Famine

by R A Doty

  Calla looked around, the unsurmountable pressure of getting everyone out of Ancada clouding her judgement. Whichever way she chose would be a guess at best. “This way,” she said, rushing toward some building in the distance. Being wrong didn’t matter all that much; she just wanted to get away from the kennel before they were spotted. The building she chose was at the end of an alleyway. None of the stores or businesses would be open this time of night, but the lights of the city still shined ahead. They always shined. It was the Power Elite’s way of showing the rest of the world they were right. They were the privileged ones who thought to plan well in advance of what was coming. Everyone followed Calla, who was about to leave the alley when she noticed the lights of a fast approaching vehicle. She ducked back and the vehicle passed, its two occupants staring into the shadows of the alley. Another vehicle darted past the opposite end of the alley. Everyone turned quickly in that direction.

  They were further into the city than Calla had ever ventured, but once they continued walking she began to recognize a few of the buildings. Far in the distance, she noticed the lights of the theater. She turned to Colton, who was walking right beside her. “I know where we are now.”

  “Good job. How far are we from the boat?”

  “Not far. But we’ll have to go halfway down Main Street and take one of the side streets to my old house. From there we can use the door in the wall behind my house to get to the boat.”

  “Everybody stay close,” Colton said to the others, who seemed to be huddled around him and Calla. We’re gonna do this quick so try to keep up.” He turned to Calla. “Lead the way.”

  Dan was still holding Josh’s hand, and another boy of about seven decided to hold Dan’s other hand. Dan looked down at the boy, who was looking up at him with a smile. “Okay...,” Dan said. Another boy the same age as Josh walked behind them without straying too far. With the small girl still clinging to her neck, Janette glanced back at Dan. He looked like a mother duck surrounded by ducklings.

  “What?” Dan asked.

  “I didn’t say anything,” Janette answered with a slight grin.

  After looking one more time in each direction of Main Street, Calla left the alley and briskly headed for the theater. So far so good. About halfway down Main she noticed lights heading in their direction. Just a little farther, she thought. When she came to the street leading to her house, she and the others quickly ducked back into the shadows. A patrol car passed, slowing down briefly before pulling away. Calla began to run and everyone followed, the city slowly falling behind them.

  A door opened on one of the buildings across the street, and a woman appeared holding a shovel. She looked oddly familiar to Calla. She and Calla locked eyes, both being drawn to the other. Calla slowed her pace, remembering where she saw the woman before. She appeared on the screen when Colton scanned the chip in her wrist. It was her biological mother. “That’s her,” Calla said. “That’s my mother.”

  Cain was the only one close enough to hear her, and he looked to see who she was talking about. A patrol car turned onto the street, its headlights cutting through the darkness and slicing the sides of the brick buildings. The woman immediately went back into her house when she noticed the car, and Cain had to force Calla to keep moving before they were spotted.

  “Down here,” Colton said, directing everyone down a set of concrete steps. They crouched down until the car passed, and then they stood erect again.

  “How much farther to get to your house?” Colton asked Calla.

  Calla was focused on the building where she saw the woman, although the woman was gone and the door was closed. She was hoping she would appear again, but she didn’t.

  “How much farther, Calla?” Colton repeated.

  Calla turned to him. She pointed to some houses in the direction of the ocean. “It’s one of those houses over there. The last one on the right.”

  “Let’s go,” Colton said.

  Calla wanted to go back and knock on the woman’s door, her mother’s door, but it wasn’t the right time. Would it ever be the right time? Should it ever be the right time? The woman wouldn’t know her, and maybe she wouldn’t want to know her. She started walking, convincing herself the two of them would probably be better off if they never met.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  UP until this point, Manolin had suppressed his desires to look around this new world he had only seen a glimpse of from the confines of the kennel. He followed the others and hid when they hid. When they said run, he ran. But now that they were leaving the city and soon would be on the boat, he had to get one good look at the place April had gone with Calla and her friend. The place April had told him all about the next morning after she returned. If he ran, he could go back to the end of the street they had just left and get a good look at the street that Calla had called Main Street. He would remember it forever if he could just see it one more time. He turned and took off running. He’d be back in no time.

  Calla spotted him first. “Manolin! Come back!”

  Manolin continued running. “I’ll be right back.”

  Cain tapped his chest twice and then pointed in the direction Manolin went.

  “Yes, go,” Calla said to him, her head nodding rapidly.

  Cain ran, and when the darkness swallowed him and Manolin, one of the patrol cars came to a skidding stop right next to the others. Two officers opened their doors and began to exit the vehicle.

  “Looks like shit’s gonna go sideways!” Dan yelled. He pulled out his weapon. Luke’s words came to mind. “Don’t hesitate.” Before the officers could get out of the car, he shot two rounds into the air, just above them. They retreated back to the vehicle, crouched below the dashboard.

  The small girl in Janette’s arms started crying when she heard the gunshots, and Josh and the other two boys hid behind Dan.

  “Keep moving to the boat!” Dan shouted, slowly walking toward the patrol car with his gun aimed at the windshield.

  “This way,” Calla yelled, leading the others to the door in the wall. The three boys ran to follow her.

  “We can’t just leave them,” Janette said, running the best she could with the girl in her arms.

  “We don’t have a choice right now,” Colton said. “All we can do is hope that they make it.”

  They rounded the corner of Calla’s old house and continued to the wall, which was now clearly visible. When they reached the door, two more gunshots echoed from behind.

  Janette stopped and turned. Dan. She waited at the top of the steps, hoping Dan, Cain, and Manolin would soon appear around the corner. Why couldn’t things be that easy? They would come running, and they would all get on the boat and go back to the mainland. At breakfast, they would all laugh when Dan told his colorful story of how he saved the day. She continued to stare. Come on, guys. Where are you?

  Colton yelled from the door in the wall. “We have to go, now!”

  Janette turned and headed down the steps, the crying girl in her arms, and her head glancing back toward the gunshots. Before walking through the door, she stopped and turned one last time. After the door closed, she kissed the girl’s cheek. “Everything’s gonna be okay, honey.” Tears blurred her vision as she followed the others to the boat.

  With everyone safely aboard, Colton powered up the boat and steered toward the mainland. He turned around repeatedly to see if there was any sign of the others. Janette, Calla, and April were searching the shoreline as well, hoping they would suddenly appear. But they didn’t. Josh and the other two boys sat quietly on the deck with their knees pulled up to their chests. Their eyes widened when they noticed the boat in the distance pulling away from the pier. The girls noticed it at the same time. It was gaining speed and heading in their direction.

  “You’d better give it all we got!” Janette yelled to Colton. “They’re coming!”

  Colton glanced back. “Dammit!” He pushed the throttle forward, but it was already maxed-out. It was now just a matter of ti
me to see if they would be able to reach the mainland before the other boat. And even if they did, how could they possibly escape with four children and no weapons?

  “They’re gaining on us,” Calla yelled. This was all too real to her and April. They wouldn’t have the luxury of Cain waiting on the beach to save them this time, though. They’ve come so far, and to have it all end when they were so close to the mainland was too hard to accept. Calla turned to April. “Can’t you figure out a way to make us go faster?”

  “Cole’s doing all he can. The other boat is just faster than ours.”

  It was faster. Much faster. It was a smaller speedboat that was obviously meant to go fast. And moments like this are why the Power Elite had it. It was their patrol car of the water. Janette walked over to Colton, whose face was fixated on the approaching mainland.

  “We’re not gonna make it, are we?” Janette asked.

  Colton said nothing at first. Just stared at the mainland. He didn’t even want to look back at the boat drawing closer to them by the second. But then he turned to Janette. “It doesn’t look like it.”

  “What should we do?”

  “They’ll probably get ahead of us to block our path and then they’ll dock alongside and come aboard. One by one, they’ll tie us up and commandeer the boat to bring us back to Ancada. I’m sorry to say, but there isn’t much we can do.”

  Janette analyzed what Colton said. Her eyes seemed to turn darker, refusing to believe what she had just heard. “That’s bullshit, Cole, and you know it. Don’t go soft on me now. Not with so many depending on us. Cain is still out there somewhere, hopefully still alive, and Dan sacrificed his life for us, so there’s no way in hell we’re just gonna give in and let them bring us back.” Janette turned to the boat heading toward them. She could just make out one man, and had no idea how many more there were. If any. “There can’t be more than three of them on a boat that size,” she said to Colton. “If we really pay attention, there’d have to come a moment when we could overtake them.”

  “They have guns, Janette. We don’t.”

  Janette nodded toward the three boys sitting on the floor. “Then you look them in the face and tell them we’re gonna give up.” She held out the girl in her arms. “You tell her we’re bringing her back to the cage she came from. You tell April she has to go back to be dissected as some kind of sick experiment, and Calla can go back in her god damned dorm.”

  Colton glanced at each of them, the boys, the little girl, Calla, and then April. All eyes were on him. It was his call as to what would happen. In a matter of speaking, he held the fate of each of their lives in his hands. Janette was right. If they went back, they were all going to die, one way or another, anyway. So, what did they have to lose? Everyone’s attention went from Colton to the smaller boat when they heard it. It was now just seconds away, and when it reached them it looked like it was going to do exactly what Colton had said, race ahead and cut them off. But it didn’t stop to block their path, as predicted. The man let out a loud howl, and steered the smaller boat in circles around them. Everyone smiled when they noticed it was Dan. He circled them once more, and then led the way to the mainland.

  “You crazy son of a bitch,” Colton said with a smile.

  When they reached the mainland, Dan coasted to a stop and Colton pulled alongside him. “How the hell’d you get out of that one?” Colton asked. Everyone rushed over to greet, Dan.

  “I guess they didn’t want to play,” Dan said. “Before I got to their car they backed up and took off. Then I ran to catch up to you guys, but you already left so I grabbed this baby.” He patted the boat, admiring its beauty.

  “How’d you start it?” Janette asked.

  “Like Colton said, the ignition codes are all the same. It was as easy as one, two, three.”

  “And what about opening the door in the wall?”

  Dan shrugged his shoulders. “It only made sense to push the green button.”

  The answer to Janette’s next question was obvious, but she had to ask. “You didn’t see Cain or Manolin?”

  Dan’s smile vanished. He answered with just a shake of his head.

  “Let’s take the boats back to David,” Colton said. “He can hide them again.”

  Dan agreed with a nod, and followed Colton.

  As they walked back to the Steinberg estate after docking the boats, Janette glanced across the ocean toward Ancada. The sun was breaking over the horizon, and it was blinding to look at. “Why do you think they didn’t come after us?” she asked.

  “I’m sure they will,” Colton said. “Give ‘em time. They’re probably gearing up as we speak.”

  “Do you think they’re dead?” Janette asked. She specified to be more specific, as if it was necessary. “Cain and Manolin.”

  “I’d like to think not. But I can’t imagine Cain giving up without a fight to the death.”

  Janette looked down at the ground as they walked. “There’s no way he’d give up. They would have had to kill him.”

  CAIN had found Manolin, still on the same street, crouched beside a set of concrete steps. Patrol cars passed the street about every two minutes. It was risky to stay there, and just as risky to try to leave without being caught.

  Manolin was paralyzed with fear by the side of the steps. There was no question in his mind that if he were brought back to the kennel, they would more than likely harvest him immediately. That, he was sure of. But never having the luxury of seeing the world outside of the kennel, he didn’t have any idea of what to do or where to go. He had no choice but to stay where he was. When Cain ran up and grabbed his arm, his heart nearly burst from his chest. He was pulled to his feet and tugged along the sidewalk.

  Cain knew what he was thinking was a long shot, but already having tried to open a number of doors to find they were locked, he decided it was their only option. He walked up to one of the doors and knocked. Headlights could be seen from the adjoining street, and they were drawing closer. It would only be a matter of time before they came down this street. He knocked again, much harder this time. She has to answer. He won’t stop pounding until she does. He pounded the solid wood door again, so hard a sharp pain raced up his arm.

  Manolin grabbed the doorknob and turned it. The door opened. Cain looked down at him. Manolin shrugged his shoulders. One of the patrol cars turned onto the street, so Cain pulled Manolin inside and shut the door. With his head pressed against the door, Cain listened while the car drove past. Manolin tapped his shoulder, not once but twice. When Cain turned around, he saw the woman standing halfway down a set of stairs. The woman Calla said was her mother. A body was spread out on the steps behind her. Its head facing downward, its legs stretched upward. It was a man. His head was turned to the side, and his eyes were wide open. Almost as if he just woke up from taking a nap on the stairs. When the woman shifted on the step, the body slid from behind her leg and descended three more steps. Manolin backed up as it drew closer to him.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  MONICA sat in front of her vanity, staring at the mirror. Her eyes looked into the eyes of her reflection, but her mind was wondering if the others would find Josh. Would she ever see him again? So much has changed in such a short time. It seemed as though she was just making him a cup of warm tea, and now he was gone. She continued to stare into the mirror, but she no longer saw herself. She no longer saw anything. Her body shut down, like a robot losing power. Her mouth opened slightly as her mind focused on her son. She still remembered his scent, the feel of his hair, the touch of his hands.

  “Mom?”

  She smiled, remembering exactly what his voice sounded like. Would she someday forget? She stopped blinking. Just stared blankly into the mirror.

  “Mom, are you okay?”

  She gasped. Her eyes focused and she glanced into the mirror, behind her reflection. Could it really be him? She didn’t trust her mind. She turned, and there he was. She sprang from the chair and ran to him, the tears already forming
in her eyes. She grabbed him and pulled him tight to her body. Words were impossible. She just needed to feel him, to hold him. She kissed his forehead, and he smiled. She brushed the hair away from his eyes. She kissed him again, and hugged him again.

  “I can’t breathe, Mom.”

  She held him at arm’s length, studying his face. She touched his cheek. “I missed you so much, honey.”

  “I missed you too, Mom. Is Dad around?”

  Josh no sooner asked when his father rushed into the room. “Come here, son.” After giving his son a somewhat smaller hug than his wife had, Thomas looked him over. As if he were considering purchasing him. “You’ve lost weight, Josh. Have you been eating?”

  Josh shrugged. “Sometimes. The food wasn’t that good.”

  “We’ll have you fattened up in no time.” Thomas turned to his wife. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

  Monica nodded with a grin. “Come here, honey,” she said, reaching out her arms. “I want another hug.” Josh gladly accepted the invitation. Hugging his mother was all he could think about when the lights went out in the kennel each night. He began to think this day would never come. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the moment. He was home.

  FROM all the commotion going on in the house, it was clear to Betty that the others had returned. She rushed from her bedroom and ran downstairs, smiling all the way. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen, discussing the events that took place. April and Calla were sitting at the table, and Josh was bending down, hugging Jessie, who was standing beside her mother, Elana. Dan was telling Luke how he single-handedly averted the inevitable death of all of them, and Thomas Steinberg was standing beside Monica, vigorously shaking Colton’s hand. “We can’t thank you enough, Cole, for bringing Josh back.” The two young boys were talking to Steven about his newly spiked haircut and how cool it looked, and Janette was holding the small girl, who was scanning the room, trying to see all the strange new people at the same time. Everyone was talking so much, she couldn’t decide who to focus on.