Unable to take the beating and the pace any longer, she fell to the ground, the chair tumbling down on top of her. From the impact, one of the legs broke off the chair. The girl laid there a moment, sobbing, when she noticed the broken leg lying next to her.
“I can fix it, my King! I am sorry! I will fix it.”
“No, no, no. That is okay. Don’t worry about it. It’s just a stupid chair. Do not worry yourself over it,” he said, picking up the chair leg.
“Here, we have the cafeteria. The cafeteria is where we usually eat our meals,” Miss Davis said, leading the group into a large room with many tables with chairs fixed to the sides. Winter was still enjoying riding her scooter.
“We serve three full meals a day here, and a small meal at midnight for those that are working the night shift. Right now, we are between meals, so there is no one eating. Supper begins in one hour.”
“Where do you get enough food to feed so many people without hunting or farming?”
“We don’t need to hunt, but we do farm. I will show you.”
Again, they went down another series of passages, and then entered another large room, this one many times longer than the cafeteria. It was warm and humid, with bright lights above. On low tables the length of the room were plants of all kinds. Some had fruits and pods that kDira had never seen before.
“Many of these cannot be found on the surface any longer. We have managed to cultivate these and keep the strain alive, and we’ve even improved on them a bit. These are tomatoes,” she said, pointing at a strong, green plant with red fruit as big as baby’s head.
“Are they sweet?” Winter asked.
“Not exactly. You will see. I will make sure you get to sample some for supper this evening.”
“Hurray!” Winter said. “And what are these?” she asked, gliding over to the opposite table and gawking at the stringy green fruit of another plant.
“Those are green beans. You can try those too. They are very good.”
“Winter seems to have an interest in the garden,” Elick said to Agis.
“Yes, I think you are right. I would never have pictured her as a farmer.”
“We can teach her a lot,” the director said. “And you can take some of these plants back to Blackhorn and start planting them there for yourselves. Anything you’d like from here is yours for the taking.”
“I will remember that. Thank you.”
The director showed them almost every vegetable in the garden and even dug up a few potatoes so that the Blackhorn could see them and understand where the food portion of the plant comes from.
“Come, I think it is time for our evening meal,” the director said as they neared the end of the garden tour. “We will continue with our tour of the facility after we have full bellies.”
“Yes, food does sound good,” Agis said.
“Agreed,” kDira said with a smile.
“Shut up, kreb.”
cHAPTER 31
“What kind of meat is this?” kDira asked, still chewing on her first bite of the brown, seared steak before her.
“That is beef. Beefsteak, we call it,” Miss Davis said after swallowing her own bite of the tender steak. “It comes from a cow, something you no longer have on the surface. But when the time is right, we will reintroduce it to the world again. We don’t actually butcher the cows here, we grow the meat… well, never mind that. I don’t think you are quite ready for all that.”
“This is quite different. A bit odd, do you think?” Elick asked, cutting another bit from his own portion.
“You think it tastes odd?” the director asked.
“It is similar to rock-goat, or even a bit like chideer, but there is something strange about it.”
“Yes, it is a bit odd,” kDira agreed. “It is tasty, but you have seasonings we do not have. It is entertaining.”
“I guess if the only red meat you have ever had were chideer or rock-goat, then beef would taste a bit odd to you. I never considered that.”
“These are tomatoes?” Winter asked, stabbing a wedge of the red fruit and lifting it from her plate of salad consisting of lettuce, tomato, onion, a yellow cheese, and a white dressing that the director called ranch. “I like it very much. And this white stuff… dressing? It is very tasty, too.”
“Almost everyone likes ranch dressing. I thought it would be a safe choice for your first salad. We have many others to try as well.”
Winter picked her way through the salad, singling out each of the other ingredients and getting an explanation of what each was, onions being her least favorite of the mix.
Everyone agreed that their first American meal was enjoyable, but strange to their palette. Still, they looked forward to experiencing more meals in this strange new world.
When they finished, the doctor helped Winter up from the table and over to her scooter.
“How is that foot feeling, Winter?” he asked.
“It is starting to throb a bit. I am out of the magic pills you gave me.”
“Then I will see that you get some more.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
Malak walked silently at the head of the Midlanders once more. No one spoke behind him. No one wanted to question why he had done what he did, and no one dared take a stand against him. Everyone knew that if they ganged up on him, they could beat him down, but they didn’t want to have to explain what happened when they get back to Midlandia for fear of being labeled a traitor and hung from a tree as punishment. With any luck, when they got back, it would not be long before the entire tribe could see what Malak had become, and it wouldn’t just be their heads on the line.
The rest of the day went silently until Malak would announce a stopping point for a rest and meal of dried chideer and bryne. Then all would sit, speaking only when spoken to, and eat the meal without so much as even looking at someone else, for fear of being misunderstood by Malak.
“In this area, we have what we call the workshops,” the director said as they walked into a room abuzz with the sound of tools in use. “Anyone can come here and use tools to build things, paint things, create artwork, or do anything you like. Some people like to create furniture, while others paint wonderful pictures like the ones you see throughout the complex.”
“Are these tools powered by electricity as well?” Elick said, stepping over to a table saw being used by one of the residents.
“That is right, Elick. All of these tools use the power that comes from the reactor… the generator.”
“Amazing.”
“Yes, I guess it is. Let us continue on.”
Miss Davis led them past some rooms that had windows to allow people to look in from the passageway. There were rows and rows of seats in the rooms, many filled with people looking at a single person standing at the front of the room.
“This is a classroom,” she said. “People come here to learn something new, and the man teaching them is a professor. He is much like you, Elick. Our version of an Interpreter.”
“Truly wonderful. What do they teach?”
“What would you like to learn about?”
Elick thought a moment. “Everything. I want to learn everything.”
“Then we will do our best to accommodate you.”
“I think Elick is in love,” kDira said, laughing.
“I am in love. I want to spend my life here.”
“We haven’t come to that yet, but you are certainly welcome to come learn with us,” the director said. “Let’s move along to the living area.”
The group made their way to an open area, circular in shape, with ample lighting, a garden area with beautiful flowers, and six levels lined with doors that went all the way around the garden. There were benches and a water fountain in the middle. It was difficult for the newcomers to grasp the idea that this was all indoors, underground. The light and foliage gave the place the feel of being outdoors. There was even a cool breeze blowing through the open area.
“This is the pla
za, and those rooms on the different levels are living quarters. We have several picked out for you to use as our guests, and if at some point any of you decide to stay, we can assign you permanent lodging.”
“Will I be staying here?” Winter asked.
“Of course,” the doctor said, his hand on her back. “We have a special one picked out for you that I think you will really like.”
“Can I see it? Please?”
“Let’s go!” the doctor said, pointing the way to another elevator at the side of the plaza. Winter backed her scooter into the elevator, and then everyone else got in around her. The elevator went up four floors before the doors opened. The doctor led them out and along the balcony to a room where an older lady with a brightly-colored red shirt and blue pants waited to show Winter into her new home. Winter rolled through the door into a wide-open room with many comfortable looking chairs, and a large black screen mounted on the wall.
“Oh my! All this is for me?”
“Yes, it is. Do you like it?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
Everyone was in awe of the lavish chambers. Passages were going off in two directions, and an area towards the back with a table and numerous flat surfaces along the wall with cabinets above and below.
“This is Casey,” the doctor said to Winter, introducing the lady in the red shirt. “She will be staying with you temporarily to get you accustomed to all of the things in here, so you aren’t overwhelmed by it all. It can be a lot to take in all at once.”
“You are right about that. I don’t know what to do or what I can touch or not touch.”
“Well, basically, you can touch whatever you want, but you need to learn what everything is before you do.”
“Yes, I have a lot to learn.”
The girl cried as the pain overwhelmed her. The arm she had used to shield herself from the unforgiving blows, broken once above the elbow and twice below the elbow, was tied, backward, to her other hand, around a large tree. Rope forced her to stand, naked, blood draining from her mouth and numerous open wounds she had sustained from the beating she had received. Her head throbbed but was all but lost in the overall pain her shattered arm was feeling, along with the bark of the tree ripping into the open wounds on her back and arms. She cried.
To her relief, she heard the sound of what she wished would come. Then upon seeing it, she felt a calm come over her. Slowly it approached until she could feel the beast’s hot foul breath on her face and neck, and she cried. And then she cried no more, her suffering ended.
cHAPTER 32
The next few days went by quickly for the Blackhorn. There were so many new things to see, taste, and experience, that they were all a bit overwhelmed. Winter especially was so intrigued by all the gadgets and gizmos in her apartment that she had to be coaxed by Casey, and sometimes the doctor, to actually leave to go to meals or other activities.
kDira and the rest had nice rooms with a single bed each, though the room of Agis and kDira had a bed twice as wide as the others. Each room had chairs, and although the guests were shown how to use the black screens on the wall, they had yet to grasp the concept of what it all meant.
The Midlander girl, Dahlah, was up and walking around, but only short distances. kDira made daily trips to visit her and see if she needed anything, but initially, Dahlah remained quiet and withdrawn, rarely offering words unless directly prodded for answers. As the second day neared an end, she began questioning the Survivors about their complex, showing a true curiosity about her surroundings.
By the third day, with help, Dahlah was able to walk from the hospital to the cafeteria to join kDira and the rest for the noon meal of what the Survivors called soup and sandwich. For the soup, they were offered a choice between chicken noodle, or minestrone. The sandwich was ham and cheese with lettuce and tomato. This is what the Survivors called the entrées.
“Look who is among the living!” Elick said, gleefully. “Glad to see you up and around, Dahlah!”
“Thank you,” she said, taking a seat at the table next to Agis, across from Elick.
The doctor brought Dahlah some chicken noodle soup and half a sandwich. Dahlah took the largest spoon in front of her and dipped it into the steaming broth.
“It’s hot, careful.” kDira said.
Dahlah carefully sipped some off the spoon and smiled. “It’s good.”
“I am glad you are getting your strength back, Dahlah,” kDira said with a smile. “You will be up and around in no time.”
Dahlah smiled back at her but said nothing. She took a bite of her sandwich and studied its texture and taste in her mouth. It was clear to the others that she must have approved as she took another bite, and then a sip of bug juice.
The director came to the table with her own tray of food and took a seat across from Winter and the doctor. “According to our monitors, Malak has returned from somewhere. He just got back to Midlandia with a group of warriors.”
The group fell silent, and kDira looked down the table at Dahlah, who was looking back at the director.
“Oh, I am sorry. I didn’t see that she was with us.”
“Dahlah,” Agis asked, “why do you suppose Malak was out of his village?”
Dahlah looked at Agis, fear was showing in her blackened and still swollen eyes. “I would guess he was looking for me.”
“That bastard,” Winter said. “We should attack them and put an end to his evil.”
“Not now,” kDira said. “We will have our chance one day, but not now.”
“If you had killed him like the provicy said, I would not be walking with a limp, and Dahlah would not be afraid of her own shadow!”
“Winter! That is enough.”
Winter stopped and took a breath. She looked down at her plate and inhaled deeply. “I am sorry, mum.” Winter looked up at her mother, who smiled.
“I understand, my daughter. Trust me, I do.”
“Poor, girl,” Tina Davis said. “Dahlah must have nightmares about him.”
“I know I do,” Winter said.
“Let’s not talk of him anymore,” Miss Davis said. “Tonight, we have a treat for all of you. We have a theater here, and we will be showing a movie.”
“I know what theater is, but what are movies?”
“I don’t think that the theater she is talking about is the same as the theater I used to hold at Blackhorn.”
“Theater is where we show movies. Movies are… like the screens in your rooms her, only larger. Quite a sight to see.”
“Then I look forward to seeing movies.”
“I think you will enjoy them very much.”
“What will we do until then?” Winter asked.
“Would any of you like to go for a swim?”
Malak was finishing up his midday meal of a large fowl and bryne. The young king had more on his face than he was getting into his mouth, and what didn’t stick to his face fell to the floor where small, furry house animals ran to gobble up the drippings. Malak had started with a first course of bryne before the fowl was presented to him, so he was feeling a bit on the numb side.
“Tomorrow we shall see that girl again… what is her name?”
“Dahlah,” Nonham said, standing off to the side of the table as instructed… as he had done for almost every meal the King had eaten since he came to Midlandia.
“She will come to us and show us the way into the village of the outsiders, then we will conquer them and take their breeders.”
“But what if Dahlah does not come back, as you ordered?”
“She would not dare betray me. I would hunt her down until the day she drew her last breath.”
“Where could this village be hiding? We have searched the surrounding areas for days and found nothing… Unless they hide underground.”
“Do not think that I have not considered that.”
“I am sure you have, my wise King.”
“Did you find me some new girls yet, Nonham?” he said, his
mouth still half-full of cooked poultry.
“Not yet, my King.”
“What do you mean, not yet? How hard could it be? We are not that large of a tribe!”
“Sylys, it’s not so much finding a girl or two, it’s having them agree to come to you.”
Malak took a large bite from the large roasted leg of the bird and thought a moment as he masticated the bite. He looked sideways at Nonham, an eyebrow lowered as he studied his aid.
“Refresh my memory, Nonham.”
“Yes, my King?”
“When was it… exactly… that I said it was voluntary?”
“But my King, certainly we cannot force full members of the tribe to submit to… something they do not wish to do. The people would not stand for it. They would certainly turn on you.”
Malak stabbed his knife into the table. Again, he looked at Nonham, standing up from his wooden chair.
“Nonham, you will find me a girl, tonight, or I will use your own body to satisfy mine. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Sylys.”
“Now go. Find me some entertainment for the evening.”
kDira and her party were led into a room large enough for twenty or more people to sit. Only a few of the seats were occupied, as this was no ordinary movie event. Everyone found seats near the middle and deemed the seats to be very comfortable. A large white screen covered almost the entire wall ahead of them.
“They certainly do like their soft chairs, do they not?” Winter asked.
“They sure do,” kDira replied. “Maybe we can take some of these nice chairs back with us to Blackhorn. They don’t seem to need all that they have.”
“Believe me, kDira,” the doctor said, sitting down next to Winter, “on an ordinary night we have to turn some people away.”
Tina Davis entered the theater carrying some large buckets of puffy, yellowish-white substance. She made her way down the row ahead of kDira and her party, handing a bucket to Agis, and then one to Elick, and finally one to Winter. They all looked at her, and then the contents of the bucket, and then back at her.
The kDira's World Anthology Page 41