by Dhar, Mainak
‘We need healthy people, and those are to be found only in the plains you call the Deadland. We don’t turn on our own or our horses, that is punishable by death, and well, the other tribes and villagers in the area didn’t last long once we set our minds to it. I chose the strongest and the ones most willing to embrace my leadership to join me. And so my humble empire was created. There are just a few dozen of us, but so many strong men need food, and I cannot have my people go hungry, can I? I was willing to settle for Biters, as distasteful as that is, because we have eaten them before, and once you cook it well, a Biter isn’t that much different from a healthy human.’
The words had been said so casually that it took a second for them to sink in, and then Bilal began sobbing and muttering prayers.
‘My men cannot go hungry. They will have their meal and then we will seek out someone else who can supply our needs. But you should have a look at me before we are to cook you. I think you have earned at least that much.’
With those words, the Khan removed the mask from his face, and Bilal began screaming.
***
THREE
‘Patricia, get those boys to work again. If I see them goofing off once more, there’ll be hell to pay!’
Patricia Sanchez smiled as Haroula passed her, up and about earlier than all the others as always. They had been in the farmlands for less than two weeks, but Patricia was already in love with the place.
Her life back in the Homeland had been one of constant struggle and loss. She had lost her husband in The Rising less than a year after they had been married, and it was the amazing strength and resilience of Haroula that had kept them alive, including surviving two years at a Zeus camp, till they were picked up by some of Konrath’s men after an attack on the camp. By then, there was more or less open warfare between Zeus and pockets of the resistance, and Patricia had enlisted with Konrath’s forces, helping with intelligence or information where she could. In the Homeland, the shadow of death constantly hung over you, from the threat of bandits and Biters to Zeus mercenaries. Here, as she looked at the vast fields in front of them, tractors working them, people from the Homeland and Wonderland working side by side to grow food for their people, and yes, Biters peacefully mingling with humans, it felt like she was in paradise.
‘Ma, I like this place. How ‘bout you?’
Haroula turned to Patricia, and a smile creased the old woman’s face. ‘You know what I like, kiddo? I like seeing that smile back on your face.’
With that, Haroula got back to telling off two kids whom she thought were not working hard enough.
A few hundred meters away, Alice was standing with Brittany. ‘How are people settling in?’
‘Great! I think everyone’s in love with this place and don’t be surprised if you get requests for more settlers to come by.’
Alice had in fact already got that request from Konrath. As more and more people from the Homeland had seen firsthand the world Alice and her friends had created at Wonderland, word had spread. Konrath had talked about sending engineers who would set up a factory to make tinned and preserved food from what they grew, so that they could stock it and feed their people for years. Aalok had been enthusiastic about the project and had already identified an old factory in the city ruins which he thought he could get back to working order if he had the right heavy machinery and people to run it. There was a wave of optimism sweeping through Wonderland and it was hard not to get caught up in it.
‘How are you guys doing for security?’
‘Not a problem. We haven’t come across a bandit even once.’
‘Just be careful, will you?’
‘Is there something you’re worried about?’
Alice shook her head, but in her short life, she had come to realize that moments of happiness were only too brief and all too often ended suddenly by the brutal realities of the world they lived in.
That afternoon, Alice sought out Arjun.
‘Things are going perfectly. Looks like we’ll have more than enough food for all of us, with a lot left over to send over to the Homeland, and if this idea of a factory works out then things will be better than any of us have seen since The Rising.’
‘Then why do I still feel so anxious, Arjun? Why am I always worrying that something will go wrong? Why do I always find myself reaching for the gun at my waist whenever I hear a sudden sound?’
Arjun motioned for her to sit down. ‘We are all pretending that we will recreate human civilization the way it once was. But I suspect that running water, electricity and canned food will not bring back what we once were. What we lost in the Rising and the years that have followed is more than just these conveniences. We’ve lost something that we humans had gained over thousands of years of evolution—the ability to take our day-to-day survival for granted. You were born into that world, and after what you’ve been through, it’s no wonder you don’t take security for granted. Perhaps that’s a good thing, Alice. After all, we’ve learned the hard way that whenever we get complacent, we find that there is a new danger out there.’
Alice nodded, but kept thinking. What Arjun said made a lot of sense, but it did not explain one thing. It wasn’t just that she worried about dangers, but that some part of her, a part that she would never openly acknowledge, looked forward to them. She felt most alive when she was in the heat of battle. She felt like her life meant something when she was defeating an enemy that threatened her or her loved ones. Other than that, what else did she have to look forward to?
A fifteen-year-old girl called Alice Gladwell had become the Queen of the Biters, the leader of Wonderland, the beacon of hope for oppressed people from the Mainland in China to the Homeland in the erstwhile United States. But through all of that, the little girl who had begun that journey had been subsumed in this new identity. The Alice of old would have marveled at running water, would have fought to be first in line for a running shower, but the new Alice would spend her evenings cleaning her weapons, would find herself totally out of place when people talked of agricultural yields and while she could no longer sleep or dream, would spend hours just sitting, wondering how different things would have been if she had not followed Bunny Ears down a hole in the ground.
When every day had been a battle for survival, when every idle moment brought with it the impending danger of a Zeus air strike, there had been no time to ponder such things. However, now Alice found herself thinking about how her actions had triggered events that she had never ever anticipated. Yes, thousands of people across the Deadland, Homeland and Mainland knew freedom, yes, the tyranny of the Executive Committee and its minions had suffered a deathblow, but her whole family had perished. Her father killed in a Zeus attack, her mother and sister killed in an air strike. Countless others whom she had relied upon and who had looked onto her as a beacon of hope, killed.
Had it all been worth it?
It was all too easy to talk of sacrificing to fight tyranny till you were the one who was called upon to make those sacrifices.
***
‘Come on, everyone’s going to dance!’
It was hard not to get caught up in Sayoni’s infectious energy. The center of Wonderland had been rigged up with lights and Aalok had managed to get an old CD player he had found up and running, and people had scavenged the ruins over the last two days, finding one CD that still worked. It was an album of collected songs that someone had compiled before The Rising, and a lot of the people who had seen life before The Rising whooped in excitement as the song began playing.
You say it best when you say nothing at all.
Couples got on to the dance floor and held each other and began dancing. Alice pretended to have some work and stayed on the sidelines. The party had been themed after Valentine’s Day; a day when Sayoni had declared that everyone would take a break from their chores, and it looked like the whole of Wonderland had taken her up on it. Haroula and her team were also there and Alice smiled as she saw Patricia, Brittany and the
others laugh and dance together. Even old Doctor Edwards was there, dancing with a glass in his hand. Norbert was sitting by the site, chatting with a girl. Alice sat down in a corner, watching it all, thinking back to the first Valentine’s Day she had been ready to celebrate, many years ago back in her settlement in the Deadland. A day when a boy called Junior had promised to get her flowers and kiss her. And he had kept his promise. He had indeed got the flowers, which Alice had found under his body when he had shot himself in the head after Biters had bitten him.
Why did every memory of hers involve sorrow and bloodshed?
Arjun came down and sat beside her. ‘Not joining the party?’
Alice shook her head and got up, pretending to have some chore to attend to. As she passed a building, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. She turned to look at the freshly showered, clean, young people dancing together and then again at herself. Her flowing, blonde hair was the only real remnant of the girl she had once been. Her skin was stretched and dried, her eyes yellowed and lifeless, her body crisscrossed with scars from battles. Who would dance with her? There was fresh, steaming food arrayed on tables near the dance floor, but Alice could not savor their taste. Alice watched a young couple kiss and turned away, conscious that love was not something she would ever experience. Perhaps in a way it was better to be at war—then she was sure what her purpose was, what she was meant to do. Among humans enjoying peace, laughter and love, Alice knew she would always be an outsider.
Alice began to walk away when she saw Bunny Ears standing on the periphery of the crowd. He was nodding his head in rough tune to the music. Alice smiled. She had seen Bunny Ears as many things—a friend, a protector, a companion, but now for the first time, she realized how she had more in common with him than the other humans in Wonderland. He was also the outsider, standing far from the crowd, seemingly understanding and perhaps even enjoying the music, yet not able to be an active participant.
Alice walked up to him. The bunny ears on top of his head moved as he nodded his head. One of his arms was missing below the elbow, taken by a Zeus grenade, and the front of his clothes was covered in dried blood from wounds suffered in countless battles, most fought at Alice’s side.
‘Care for a dance, Bunny Ears?’
He looked at Alice, and while there was no expression on his face, Alice wondered if he too was thinking how out of place he would be among all the humans.
‘Come on, just the two of us freaks.’
She led him by his hand into the middle of the group and a lot of people began to shout and clap. Arjun was there, grinning from ear to ear. Sayoni patted Alice on the back and shouted at Aalok to join her. Even Danish was there, despite his age and bad leg, moving to the music. Aalok turned the music down and a groan went up, but then he shouted to make himself heard.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, humans and Biters of all ages. On the dance floor is our very own Alice. As things would have it, this CD has a song that goes out just to her. Some of you old-timers may recognize it. Now, let’s dance!’
He jumped off the makeshift stage and grabbed Sayoni, pulling her onto the dance floor as the song began.
Alice held onto Bunny Ears’ good hand as they moved to the music. Alice looked up at Bunny Ears. Biters couldn’t smile, could they? But Alice swore she saw something there. Who had he been before The Rising? What had brought them together on their journey—pure coincidence or something else? Her mom had sometimes said that everything happened for a reason, so what was the reason that had made Alice’s life take the path it had? She wanted to know Bunny Ears’ real name, wanted to know what he had done before The Rising, wanted to ask him if he had a girlfriend back then. But Alice knew that she would never get answers to all those questions—all she would know was that she had a friend who would gladly give his life for her, and that she would do the same for him. That was more than enough for her. As they danced, Alice realized that all her earlier reservations were gone.
Sometimes the best way to feel included was to seek out the company of another outsider like yourself.
***
‘Was that a gunshot?’
Arjun looked up at Alice, and she could see that he had perhaps had one cup too many of the wine some of the men had brewed. ‘Alice, enjoy yourself. There’s no Zeus, no Red Guards, nothing out there. For the first time, I feel alive again.’
Alice must have been mistaken. She sat down next to him. Bunny Ears stood nearby, still nodding his head in tune to the music that was playing. The party was still in full swing, and Arjun was hardly the only one who was drunk. Aalok was screaming and jumping off the stage repeatedly. He kept saying ‘banzai’ as he jumped, then would climb back up on stage and repeat the act. Sayoni was holding her stomach and laughing uncontrollably. Haroula came by with a glass in her hand.
‘Alice, this is the greatest gift you have given to all of us.’
When Alice looked at her, wondering what she meant, Haroula leaned down and hugged her.
‘My girl, the freedom to laugh, to be silly, to celebrate the here and now with those you care about. There is perhaps nothing more precious in the world and we have you to thank for it.’
Alice shrank back as Haroula kissed her on the forehead and then Haroula tousled Alice’s hair. At that moment, Alice so wished she could cry. Her mom had lovingly combed her hair with her fingers in the exact same way. Haroula looked into Alice’s eyes.
‘My girl, what makes you beautiful is who you are inside. You can see that in your friend Bunny Ears, why do you assume others can’t see the same with you?’
As Haroula walked off to join the party, Arjun had a fresh glass in his hand.
‘I was a shoe salesman before The Rising, and a damn good one at that. I worked my ass off every day, and never really had time to spend with my family. When The Rising happened, I was as usual late at work, and my parents were all alone with nobody to protect them. Selling shoes, goddamn shoes!’
He spat on the ground and tears welled up in his eyes.
‘We were so busy with our jobs, with our targets, our bonuses, that we forgot what really mattered. The Rising may have taken away so much, but at least for me, it has given me that sense of perspective back. All that matters now is keeping our home safe, our people safe and happy. Isn’t that more meaningful a life than getting promoted to Divisional Sales Head and wearing a cheap tie and filling in spreadsheets of how many shoes you’ve sold?’
Alice knew nothing of life before The Rising, but she had seen how people could be enticed by material things. The people of Wonderland had almost lost their liberty to a ploy by the Central Committee that had played precisely upon this weakness.
Doctor Edwards came by, pulling behind him a visibly drunk Norbert. ‘While I may be much older than my assistant here, it seems like my ability to hold my drink is also much more than his.’
They sat down next to her and while Norbert curled up on the ground and began snoring almost immediately, Edwards grinned at Alice.
‘Everyone vaccinated, no more infections. Who would have thought that possible just a few years ago? Now if only I could find some way of reversing the process among Biters.’
‘Can that be done?’
‘Before The Rising, we would have been able to map their DNA, understand what mutations have caused them to be the way they are, but now we just don’t have the facilities. Yet. I say that because we are on our way back to how we were—give it a few years and we may have those kinds of labs up and running again, and perhaps we will find a cure. Now, let me go and find a more comfortable place for my assistant to sleep.’
Sayoni came by, with Aalok hanging onto her still saying ‘banzai’.
‘I need some help with our town drunk here. Can someone help me lug him home?’
Arjun got up and grabbed Aalok and hefted him over his shoulder.
‘Just tell me where to dump him.’
As they walked away, Alice looked at Bunny Ears.<
br />
‘No sleep for us, eh? What do you do at night, Bunny Ears? I sit and close my eyes and pretend that I’m dreaming—of my Dad, my Mom, Jane and all the others I’ve known. Do you think of your parents?’
Of course Bunny Ears could not speak back, but he sat down and placed his hand on Alice’s. She looked at him with a smile.
‘You do understand, don’t you? What was your name? Do you remember it?’
He growled as if in frustration and then got back up abruptly.
‘It’s OK. It doesn’t matter what your name was. You’re just Bunny Ears to me now, aren’t you?’
But then Alice sensed that something else was bothering Bunny Ears. He bared his teeth and growled loudly. A couple of people nearby looked at him in alarm and now Alice was on her feet as well.
‘Turn off the music,’ she shouted.
As the music was stopped, they all heard it. The distant pop of automatic gunfire and the screeches of terrified Biters.
***
Alice was the first to reach the nearest Jeep and screamed out to anyone who was within earshot.
‘Come on! Sounds like it’s coming from the direction of the farmland.’
Salil was there in a second, carrying his rifle. Clearly she was not the only one to not let her guard down. Haroula joined them a second later as did Bunny Ears.
‘Haroula, you don’t even have a weapon with you.’
‘Then lend me your handgun. It’s my farm.’
That settled it and they drove off, with another Jeep carrying Brittany, Arjun and a couple of others in it just a few minutes behind them.
Salil drove as fast as he dared in the darkness. He had kept the headlights off so as not to present an easy target for whoever was out there, but within a few seconds, there was no more gunfire to be heard. Whatever had gone down at the farm had ended, and Alice feared they would arrive way too late.
