back.
“Leave her be, Steven.”
“Don’t tell me how to treat my wife,” he said defensively.
“I’m not trying to, but she’s just lost her sons. You’ve just lost your sons. It’s natural for her to latch onto children. It will help the healing.”
“Do you really think this is a place for healing?” he asked John mockingly. “Do you think that cannibals and whatever sort of mad gladiator show that was is good for healing? This place is death, John, plain and simple. It’s literally hell on earth.”
“But it’s the child’s home,” he said, nodding towards Mia, who was smiling in Rebecca’s embrace. “And here, I fear, we have to take comfort where we can.”
Darius joined them, Amanda just behind him, though not close enough where he could touch her. Steven was sure she was swallowing her fear of the black man, and what she alleged he’d done, in favor of being near the only thing that was known to her. Awakening in the Cage had been a birth, or rebirth, and they’d all latched onto the first thing that they had seen—each other.
“There isn’t any food that doesn’t have people in it,” Darius said simply.
“It’s Soylent Green,” John said, managing a small laugh.
“What?” Darius asked, not getting it.
“Never mind, obscure movie reference…so what do we do about food?”
“I don’t know,” John said. “I’m not at the point where I want to eat others. Honestly and truthfully, I can see it coming. I can see the point where we’ll all stand in line, eat from the pot, and be happy about it. If we live much longer, that time will come. I guarantee it, but I’m not there now.”
“I won’t be there. Not ever,” Amanda insisted, shying away from Darius and sitting next to Rebecca and Mia. “I will never eat people.”
Steven didn’t know. It just wasn’t something he’d ever thought about and never expected to have to think about. Who would? He didn’t have the desire, but he knew hunger could be an overriding factor. He could realistically see himself eating from the pot as well.
“There are mushrooms somewhere,” he told them. “I saw them putting them into the pots.”
“I’m sure they’re guarded,” John replied. “What about the refuse? Was there anything worth eating there?”
“Also part of many of the pots,” Darius said. “We’ll have to be quicker next time and acquire some for ourselves.”
“Where does it come from?”
“What?”
“That much garbage,” Steven asked. “It was a whole truck full. It had to come from somewhere. Maybe, if we can find out, we can get help.”
“I think that next time,” Darius answered, “maybe we should be more concerned about eating. We can’t escape if we’re dead.”
Indignant and somehow feeling the big black man didn’t really want to escape, Steven asked, “Next time? How do you know there will be a next time? How do you know we’ll even live through the night? You saw what happened to Cassandra, you saw what they did to her. They’re still eating her.” He felt like screaming and breaking things. “They tried to keep her alive so her meat would stay fresh like she was some harvest to be protected.”
“She broke the rules, Steven,” John said simply. “And she was punished for that. I think we’ll be safe as long as we don’t break the rules.”
“Safe until that infernal billboard displays this number,” he said, dramatically raising his sleeve and displaying his crust-covered tattoos. “And then what? Are you going to fight to the death so some freak up in the sky box can get his kicks?”
“I fear we won’t have a choice,” John responded. “You heard what he told the old woman. Her refusal to lop off her hand may have resulted in the garbage not coming. Her refusal to participate in the Game would have affected every single person in this cave. Should you not participate,” he said seriously, “you not only have the possibility of
“Leave her be, Steven.”
“Don’t tell me how to treat my wife,” he said defensively.
“I’m not trying to, but she’s just lost her sons. You’ve just lost your sons. It’s natural for her to latch onto children. It will help the healing.”
“Do you really think this is a place for healing?” he asked John mockingly. “Do you think that cannibals and whatever sort of mad gladiator show that was is good for healing? This place is death, John, plain and simple. It’s literally hell on earth.”
“But it’s the child’s home,” he said, nodding towards Mia, who was smiling in Rebecca’s embrace. “And here, I fear, we have to take comfort where we can.”
Darius joined them, Amanda just behind him, though not close enough where he could touch her. Steven was sure she was swallowing her fear of the black man, and what she alleged he’d done, in favor of being near the only thing that was known to her. Awakening in the Cage had been a birth, or rebirth, and they’d all latched onto the first thing that they had seen—each other.
“There isn’t any food that doesn’t have people in it,” Darius said simply.
“It’s Soylent Green,” John said, managing a small laugh.
“What?” Darius asked, not getting it.
“Never mind, obscure movie reference…so what do we do about food?”
“I don’t know,” John said. “I’m not at the point where I want to eat others. Honestly and truthfully, I can see it coming. I can see the point where we’ll all stand in line, eat from the pot, and be happy about it. If we live much longer, that time will come. I guarantee it, but I’m not there now.”
“I won’t be there. Not ever,” Amanda insisted, shying away from Darius and sitting next to Rebecca and Mia. “I will never eat people.”
Steven didn’t know. It just wasn’t something he’d ever thought about and never expected to have to think about. Who would? He didn’t have the desire, but he knew hunger could be an overriding factor. He could realistically see himself eating from the pot as well.
“There are mushrooms somewhere,” he told them. “I saw them putting them into the pots.”
“I’m sure they’re guarded,” John replied. “What about the refuse? Was there anything worth eating there?”
“Also part of many of the pots,” Darius said. “We’ll have to be quicker next time and acquire some for ourselves.”
“Where does it come from?”
“What?”
“That much garbage,” Steven asked. “It was a whole truck full. It had to come from somewhere. Maybe, if we can find out, we can get help.”
“I think that next time,” Darius answered, “maybe we should be more concerned about eating. We can’t escape if we’re dead.”
Indignant and somehow feeling the big black man didn’t really want to escape, Steven asked, “Next time? How do you know there will be a next time? How do you know we’ll even live through the night? You saw what happened to Cassandra, you saw what they did to her. They’re still eating her.” He felt like screaming and breaking things. “They tried to keep her alive so her meat would stay fresh like she was some harvest to be protected.”
“She broke the rules, Steven,” John said simply. “And she was punished for that. I think we’ll be safe as long as we don’t break the rules.”
“Safe until that infernal billboard displays this number,” he said, dramatically raising his sleeve and displaying his crust-covered tattoos. “And then what? Are you going to fight to the death so some freak up in the sky box can get his kicks?”
“I fear we won’t have a choice,” John responded. “You heard what he told the old woman. Her refusal to lop off her hand may have resulted in the garbage not coming. Her refusal to participate in the Game would have affected every single person in this cave. Should you not participate,” he said seriously, “you not only have the possibility of
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