***Thirteen years earlier***
Brenna woke from her sleep to the gasps and screams from her mother. Then, she heard the wailing of an injured person, a man? She knew she should stay out of their business, but she was a curious child. So, she quietly got out of her bed and tiptoed out of the room to see if she could figure out what was going on.
The screaming got farther away, and she heard her mother's and uncle's voices in the hallway in hushed tones. She was partially glad to hear his voice considering her mother had been worried sick about him since he left. He and the other six men had been gone for almost an entire week, exploring what was beyond their colony and the Batista tribe above ground.
There had been both those worried and excited when the men had been sent out because nobody knew exactly what they would find. They could have died from exposure or been killed by animals or thirst if they ran out of water and couldn't find another source. Or they could have been killed by other people if they were out there. On the bright side, they might have found that they weren't the only humans left alive and could start forming a community once again with the outside world. That was everyone’s secret hope, but most people had shut that kind of hope down so that they could be prepared for the worst.
"What did you find out there?" Brenna's mother demanded to know.
"It's nothing but desert out there, lots of ruins. There are other humans, but they aren't like us. They're completely lawless. They came riding up on these contraptions I didn't recognize, probably something they were able to build from scraps that they found in some old abandoned ruins or something. They were disgusting heathens, and they tore us to shreds trying to see if we had anything worthwhile. When we didn't, they tried to kill us one by one. I got a good cut on one of their faces and probably left a scar, but not before he killed Carter and Rob. The other two with him finished off the others except for Lenny and me. We were walking off when we heard the groan and realized that Sam was alive. We practically dragged him back."
A chill went down Brenna’s spine listening to the tale. It was horrible that there were people out there doing that when there weren't enough humans left in the first place. It made no sense to her that they should be cruel.
Brenna's mother eventually caught her that night, crying in her bed about what had happened. Her mother had crawled into bed with her and held her all through the night to soothe her. It was one of the few times the woman actually showed true affection. And it was really odd to think about now, the motivations that she had in doing such a thing. Maybe it had been her mother who needed comfort.
But it wasn't long after that, maybe a month or two when the first punishment to exile someone became a public display. It was a woman who had been using the supplies like her own personal pharmacy. She'd come back screaming and bloody after being attacked by Raiders. They wouldn't let her back in, and Brenna didn't know if she survived after that, but she reckoned not.
***Present***
Brenna didn’t like thinking about the past, and it made her angry and sad. She stood up from the circle and walked away, not waiting for any cheers or questions from the children. Part of the problem was that even though her mother didn't deserve a single iota of love or care from her, Brenna missed her. Brenna missed her and her uncle and the bed she used to sleep in. She missed being young and not having a care in the world and not knowing all the hatred that still existed in the world.
In her mind, it would have made more sense for people to learn from their mistakes. Judgment and hatred led to war, and war led to total destruction. Too many lives had been lost already, and yet here they were, still fighting when there was a big wide world out there with plenty of room. Sure, this was the place that the Batista had chosen to settle down because, at the time, it was the only place known to have any kind of vegetation or life. But now, there had to be other places. Otherwise, the Raiders Raiders wouldn't be a constant problem. They wouldn’t be able to survive. So, why couldn't the colony go build somewhere else? This land belonged to the Batista for a long time, and it was their birthright. So, if the colony couldn't get along with the Batista, then it should be them who had to leave. Otherwise, they could all learn to live in peace. The more people were gathered together, the better off the Earth would be for recovery. But Brenna was beginning to believe that she was one of the only people who felt that way.
It wasn't like the Batista were perfect. There were still many of them who hated the colony, for good reason. They couldn't seem to see past it to make nice. But she was good about staying away from them, even though she was generally accepted among the population now. What would those people do if they found out what she had done or when Atlas announced they were going to get married? They weren’t going to be so easy to avoid anymore.
A pair of arms came around her, making her realize she wasn't alone anymore.
She had wandered too far away from the village, heading off in the direction where Raiders Raiders could easily scout out lone wolves like her and prey upon them. Most of the time, they knew better than to attack the Batista because they were trained in combat, and the Raiders Raiders knew it. But they also knew that Batista took out supplies to the colony and that they protected the colony, so once in a while, they would have scouts just beyond where Brenna and the others couldn't see, waiting for the right moment to use one of them as leverage to get what they wanted.
"So, they knew? They knew that one of their own was being ravaged and slaughtered, and they didn't do anything to stop it?"
Brenna regretted having even brought that up in the story at all. That was so not what she had in mind when he and the children wanted to know what it was like to live underground. But that was one of the memories that popped up, and so she just went with it. It was why she hated talking about the person she used to be and where she used to live because once her mouth opened, she couldn't stop whatever it was that wanted to come out. She had never even told Atlas about this before. Not that it was on purpose, but it just never came up.
"Yes," was all Brenna was able to choke out as she held back tears.
Atlas held her tight to his body, kissing around her head and then her neck as if he was trying desperately to cover her or erase the memory that would never be gone even if she wanted it to be. She didn't protest, she just let him.
"You saw this, you knew this. It wasn't just a rumor. And still, you saved my sister, someone you didn't even know, knowing if you got caught, this was going to happen to you?"
She had just acted upon instinct. Shouldn't it have just been human nature to help somebody out? But she guessed she was the only one with that thinking. "I just did what I thought I was supposed to do. I did what I think probably any of you would do, at least those of you that I know. Please stop looking at me like I'm some kind of hero. It was you who saved me, remember?"
Brenna was facing him, his hands still resting upon her shoulders. Atlas shook his head at her, but she couldn't quite tell what his meaning was.
“Some of the best heroes are the ones that don't think they are. I am sorry for what you experienced. Please tell me you are done ignoring me and ready to talk about this, so we can go to my family."
Brenna sighed, her shoulders visibly sagging. It was like she had deflated. "I hope you know that it isn't about you or what we did. It was amazing.” And as she said that, she brushed his lips with her own, trying her hand at being affectionate for once in a way he might deserve. "But I am so afraid of making myself a permanent fixture here. I'm afraid you will all get caught and slaughtered. I could never live with that. It would erase all the good things we have done."
He began to chuckle, and as always, it was out of place in the conversation. It was a signature move of sorts. "Then it is a good thing there is an exception. I talked to one of the elders about it yesterday and asked to see the treaty. There is a loophole, Brenna. When you marry one of us, you become one of us. They can't take you away and cannot hurt us for protecting one of our own.”
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br /> The heat rose in her again, but before she could act on it, a disgusting growl of a voice broke through their romantic moment. "What do we have here? Two stupid lovers ready to die?"
Brenna had not heard him coming or seen him in the dark. He was dressed all in black, much differently than the usual Raiders. He had an army of four a couple of yards behind him. He had to have quite some confidence to come up to two Batista without help right next to him. It meant he was likely a big threat.
Brenna raised her spear in a fighting stance, crouching low. Atlas pulled both of his knives out and readied them for an attack.
"You know, the two of you could always join us, help us get to the colony over there by taking supplies. All you have to do is help us get in, and we will spare you and give you some of the spoils."
Why would they ever go against their people and put them in danger like that? But the logic of a Raider was much different than the logic of a Batista. And even if it would be better if the colony was gone, she doubted the Raiders Raiders would stop there. It was never so easy with them. "Not a chance in hell."
The Raiders Raiders began to chuckle as if she just told the best joke in the world. Then, each pulled out a weapon. "And I guess we shall see which one of us ends up there."
Brenna knew better than to make the first move. And this guy was clearly cocky enough to fight them on his own and die, so the others had no other choice but to jump in. So, they would both need to wear him down and kill him before facing the others separately. They would not get tired as quickly if they shared the load.
Sure enough, the man signaled for the others to stay back. It was like a dance as they began to judge the Raider’s next movement and go after him in tandem. She and Atlas made a great fighting pair.
The Raider came at her first, thinking she must be the weak link. What was it with men assuming a woman was always the weakling?
He was sorely mistaken and barely missed being jabbed in the abdomen by her spear. Had she succeeded, the entire fight would have been over before it even began. She bared her teeth, teasing him like a wild animal, having been taught the intimidation techniques by the Batista. Animals knew it was best to win a fight without even fighting at all, and so that was why they all fought like animals. Or at least as close to it as they could get.
Atlas didn't miss. He was able to stab one of those knives straight into the guy's shoulder. The man grunted with pain, what was left of his teeth grinding against each other. Most of the Raiders Raiders were missing teeth, if not completely toothless.
He backed up as it riled up the men ready to come to his aid, but he insisted he was going to do this himself. He then came at Brenna and Atlas with more force and determination than expected after the injury. He was a savage as he slashed and threw his weight around in a way that a lot of the Raiders Raiders were not able to. He was clearly the leader of the group and had been training for years. He was a worthy opponent. She sure hoped neither of them made a mistake that would lead to his victory in the end.
It took several injuries by Atlas before the Raider slowed down enough that Brenna was able to get her spear in him. She'd got him in his back, going straight between the shoulder blades and through, causing him to collapse to the ground. It became quickly clear that the other men had not expected their leader to lose. Two of them ran scared off into the desert, and Brenna did not feel the need to chase after them. Instead, she and Atlas each took one of those who were left. One of them got scared as well, though, and began to run at the last second. Without thinking, Brenna ran after him this time. She was pumped full of adrenaline. She didn't bother to see if Atlas was following her, but eventually, he didn't just catch up to her, he surpassed her with those long legs of his.
They were shocked when the Raider led them to what was clearly a camp nearby. She had never seen a Raider camp before, though she knew obviously they had to have some kind of home base. But she had to guess this was a small group that had been recently ordered to watch and attack both the Colony and the Batista because if the camp had been there for a long time, the Batista would have noticed. When she got inside their dirt-poor excuse for a living space, Atlas was already finishing off the man that had run from them. There was no sign of any of the others, so they must have run off, afraid the Batista would later find the camp and come after them. Such cowards.
Brenna looked around and found that there were papers among some of the food, clothing, and other random supplies, and they didn't look like somebody's journals or letters. They were done up more expensively, more like the things Colony 88 had left over from before the nuclear war. She didn't understand why the Raiders Raiders would have such things, so she bent over to pick some of them up and look at them.
As she began to study them, they gave her more questions than answers. On the bottom of everything was an insignia that read Oasis. Now, Brenna did know what Oasis was, technically speaking— a reprieve in the hot desert with tropical plants teeming with life and water. But this was some kind of official seal. She had to know what this was about and quickly grabbed more of the papers as Atlas called for her to follow him back so they could let the other Batista know about the camp.
That was the priority, but at some point, she was going to find out what all these papers meant because she just got a feeling it was something bigger than simply the Batista and the Raiders. She had to know what Oasis was.
Chapter Six
Brenna escaped back to camp with Atlas, the papers she had found on her mind. She didn’t know why, but something told her they were important and to be protected with her life. There was a buzzing in the air as she waited for the right moment to look at them more thoroughly and, for one weak moment, wondered whether or not she should involve Atlas in the process. Wasn’t she supposed to want to tell him everything? Secrets were not a good start to . . . whatever this was. She didn’t want to say marriage because she still couldn’t say for sure if that would happen. But he was determined to convince her. She could feel it. Eventually, her human weakness would likely win out over her protective nature.
She stopped to catch her breath, her hands laying on her knees for a moment as she bent over the ground, watching a lizard scurry past under her feet. Normally, she would take it as an invitation for a snack, but she left it alone, letting it escape with its life this time. It had caught her at a bad moment, a rare moment when food wasn't at the forefront of her mind.
“We must tell the others that some Raiders Raiders have a camp nearby. We may have killed the leader of this group and many others, but we know how they work. More will come. We have to decide what to do and be prepared,” Atlas said as he caught his own breath. He was always so duteous, thinking about the right and wrong thing to do. It was just another reason Brenna had a hard time wrapping her head around being with him. She wasn't deserving of him, not by a long shot. She acted on her instincts, not on rules and the care of others. Not that her instinct often didn’t tell her to help others, but it was a knee jerk reaction, not a clear decision. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended up cast out and with the Batista, not that she regretted that part one bit. This was her family. She needed to know her blood family was not who she thought they were. They had been family only until it was no longer convenient for them.
Brenna shook her head, hoping he would listen to her just this once. “No, not yet. I have to find out what these are before they are lost, destroyed, or I have to hand them over. I know there is something important here. Please,” she begged, showing him what she had picked up.
“Are those from the Raiders?” he questioned, staring at them like they might contain a poisonous bug that would jump out if he got too close.
“Yes,” she breathed, frustrated that even after a year out there, she was still getting short of breath after a fight. She wasn't in the kind of shape the Batista were yet, though her body had morphed a little, hardened in the time she had been learning to survive on the surface.
He looked at her, and
for a moment she thought he was going to say no or even get angry at her for what she was expecting of him. But then he motioned toward her hut, and they disappeared inside before anyone could see them. Not only would this be wrong to look at captured intelligence before the elders, but it also would not look good that the two of them were in there alone together. It had been allowed when Brenna first arrived, while she was healing, but then she was on her own or sometimes with a woman who knew how to fight better than her if Raiders Raiders were suspected to be nearby. The Batista had strict feelings about those kinds of things, and she didn’t feel like angering them when she had already done so many things wrong.
She laid out the papers in front of them and began to look over them to see what she could glean. “I don’t think I have ever seen anything like these, other than the treaty. Have you?” Atlas asked, looking at Brenna. She looked up at him, and in the close proximity of the hut, she could’ve easily placed her lips against his and started a frenzy they couldn’t recover from. But it was only her focus on the task at hand that pulled her away from the idea. She was just getting used to how distracting these urges were now that she allowed herself to have them, and she didn’t know how all these Batista women resisted for so long with these good-looking men around. Sure, some of them had some deformities, but they were strong, tall, and muscular. Ripped, she had seen it referred to in some of the books the Colony had managed to salvage when they went underground. Atlas was by far the best looking, though. Many of the women would be jealous she had taken him off the market.
“Yes, I have seen a few things like this in the Colony,” she said, swallowing the lump in her throat and turning back to the pages. “These are official, not the kind of papers a Raider camp should have. They have even less than the Colony does. Hell, even less than the Batista most of the time,” she told him, trying to decipher what she was seeing. As she flipped over two of the papers, she could see that they fit together to form a map of sorts. It wasn't much of any terrain she recognized, but why would she? She had only been on the surface a year and had barely gone beyond the Batista village. None of it looked like anything from the books in the Colony either, not that she could expect anything to look the same after the world had been partially destroyed by nuclear weapons.
Thirst (The Oasis Plague Book 1) Page 4
