The Legend of Dark City

Chapter 11

There were skirmishes occasionally with gangs trying to steal crops and livestock but they were becoming less frequent. The villagers knew that there would always be someone out there who would try to steal but a lot of would be attackers had been scared off by the tight security around the settlement with the main concern being about the children who were being born. Every one of them had a birthmark. And then there were the dogs.

The people had moved out of the cities and so had the animals. Cats, which were never truly domesticated, had adapted to their change in circumstances and returned to hunting. There were a few of them that lived around the village and they were welcomed because they helped to keep the rodent population under control.

The dogs were a different matter altogether. They had formed packs and would attack the livestock and were becoming bolder when they were confronted by people. The dogs had multiplied and the younger ones were now truly feral. They had not lived with humans and were usually wary of them although this was not always the case. The settlers had learnt from experience to dispose of food waste carefully otherwise it attracted dogs into the village.

Some of the people suggested that they keep their own dogs as a deterrent to the wild ones. There was much debate about having large dogs kept in the village. They would be of an indeterminate breed and would also consume a fair bit of food. The risks outweighed the benefits and security measures were put in place. Larger groups went to work in the fields and defenders were posted near the grazing animals.

So many people had kept pets. Small caged animals, reptiles and fish as well as cats and dogs would have been left inside homes when the occupants died. Their skeletons would be resting alongside their former owners. Animals in zoos and safari parks were mostly dead but who knew what strange and exotic beasts had gained freedom and now roamed the countryside.

The villagers had sheep, goats, pigs, horses and cows. Bree had become quite attached to some of the cows that she milked each morning. The girls had named some of them and had a number of favourites. There were also a couple who were rather contrary and one never knew how they might react to being milked.

Bree followed Napier's advice and kept out of trouble. Cody thrived with his mother and his three godmothers. Their house was mostly a happy home with just occasional arguments which they blamed on hormones. Bree loved working on the land but she felt that she wanted to contribute in some other way.

She went to town meetings and often raised her hand because there was something she wanted to say. Bree was interested in all aspects of village life and she listened to Napier discuss various projects and problems. She noted how he approached or solved the matters and tried to learn from him.

When she had first arrived in the village Bree had been a bit prickly. She had been used to living alone which made her inconsiderate of others on occasion. She spoke her mind which resulted in a number of arguments and misunderstandings. Time and security had enabled her to soften. She thought before she said anything now and had begun to realise that her actions had consequences for those around her. Seeing Napier carefully consider his options but then deliver a decision with authority had taught her a lot.

When she walked around the village or was in the canteen of an evening she was aware of Napier watching her. Bree knew that he wasn't a danger to her. He seemed to be curious about her. If he saw her in the street he would stop and talk asking how she was and seeking her opinions on various subjects. She waited to see what all this was leading up to.

The seasons came and went and Bree enjoyed learning the jobs that needed doing in each part of the year. She loved the warmth of the sun that helped the crops grow and the sharp frosts of winter. The other girls in the house would laugh when she went out and stood in the rain. As she had meditated she had felt that she was connecting more to the earth and she loved experiencing everything about it.

A year passed and she found herself summoned to Napier's office to talk. As she made her way through the village she tried to think of what she had done wrong. She had squared up to one of the defenders who had made a derogatory comment about Cody but no physical contact had been made. She would just have to wait until she got there to find out.

Esther and Lacey still looked at the men in the village but they, like all the other women, were terrified of getting pregnant. Ali had been a victim of Frankie and was still wary of all men especially the other defenders. She, like a lot of the people in the village, couldn't quite believe that they had not known what was going on. They were all still young so they were happy to stay in their girls' house rather than rush into pairing off and leaving their sisterhood.

Napier welcomed Bree into his office and asked how she was.

"I'm fine, what's all this about?"

Napier laughed "Can't we just have a chat and catch up?"

Bree cocked her head to one side and told him that she was happy to chat but she knew that wasn't the only reason she was there. He conceded that he had an agenda but asked her to indulge him for a while.

Their conversation was about the girls who Bree lived with and their attitudes to the men of the village. They discussed the aftermath of Frankie's actions and how the defenders were tainted by his behaviour. It was slightly embarrassing but they also talked about the reluctance of the girls to have babies. A child had died in the last year and another one was now sick. The trauma of waiting to see if your baby had a birthmark and the worry of whether it would survive had made all the women wary.

They had set up a relatively successful community and its future was threatened by the lack of a new generation to carry it on. Napier needed Bree's help to effect a change among the women. Since Frankie he had been aware that the females needed someone that they could take their troubles to. He had thought that there might be some dissent if he appointed Bree to the role straight after her trial so he had bided his time. He had also thought that maybe she was too young to take on the role, but she was respected by the people so he didn't want to wait any longer.

He needed her to be a kind of minister for women. They would be able to go to Bree with their problems and she could then liaise with him. He knew that the children born so far had been afflicted by the birthmarks but some had survived. They needed to take the risk or all their hard work would be lost when there was no one to carry on what they had started. It was a harsh fact but they could not avoid it. They would have to have a lot of children in the hope that enough of them survived.