Daughters of the Mayflower Universe: One

by Celie Wells

  We voted to remove the Red encampments from the area. This recent Red kidnapping gave the authorities the fuel needed to launch a full-scale removal. I hoped I would be released soon enough to use the public outrage to gain support for a large-scale attack on the last known encampment.

  There was no reason for us to think any danger would be at the vendor square, let alone a Red hostage run on our women. I was going for the driver's seat. She was safe in the backseat. I choose to stay and fight over guaranteeing Karine's safety. Leaving with her—speeding away from the Pavilion—that was the right choice. Anything that happens to her now is my fault.

  It was loud at first—the cursing rage in my brain. It kept me from relaxing, eating, sleeping, breathing. After a few hours, it quieted, leaving behind a warm sense of urgency and an anxious clarity of purpose.

  There were people to call and alliances to be settled. Families would gather their men and weapons to fight the Reds. I would find Karine and take her back home, or I would kill every last fucking one of them until none of the Red camps were left on the planet's surface—one settlement at a time.

  SUNSHINE SUICIDE

  I peed a little on my shoes. I have never been very good at peeing in the wild. It’s not a high-demand skill in my world. My mother’s voice popped in my head, ‘well, at least it is your own pee.’

  Noah was a prepared traveler, but I understand why everyone says the Reds are wasteful. He gave me a piece of actual fabric to wipe with and then buried it in a dirt hole. Civilized people use steam from reclamation pods and reusable plastic sheets. I suppose plastic sheets would be hard to get way out here.

  My captor also gave me a pack of jerky and dried fruit, and it was pretty good. Noah and I walked in silence at the end of the procession. After what felt like hours, he started telling me about shipwrecks he had seen, and his scavenger pastimes with his friends. If they were planning on killing us, I couldn’t imagine why he was bothering to tell me about his interests.

  “Wait, did you say you find people in these wrecks?” I stopped to secure my hair in my clip and wipe the dust off my face.

  Noah took a rolled-up hat out of his pack, shook it into shape, and offered it to me.

  “We find their bones and their belongings. The paper stuff falls apart when you touch it, but the hard stuff like dishes and metal objects can be salvaged. I found some nice jewelry, too,” Noah mentioned casually as if the mention of jewelry would change my mind about my situation. Oh well I’m so glad you kidnapped me. I love jewelry.

  “Thanks for the hat.” Noah seemed anxious like something he was reluctant to say wanted out of his mouth. “You look nauseous,” I remarked, waving my hands around his face.

  “You aren’t what I expected.” Noah closed the opening on his pack tightly and moved it to his other shoulder, away from me. His arm hung close to mine. His skin was tanned and scared from work, I assumed. He didn’t smell like cologne or soap, but he didn’t exactly stink either.

  “What the hell do you mean by that?” I snapped.

  “It seems stupid to me now, but we’re told top-siders have no souls. Somehow I expected you to be less human than you are.”

  “You’re right, that is stupid,” I agreed. I didn’t believe in the concept of a soul, but his tone was condescending. “Bullshit about souls, and if you pray just right, you will go to a perfect place when you die.” I took the last bite of my fruit and tossed it off the cliff. “Me less human than killers and kidnappers and whatever else you are going to do to us? I hope there is a God to burn you all in that hell you’re so afraid of.” I shoved the half-empty bag of jerky and fruit at Noah and walked to catch up with the next group of detainees in front of me.

  “Hey, you’re wrong. I am not a killer.” Noah fumbled to grab the jerky and stuff it in his front pants pocket.

  “I saw the bodies you left on the ground in the square. Those top siders you and your buddies shot, looked dead to me. You are all killers, and obviously, you are a big fat liar,” I shouted.

  Everyone stopped walking, and a hush came over the group. One of the young men from the front of the line started jogging quickly back towards me.

  “So righteous, Killer. You need your friend to finish me off for you?” I snarled.

  Noah put his hand around my throat and started to squeeze. I closed my eyes and tried to hold my breath. I grabbed uselessly at his outstretched hands. My end was coming, and I would not give him the pleasure of hearing me scream.

  “You want me to kill you. Don’t you, you stupid...?” Noah loosened his grip, and I took a gasp of air.

  “Better dead than with the Reds.” I panted, grabbing at his hands. “That’s what we were all told. You’re going to kill us anyway. I’m tired of walking out here in the middle of nowhere. Get it over with already!” I felt his thick hands release, and the sun wash over my closed eyelids.

  Blue was in my ear, telling me to be quiet and pulling me into the line with her.

  The young man from the front of the group was trying to calm Noah down. He told Noah we were brainwashed savages that don’t have any honor. He couldn’t expect a top sider woman to know their customs. I would have to be taught. He would prove all the wild rumors true if he didn’t calm down.

  “It’s been a difficult day, Noah. Leave her be, let her calm down too.” The level-headed captor patted Noah on the shoulder hard enough to shake the dust off his clothes.

  Liar was his trigger word. Know your enemy, know their weakness. They were all lesser than us—weak and controlled by a fairytale of ridiculous religious nonsense.

  This new information wasn’t helpful. They don’t eat people. That tidbit was nice to hear, though I didn’t entirely believe Noah. They are wasteful, nothing I didn’t know before, and they react violently when called out on their shit. Just like most young men do when confronted with something unpleasant.

  “Please, Karine, tread lightly. We can’t escape if they kill us all for being bitches,” Blue pleaded, grabbing my arm a bit too tightly.

  “That’s right, Blue Bell. Be a dead, quiet bitch. That’ll teach them. Your grandmother would roll in her fricking grave,” I said, pushing her hand off my skin.

  “There’s nothing to teach them. There’s no one here to save us. We are stuck. These people have us. We aren’t getting away anytime soon. Be angry, be cruel but be smart and shut up.” Blue was right, I wasn’t being smart, I needed to think.

  I took a personal inventory of everything on my body. The new hat would save my pink skin from peeling, but it also let me take out an earring and drop it unseen. Crumbs like in the myth of Hansel and Gretel as they marked their way to the house made of candy.

  The rock walls of the valley were jagged and sharp. I walked close to the sides and scraped my jacket on the rocks. Material that shouldn’t be in the area might give a search party some direction.

  After hours of walking, we reached a low point in the old seafloor. A large dark-brown transport vehicle was waiting. We were loaded into the back and given food and water. Noah made a point to sit far from me, and I made a point to glare at him.

  “Eat and get comfortable,” One of the young men cheerfully offered. “No one is going to hurt you. You can sleep if you like. Everything is going to be fine. We will be home in a few hours, and we will explain everything to you then.” The young man sounded sincere and had a pleasant smile.

  I was exhausted and getting cold but determined to stay awake. Noah carefully moved from seat to seat until he settled in the space next to me.

  “You’re shivering.” Noah retrieved a thick woven piece of cloth from his pack and draped it over my shoulders.

  “They will assume you have killed us by now, and we will all be dead by rocket fire by daybreak. I wasn’t kidding the motto of better dead than with a red is a staple in my society,” I said, pulling the soft cloth over my arms. “Shivering is not my top concern at the moment.”

  “Who is they, and why would they spend so much effort
on four young women?” Noah offered me a square of chocolate and a few pieces of orange fleshy fruit. “Apricots, they were dried last week,” he noted quietly.

  “Hmm, my mother would love a pit for her research.” I put my hand on my chest. “See, I’m a Fuller, and that weepy, stupid, blonde girl sitting over there is a Tilley.” I pointed lazily. “You people have taken from the two most affluent original families we have in our sector.”

  “We are saving you from those people,” Noah’s tone was quiet, exasperation tinging his words. “If you knew what was coming, you would be grateful for my help.” Noah believed what he was saying. Coupled with the warning from Dredge, I believed him. Noah’s eyes looked bloodshot, he was tired, and this would make him weak.

  “Yeah,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I understand exactly what’s coming for us. If my fiancé was killed, they won’t stop until all of you are dead—all of you, everywhere, not just this sector. You think you were doing something good, but it won’t matter.” I popped the chocolate square in my mouth. “You have killed everyone in your settlement with your stupidity.” I smiled at my dark-haired captor. Noah looked back at me with bewilderment and anger.

  I rested my head back on the transport wall. Blue Bell winced wrinkling her face in disgust and put her hand to her throat. My newly forming bruises were visible to everyone nearby. The silence and judgment in the other young men’s eyes around me was noticeable. Noah crossed a line the other young men with us in the transport found unacceptable.

  I leaned closer to Noah and bared my neck. “You want to finish what you started?”

  Noah leaned in very close to my face, his breath on my cheek, and growled the words be quiet.

  I looked up into his deep blue eyes and smiled. “I don’t mind dying, everybody dies, but I want my fricken cake first.” Noah looked at me with a confused expression.

  Blue Bell’s light eyes widened and filled with tears. She was right, we were stuck. With no cover from the elements, any ill-planned escape was suicide by sunshine. I needed to calm my mind and think of a more elaborate escape.

  MISS CONCEPTION

  We arrived at the Red camp shortly before dawn. Our captors parked their transport on a hill overlooking a sea of tents. Tall brown and gray octagons sat spaced evenly in groups of five. The large tents didn't look like they could be torn down quickly, and I wondered how long this village occupied the area.

  The colors of the tents, and their segregation by shape designated something I couldn't readily understand. Huge, beige tents with pointed rooftops sat in the distance. Perhaps these were public spaces or large living areas?

  The young men took each of us by the arm and led us toward a gathering of people waiting at what looked like their village entrance. Eight silhouettes watched as we approached. I counted three women and four men. Two of the people were incredibly old and frail-looking. Noah went straight to one of the older looking men. They stepped aside and talked with their backs to all of us.

  The rest of the welcome committee people smiled and surveyed our group of four as if they were buying a pallet of solar panels. Smiles and nods of acceptance passed between the people quietly, they all appeared pleased.

  An older looking woman held a box of cloth pouches filled with pink sugar cookies and white cheese chunks. She led us to a nearby table and invited us to sit and rest. Her demeanor was apologetic and motherly. When she handed the food to me, I thanked her for my artfully wrapped snack. A tear rolled down my face Blue patted my leg and took a hungry bite out of her cookie.

  A middle-aged man softy approached our table and offered us apple juice. Two smiley women presented us with piles of neatly folded clothing. The flurry of gifts and the hopeful feeling from their presenters confused me. These people really didn't intend to harm us.

  Noah returned to the ceremonious line of young men that kidnapped us. He looked around the room, watching the elders chat with the new girls. He was obviously looking around for something. I was seated in a dimly lit area of the room, so I turned my chair into the light and caught his eye.

  Noah looked relieved to see me. Crowd blindness was added to his list of weaknesses. I motioned for him to come over and talk to me. Noah slowly shook his head no and glanced at the floor. He stood tall next to the line of young men and crossed his arms along his chest.

  “What a cowardly turd,” I whispered.

  Blue followed my silent conversation with Noah and put her hand on the inside of my elbow. “Just sit still and shut up, Kar.”

  “No, something is not right,” I insisted.

  “Look around you, idiot. These are simple people. They have no intention of harming us.” I pushed Blue's hand off my arm and rose from the table.

  My fingers were tipped with sugar, and my apple juice was almost gone. I brushed the sugar off my hands and finished my juice. Noah never took his eyes off me. Blue tried to coax me back into my seat, but I had to figure out what was going on.

  The man who brought the apple juice stood alone by the wall of the tent. He watched everyone from a distance. This man was my best target.

  As I approached the man, I smiled and extended my hand. “Hello, I'm Karine. Thank you for the apple juice. I've never tasted anything like it before. Not made from modified fruit?” I asked cheerfully.

  “Abraham pleased to meet you. We don't have much here made from modified anything, Miss.” The man was polite and shook my hand softly as if I was something to be handled with care.

  “Your dark blue eye color is the same as Noah's,” I pointed at the line of young men. “Are you from the same clan?”

  “Yes, the boy is my youngest sister's son, my nephew. We are farmers by trade. Noah was right. You are an observant one.” Abraham pulled at his mustache and shifted his weight. He seemed to be relaxed.

  “What do you and your people plan to do with us four topsiders?”

  Abraham put his hand on my shoulder and lightly coaxed me towards the wall. “We need new bloodlines, new women to marry our men and bear children. With everything going on, the meteor and population thinning, we hoped to save a few young women from your people.”

  I nodded my head in agreement and folded my hands together in front of me. “Did Noah mention how many he and his friends killed to bring us here?” A hush came over the space near me. Several people were eavesdropping on our conversation.

  “Yes, Ma'am, Noah also mentioned you were making trouble on the way back.” Abraham pointed limply at my neck and folded his arms across his chest.

  “If Noah can't control his anger, we have programs available to help him topside.” A fire flicked in Abraham's eyes. I found his button. He was not a fan of the re-education programs. “I'm not what should concern you. The quiet one at the table with the white-blonde hair, the Tilley, her family provides our local military with armaments.

  “A clean tidy word, armament. I've heard it my entire life, but I never considered what it truly meant until now. In our situation here, it means fire, destruction, and death.”

  Abraham took a deep breath and shook his head. “The topsiders won't launch an attack to retrieve four women. They never have in the past, and they won't start now. You're safe here. All you need worry about is picking a family to join and starting your new life,” he proclaimed cheerfully.

  “Abraham, respectfully, I disagree with you. Our population already voted to remove the Red encampments by our borders. Our citizens don't consider women breeding stock. Blue Bell and I need to leave tonight.” I felt terrible, excluding the other two girls, but they weren't going to get us killed.

  “You must have noticed the main families marrying off themselves and their children recently. Getting the original family blood off the continent is their only concern.” Abraham released his folded his arms, letting them drop to his pockets and smiled confidently.

  “If this meteor is such a huge problem, how do you and your people plan to escape?” I asked.

  “We will all relocate beyo
nd the ring of fire, past the old Hawaii mountain range, and wait out the storm. God provides even for those who don't believe in him.” Abraham had complete faith in what he was saying. The problem was already resolved in his mind.

  “How can you be so sure of your plan and so calm about relocating all these people?” I pulled at a thread fluttering at the hem of my shirt. I caught sight of several people staring in my direction.

  “Faith in my God and myself, I suppose. Faith in my clan and my community of clans. We can give you a family and that family can give you faith. You just accept it in your heart, and your mind will follow.”

  I nodded my head in agreement. “My grandmother was a woman of faith, even though it is forbidden. She had a favorite poem, something about walking alone with no fear because you have a rod and a staff comforting you.

  “I'm a Fuller, so I suppose that makes me the rod. That girl I mentioned is a Tilley—she's the staff. I'm not afraid, and I have faith your people won't live long enough to relocate. Thank you for the juice—it really is the best apple juice I've ever tasted.” All the color drained from Abraham's face. I patted him lightly on the forearm. The expression on his face was as ridged as his body. I smiled at him and walked slowly back toward the table.

  Abraham was right. The original families had been scrambling to put their names on as many people as possible. Something terrible was expected to happen soon. I wasn't a Fuller by blood. I know the documents Dredge produced were false. Still, the lie helped everyone in my family, so I didn't question his motives.

  Blue and the other girls looked desperate for information. I shared everything I learned from Abraham while making time to stare coldly back at Noah. Having a few moments to rest, let me think about Jason. He was young and strong and healthy. The injuries he suffered might not be fatal. The sirens I heard before being taken away meant help would have found him. Diff would have gotten him to the medical center and called the family to help.