Rogue threw her hands in the air. “Enough. I’m not listening to any more of this. Can we go now?”
“Okay, okay. Calm down,” Olivia said with a chuckle. She removed a couple of backpacks from a cupboard and tossed one to Rogue. “I took the liberty of packing for you.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Rogue grumbled, shrugging the backpack onto her shoulders.
“Ready?” Olivia asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Rogue said, resigned to a day spent in the company of strangers. But, Olivia was right on both counts. Rogue did need to curry favor with the Exiles, and she wanted to see Seth again. A lot more than she was willing to admit to her mother, or even herself.
Chapter 5 - Moran
Moran paced the small room, her long legs covering the distance within three strides. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and a frown creased her forehead. Nervous energy coursed through her veins, rendering her unable to relax.
She paused when she reached the window and flung open the wooden shutters. Leaning against the windowsill, she gazed at the street below. The room she and Patti occupied belonged to an Inn called the Red Cherry.
The place was a dump, a ramshackle two-story building in one of the worst districts of Prime City. Crime was rife, and the muddy streets stank of urine and feces. There was no plumbing in that part of the town. Most people used chamber pots, and if the waste carts came late, the contents were dumped outside without ceremony.
A gaggle of orphans ran past looking for mischief while a couple of shady characters lurked on the corner. The red-lipped whores that gave the inn its name lounged in the doorway, their bosoms exposed to potential customers’ greedy eyes.
In the distance, the sun dropped below the wall, a ball of orange fire. Even now, it was hot. The recent rains had done little to dissipate the heat, and she knew the worst was yet to come. With the height of summer came all sorts of horror: Flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and lice. The city turned into a steaming, seething hotpot of disease as clean water became scarce, and hygiene worsened.
Not that the winter months were much better. With the cold came a different set of problems. People often froze to death, trapped inside their hovels with nothing to keep them warm. Hunger was commonplace, and hacking coughs sounded from every doorway. Hope became a distant dream.
Moran shook her head. Every year it was the same, and every year she prayed they’d live to see another. Something had to change and soon, or none of them would live to see another generation. We’re fighting not only for ourselves but for the survival of the human race itself.
Her eyes fell on a dark figure lurking across the street. She watched him from the corner of her eyes for several minutes. The stranger never moved, his head turned toward the inn.
Who was he? A spy for Douglas and Sikes? A member of the Watch? Kat could’ve tipped them off. She was as yet an unknown quantity, and Moran didn’t trust the woman at all.
A soft knock on the door announced Bruce and Steven. They entered the room with furtive glances over their shoulders and locked the door behind them.
“Were you followed?” Moran asked, her mind still fixed on the lurker across the street.
“Not me,” Bruce said.
“Me neither,” Steven replied.
“Well, let’s get down to business,” Moran said. “We have little time to waste and much to decide.”
Bruce nodded. “My team is ready to go, as per your orders. Twenty in all, armed to the teeth.”
“Fighters?” Moran asked.
“They’re my best,” Bruce said.
“Good. I think we’re going to need them,” Moran said.
“Is something wrong?” Patti asked, a frown creasing her forehead. “You seem worried.”
“I don’t know. Call it a hunch,” Moran replied.
“It’s that Kat, isn’t it?” Patti said with a huff. “We all know she can’t be trusted.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Moran said. “Have any of you heard from her?”
Steven raised a hand. “She sent me a message around noon.”
“And?”
“She’s arranged for a small party at her place. All the hobnobs are invited, including the senator and General Sikes. They’ll be occupied for most of the night.”
Patti snorted. “Yeah, right. How do we know it’s not a lie?”
“We don’t,” Moran said. “But we can’t let this opportunity pass us by. We need that food.”
“If Kat told Sikes about the raid, they’ll be waiting for us,” Patti argued. “It’ll be a trap.”
“Not if we’re smart about it,” Moran said. “What can you tell me about the guards, Steven?”
“As expected, the harvest is being watched around the clock by a six-man team. At midnight, the teams rotate and again at sunrise.”
“An hour before midnight. That’s when we’ll strike. The guards will be tired, and they won’t be able to think straight,” Moran said.
“What if they alert the rest of the Watch when you move in?” Patti asked. “There’s no way you can silence six men without making a noise, no matter how tired they are.”
“She makes a good point,” Steven said.
“I’ve arranged for a small diversion to draw them away from their posts. It should give us enough time to grab what we can,” Moran explained.
“If we move fast,” Bruce said.
Moran nodded. “Forget the wheelbarrows, Bruce. They’re too unwieldy.”
“Agreed,” Bruce said. “We won’t be able to take as much, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“You’re still ignoring the obvious,” Patti said, looking at each of them. “If it’s a trap, they’ll be ready for you.”
Moran pointed at Patti. “That’s why I want you to wait nearby with a back-up team. If anything goes wrong, pull us out of there quick.”
“Are you sure about this?” Patti said.
“No, I’m not, but it’s either that or starve,” Moran said.
“Alright,” Patti said with a sigh. “I’ll be there to save your asses if need be, but be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“We can do this, guys. I know we can,” Moran said, squaring her shoulders.
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Bruce said with a mocking grin while Steven rumbled his assent.
Patti agreed with reluctance, and they spent the next few minutes ironing out the finer details of the raid. Once the meeting concluded, Bruce and Steven left as quietly as they came.
Moran watched them go from the window, each choosing a different route. The lurker from earlier was gone, and she wondered if she was overreacting. Her gut told her otherwise, though, and she made a split decision. “It’s time to move on, Patti.”
“Where to?” Patti asked.
“The White Horse. It’s closer to our storerooms, and no one knows about it except you and me,” Moran said.
“Alright, I’ll pack our things.”
“Thanks, Patti. I can always count on you,” Moran said.
“Of course, you can. That doesn’t mean I agree with you about tonight,” Patti grumbled. “I think you’re making a mistake.”
“Let’s hope you’re wrong,” Moran said, her mind running through a thousand different scenarios. If their food situation wasn’t so desperate, she’d cancel the raid. It wasn’t an option, however. We just need to be extra careful.
Patti opened the closet and removed their clothes and personal items. It all went into a set of leather bags that had seen better days. Her movements were practiced. They’d done this many times before, only this time, Rogue was missing from their midst.
Not that the girl had always stuck by Moran’s side. There had been periods when she’d disappear only to return weeks later starved and exhausted. Moran always wondered what it was that drove her into the streets on her own. Longing? Discontent? Who knew?
But this last time, Rogue hadn’t returned. Instead, she’d ended up in prison, sentenced to death
or exile. Horrified, Moran had insisted on staging a rebellion right there and then. It took Patti and Bruce hours to talk her down. The Rebel Faction wasn’t ready. Death would be the only outcome. And so, Moran was forced to let Rogue face her fate alone. So many sacrifices. I hope it’s all worth it in the end.
Chapter 6
Rogue followed Olivia out into the bright sunshine of a late spring day. The sky seemed impossibly blue, and she paused to allow her eyes to adjust. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled the strange mixture of smells native to the Zoo and its inhabitants: Smoke from the communal bonfire, smoldering fat from the torches that ringed the walls at night, dried animal dung, freshly baked bread, and the salty tang of cured meat and hides.
“Come on. It’s this way,” Olivia said, taking the lead. “We’ll meet the others at the gate.”
“Oh, joy,” Rogue mumbled, remembering her previous experience at the entrance with its overly-protective guards. She had no choice, however, and walked after her mother with a sense of resignation.
Along the way, Olivia kept up a running commentary of the Zoo and its many features. Much of the old place was still intact. Its concrete and brick structures had simply been repurposed into homes and communal buildings such as the market square, infirmary, blacksmith, tannery, flour mill, and storerooms. There was a smokehouse, butchery, craft, and textile shop too.
Stone walkways lined with beddings wound throughout the thriving community. The flourishing plant life appeared to be mostly indigenous. She spotted several rows of berry bushes, their leaves heavy with the tiny red fruit. These would soon ripen, much to the delight of the many children that ran about playing hide and seek.
Every roof in sight was covered by solar panels, and a windmill turned slowly in the lazy breeze. According to Olivia, it served as a back-up to the filtration system that pumped water from the river. So did the numerous rain-catchment basins.
Though it was all fascinating, Rogue soon zoned out. It was simply too much to take in all at once. I wonder how Seth is doing? I hope those guards didn’t beat him up too badly. Will he even want to see me after I forced him to come here? Man, I hope so.
She was distracted from her thoughts by a couple of people who rode past on horses. The animals were short and stocky, their chests deep, and their haunches thickly muscled. “Are those real horses?”
“Uh-huh. They came from a nearby horse farm. We rescued them right after the Shift, and they’ve proven invaluable to us ever since,” Olivia said with a broad smile.
“I’ve never seen one in real-life,” Rogue admitted. “Only in books.”
“They’re amazing creatures, and these are amazing times,” Olivia said. “There’s a lot to be said for this kind of life. Not everything about the modern world was so great, to be honest. Too much noise and pollution.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Rogue said.
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said, shaking her head. “I keep forgetting how young you were when it all changed. You probably don’t remember much about the old world.”
“No, I don’t, but I must admit. This is nice,” Rogue said, looking around.
Not all was sunshine and roses, though. They met many people along the way, and she was quick to notice the hostile stares directed at her. While most greeted Olivia with smiles and cheery waves, the same did not apply to her daughter.
Guess I’ll just have to suck it up, Rogue thought. Especially if I want their help freeing Prime.
By the time they reached the gate, she was more than ready for a friendly face and looked for Seth. She found him standing on the sidelines and jogged over. “Hey, Seth. How’s it going?”
His dark eyes bored into hers, and his voice was gruff when he spoke. “I’ve been better.”
Rogue studied his face and winced when she saw the split lower lip and purple bruises that bloomed along his jaw-line. “I’m sorry. I should never have asked you to come here.”
He stared at her for a couple of seconds before nodding. “It’s okay. It all worked out in the end, didn’t it? You found your mother, after all.”
Rogue nodded. “I did, but I never wanted you to get hurt.”
“Water under the bridge,” Seth said, his posture relaxing somewhat.
“Thank you.” Rogue heaved an internal sigh of relief. At least, he doesn’t hate me.
“Are you going on the egg-hunt too?”
“Uh-huh. I wasn’t given a choice, really,” Rogue said.
“Me neither. Ric told me in no uncertain terms that I’m expected to participate,” Seth replied.
Rogue grimaced. “The big guy with a bad attitude?”
“That’s the one.”
“He’s a real asshole if you ask me.” Seth’s lips tightened, but he remained silent. Instead, his eyes flickered to a spot above her head, and she froze. “He’s behind me, isn’t he?”
“This asshole is your party leader for the day, so you’d better do exactly as I say,” a deep voice boomed from behind Rogue.
She jumped before turning around. “Sorry. You weren’t meant to hear that.”
“Look, I don’t care what you think about me, as long as you do exactly what I say when I say it,” Ric replied. “Got that? I won’t have either of you messing up this year’s hunt.”
Rogue smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll do my best.”
“See that you do. Both of you,” Ric said, stalking away.
Rogue watched him leave, fully aware that everyone was looking at her. Their faces wore a mixture of disdain and anger while a group of young adults openly snickered. Even Olivia looked upset, her lips pressed into a thin line. Hot blood suffused Rogue’s cheeks. Perfect. Just perfect. Now they hate me even more.
“That went well,” Seth said, his lips twitching.
She rounded on him with a fierce whisper. “Are you enjoying this?”
He shrugged. “A little.”
“Why didn’t you warn me he was there?”
“Consider it payback for the beating,” Seth replied.
“Ugh, really? I said I was sorry,” Rogue said.
“You did,” Seth conceded.
“Are we even now?”
Seth pretended to mull it over until she punched him on the arm.
“Yeah, okay. We’re even,” Seth said with a chuckle. “But you really should learn to control your temper. You’re like a weasel in a hen house.”
“A what?” Rogue asked with a frown.
“A weasel. They’re small but feisty. Surprisingly dangerous. Just like you,” Seth said, eyeing her.
“Uh, thanks, I guess,” Rogue said, folding her arms.
“It wasn’t a compliment. I hate weasels. Nasty, bitey little things,” Seth said with a shudder, but the twinkle in his eyes belied his words.
Rogue snorted. “I’m willing to bet you’ve never even seen a weasel.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Anything is possible.”
“And here I was, thinking you were the only sane person here.”
“What do you mean?” Seth asked.
“They’re all crazy. Stealing eggs and raising dinosaurs inside the Zoo. What else do they do? Sacrifice virgins to volcanoes?”
“There aren’t any volcanoes around,” Seth pointed out.
“Shut up before I punch you again.”
“Just not the ribs, please. I think the guards cracked a few yesterday.”
“You can’t make me feel any worse than I already do, so don’t bother trying,” Rogue said.
“It was worth a shot,” Seth said with a grin.
Rogue chewed on her bottom lip. “Did they really crack your ribs?”
“Ah, so my ploy worked. You do feel bad for me,” Seth said with a triumphant look.
Rogue rolled her eyes. “I hope you get trampled and gored by a Triceratops today.”
“That’s oddly specific.”
“I have a very specific imagination,” Rogue said. “Besides, they’ve got three horns to gut
you with.”
“Bloodthirsty, aren’t you?”
“Only when provoked.”
Seth laughed. “Head’s up. Your mom’s coming.”
“Now, you warn me,” Rogue mumbled, turning toward Olivia.
“Lillian, I’d like you to meet Jamie. She’s a good friend of mine,” Olivia said, pointing to a petite, middle-aged woman at her side.
“Nice to meet you, Lillian,” Jamie said with a warm smile.
“Same here, but I’d prefer it if you called me Rogue.”
Jamie shot Olivia a look before nodding. “Rogue it is then.”
Rogue studied the woman. They were of the same height and build, but Jamie had incredibly long brown hair. It hung down her back in a thick braid that reached all the way to her knees. At least, she was friendly.
“Are you going on the hunt as well?” Rogue asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jamie exclaimed. “I can’t let you kids have all the fun, now can I?”
“Fun. Sure,” Rogue echoed, exchanging a look with Seth.
“Which reminds me, I’d love for you to meet my daughter, Brittany,” Jamie said.
To Rogue’s utter dismay, Jamie called to a girl who stood off to the side with other young people. The same group that had laughed at her earlier.
The girl in question walked over with apparent reluctance. She looked a lot like her mom did with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. “Yes, Mom?”
“Brittany, this is Lil…um…Rogue, Olivia’s daughter,” Jamie said.
“I know who she is, Mom,” Brittany replied. Her eyes flashed from Rogue to Seth, and she tossed her head. “She’s a Prime, just like him.”
“Be nice,” Jamie admonished with a stern look. “They’re one of us now, and I expect you to welcome them like family.”
“Sure thing, Mom. I’ll introduce them to my friends. How’s that?” Brittany said with a forced smile.
“Excellent idea,” Olivia chimed in. She grabbed Jamie’s arm. “In fact, let’s leave them to get acquainted. I’m sure they’ll get along just fine.”
Olivia dragged Jamie away, flashing a warning look at Rogue over her shoulder. Rogue heaved an inward sigh. Guess I’ll have to play ball. “Yeah, I’d love to meet everyone.”
The Extinction Series | Book 2 | Primordial Earth Page 3