THE MOTHER SIEGE: A DYSTOPIAN THRILLER

Chapter 21: THE MOTHER SIEGE: A DYSTOPIAN THRILLER

Copyright (c) 2013 Phyllis Zimbler Miller

All rights reserved.

             Jessica sat by herself – she had even waved away Julie.  She knew she hadn’t really killed any militia.  She had merely sent flaming arrows into a moat of water that prevented the militia from climbing up to the siege site.

            Even if no militia had been killed from the Greek fire, Jessica and Julie would soon be called upon to actually shoot arrows at militia who tried to scale the siege site.  Arrows that could maim or even kill the targets.

            For perhaps the first time ever Jessica allowed herself to think about what the people outside the Provisional Government land mass might be doing.  Were those children east of the Mississippi allowed to live with their parents?  And what about the children in other countries?

            Or had the Upheaval been the signal for other governments to adopt drastic measures on their own inhabitants?

            Because Jessica, Julie and Jonah were home schooled, their mother had shared with them some of the history of the United States before the Upheaval.  But she had always refused to allow them to even think about what might be happening in the outer world.  She had always insisted they deal with what they knew, not with what they imagined.

            And what was up with Jonah and Isidora?  Jessica knew what she had seen.  They were probably having sex, something that Jessica admitted to herself she was very curious about.  And if the resistance group members were the only people Jessica would ever know, didn’t that rule out ever experiencing sex herself?

            Jessica thought of the Bible story of Lot and his two grown daughters when they thought they were the only ones to survive the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and that there would be no men for them.  Well, even if she were 20 years older she definitely wouldn’t be interested in having sex with Harold.  That would still be incest.

            Oh, she supposed the little boys Alejandro and Malcolm would eventually grow up – if they all lived that long.  As they weren’t her brothers, she could probably have sex with them.  She couldn’t really picture this, though.  How unfair that Jonah should have a potential partner right now!

                                                                ***

            Jonah took Isidora’s arm and led her away from the others.  His mother had called a meeting of the adults in 30 minutes, giving everyone time to rest after repulsing the first attack while she stood guard duty.  His mother had said she first wanted to see if any news media arrived after viewing the streaming videos via Videobook.

            “Are we going to be together tonight?” Isidora asked.

            Jonah hesitated.  Why did he have to tell her the shocking news his mother had just told him?

            “I want to do it,” Isidora said.  “We may never get another chance.”

            Jonah sunk onto a fallen log, pulling Isidora down with him.  He leaned over and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her.  But when she kissed back, he broke off.

            “I have to tell you something,” he said.  Again he hesitated.

            Isidora nodded.  “It’s okay if I’m not the first for you.  I’m happy you’ll be my first.”