When We Shed Civilization

Chapter 48

"Where was it they locked you?" Dan asked Beth as Carl checked the last one of the prisoners for weapons.

"The locker room, it's under the stands." She pointed towards the tunnel leading to the exit.

"Is that place large enough to hold the whole lot?" Dan gestured at the villagers.

"I guess so."

Maybe it was best to lock them all up there, out of the reach of Dan's gun.

After Herb assured them that the key to the room was still next to its door, they began herding the villagers off.

Carl and Dan were at the head of the procession, and Beth was supposed to guard its tail.

As they entered the corridor leading to the locker room, Beth found herself right next to Whitesnake. The woman's limp made her lag behind, or maybe she was just reluctant to walk with the Baseballers.

The last time she had seen her, Burt had kicked her head as she lay on the ground, helpless.

Beth caught up with her. "Hey, Whitesnake..."

The woman turned her head, and her dark eyes glimmered in the poor light.

For a moment, Beth was at a loss for words. "I... how are you?"

She shrugged. "Well, I'm alive. I'm lucky, I guess, after your lover's tender ministrations."

"I... He's not my lover." And he wouldn't be. Never.

"Whatever." Whitesnake shrugged. "If you wanna stay alive and kicking, you've gotta kick ass," she said. "And I see that you've got that, finally." She nodded towards the gun Beth held. "And you're good at it."

Beth remembered the statement. Whitesnake had said that phrase during the talk they had had, by the fire at the depot.

Back then, Beth had replied that if survival is all you have, you have nothing.

Did it matter, though?

"Life is a battle," Beth said. "We have to fight it well." This world was about nothing if not survival. Anything else was mere ballast. Morals, love, and values, they just slowed you down.

They had reached the locker room. Dan motioned Whitesnake to enter. Yet she ignored him and looked at Beth, instead.

"You're smart, Gater," she said.

"Move, woman." Dan prodded Whitesnake with his gun.

She gave Beth a lopsided grin from chafed lips, then she entered.

Herb closed the door behind her, locked it, and handed the key to Dan.

~~~

Dan had asked Herb to show them the gates, and the guard had taken them through the tunnel to the outer doors at its end.

They were barred securely from this side.

Dan peered through a peephole in the solid wood. "Not much to see from here. Is this the only entrance?"

Herb nodded. "Aye, boss."

Dan looked at Beth. "Can you confirm that?"

She shrugged.

"Do you know a place from where we can see what's happening out there?"

"Aye." Herb pointed at the ceiling. "There's Leo's apartment. It's right above the gate. And it has windows."

"Take us there."

Beth hadn't seen Grace or Hope amid the villagers. And she hadn't told Dan about them—Hope had already had to act as a hostage before. She didn't want that to happen to her again.

When they ascended the tiers towards the apartment, she prayed that Leo had taken them elsewhere.

"What do we do when the others arrive?" Carl asked.

"Oh, we'll trade hostages." Dan grinned. "And we've got more to trade than they have. If they don't comply, we can afford to kill some. They can't."

The casual tone of her grandpa's voice made Beth clench her fists. "That will just cause more hate. We'll never find peace like that."

Dan laughed. "Peace? Who said anything about peace?"

"Do you want to have these people as enemies for the rest of our days here?"

"No, of course not. But there's a better way to end this war." He glanced up at Herb, who had reached the top tier and waved at them to join him.

"What way?"

Dan lowered his voice. "When I told you we'd bomb the shit out of them, back at Seaside, I wasn't joking. We have some bombs, and they're loaded on the chopper. Once we get our hands on Burt, we'll take off and blow this place to pieces. This will give us all the peace we need."

"You can't be serious."

"Why?" He winked at her. "You've finished those Bikers, and together we'll clean up this cesspit of a stadium."

His words, and the stark truth in them, made her shut up.

When they entered Leo's apartment, they found Grace sitting on the large bed, holding her grandchild against her chest.

"Who do we have here?" Dan said as he saw them.

Grace ignored him and gazed at Beth instead. "Oh, you're that Gater woman, right? Beth?"

"Yes, madam."

"Madam..." Grace laughed. "You're her indeed."

"We should lock them up with the others," Carl said.

"Let's wait with that." Dan peered through one of the windows down at the square outside. "They might come in handy."