16. Cowboy Chili
Before the sun set, right after Tanner had hidden the car beneath trees and brush, they closed the shop.
Marie referred it to ‘buckling the hatch’, and I understood what she meant when they did it. Every window was covered in metal, even the doors. When they were finished, without lanterns, we would have been a black metal box. The heat would get unbearable without much ventilation. There were only two small pipes in the ceiling.
I had fallen asleep once more, no dreams, and woke to horrible hunger pains. I hadn’t eaten since before vomiting on Nito, and even then, it wasn’t much.
Snake prepared the meal, which surprised me. A man cooking? A thick, brownish substance was in a jar and it ‘popped’ when he turned the lid.
He placed a heap on my plate. “Made this myself,” Snake said. “Best if you use some bread.”
The bread he gave me was crispy and flat. It tasted good, but was not the bread I knew.
“What is this?” I asked.
“We call it cowboy chili.” I didn’t understand what ‘cowboy’ was, and I guess it was apparent on my face. “It’s something the cowboys used to eat,” Snake explained. “A cowboy was a label placed on a, well, how do I put it? A horseman who lived out west. At night, while camping out, they’d make a pot of this and eat it around a fire.”
“It’s delicious,” Marie added. “And a big barter item. Snake is one of our best canners.”
“Canner?”
“Canning,” Snake explained and lifted the jar.
“I may be from Akana, but that is not what I know a can to be.”
Snake smiled, having promised me he would not be one to laugh. “It’s a crazy term, I know. That’s what they call it when you put food in a jar and seal it with heat so it doesn’t get air in it and spoil.”
“That’s a wonderful concept,” I said. “Much better than drying and salting for preservation.”
“Pretty innovative,” Snake told me. “I invented it.”
“Oh, horses,” scoffed Marie. “He’s telling tales.”
“About?” I asked.
Marie shook her head. “He’s not being truthful. He’s making things up and it’s all in fun.”
“Man,” Tanner sighed. “Do you guys take everything so literally?”
I turned to Tanner. “Why do you do that?”
“What?”
“Refer to everyone as ‘man’? Is that because we all are part of man as a species?”
Coughing then laughing, Tanner shook his head. “It’s just an expression. I don’t know why. There you go again. Literally.”
I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about Tanner. He found far too much amusement at my expense. Then again, I was used to males who were mild and reserved because they were taught to be that way.
Braving the substance on my plate, I lifted a utensil full to my mouth. The texture was odd and thick, but the second I took it into my mouth I was amazed at the tangy and wonderful flavor that exploded in my mouth.
“Is everything this good?” I asked. “Is this how you eat?”
Marie smiled. “Not everything is that tasty, but food is important. There’s a woman who has a garden of spices that makes all the world of difference in flavor.”
“What is this chunky stuff?”
Marie answered. “Meat.”
I panicked and nearly choked. “Please, tell me it is not human meat!”
“Oh my God!” Tanner burst into some sort of high pitched hyena style laughing and stood from the table.
“I beg your pardon?” Snake snipped.
Marie laid her hand on mine. “Vala, why would you ask that? Of course it’s not human flesh.”
“We are told that the only meat you have is what you get from your dead.”
“Dude, seriously,” Tanner sat back down. “They lied to you. You guys are the only ones with livestock.”
“It took a while to get things going again,” Snake said, “and it’s not back. Not nearly to where it was, but fifteen years is a lot of time. We didn’t wither and die, we grew like the Sybaris grew. We have cows and pigs, chickens too.”
Assured that I wasn’t eating another person, I returned to enjoying my meal. I decided to keep my mouth closed and not say much more. I was so out of my element, and realized how much I didn’t know about life outside of the Esperanza Straits.
I was glad I at least knew my history and was grateful for the Janie girl and her time capsule from 1988.
17. Starry Night
Tanner informed me that we would leave for Angeles City after sunrise once it was bright enough. I remembered the Savage Sybaris, but I didn’t recall knowing that they only came out at night. Then again, I was so young. It made me wonder how people slept, knowing the Savages were lurking and waiting to attack.
Angeles City was always a goal for me. I knew there were people and there was talk that the revolution was starting there. Now it was close and each moment that passed, I grew more nervous. I truly never thought beyond going there. It was my assumption that the people of Angeles City were no different than Runners or Nomads. However, I had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the case.
Thinking about my morning journey made it difficult for me to sleep. Not only that, but as I expected, it was hot in Fred’s Bait Shop... stifling hot. What little air that was in the room was thick and stale. Breathing was difficult and my irritation over the heat magnified the pain in my arm. I swore I felt every beat of my heart as it throbbed around my injury site.
The new clothes Marie gave me were lighter, but didn’t help. I wanted my sleeping dress. That was long and thin, and allowed for me to feel cool on a heated night.
The heat didn’t seem to faze Snake, Marie, or Tanner. They were fast asleep. After taking a sip of my water, I poured a little in my hand and splashed it on my face, running my damp hand over my neck.
Then I remembered the air pipe. I stood from my mat and walked over toward the kitchen area. The pipe extended down and the opening was about the circumference of a hand sized ball. Positioning myself under it, I hoped to catch some air. Even a little.
Head tilted back, with my face directly under it, I could feel a smidgeon of relief. And as if that pipe were a scope to the sky, I could see the stars. So many of them. Just as I believed I found my relief moment, the stars disappeared and the view went black.
Only for a moment.
The black was replaced by an eerie green eye that peered down at me through the pipe.
Sybaris!
I gasped and within seconds, the Savage went nuts.
An eruption of noise took over the shop beginning with the sound of thumping. Like large stones rained upon the roof.
Thump-thump-thump
The thumping turned to pounding. How many of them were up there? They screamed loudly, sounding so much like demonic pigs.
I looked around the room to see Tanner, Snake, and Marie were still sleeping. Was I dreaming? Was this actually happening? How could they sleep though it all?
The pipe shook violently and the Savage Sybaris screamed through the opening, as if warning me he was coming to get me. The entire building seemed to vibrate, and it was so loud it was deafening.
“Tanner,” I called out. “Tanner!”
The pipe moved violently, and thick slimy saliva oozed down the pipe and landed on the floor.
“Tanner!”
“What?” he replied groggily.
“Is this happening or am I dreaming?”
He sat up, rubbing his face. “You’re not dreaming.”
“Look at this pipe, Tanner. Look.” I motioned upwards to the shaking pipe.
With a groan, Tanner stood. He walked to the table and lifted an object that looked like a gun. I knew it wasn’t a gun, though, it had a longer front. Tanner placed a short arrow in the front barrel of the weapon, pulled a switch back on top, and walked over to the pipe.
“He’s going to rip it from the roof,” I said.
“No he’s not.” Tanner looked up. “Man, he’s relentless.”
A line of ooze dripped onto his face. After swiping his hand over his cheek, Tanner calmly aimed into the pipe and fired the weapon. The arrow shot fast from the barrel and straight up the pipe.
The Sybaris screamed and I heard the deadened thump.
The pipe stopped moving and instead of saliva, a thick black liquid dripped to the floor.
My hand shot to my mouth, the odor was foul and rotten.
“Gross.” Tanner moved to a cabinet in the kitchen, reached in, and grabbed a canister. After lifting the lid, he sprinkled some sand like substance on the floor. “Don’t touch it.” Placing the cap back on the canister, he didn’t return it to the cabinet, he set it on the counter.
Whatever he sprinkled on the black stuff took the edge off the smell.
“He’s not getting in,” Tanner said confidently. As if what he had done was nothing, he walked back over to the table, laid down the weapon, and returned to his sleeping mat.
Even though he hit one of them, the noise on the roof continued. Just as loud and just as strong.
“What about the rest of them?” I asked. “We are being attacked.”
“No we’re not.”
“Then what do you call it?”
Tanner lay down. “Normal.” He closed his eyes. “Try to sleep. You’ll get used to it.”
I was astonished and shocked at his reaction and attitude about the situation. My question of ‘how could they sleep’ was answered right there and then by Tanner. They were used to it.
They were used to the noise, the heat, everything. To them, this was normal.
I had to wonder if I would ever be able to get used to it. As I listened to the savage beasts try diligently to rip through the structure to get to us, I doubted it.
I did know one thing for sure, I wasn’t going to be able to sleep.
18. Last Leg to Angeles
My body finally succumbed to exhaustion and at some point I fell asleep. Not for long though. The ‘squeak’ of the metal shutters and the entrance of bright sunlight into the shop awakened me.
“Morning,” Marie said. “How did you sleep?”
“Not much. Well when I did. Thank you.”
“How are you feeling? How’s the arm?”
“Sore, but I feel fine.” I rose to a sitting position and was beginning to stretch when my attention was drawn to Snake, who was in the kitchen area.
“What the heck?” He kicked his foot about the floor. “How did we get Sybie blood on the floor?”
“Me,” Tanner answered. “I had to shoot one last night. He was pulling at the pipe pretty bad.”
“Wow, I didn’t even hear it,” Snake said.
“Me neither,” added Marie.
I made my way to the table where they were seated. “It was hard for me to sleep with the Sybaris above us.” I pulled out a chair and sat.
“You’ll get used to it,” Marie told me. “As long as you are in a safe place, don’t give it a second thought.”
“It was scary for me. I haven’t been around them in quite some time.” I accepted the bowl of food she presented me and this time I recognized it. Toasted oats and nuts mixed with dried fruit. It was sweet and delicious. It was my second day with my new companions, and I vowed inwardly that I was going to listen and be smart. Try to decipher what they said instead of speaking up and sounding so confused and out of place.
We finished our meal, grabbed what little belongings there were, and headed out. I carried my own bag, despite Tanner’s offer of help.
I walked out of the shop behind the men and as I stepped on the porch, Snake said, “There he is. Grab your arrow so it don’t go to waste.”
It wasn’t immediately obvious what he was talking about, though once Marie and Snake moved to clear the hidden car, I saw what Snake was talking about.
The Savage Sybaris lay on the ground, a thin line of smoke rising from his smoldering carcass. What remained of it was barely recognizable. It was nothing more than a burnt, shriveled mess. What looked to be a hand, burned as well, extended upward.
Tanner walked over to it and pulled out his arrow, wiped it on the side of his pants, and placed it in the bag.
We loaded into the car and set forth for Angeles City. My stomach fluttered in nervousness about the journey. I had so many questions about the citizens of Angeles, and the revolution.
Marie told me she would love to tell me, but their leader always liked to be the one to fill in newcomers, especially those who had little knowledge of the world beyond the Sybaris.
“Besides,” Marie said, “there are the Archives of History and you really want to see it instead of just hearing it.”
I understood and was anxious. There was a lot to learn, and I would. I was smart.
“Tell me about your family,” Marie said as we sat in the back together. “Are you worried about them?”
I nodded. “Yes, more so that they are scared for me. I don’t think they will be harmed. They weren’t the ones who did wrong.”
“Do you have a mother, father, brothers, sisters??”
“I have a mother. I never knew my father. She married not long after we got to Akana, but he died from illness. I have a little sister who is five and I had a brother… once.”
“He passed away as well?”
“He was our rite of passage into Akana. He was just a few days old.”
Marie tried to hide her shocked reaction to what I said. She inhaled deeply, glanced away for a moment, then looked at me and clenched my hand. “I’m sorry. Do you remember it happening?”
“I was there when the gatekeepers accepted her gift.” I lowered my head. Just the thought of it made me sick and angry.
“Again, I’m sorry.”
Marie breathed out loudly. “Okay, change of subject. You seem like a nice girl. What on Earth could you have done so wrong that you had to flee for your life?”
“It was the monthly ceremony when the Civilized ones come and choose. They smell as it is, and one breathed too closely to me and—”
“The civilized ones smell?”
“Not rotten like the Savages, more musky.” I shrugged. It was then I noticed Snake looked back at us, and Marie and he locked into a stare.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No. No. Continue,” Marie told me.
“Well, her odor made me sick and when she grabbed hold of my arm to choose me, I vomited on her. She always had a distaste for me and I suppose it was the final straw. She ordered her henchmen to get me, so I ran.”
Marie laughed. “I’m sorry, that is funny. She must have really been mad about it.”
“That and it burned her, she screamed.”
“Holy cow,” Snake blurted. “You burned her and you smell them?”
“Yes. I’ve always been different. Nito—that is her name, the one that hates me— she called me Mare.”
Softly, almost a whisper, Marie asked me, “Mare? She referred to you as a Mare?”
“Yes,” I answered, then was hit with instant fear that I had said the wrong thing. “Please tell me I won’t be shunned in Angeles City.”
“No. No. Oh, Vala, more than you realize, you are not only welcome in Angels City…” she gently rubbed my hand, “you are needed there.”
19. Arrival
What I remembered of my journey away from Angeles City was still vivid in my mind. I embedded it there so I’d always remember. I recalled roads that were empty, barren towns, remnants of civilization. The streets and sidewalks were cracked with growing weeds and grass and no one used cars. People moved in groups, pushing carts, some huddled under tents to keep them cool from the sun.
I recalled Angeles City being a huge place that was spread out. The main part was concrete and buildings that extended high into the sky. Many of the structures had seen their fair share of man’s last stand and were damaged and broken, some burnt. The city itself was void of life, with the exceptio
n of people that were no more than nomads.
My return to Angeles City was quite different, and not at all what I expected.
Once we had left the deserted area, we took one road, more of a path, really. Only a hint of the former road could be seen here and there. Trees and grass grew high and any semblance of structures that remained were buried and hidden beneath the deep foliage.
It had gone from dusty and barren to green and full of life.
Angeles City was still there, and from a distance, I could see the skyline peeking through the new forest. My hopes for a gleaming new city were diminished. The buildings were worse. They were jagged and damaged, resembling rotting and broken teeth trying to take a bite of the sky. That was from a distance.
It was disheartening to think with all the green around them, people still lived in the ruins of the past.
I believed that until we drove closer.
A faded, broken sign reached from the trees. It read, ‘Angeles City Limits’. Right after we passed that, a cow crossed in front of us and Tanner stopped to allow it to go by. It was then I spotted the first of many small farms. They weren’t huge pastures like we had, they were small pockets of personal farms, built around each house. Each owner of a house had their own farm.
The homes had seen their share of wear and tear. Many were covered with thick vines and tangled branches. Nature’s camouflage I supposed.
With each mile we traveled closer to Angeles City, the more small farms there were, along with animals. Lots of animals. People rode past us on horseback.
When we were farther away I could only see the tops of the buildings in Angeles City, but as we entered the city limits, I realized how different it was going to look up close.
Tanner stopped the car and announced, “This is where we start to walk. No cars from this point on.”
Awakening the Mare (Fall of Man Book 1) Page 6
