in the end. Like the things you’d take with you if your home caught fire. What if it you could only yank one person with you into the forest, given the chance? Who would it be?

  Despite her misgivings, the mission beckoned: the outdoors, her fiancé, and her best friends. The pull was irresistible. As they drove away in the Jeep that would bear them for the first leg of their journey, Fi fought back tears. Kiara stood in the garage cavern with Lucy’s hand on her shoulder, waving goodbye, her blue-black hair twisting like ribbons in spring breeze.

  For the next twenty minutes the Seeders were silent. With the exception of Asher, who’d faced a constant threat in the City, none of them had done anything before that was truly as dangerous as this mission. They were going to be in partially explored territory the entire time, but that didn’t really lessen the danger. Lobos roamed free, food was still scarce, and they would be traveling long distances. Even the station stops would be a risk. They’d selected Families that had been friendly in the past, but you never knew. No, Fi thought, as she stared into the distance. It was time to focus once again.

  Vengeance Is Mine

  ---------- Fi ----------

  “How far out do you think we are, Ash?” Fi asked.

  The four were skirting a vast Dead Zone. They were on their way to their next planned station site, but they always kept an eye peeled for any other viable Topsider groups along the way. They’d brought enough materials to allow them to be opportunistic. The last group they’d set up hadn’t been planned, but they would be a solid station, Fi thought.

  “About half a day?” Asher responded. “I expect to get there by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

  As she jogged, Fi felt the dull ache in her back, and she grimaced and pushed herself to keep jogging. It always helped to keep moving. She nodded and then jogged ahead to join Sara, who had the same irritated tightness around her eyes.

  “Hey,” she smiled, and Sara made a face.

  Fi knew that Sara was in even more pain that she. Their periods had cycled together for long enough now that she knew Sara’s pain as well as her own.

  Sara raised an eyebrow. “You?” She didn’t need to say anything more.

  Fi nodded. “Next hour or so, and then, yeah.”

  The ache was growing now, like an animal stirring. The constant exercise was keeping it at bay, but she knew that within a few hours that horrible vise would clamp down.

  “Here,” Sara ripped open one of her cargo pockets, and pulled out small chunks of wood.

  “Sean?” Fi asked, and Sara nodded. Fi popped the poplar bark into her mouth and chewed, feeling grateful as the bitter, raw aspirin taste filled her mouth.

  “Yeah,” Sara replied. “He found a bunch of poplar and gave it to me…to us,” she corrected herself with a smile.

  Both girls hated to dip into the group’s emergency ibuprofen supply, but there were times when there was no other choice. It was kind of Sean to think of them, Fi mused. Without some relief, she usually found herself curled up for two days in a cursing, sweating ball of pain. On those days she was useless. The first time she’d gotten her period in Eden, it had come as a total shock. Despite being sixteen, it hadn’t occurred to her that she’d never gotten a period before. Doc Ron said she’d probably just been too starved to get it until she got to Eden.

  She felt her back squeeze in a powerful ripple, and a sharp pain shot into her thigh. She groaned. It was really getting going now. You know you’re really in pain when starvation seems better, she thought, annoyed. She chewed harder, swallowing the precious liquid from the bark before she spit out her piece. “You got any more of that?”

  Sara nodded with a grimace, and handed her more.

  When they first started Seeding, Sara and Fi had talked a lot about how the world had changed for women. Fi had thought she would grow up like other modern girls, with tampons, and Midol, and heating pads, and birth control. Now things were back to square one. If it weren’t for Sean’s ability to gather, and Mayra’s instruction on medicinal herbs, Fi didn’t know what she and Sara would’ve done.

  “Makes you appreciate ancient women, huh?” Sara remarked, and Fi chuckled.

  “Definitely. Those ladies were tough.”

  “Well, Fi, we are those ladies now.” Sara popped another piece of bark and chewed.

  Asher and Sean jogged up from behind to join them. “You ok?” Sean asked Sara with concern, and Asher turned to Fi, his eyebrows raised. Fi nodded with a half-smile and Asher patted her shoulder.

  “Yeah, we’re ok,” Sara responded for both of them. “Thanks for the poplar, though,” she added, and Fi agreed.

  “You girls just tell us if you want to stop,” Sean said kindly.

  Fi smiled. Sean had turned out to be an awesome boyfriend to Sara, not that she was surprised. It wasn’t like she had turned him away herself because he was a jerk. She just hadn’t been in love with him that way. She’d always known that he’d be an attentive partner, just like Asher. The boys dropped back, giving the girls their privacy again for a while.

  “It’s nice that you and Sean can talk about things,” Fi said. She sighed as the poplar began to work and the pain in her back abated. The bark couldn’t eliminate the pain, but it dulled it enough to keep her going.

  “Yeah,” Sara agreed. “He’s really good about that. Very grown up I guess. I’m usually the one that’s embarrassed.”

  Fi snorted. “I hear you there. Who the heck wants to talk about it?”

  “Totally,” Sara laughed. “I guess I realized how serious I was with Sean when we started talking about those kind of things. I mean, if he wasn’t serious about me, I don’t think he’d talk about all this girl stuff. But he’s really good, he never makes me feel bad, or gross, or anything.”

  “I can’t imagine that he would. Sean’s not like that. Neither is Asher. You know,” Fi said, suddenly thoughtful. “We always talk about how the world is different for us, but that affects them too…our men, I mean.”

  “Yeah, I know Sean hates to see me in pain.” She gave Fi a sideways smile as they trotted. “He’s so sweet, Fi. He rubs my back and tells me how proud he is of me for being brave and strong…”

  “Who’s sweet?” Sean called from behind them, and they laughed.

  “All
right,” Sara stopped and pressed her hand to her belly. “I do feel a little better, but I would like to just walk for a while, if that’s ok.”

  “Me too,” Fi admitted, and the four slowed to a walk.

  Sara grabbed a handful of leaves from an overhanging maple and began weaving them into a chain. Fi caught the motion out of the corner of her eye with a smile. Sara had really taken to the forest. It seemed to center her, whereas the Dead Zones…Fi exhaled. Those seemed to have the opposite effect, tightening her up like a drum. Though Sara still struggled with her feelings, they were fortunate so far to have avoided any fighting. A few times they’d had to run, but they’d never been attacked.

  Suddenly Sara stopped dead, and the others froze and followed her gaze. On the edge of the Dead Zone stood a huge, sprawling concrete complex. Sun gleamed off the razor wire topping the chain-link fence surrounding it. Four ominous concrete turrets stood at the corners, keeping a silent watch.

  “Shit,” Fi muttered. A breeze blew over the prison, spinning gritty whirlwinds into temporary life. There was no sound, no movement…no sign of life.

  “What should we do, Fi?” Sara whispered.

  “It seems abandoned or empty,” Fi replied. Of the living anyway, she thought, grimly wondering if prisoners had starved while locked away in their cells. She motioned for them to move on. “Let’s just stay under cover and get the hell out of here.”

  When they had almost completely passed, Sara let out a small cry, and clapped her hand over her mouth. Through the trees they could just see the corner of the fence that was closest to them. It had clearly been peeled back from the inside. All four ducked behind the trees again.

  Goddammit, Fi thought. That’s all we need. The idea of running with that open prison fence at their back was creepy. “Doesn’t change the plan,” she said, drawing her gun. “Arm yourselves, and let’s keep going.”

  Sean had taken to walking with his staff anyway, but Sara and Asher drew their blades, Sara with a half-smile on her face. Fi knew that the prisoners must have escaped years ago, but she didn’t want to take any chances. They moved in silence for hours, on high alert the entire time.

  Eventually, Fi spoke first, giving permission to break their silence. “Explains where some of the Lobos may be coming from.”

  “Yes, it was like that in the City, too,” Asher whispered, keeping his voice low. “A lot of the gangs formed after the Famine included members who’d been in real gangs before it. Let’s just say that the lawlessness didn’t bring out the best in them.”

  “No matter what, this means we have to be more careful,” Fi said. “We have to keep our voices low, reduce our use of fires, and set up sentries when we sleep.”

  They walked in silence until dusk, when they set up camp. It was close to a crystal clear river filled with fish, making a welcome fresh meal in a trip mostly sustained by jerky, nuts, and seeds. Fish oils also helped with pain, which made Fi extra grateful.

  As they ate, Asher turned on the radio, keeping the volume very low. It was a fortunate thing that they had their own small solar array. It allowed them to recharge the radio and use it at any time, so long as they were close enough to one of their station antennas.

  Listening created a lifeline to Eden, and now that they’d set up some stations, there was growing chatter amongst the Admins. Sometimes just tuning into those stations was comforting; listening to the silly, mundane conversations people were having about battling tomato hornworm and pepper scale. Regardless of what they were talking about, the stations were talking, Fi thought happily. They were reconnected.

  Asher tuned to the Eden channel to listen to the lists and Fi tried not to fret. It seemed like he listened to the lists every night that he could, despite having them memorized. He already knew the information from all of Eden and the existing stations, but still, he listened. It was like an obsession, she thought, like if he failed to listen and missed his parents’ names, he would’ve let them down somehow. She tried not to press him about it. What harm did it really cause to have him listen? But like every other night, Asher listened and was disappointed, and Fi’s heart broke for him. As usual, he tuned to other frequencies, looking for some fun chatter to cheer himself.

  Fi turned to him as a strange voice faded in and then out again. “What was that? Was that one of our stations?”

  Asher shook his head, his eyes wide. “No. That frequency is nowhere near our stations.” He worked the radio, trying to bring in the new signal. Finally, the static resolved and a man’s voice came through clearly. It was strong and resonant.

  “…God did NOT make us in his image so that we could remake ourselves as Gods. This Famine is His judgment, His retribution, for the Sin of reaching beyond ourselves…of eating from the tree of knowledge and thinking ourselves above our MAKER.”

  “Sounds like a preacher,” Sara said.

  “Sounds like a crazy person to me,” Sean scoffed. “The Famine is His judgment,” he intoned. “Who is this guy?”

  Fi was stunned. This person was broadcasting, but was not using one of their antennas. He must have figured out his own way to broadcast. The voice continued, the sound rolling and rhythmic. It was almost hypnotic.

  “That is why we live in the wastelands. To remind ourselves of God’s judgment. To remind ourselves of His wrath. We have forgotten that it is HIS WILL BE DONE, not ours. We have forgotten that we were cast out of paradise for seeking knowledge. Do not miss the lesson that is written across the landscape.”

  The four listened in silence, mesmerized.

  “It resides in the bones of the dead, and the gaunt faces of the living. Eat what you are given and be grateful. Live in the wilderness and be inspired by the beauty God has provided. And most importantly, reject the false prophecy of science that has left us bereft and adrift. Accept only God’s Truth. Be a Truther, not a Liar in your actions, and you will surely reach the Kingdom of Heaven.”

  “Can you believe this guy?” Sean breathed.

  Asher shook his head. “I know, right? This is all the world needs. Zealotry. Ideology. It’s so stupid. The Famine isn’t God’s judgment on us.”

  “Of course it’s not God’s judgment!” Sean cried, his face flushed with anger.

  Fi was quiet. On some level, she understood Sean’s anger. She wasn’t particularly interested in zealotry or excessive religion. But at the same time, she couldn’t just reject everything the guy had said offhand. Human beings had made huge mistakes. They had overstepped their bounds. If it wasn’t God’s judgment on them, it was certainly Nature’s judgment. She looked up, about to speak, and then bit her tongue. Judging by the looks on the guys’ faces, it was probably best to keep her thoughts to herself.

  “He’s just trying to gain power,” Asher reassured Sean. “Who cares what he says? No one’s even listening.”

  He turned off the radio as he and Fi got ready to go to sleep. Their sleeping bags were zipped together into one big bag, and Asher got in first so Fi could slide in beside him.

  As they settled, Fi ventured a question. “Do you really think that all that guy wants is power?”

  Asher nuzzled her neck, making her giggle. “I don’t think the best of people so, yes. That’s what I think. Why?”

  “No reason.”

  Now she wondered why she’d even brought it up. It felt evasive, asking the question and then not answering it herself, but it didn’t matter, because Asher would bring it up again at some point. He didn’t really deal in vague answers. The dogged journalist in him just couldn’t let things go. It was strange, she felt, that she didn’t just say “yes” as well. The preacher probably did just want power. If she relied on her knowledge of humanity, that would be the logical conclusion.

  But then again, how were people supposed to understand what had happened? Was it so easy to answer the questions about where humanity went wrong and where they should go from here? Lost in her own thoughts, Fi snuggled into Asher’s embrace. He tightened his arms around her as
she leaned into him, as if he sensed her discontent. Whether he did or didn’t, he said nothing. She felt his hands press gently into her lower back, kneading her sore muscles. Fi sighed and closed her eyes. She was ready for a rest.

  Fi awoke to a shrill whistle just before dawn.

  “Ambush!” Sara shouted, as she drew her daggers and ran toward the river.

  Half asleep, Fi fumbled for her weapon and stumbled after Sara, with Asher just behind. They crashed through the brush just in time to see Sean break one of his attacker’s noses with an elbow. Sara had engaged a large man who clutched a gleaming knife. Another man suddenly leapt out. Fi screamed and jumped back as she and Asher split and sank into their fighting stances. It was too dark to draw the .22 safely, so she pulled her knife as she heard the song of Asher’s sword leaving its sheath.

  “Niiiiice.”

  Fi heard a voice and whirled. Sara’s target was taunting her.

  “I thought we’d get some food and a good fight,” he sneered. “Didn’t realize your group had girls.”

  Sara’s lip curled in disgust. “Not very observant are you?”

  Sean’s grunt from behind her drew her attention away from Sara. She turned and saw Sean dodge left and fend off a lurching punch with his staff. She rushed to help him, but his attacker was exposed, and Sean cracked him in the side of the knee, felling him.

  Ok, Sean’s fine, she thought as she turned back to Sara. Her heart pounded as she took in the size of the man Sara was fighting. He was giant. Sara pretended to thrust and the man took the bait, lunging at her with a wild swing of his knife. Sara slid past and landed a deep blow to his upper arm. Dark blood poured from the gash as Fi stood watching, transfixed. Not waiting a second, Sara followed up with a solid roundhouse kick to the side of his head. He reeled, his legs wavering beneath him. Fi thought that he might drop, but he shook his head and steadied himself.

  “You bitch!” he snarled, as he stared at the blood streaming down his right arm.

  “Fi!” Sean called.