Mech

Chapter 9: Dark

The morning was a buzz of excitement as we gathered our things once more. Rolling up sleeping bags, drying out clothes, this and that. Aaliyah was at a loss for words. We were all focused, scrambling about stuffing this supply and that into his bag or hers, loading and cocking guns, sharpening knives. She had nothing to contribute, and simply sat at a table and sipped her artificial tea. At one point I decided to stop my routine and take a seat beside her.

"That stuff any good?" I asked, pointing to the steaming cup of tea.

She nodded, "I like it, would you like to try?"

I was reluctant, but the delightful citrus scent did draw me in. She gently placed the cup in my hands and I took a careful sip as to not scorch my lips. It didn't taste like it smelled, I almost spit it out and coughed a distressed sorry, in case I insulted her. She waved her hand and took another tiny sip, the steam swirling gracefully into the thin morning air.

"It's not for everyone, it is..how do I put it..an..acquired taste."

I laughed, "Well, these taste buds prefer good old water, thanks."

She smiled, and Ian grabbed my shoulder.

"You seen my knife?"

"No."

"Micah."

I rolled my eyes, "In my bag..."

"Thought so. Come on, get ready, we're leaving soon."

I stood from the chair and followed Ian to my bag. Handing him the knife, I began to shove more essentials into my bag. Once we had all sorted our belongings, we threw our bags over our shoulders and prepared for our next trip into the unknown. Esclave lead the way, pushing the door open with her back and holding the map out before her.

"This way, Rebel babies. We've got a long hike ahead of us."

Jason was walking beside her, discussing the best possible routes. Mitzi trailed behind them, Ian behind her, and Max, Aaliyah, and I all walked together in the back. I pulled one of the food bars we had processed back in the bakery and rationed it out to the three of us. We had stolen enough flavor packets to last a lifetime, Mitzi had a whole bag full of them, and Jason carried one of the smaller models of the machine in his duffle. There was a smaller Evapo-bar machine that was produced for traveling, and luckily we had come across one during our scavenging around the bakery. I nibbled on my portion with delight, this was the first chance I got to eat a bar that didn't taste like a stale cracker. It tasted like honey, smelled like honey...oh what I'd give to taste real honey. See real bees make it. I read that they can fly and sting, and that honey is formed these crazy intricate hexagon patterns called combs. Wild! I did a lot of reading, I researched everything I could find about the old world. I longed for that world where nature wasn't just a myth. Max gobbled his portion in three bites, talking with his mouth full.

"Kwhen d'ya thwink we'll gwet thwere?"

I punched him in the shoulder, "Don't talk like that, it's nasty."

Aaliyah giggled and continued to chew her bar like a normal person. Max swallowed and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"I said when d'ya think we'll get there?"

I thought, "I don't know. Maybe never." I nodded forward.

Jason and Esclave were arguing over the map. 'This way is better.' 'That way is too dangerous; we should go around.' 'No no, we could backtrack and go up there and then it'd be fine.' 'But what about'...blah blah blah. They seemed a little too..competitive. Ever since we met Esclave it's been a subtle power struggle between them. Esclave knows what she's doing, but Jason doesn't want to give up being the leader. After Joshua..he felt like it was his responsibility to look after us all. After all, Esclave isn't really one of us. Not the original group. I suppose neither is Aaliyah, but she just feels more trustworthy. Maybe it's the tone of her voice, the kindness, the innocence..I'm not sure.