by ID Johnson
Rain put her boots on and stood, realizing she needed the restroom again. Before she could say anything to Mist, Cla’s face appeared behind her friend. “Good. You are awake. I have food for you, and then, Dal will be by shortly to see you off.”
The woman handed Mist a large bowl with a lid, bowed her head, and then left. Mist called their thanks after her and opened the lid. The scent of cooked meat and eggs filled Rain’s lungs, and her hunger overpowered her need to use the restroom. “I’ll get Walt,” Mist said, setting the dish down on the floor, but before she even stepped outside, Walt was at the opening.
“Oh, I smelled the food,” he said with a smile. His hair was slightly messy, and Rain realized hers might be as well, even though she had it in a braid. Their combs and brushes were all in their backpacks, which they still didn’t have. Somehow, Adam still looked perfect.
They ate quickly with their hands, washing it down with water from the canteens. Mist explained that they still had about eighty miles until they reached Oklasaw. “Once we get to the river, we’ll have to figure out a way to get across it, too,” she added, wiping her hands together and standing.
“There’s no bridge?” Adam asked.
“No, not that I know of. I actually hope there isn’t. It’ll be more difficult for the Mothers to follow us if there is.”
“Do they have boats?” Walt asked her, looking up at her as he shuffled a big bite of eggs into his mouth.
“Not nearby. Maybe in the towns further south. At least, if they do have them in Gretchintown, they’ve kept it a secret. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did have more vehicles than we are aware of.”
“Heliobirds will get them across the water,” Rain reminded them. “We know they have those.” She looked around at her companions’ faces and saw the same solemn expressions on each of them, which echoed the way she felt inside. The chances that they would be able to get away from the Mothers seemed slim. She wondered whether or not anyone else had managed to make it as far as they had and prayed the other rebels were having better luck than they were. She had no way of knowing if any of the others were even still alive.
“We’ll just have to get so far ahead of them, they won’t be able to find us with their heliobirds,” Mist said, and the others nodded, Rain included, even though she didn’t know how that would be possible.
“Maybe they won’t bother, once we are across.” Adam seemed to be hopeful as well. “Wouldn’t they be risking war with Oklasaw if they did?”
“I would think so,” Mist nodded. “I can’t imagine they’d be willing to risk the possibility of a war, even against an inferior power, over a handful of escapees.”
“Do you think that’s all there’s left of us?” Rain asked, done with the food. The idea that everyone else may have been captured or killed didn’t sit well with her.
Mist shook her head. “No, of course not. I just meant… we aren't all together. There weren’t a lot of rebels headed the same direction as us. I’m sure there are others who’ve already reached their destinations, other countries. They’ll get those governments involved, and then the Mothers will have their hands full with threats from other directions. That’s all.”
Again, Rain found herself nodding in agreement, even though she didn't think what her friend was saying was accurate. It was all just wishful thinking, wasn’t it?
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps approaching. Mist looked out the entryway, holding the curtain open. She drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment, her head up, her shoulders back. “Dal, sir. Good morning. It’s nice to see you.”
Dal became visible in the opening as he stopped in front of Mist. Rain and the others stood with their shoulders back as well, as if his very presence demanded correct posture and respect. “Good morning. We have brought your packs.” He gestured over his shoulder, and though Rain couldn’t see who was with him, she assumed it was the same people who’d taken their belongings the day before. “Crit will see you out of our lands.”
Rain’s stomach fell as she pictured the angry lieutenant from the day before. He stepped up next to Dal, the same wild expression in his eyes, and she found herself holding her breath, wishing there was a way to get anyone else to serve as their escort.
Mist felt the same way. “That won’t be necessary,” she said with a cheerful smile. “If you will give us directions, we will be able to make it on our own. We hate to pull one of your most essential warriors from your side when the threat of the Mothers is more present than usual.”
“The threat of the Mothers is constant,” Dal assured them, his tone conveying how true the statement was. “Crit will escort you. I want to make sure you are well north of our borders before sunset tonight.”
Seeing that his mind was already made up, Mist nodded. “Very well. We thank you again for your hospitality. May we help clean up our bowls and blankets?”
Dal shook his head. “My daughters will be here shortly to manage it. Come. I will see you out of the building.”
As the party exited the area they’d borrowed, their packs and weapons were returned to them. Rain put her backpack on, thanking the girl, Bali, who handed it to her, and slung her rifle over her shoulder as soon as Mobe handed it back, hoping no one saw them as a threat. Once they were all prepared, they followed Dal back the way they’d come, Crit behind them.
Many of the residents were awake already. The noise from the common area was not nearly as loud and cheerful as it had been the night before. Some of the entryways cracked open as they came by. An occasional wave sent them off, though many of the people only stared at them.
As they passed Dal’s home, Lyna came out, a few small flowers in her hand. “These are for you!” she said, offering the blossoms to Rain.
“Thank you!” Rain took the tiny yellow and white flowers and held them to her nose. “They smell wonderful.”
“Be careful,” Lyna said, her eyes wide as she looked up at Rain. “Many blessings to you and your people.”
“We will be careful. Many blessings to you and your people,” she said back, stroking the little girl softly on the cheek. Lyna smiled and then ran back to the opening of her home where Cla stood, a worried expression on her face.
“Thank you for your kindness,” Mist said to Dal’s wife on behalf of all of them.
Cla nodded. “Be careful,” she said, just as her daughter had.
“We will,” Mist assured her, but they all knew care had nothing to do with it. The Mothers could find them no matter how many precautions they took.
Dal led them up the stairs to the wide opening of what Rain now realized had once been a parking garage for cars. There, he stopped. “Many blessings to you,” he said, bowing his head slightly. “Go in peace.”
“Thank you,” Mist said, bowing her head as well. “Many blessings to you and your people.”
The phrase must’ve been some sort of a prayer because Dal made a gesture that symbolized something religious, Rain guessed, as he moved his hand across his chest. The others, Mobe, Bali, and even Crit, did the same, and then Dal said something to Crit in a language she did not understand, and the man waved for them to follow him.
Despite Adam’s cold shoulder the night before, when Rain reached for his hand, he gave it to her. Anxiety bubbled up inside of her as they began to follow the shifty fellow down an asphalt path, away from a place where she’d felt relatively safe, into a concrete jungle where she didn’t even trust their guide.
Still, Rain followed Mist and Walt, not looking back. What choice did she have but to assume Crit would do as he was instructed and lead them out of Dafo, further away from the Motherhood, and that much closer to freedom in the Nation of Quebec? She had to keep going, not just for her own sake, but for Adam’s. If he was ever to have the wife and family she had wished for him the night before, he had to get as far away from Michaelanburg as possible.
Chapter Forty-Eight
The pace Crit kept was impressive, esp
ecially since Rain had to assume he hadn’t taken any energy pills. As he moved along, taking the most direct route possible, even when doing so meant climbing mountains of debris instead of simply walking around them, he kept a running commentary about most of the things they passed, the history of Dafo, and why he hoped the Mothers showed up soon so he could blast, “Every one of dem bitches back into the hell they escaped from.”
Rain had to assume he didn’t mean Michaelanburg. He must’ve thought they came from a different sort of hell.
Out in the sun, it was a lot warmer than it had been when they were in the forest. The heat of the day bore down on them, the asphalt they frequently traversed soaking it in and using it to bake the bottom of their boots. Each step seemed heavier here than it had in the woods, especially after days of moving nonstop.
“Last time Mothers came, we blew one of their warbirds out of the sky,” Crit said as they passed what looked like a broken down vehicle of some sort. This one was small and probably had been red at one point. They seemed to be everywhere. In the distance, she could see more crumbled buildings, though these were not as tall as the ones they’d seen the day before. Trees and plants were bountiful in every direction.
“What did you do with it?” Adam asked, bringing Rain back to Crit’s comment. The warbird.
He shook his head. “It limped away, off into the woods, deep into no-man’s land. We couldn’t get it. I would’ve loved to have a look inside it, though.”
“So would a lot of other people,” Mist noted. Rain caught her eyes. The fossil fuel. Did Crit know what she was getting at?
He laughed. It was such an odd sound, it caught her off guard. A mix between a cackle and a roar. “If we could prove what the rest of the world already suspects, Michaelanburg wouldn’t last more dan a few days.”
He did know, then. Or at least he suspected. “Why is the rest of the world so interested in what might be sitting beneath Michaelanburg?” Walt wanted to know.
“Are you kidding me, man?” Crit asked, sloshing his rifle around to his other shoulder so that he could look at Walt. “All dis time, those women are saying they have no oil left, that it’s all gone, but they’re really sitting on top of a fuel source. Since the Middle East was practically turned to a sheet of glass, alternative sources have been harvested around the world, but all of them are costly and don’t provide the same reliability that fossil fuels do.”
“But they can’t last forever,” Adam noted. “Once the oil is gone, it’s gone, right?”
“Yes, but Michaelanburg is situated over what used to be one of the most prevalent preserves in the world. Who knows how much there is beneath them? The fact dat dey been lying to the world all these years, claiming to be using the same resources as everyone else, when those of us who’ve seen the truth know better…. The rest of the world will want to get dey asses just for dat.”
Rain was aware that the Motherhood had gone to great lengths to put up a facade for the rest of the world. They claimed to be a government of women who worked to protect female rights; they didn’t even acknowledge the existence of men within their boundaries to other nations. The science and technology that came out of Michaelanburg was second to none, but at what cost? The rest of the world had established by now that there were men in Michaelanburg, and most of them suspected they were treated poorly, but there was no proof. Not until now, anyway. Once they reached Quebec, the rest of the world would at least know that men were being mistreated, even if they couldn’t prove that Michaelanburg was using fossil fuels to power their vehicles.
A buzzing noise had Crit digging in the pocket of his baggy pants. He pulled out a small tablet and held it up to his ear. It seemed odd to Rain that he wasn’t looking at the person he was communicating with, but the tablet was small and seemed to be some older form of tech.
“Yes?” Crit said, not slowing his pace even as he nodded his head and led them through an area marked with deep pock holes that seemed to have been the scene of a bombing at some point. Scrap metal littered the sides of the path with a few signs that human life had been taken here whenever the holes in the ground were made. A shoe, a bag, a scrap of clothing wrapped around a tree trunk.
Crit continued to make noises, as if he were agreeing with whomever he was talking to. The conversation went on a bit before he said, “We are about ten miles from Melanna. I will leave them there.” He discontinued the call, putting the device back in his pocket.
“Everything okay?” Mist asked, stepping around a large hole in the ground.
“We got incoming on radar. Mothers don’t know we can see them, you see. Anyway, dey expecting company in an hour or two.”
“You can see them?” Rain repeated, not sure what he meant.
Crit nodded. “It’s an old tech, something used before the war. They can’t pick it up.”
Rain was nervous for the people she’d met the day before, the ones that had been so kind to her. If anything happened to Dal’s family, she’d never forgive herself.
Mist asked, “Is it a large force?”
Crit nodded. “We be ready, though.”
He seemed confident, which was a shift from the way he’d been acting when they’d first arrived, as if he didn’t like the threat the sudden appearance of strangers brought on his people.
Rain wasn’t sure that was the case, that they would be ready. Perhaps there was something Crit knew that she did not. Dal had mentioned not having enough weapons, not enough large ones anyway. What if their hiding place were discovered, and all of those innocent lives were lost because Rain and her friends had strolled into town seeking shelter?
There wasn’t much she could do about it now. He’d said he’d leave them in ten more miles, in a place called Melanna. How far that was from the River Red and Oklasaw, she had no idea, but Rain picked up her pace, hoping they’d arrive at the point where Crit could leave them quickly so he could get back. Something told her Dal would need every available man when the Mothers arrived, and Crit was fiercer than most. Maybe he’d face off against Mother White and teach that woman a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget.
“Dis is where I leave you,” Crit said about two hours later when they finally came to a stop in an area devoid of any signs of life, save the partially visible road beneath their feet. “If you follow dis path due north, you will run into the River Red in about a day, day and a half.” He pointed straight ahead, in the direction they’d been traveling all day.
They’d made good time, that was for certain. The sun wasn’t even beginning to sink below the horizon. If they continued at the same pace, they might actually make it to River Red before the expected time. Rain wasn’t sure how much longer she could basically run at top speed, even though she was well aware by now that their lives depended upon it.
“We can’t thank you enough,” Mist said, offering him her hand.
Crit looked at her extended palm and then back at Mist’s face. “You are better than I thought,” he said with a shrug. Rain hid a smile. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she’d assumed either. Crit shook Mist’s hand and then reached out to shake Walt’s. Rain was next. She let her smile go, thanking him in turn, and he bowed his head slightly before releasing her palm and reaching for Adam’s.
“Best of luck to you,” Adam said to Crit.
“Many blessings upon all of you,” Crit said, dipping his head again. Then, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of them anymore, he took off in a sprint, headed back the way he’d come.
“I sure hope the Mothers don’t find their hiding spot,” Mist said, shaking her head as she watched Crit fade into the distance.
“Me, too.” Rain turned, no longer caring to watch the man disappear. Thinking about what would happen if the Mothers found Dal and his people made her stomach hurt, and she had too many other worries to concern herself with at the moment, ones she had a slight bit more control over, though not by much.
“Are we ready?” Mist asked, stretching her back.
“As
we’ll ever be.” Walt’s answer had to work for all of them as Adam and Rain didn’t bother to vocalize that they were also ready to go.
Mist broke out into a quick jog, and the others followed along. “Do you think we should stick to this road or is that too risky?” Mist asked, looking up at the sky. “The drones have been kept at bay by that forcefield, but if the Mothers break through, they’ll probably follow this artery.”
“There’s not much cover here,” Adam noted. “It’s not like there are a lot of trees, only tall grass.”
“I think there will be trees again as we get closer to the river,” Mist replied. “It just makes sense that there would be with so much water around. There will likely be smaller rivers and tributaries we will have to cross, too.”
“Then, we should probably stick to the road,” Rain thought aloud.
Mist almost stopped as she glanced over her shoulder to look at Rain, like she couldn’t believe her friend had actually made a decision.
Compelled to elaborate, Rain said, “If there are any chances of bridges being intact enough to use to cross, we will need to be on a road.”
“Good point,” Mist said, turning back around. She didn’t stray from the path they were on, which made Rain wonder if she had actually made a good point--for once.
None of them spoke as they continued to run. All of them understood the need to reach the River Red before the Mothers caught up with them. Rain desperately hoped that Dal and the others had some way of slowing the Mothers down that wouldn’t jeopardize his people, though she couldn’t imagine that was a possibility.
As the sun began to fade, and Rain’s legs began to ache, a new sensation caught her attention. At first, she thought she was perspiring enough that the sweat was actually dripping off of her head and wetting her fists as they swung next to her side. But then she realized those droplets weren’t sweat--it was sprinkling.