Famine

by R A Doty

  “We’ll need to talk when we get back,” David said. He looked at Betty, who was walking beside him. “There will have to be consequences for your actions, you understand.”

  Betty nodded, her focus on the ground in front of her feet, each step bringing her closer to the place she now realized she could no longer be a part of, her only chance of ever experiencing a life outside of the church taken away. Cain would most likely come back for her if they could convince the Steinbergs to share their food, but there was a good chance that wouldn’t happen. Many of the others died trying, as David had said, and even if they did somehow convince them, would she still be alive when they returned? She could sense the desperation in David’s voice when the subject turned to food. It was something he had to think about every day. Perhaps that’s why he wanted her to come back. Any excuse to kill was acceptable, and she did provide him with that. It would be better to die now, away from the church. It would be her decision, and it wouldn’t have to happen in front of blood-thirsty spectators that would revel in her death.

  She was surprised that David chose to bring John with him. She knew John very well from the church, and remembered him to be a frantic, spontaneous man who seemed to explode with the slightest hint of excitement. But that may come in handy for what she was considering. If she tried to run, he would most certainly shoot her in the back before she got too far. David would try to stop him, but odds are he would be too late. It wasn’t exactly how she had envisioned dying—having a heart attack while sitting on a front porch on a warm summer’s day, sipping a glass of lemonade, would be on the top of her list—but it would definitely be better than being sacrificed in front of the congregation. She smiled, having made up her mind.

  They reached the city, and in the far distance the church steeple became visible. David stopped to rest at the first street corner. John leaned against the building, his back against the red brick, the butt of the rifle next to his foot, and his hand balancing the barrel.

  It was time. Betty took a deep breath. It was now or never. If she thought about it any longer, she might change her mind and that can’t happen. She darted around the corner and stopped suddenly.

  One hard punch to the forehead was all it took to render John unconscious when he rounded the corner. He fell to the ground. Blood streamed from his broken eye socket. Cain opened and closed his fist. Two of his knuckles were bleeding and throbbing with pain, but not enough for any bones to be broken. He picked up the rifle.

  Betty held her hand to her mouth and cried. She had read many books where the hero rescues the damsel in distress, but to actually have somebody that would want to rescue her was more than her emotions could bear. She rushed to Cain and hugged him tight. Cain returned the hug, slowly at first, then embracing the gesture. It felt good.

  David rushed around the corner. He stopped immediately, John’s head, now lying in a small pool of blood.

  “Cain, no!” Betty said, as Cain moved her aside and headed to David. “You’re better than that.”

  Cain grabbed David by the throat and slammed him against the brick. David gagged, trying, unsuccessfully, to pull air into his mouth.

  Betty gripped Cain’s arm, both of her hands barely encompassing his bicep. “Please, Cain, don’t do this. Killing isn’t always the answer.”

  David’s eyes bulged, saliva streaming from his mouth, his hands clawing at Cain’s fingers. When Cain released his grip, he fell to the ground, coughing.

  “Thank you,” Betty said. She took Cain’s hand and they walked away, leaving David exactly where he belonged, curled up like a fetus the city had spit out.

  “April, come here and sit down,” Calla whispered as loud as possible. She scanned the woods in every direction. Being alone on the mainland, in the woods, without the protection of Cain, terrified her. She hoped he would return soon. “April!”

  April was very much enjoying herself. She, too, was frightened, somewhat, without Cain nearby, but her fascination with everything she noticed overtook most of the fear she was experiencing. The aromas and textures and colors were almost overwhelming. She couldn’t stop smiling, and the last thing she wanted to do was to curl up beside Calla at the base of a tree while all of this existed around her. How could she not touch and smell this magnificent world?

  She bent down and stroked the fronds of a fern. “Calla, come look. It’s Filicopsida Pteridophyta. Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “Shhh, April. You have to be quiet.”

  April hurried to the next thing that captured her attention. Musci Bryophyta, she thought, gently caressing the carpet of green moss. She was fascinated with every type of plant that she had seen on Calla’s tablet, and memorizing their names came as naturally as breathing or walking. She only had to see something once to memorize it. If it passed before her eyes, it became permanently embedded into her brain. And that applied to everything. Everything. Not just plants. It also applied to mathematical equations, names of people and places, languages, scientific formulas, and every possible medical procedure pertaining to the human body (and most likely animals), to name just a few. Nothing was too complicated for her to understand. With each passing day she existed outside of the kennel, she became more intelligent.

  She never realized how useful all of this information was until having the opportunity to experience it first-hand. She rushed over and grabbed Calla by the hand. “Come look, Calla. You have to see this.” She tugged and tugged, but Calla wouldn’t budge from her spot next to the tree.

  “April, you have to calm down. I know you’re excited, but we have to remain quiet until Cain comes back. It’s not safe here. If somebody noticed you, they could kill both of us and then you’ll never get to see anything ever again. Is that what you want?”

  April shook her head, surprised by the tone of Calla’s voice, and then sat down next to her. In the distance, next to what looked like a small pond covered in green algae, she stared at the jack-in-the-pulpit. Arisaema Araceae. She and Calla both turned, simultaneously, in the direction of what sounded like a branch breaking.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  DAN walked up to the gate first and punched in the code. He opened the gate and motioned Elana and her son to enter. Colton brought up the rear, and before entering he scanned the landscape as far as he could see. Once inside, Dan closed and locked the gate.

  “Wow,” Steven said, in absolute awe of everything he saw. “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me.”

  “Stevie,” his mother said, a stern expression on her face. Then she felt somewhat embarrassed for scolding him. He was a good six inches taller than her and every day he was looking more like a man than the little boy she remembered raising. That seems like a lifetime ago, she thought.

  “Sorry, Ma, but this place is incredible.”

  Elana was just as impressed with the Steinberg estate as her son. They just stood there, staring at everything: the massive garden enclosed with a white picket fence, complete with a scarecrow mounted to a wooden post at the far end; the large barn and outbuildings, all meticulously painted the same color red; the rolling fields in the distance that looked like they were straight out of a storybook; and the house. Elana’s jaw dropped, eyeing the structure. It was three stories tall with board and batten, vertical siding, and a silver standing-seam shed roof. The third story was a tower protruding from the center with a matching standing-seam shed roof. A balcony adorned the front of the tower, complete with glass railings. The front of the house was layered with windows, lots of them, all seemingly staring forward—on guard all of the time.

  “It’s something else, isn’t it?” Dan said, standing alongside Elana, staring at the house.

  “The Steinbergs must be very proud to own such a house,” Elana commented, still taking in the structure.

  “They may have been when the house was theirs, but me and my brother, Luke, own it now.”

  Elana turned to the young man. “You bought if from them?”

  “Heck no. We aint got that
kind of dough. Old Steinberg gave it to us. Said he was moving to Ancada and then changed his mind. I think he and Monica still assume it’s theirs, but it’s not.”

  Elana was relieved to hear somebody actually wanted to go to Ancada. Maybe it wasn’t that bad, after all. Maybe Jessie would be fine. But the Steinbergs didn’t go. “Why did they change their minds about moving to Ancada?”

  “They tried, but the trip was too dangerous. They never made it.” Dan didn’t feel like getting into the whole story. His stomach was rumbling and he was excited to see Janette, again. Maybe she even missed him. “Let’s go inside and we’ll find something to eat. You guys like steak and potatoes? My brother makes a mean sirloin.”

  “Are you serious?” Steven asked. “Steak? Really?”

  “Yeah. Come on. I’ll hook you guys up.”

  Colton motioned Elana toward the house and followed by her side, sensing her reservation. He wondered if it was the house she was nervous about, or trying to explain to Monica what had happened to her son, Josh.

  “How do you tell a mother that you gave her son away?” Elana asked, as if reading Colton’s mind.

  “You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about, Elana. It wasn’t your fault or your doing. I’ll explain everything that needs to be said.”

  Just before they reached the door it swung open and Janette ran out and headed right to Dan, her arms wrapping around his neck. “You made it back.” Dan smiled, never expecting that welcome-home. Janette released her arms when she noticed the strangers standing next to Cole. Her attention went right to the tall young man with dirty blonde hair. “Who are they?” she asked, her eyes still locked on the young man. His blue eyes were piercing.

  Dan noticed her gaze. How could he not? Any excitement leftover from Janette’s hug drained from his heart and flowed from his mouth in words almost too quiet to hear. “This is Elana and her son, Steven. Guys, this is Janette.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Janette said, glancing at Elana but quickly turning back to her son.

  Elana responded, “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Janette. Steven nodded, his mouth formed in a timid smile.

  The door opened again and Monica Steinberg rushed from the house, followed by her husband, Thomas. Colton expected the first question she would ask. And he was correct.

  “Did you find, Josh?” Thomas stood next to his wife, waiting for Colton’s reply.

  Colton breathed deep. He didn’t expect to get into this immediately. How could he possibly tell the Steinbergs their son was taken to Ancada when he had previously told them what the citizens of Ancada dined on regularly? Especially standing right next to Elana, who he had just told that her daughter would be safe at Ancada. He remembered why it was always best not to sugarcoat the truth, because it always comes back to bite you in the ass. And this was going to be a hard bite.

  “Why don’t we go inside and eat some grub first, Monica,” he said, hoping to shirk the question.

  Not a chance. Monica grabbed his arm. “Colton, did you find him?” her words now carried a strong tone of concern. Her eyes strengthened the tone.

  “I didn’t,” Colton said, which wasn’t entirely a lie, considering he never actually saw, Josh. When Monica lowered her head, as if given up all hope of ever finding her son, he knew he was off the hook. For now. But complacency was a luxury that doesn’t last long. As he was about to find out.

  Elana noticed the despair on Monica’s face, and as a mother herself, she would have wanted to know where her child was if one of them were missing. And she did know where Josh was, so what gives her the right to keep something like that from another human being? How could she possibly live with herself, knowing where this woman’s son is? A woman that is offering a home for her and her son. The truth had to be told. She walked up to Monica.

  “Excuse me, ma’am.”

  Monica looked up from the ground, her eyes staring at the strange woman Colton brought, but behind them nothing but sorrow. She was deep in thought, imagining what life will be like from now on without her son. No more cups of tea when he wasn’t feeling well or bedtime stories about perfect worlds with happy endings; although Josh, himself, had said he was getting too old for his mother to be reading stories to him anymore. But mothers can cherish their children as long as they liked. Until they grow up, or go away. And she had to finally admit that Josh was gone and was never coming back.

  Having gained Monica’s attention, somewhat, Elana considered the best way to say what needed to be said. Just come right out with it, she thought. So, she did.

  “I know–”

  Steven interrupted his mother before she could finish. “Someone’s coming,” he said, staring back at the gate they had just entered moments earlier.

  Monica turned to the fence, her eyes now filled with hope. Josh?

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “What do you think that was?” April asked, staring in the direction where the sound came from.

  “Shhhh!” Calla said, her eyes focused on the woods. It sounded like a foot breaking a branch. Her heart began to thump hard and her breathing quickened. They should run. Run as fast and as far as they can. And never stop until they’re safe. But where could they possibly go where it’s safe? So many thoughts filled her head as she searched the woods surrounding her and April, her head turning quickly in every direction.

  “Maybe it was just a gray squirrel,” April said. “Or a white-tailed deer?”

  “April! You have to be quiet.”

  As April waited quietly for the thing that was most certainly going to kill them, at least according to Calla, she realized she hadn’t seen a single mammal since arriving on the mainland. Where are all of the squirrels and deer and rabbits and everything else? They had to be real, because she learned about them on the tablet. There were birds, that much she knew from seeing many different species already, but not a single mammal. And then she realized the severity of the situation they were now in of trying to survive in a land where food itself had become extinct. It all started to become very clear to her. Humans were among the only mammals still living, and judging by the number of them they’ve seen so far, they too were on the verge of extinction. And that was why her and the other nutrimen were created: out of necessity. Her entire existence became very clear to her.

  “Calla! April!” a voice yelled from somewhere far in the woods.

  Calla wanted to jump up and respond to Betty’s voice as loud as she could, but what if there was somebody listening that was closer than Betty and Cain? And how could she even be certain it was Betty she heard? Other people from the church knew their names as well. She waited for the voice to yell again. And then again, until it was finally close enough to be sure it was Betty. She finally saw her and Cain walking in their direction. She stood up and waved her arms in the air. “We’re over here!” April jumped to her feet and waved her arms in the air as well.

  Calla took a deep breath. It was over. Cain was back. She ran over to greet him and Betty. April followed, only not quite as fast.

  “I’m so glad you’re back, Betty,” Calla said. “How did you get away from David and that other man?”

  “Let’s just say Cain worked out a deal with them.” She gave Cain a glance and a smile.

  Cain was relieved to see April walking toward them. He didn’t like the idea of leaving the girls behind while he retrieved Betty, but it was the only way he could get to her in time, without being noticed. He also knew it was safer to leave them in the woods than to bring them back to the city. Now it was only a matter of time before David came looking for them again, especially knowing the direction they were heading. He tilted his head to Betty, who deduced the meaning as it’s time to go.

  “This way,” Betty said, pointing into the woods. Cain began walking immediately. The reunion was over and the girls followed.

  THE FIRST THING CALLA noticed was the number of corpses lying on the ground; some dead for so long that the skeletal remains were the only recognizable
distinction to determine they were once human. Others still had some flesh on their bones, the skin dried and leathery. All were impossible to tell if they were male or female, their bodies so badly mutilated by whatever scavengers still existed. Except for one. A female. Lying just outside of a gate, her head missing.

  April, Cain, and Betty all noticed the fence first, and then the layer of bodies in front of it. As they continued walking, a large house appeared inside the fence. The Steinberg estate, Betty thought. We made it. And then she noticed the people standing near the house, staring in their direction. She wondered if they would be welcomed or killed. The thought terrified her. She raised her hand, a universal gesture of friendship. How would it be received? A man bolted from inside the house with a rifle in his hands. They stopped walking.

  LUKE McAllister was on the verge of exhaustion. With his brother, Dan, and Colton North both gone to search for Josh Steinberg, it was solely up to him to guard the estate until they returned. Of course, Thomas Steinberg could have helped as well, but he was about as useless as teats on a boar hog, as Luke always said to his brother on many occasions (which always got a chuckle from Dan no matter how many times he said it).

  With a full belly of bacon, eggs, and two tall glasses of fresh milk churning in his intestines for a few hours, Luke decided it might be a good idea to visit the bathroom before going to his post to guard the estate—his post being the third-floor balcony which was high enough to view most of the entirety of the estate. After what seemed like a few minutes in the bathroom, which was actually fifteen, he climbed the stairs to the third floor. Before even reaching the window, he noticed the woman, two girls, and a man with a patch covering one eye, walking toward the gate. He reached for his rifle, which was usually leaning against the side of the door to the balcony, but it wasn’t there. “Dammit!” It took him a few seconds, but he eventually remembered bringing it to his bedroom the night before to clean it. He raced down the stairs and straight to his room. In less than ten seconds, he came charging from the bedroom doorway and headed toward the front door.