Colonization (The Seamus Chronicles Book 3)

by McAdams, K. D.

  The decision to keep the gun in the rucksack is made with my self-preservation instinct winning out. I heft the pack onto my shoulders and set off down the stairs.

  As I wade through the water towards shore I can see Cassandra using her toe to move some debris aside. I’m not the hardiest outdoorsman but she is going to have to toughen up.

  “Seamus this is so gross. I can’t touch half of this stuff. They were just, you know, going anywhere they wanted.” Her nose is wrinkled and I can see her gagging while she scans the ground around her feet.

  “Here” I hand her bottled water once I am close enough. “Lets just get moving and catch up with the others. Being separated is a worse idea than leaving behind some spoiled food.”

  While she drinks I survey the ground and find out how right she was. We are standing in a veritable cesspool. My gag reflex kicks in and I vomit profusely, adding to the disgusting smattering of waste around us.

  “Oh Seamus!” Cassandra calls out and turns away from me.

  I heave again and she starts walking away from me. Seeing my pool of liquid and bile I realize that I have not eaten anything solid in almost a full Earth day. Loosing the few nutrients that I had in my stomach will make it tough to have the energy I need to walk back to camp.

  Another wretch rolls up in my stomach but I am able to keep it back. Even though I am feeling sluggish I step lively out of the mess and I catch up with Cassandra. She reaches out a hand that’s holding a sleeve of crackers and I take one gladly.

  “Thanks.” I mumble through the dried crumbs in my mouth.

  Her head nods but she does not speak. I take a quick step to get next to her. but as I look around to see her face she turns away. A sniffle and the back of her hand across her cheek give her away. She’s crying.

  “Seamus I’m not cut out for this. I have a thousand allergies and I ate the same foods at all three meals for like four years. I’m grossed out by squished bugs and bird poop on the windshield. I can’t clean up after other humans.” Her tears are flowing and her cheeks are flushed.

  My first thought is that the tears are bad, she needs to stay hydrated. But then I think about her emotions and remember that I need to connect at the human level.

  “It’s okay, none of us are really cut out for this. We just have to do our best.” I completely understand her point and agree with her but I don’t say so.

  “But the reason that I’m crying is that I thought I would do better than you. And I was wrong even about that! Why do you always get to win?!” She’s not just sad, she’s angry.

  It kind of pisses me off that we are fighting for our lives and she’s mad that I am doing better keeping it together than she is, for now. If she wants to keep score I would say there are several years of advanced study at NASA Ames I could put in her column. But I’m not one to keep score, so I hold my tongue.

  “I may not be the best source of advice, but I’ll tell you what works for me. Don’t worry about anyone but yourself. I’ve been jealous of people and I think that’s normal. But I don’t usually compete with people so the only person that ‘beats’ me is me.” That may not be entirely true but it sounds sage.

  “You’re right, you are not someone to get advice from.” She flashes me a smile that I choose to see as grateful and then we pick up the pace so we can catch the others.

  Chapter 16

  We’ve been trudging through the jungle for hours. There are occasional spurts of banter and the activity seems to be helping people sober up. Spirits are not high or low, we’re all just moving on to the next thing.

  I’m concerned with the reception we are about to receive. Food was a major issue with just the survivors from our plane. Now there are more mouths to feed but no new food sources to do it with.

  The sun is setting and in a couple of hours we will be able to walk out along the water line without melting. We may need to make this move before the ideal time, though. I had no idea how dehydrated everyone would be from intoxication. All of the water bottles that were in the rucksack were drained an hour ago.

  It’s easy to tell who has experience with hangovers and who doesn’t. Those who understand the issue walk quietly and only snap for quiet. The non-drinkers moan and complain about headaches and the worst feeling of their lives.

  I’m glad alcohol was never part of my life. These people were taken by surprise; it was not a choice to get drunk. Back home I know there were people who got to this state on purpose and I wonder if that’s why our planet was destroyed so easily.

  “Seamus, my mother really needs some water. Didn’t you say there was a lake or something? I think we should go there now and fill the water bottles.” Cassandra still doesn’t understand the situation we are in.

  I say nothing and keep walking. I’ve already explained to her how powerful the suns radiation is and when it will be safe to go to the lake, her mother’s thirst does not change those facts.

  “How can you be so inhumane? Are you seriously holding a grudge while we’re trying to survive?” Cassandra is trying to goad me into her desired action.

  Up ahead one of the McMurdo people slumps down to a knee. It is controlled, barely, but not graceful. They physically cannot go on. I notice that it is one of the people who did not complain and took the fewest sips of water. Gwen is her name, I think.

  “Hold up guys.” I call out to the line in front of us.

  Muttered phrases of gratitude are spoken and the group collapses to the jungle floor. Hands go to aching heads that hang low. At least one person turns behind a leaf and dry heaves.

  “How much further?” Gwen asks me.

  “Hold on.” I’m walking the line of people and counting heads. We can’t afford to lose anyone.

  When I confirm that all eleven are present I return to Gwen and give her a once over. She is thin and fit with leathery skin of the type that has spent many hours outdoors. My guess is that she is in her mid-fifties, older than my mom for sure.

  “Tough to say how much farther. My guess is three to five hours. But it’s mostly flat and easy travel.” I answer her earlier question.

  “It could be an escalator and some of us wouldn’t have the strength to stand on it. We need to stop here for a few hours. Where’s the nearest water?” Gwen’s control is impressive because her discomfort is clear.

  “Water is probably a ninety minute round trip.” I say, looking off in the direction of the lake.

  “That far?” Her eyes are defeated, though she doesn’t say anything negative.

  I should go to the lake and fill the water bottles. I’ve dealt with the blisters from exposure before; I can deal with it again. But the four water bottles wouldn’t really make a dent in the thirst of twelve people; Cassandra and I can go without.

  “I’m not sure we could all make it. The underbrush is thick and it was exhausting to get through when I was fresh.” The truth is I was never fresh trying to get through the underbrush, but I want to make it clear to her how hard the trek would be.

  “I’ll go.” Liam is standing beside me, offering to push himself even further past the breaking point.

  “No. We don’t have enough water bottles for it to matter, and in your state you wouldn’t make it there, let alone back.” I’m not letting my brother risk his life when it feels like the others are freeloading.

  “That rucksack on your back is waterproof. You can fill it with water.” One of the guys I don’t know speaks slowly. “And trust me, it holds plenty.”

  All eyes fall on me. A physical task is required to save lives and it is up to me to complete it. I’m scared, what if I’m not strong enough to carry a rucksack full of water back through the thick underbrush? My brain is what gets us out of problems, not my back and my muscles.

  Do they hate me because I don’t take action immediately? Are they wondering if I’m considering if they’re worth it? It’s not a question of worth; I’m not cut out for physical chores.

  Those thoughts echo in my head. When Cassand
ra said them I lectured her. We are all cut out for survival, if we weren’t we’d already be dead. Not only can I do this, I must do this.

  While I go over non-existent options in my mind I survey the trees around us. There needs to be a distinct physical feature I can use to find my way back here. Going for water and getting lost would not help.

  “Okay. I’ll go but I could use some help figuring out how to mark this spot so I can get back.” I’m buying time but I don’t know what for. For the first time ever I realize that buying time for myself is a habit. Interesting.

  We stand in silence for a bit. Instead of looking at the area for a distinguishing object people look hopelessly at one another.

  Liam begins to take off his shirt and I want to yell at him. How can being bare chested help him think? He’s probably showing off for Cassandra and just picked a terrible time for it.

  “How many miles of string do you think are in a shirt?” He asks while he inspects the hem.

  In silence the rest of the line looks down to the hems of their shirts. It’s a good idea, but even if there are miles of string, I don’t know how we will unravel it.

  “Here!” A woman I don’t know calls out. She is unraveling her shirt and her hands are moving quickly.

  The others continue to search their own clothes for strings. The quiet focus seems to help take their minds off of being dehydrated. I empty the rucksack of everything other than the water bottles. The gun is tucked into my waistband and it gives me a sudden charge of confidence.

  Jane grabs the blanket and starts looking for a string to pull. I put my hand on her hands to stop her. There should be enough with a few shirts and I think we are going to need the blanket when the temperature drops tonight. She stares up at me blankly and then shrugs her shoulders and stops.

  “Ready?” I say, turning to Cassandra.

  “I’m not going with you.” She answers defiantly.

  “I need you to carry the bottles. There is no way I can lug the rucksack on my back and get the bottles back too.” Even if I could I don’t want to travel alone.

  “Don’t be a jerk Seamus. You don’t need me.” She remains stubborn.

  “I’m not. It’s a lot to carry and it doesn’t make sense to go off alone. We need to stick together and you are the only other one capable of making the journey.” I’ve netted out the logic and she doesn’t have much to argue about.

  “Dear.” Jane says her one word that seems to hold so much sway over Cassandra.

  “Fine. I’ll take the string so you don’t screw it up.” She snarls at me.

  Cassandra and I make reasonable time to the edge of the jungle. Liam and I could have gone faster, Cassandra is overly detailed with the string. Not only does she test it every few feet to make sure it’s not broken, she weaves it in and out of branches to keep it as straight and efficient as possible.

  Standing on the moist soil of the lakebed I look back into the jungle. I imagine a rag tag string of cloth running through the trees. In my mind it looks like an old kite tail with bits of fabric tied in bows along a string. In reality, I’m not sure we even needed more than a single shirt to cover the distance.

  Cassandra ties the string to the stem of a leaf and proceeds to zigzag some extra length around other leaves. It’s clear that she does not want to lose sight of our marker. I forget that she has not done this yet but I hold my tongue about the footprints we leave guiding us back.

  The sun has almost set but it is still scalding hot. The water has receded some but we don’t have to go far from the jungle to get to it.

  We cover the distance in silence.

  When we reach the water I see a smile creep across Cassandra’s face. She drops to her knees and scoops a handful of water to her mouth. Then she splashes some on her face and pours a few handfuls over the back of her neck.

  “Oh my god. This is unbelievable.” She says looking up at the sky.

  I don’t stop in the dry; I walk several paces into the water and drop the rucksack. Falling forward I face plant with a splash and it feels so good. I was so focused on getting here and making sure that Cassandra contributed I forgot that we were both running on empty, and needed this water as much as the group we left in the jungle.

  Cassandra continues to quench her thirst and I have taken several large mouthfuls of water. The water bottles are dumped out of the rucksack and float aimlessly on the water. With no breeze and no current they don’t try to get away. The cap is unscrewed from one and I fill it with water.

  Once the cap is back on I turn to Cassandra and call to her, “Heads up!”

  I toss the full water bottle gently towards her and it lands with a splash about two feet in front of her.

  “Jesus Seamus, be careful. We need all the bottles we have.” She likes to lecture.

  The other three bottles are filled easily and Cassandra lines them up at the waters edge.

  I open the top of the rucksack and scoop water with it. The water is shallow here and the mouth of the bag drags along the bottom. As a result I only get the bag two thirds full. Pouring the water out I change my stance before trying again, the results are worse this time.

  “Stop messing around and lets get going.” Cassandra isn’t thinking about the problem.

  “The water isn’t deep enough here. I have to go further out to fill it.” It’s hard not to bicker with her when she starts like this.

  “Fine, then go. I don’t want to waste time standing around here.” She’s annoyed even though I am doing the most work.

  I start walking out further into the lake but it is receding quickly. I don’t want to stop and try to fill the sack too soon; it would be a frustrating waste of time. Using one of dad’s tricks I decide to take one hundred steps before I stop and try.

  The bag is opened at step ninety and is plunged under water exactly at one hundred. Lifting with my hands around the top opening the bag comes out of the water completely full, and weighing a ton.

  I heft the straps onto my shoulders and turn to head back to Cassandra. She’s standing tall with her hands on her hips and head tilted ever so slightly to her right. I’m sure she’s annoyed with me and thinks I was messing around, but who cares. It’s surprising how far back she is but all I have to do is put my head down and set off.

  Behind her and high in the sky is another first for this planet. A cloud. I point to it but she refuses to turn and look, probably thinking that I’m playing some kind of a joke.

  At first walking in the water with the full pack is difficult. Soon the water is shallow enough that I can step easily and my pace improves. I can’t help but watch the cloud because it is moving rapidly and appears to be coming directly at me. It would have been interesting to see how much of the suns rays it could block but the sun has officially set.

  When I finally get back to Cassandra she does not look happy.

  “That took long enough.” Is her only greeting.

  She bends over and scoops the four water bottles into her arms and turns back towards the jungle. After a few steps her head comes up and she sees the cloud for the first time.

  “Oh good, now we’re going to get rained on too.” She shakes her head in disgust but doesn’t break stride.

  “Stop complaining about everything.” Is all I feel like saying to her.

  A low rumble comes at us from the jungle. At first I’m worried that it’s another quake. Some people theorized that Earth’s ice age was due to the massive eruption of a couple of volcanoes. If we got here just in time for Locu’s ice age I will not be happy.

  “Sweet. Not just rain, thunder and probably lightening too.” Cassandra is emphasizing her negativity.

  The first few drops fall in front of us and it brings a smile to my face. Rain isn’t the worst thing in the world. In fact it’s good to know that there is enough atmosphere for there to even be weather.

  There is not a lot of distance before we get to the jungle and I consider slowing my pace to enjoy walking in the rain. Ther
e were a few times when I was small that we went out side and ran around in the rain. They are great memories and reliving them even a little boosts my spirits.

  A drop lands on my arm and I smile. It surprises me though because it hurts. The next drop hits me and the pain is immediate and intense. The drops burn my skin and I can see a small wound in the flesh.

  “Ow!” Cassandra screams.

  There are sheets of water falling between where we are and the jungle. The rain is moving fast and there is no way we can escape it. More drops hit my skin and the pain is searing.

  “Acid rain!” I state emphatically. “Run!” Cassandra was not waiting for my command but I gave it anyway.

  Tears stream down my face and the pain is excruciating, but I can’t stop running. The rucksack full of water slows my already pathetic speed, but I know it contains life for those in the jungle, so I don’t drop it.

  At the jungles edge Cassandra waits for me under a broad leaf. It provides some shelter for her but not one hundred percent. It’s almost cute the way she dances from side to side as a drop of acid sneaks it’s way into her flesh. Only the expression of terror she wears keeps me from joking.

  We wait there in moderate safety, but I can’t stop long. If I don’t keep moving I will not make it.

  Chapter 17

  I’m a little surprised that Cassandra and I are going in different directions. Intellectual strength and emotional strength are clearly different, turns out that Dad was right.

  In one sense Cassandra is the only one behaving rationally. We allowed the Earth to be destroyed by our own technology and have arrived on a planet in a completely different solar system. We are trying to establish a colony and sustain the human race but have no idea how to accomplish that.

  The acid rain stopped falling just as the group came into sight. The burns on my arms, face and neck are worse than any of the blisters I got from the sun. None of the others were as exposed as I was so the damage to their skin is minimal.

  Francisco has recovered enough to be useful and he helped pass out the few bottles of water and is taking care of refilling them from the rucksack. Liam ingested less of the contaminated water than the others and he is getting back to his old self.