Circles in the Dust Page 8

“All right,” he allowed, “you snuck out. To do what? Find more people? That sounds like the last thing you need at the moment.”

  “I didn’t sneak out just to find more people. I came out here—” She paused, biting her lip. She looked at the ground, pondering her response for a moment, before whipping her head around up to gaze deeply into his. “I just couldn’t sit and wait any longer. I had to do something, and there was nothing for me to do there. I thought maybe, if I could come out here, I could find something. Some answer, some solution to our problems.”

  “You thought you were going to find that out here?” He guffawed, looking down at his pitiful little garden. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but there’s not much of anything out here.”

  “Yeah.” She let the word fall out of her mouth, dripping into a pool of uncertainty at her feet.

  They sat there for a moment: David focused on his dismal existence with a morbid sense of humor; Elizabeth equally camped out in her own mind. The wind made the only sound in the little hollow, a low, solemn whistle. It lifted David’s shaggy locks off his face, bringing a welcome chill to the hot flesh of his cheeks. It had been a while since his brain had had to work this hard, taking stock of his situation; even longer since he had worried about another person. It became clear to him that his life in this place was over. The patch of death in front of him was a monument to his survival here, but also a cemetery where his hope of staying any longer rested. He had given it his best shot, and made a good go of it, but it was over. He would die here, or he would go back to “The Base” with Elizabeth. He hoped the sight of his failed agricultural attempt would be enough to push her over the edge, hoped that she would take pity on him. Hope. That was all he could do, all he had left, and most of it was buried right in front of him.

  Then an idea popped into his mind. He almost dismissed it, looking for another, more plausible option, before the gravity of that first idea crashed upon him like a wave. They were still standing next to each other, each looking out in front of them, so Elizabeth couldn’t see David’s enormous grin. He had it. By god, he was sitting here, hoping she would up and decide to take him home with her, like some pitiful puppy, when the path to the Base was right in front of him. In fact, Elizabeth had given it to him herself. He chanced a secret glance over at her and saw the dismay written on her face; perfect. He snapped his head back to his desolate garden and let his mind resume its scheming. This could work. He didn’t know how, but he would have time to work out the details.

  “You know,” he began slowly, still looking straight ahead of her at the hazy horizon, “I think I may have a solution to both our predicaments.”

  CHAPTER 10

  David looked off to the side, hiding a satisfied grin from Elizabeth. They trudged through the drizzly woods under the endless pale sky. Water dripped from the ends of pine needles. The ground was dark, almost black between the small plants that coated the earth. There was a heavy fog on either side of the ridge they were traversing, though the rising wind was sure to scurry that along by the time they descended. The day was a gloomy, dreary one, but inside David there bloomed a sunny summer afternoon.

  He walked behind her, trying as hard as he could to ignore her pleasant shape bounding along in front of him, but in his current mood that was impossible. He was enjoying the wind, the cold, even the dribble of water that was seeping down his back, having crawled into the open space at the nape of his neck. He had to bite his lip every time Elizabeth looked back to say something; he didn’t want to seem too eager. His plan wouldn’t allow for any suspicious behavior, as he had gleaned from her descriptions of the Base since the previous night. He had to appear calm, skeptical even. Eagerness might be a threat to the cornered tiger they were marching toward. He needed to be confident, and only that.

  He carried a large hiking pack on his back, though it seemed unnecessary. He didn’t have all that many possessions worth taking from his cabin, and even those he had brought he could have done without. Coming to the Base, though, with nothing but the shirt on his back might arouse the suspicion of those not pleasantly disposed to his arrival, and he wanted to seem legitimate. His life might depend on it.

  According to Elizabeth they had a few days’ journey ahead of them. David was prepared for a lifetime of journeying if it meant a sure end to his lonely existence. So long as there was meaning in the journey, he could not care less about the end. Truly, he would have been happy if Elizabeth had simply relented to stay with him back at his cabin, but that option had flown away in a hurry when he realized how much she cared about those back home, not to mention how much human beings depended on food, of course, something he was fresh out of. He had his can of corn in his bag, a few dehydrated meals found stuffed in the bottom of his pack, along with the can of coffee. He would not leave it behind.

  “You all right back there?” Her voice came drifting back to him.

  “Just fine,” he shouted back a little too loudly, a little too quickly.

  He had had to help her up the face of this ridge and realized that fire was her only specialty. She had wanted to walk around the plateau through the fog, and had even slept in that morning. At least this was some evidence that she really did live in some commune, rather than the wilderness. David, on the other hand, had not been able to sleep and sat by the fire most of the night, watching her sleep in her little bag, letting his mind dream of the wonders in store for him. He had been tempted to go through her bag at one point, convincing himself that it was a matter of his own safety to know everything he could about her, but had ruled that out when he realized the possible consequences of that action. He was walking on eggshells as it was.

  They had headed back toward the river late that morning. David had let her sleep, though he was anxious to leave by the first light of dawn. He had to suppress a smug comment about her lying about the location of the Base when they left. He was still unsure of what he could get away with. He was going with her as a savior, though he knew it would not be prudent to let himself think he was the only solution. On the other hand, he’d opened himself up completely to her, and she knew for a fact that going with her was the only chance he had of surviving. He wished now that he hadn’t been so obvious about that, though it had seemed like the only plausible path at first. Pity was his card, and he had played it, but it was his potential expertise that had been the fortuitous ace in his sleeve. He was not confident he would be the holy grail that she seemed to expect, but maybe he could make a place for himself at the Base anyway, burrow in before anyone realized his bare intentions. Like a friendly tick.

  The day cleared up as they trekked across the rocky barrier between the valley, where David had lived for what Elizabeth assured him was a little over a decade, and the rest of the world. The dripping slowed around them and the sky lightened up a bit. At one point David saw a sluggish ray of light break through the clouds to fall back on his valley. He watched it move as the clouds shifted, a spotlight on his old home. It started in a remote part of the forest and rolled through the woods. It passed over his tree, still visible from several miles away. The bunches of needles shimmered like they were covered with diamonds in the morning dew and David drank in what he knew might be the last view he would have of his oldest friend. The tree stood illuminated for a brief moment, blazing with intensity before the light vanished and everything was in shadow, just as before. David smiled sadly at this new memory and turned his attention back to the ground before him. His gaze wandered to the bulk in front of him that his mind wouldn’t stop imagining without the heavy coat. Unfortunately (or fortunately, he wasn’t sure which) his imagination had grown without the distraction of reality over the years, and the images presented in his mind’s eye were hard to ignore. He really had been alone for too long.

  They stopped for a while when the rain began to pour icy, stinging droplets. David spread a tarp he had stuffed into his bag over the low branches of a tree to serve as a makeshift tent. He did not want to stop; he was prepared f
or an extended exodus and was anxious to reach their destination, though over the course of the morning nervousness had crept into his demeanor. The people who were laying siege to the Base were likely not the friendliest lot, and there was a good chance no one there would recognize him, though he had assured Elizabeth they would. His isolation from the rest now seemed so foolish. How was he going to get them to disband or strike some kind of deal when he had no real idea who he was dealing with?

  That wasn’t true though; he did know a little bit about them. He knew that they were survivors like him, and they had made it this long so they wouldn’t be the kind of people easily reasoned with. They would be hard and cold, not to mention dangerous. They were the kind who would strangle a group of people in the hope of joining them. And, as the cherry on top, Elizabeth had informed him later of the biggest problem these loiterers presented: they, like David, had started to run out of food, which was probably why they had become migrant in the first place. This meant that they needed more. The Base had plenty. They had begun raiding the Base for food and supplies, and people had been killed on both sides. And he was supposed to get them to pack up and go away peacefully. How hard could that be?

  Then, of course, there was also getting into the Base in the first place. Elizabeth had not made it sound like they were likely to welcome another sheep into their flock; not likely at all.

  Elizabeth pulled a few hard biscuits out of her bag while they sat on a fallen tree under the tarp, which they were nibbling at as they watched the rain come down in sheets around them. Her biscuits were better than his had ever been, though he hardly noticed. David was lost in his thoughts; Elizabeth gazed around the forest, drinking in the sodden sight.

  “What are the people like, at the Base?” David asked, snapping out of his reverie. Elizabeth looked startled at the sound of his voice, looking at him like she had forgotten he was there.

  “What do you mean?” she shot back as she returned to her study of nature.

  “I mean, are they nice, do they laugh? What do they talk about? I was just thinking I don’t want to look like a total fool when I walk in for the first time,” he stammered, trying to put into words his fear of the first step of the plan. “I don’t know what they do, their problems, their fears. Besides the obvious, I mean.”

  “Well, I don’t know, they’re just normal people,” she responded. “They’re like, I don’t know, like me. Just talk to them the way you would talk to me.”

  “Hmm,” was his only response. After a minute, he continued. “So everyone there is just like you?”

  “Pretty much.” She still didn’t look at him.

  “Then I’m excited to meet them.” He gave her the biggest grin his face could fit. He hoped he wasn’t pushing his luck; it couldn’t hurt to try and cement their friendship before they got there. He had a feeling he may need a friend. After all, he would just be another outsider come to take refuge at the Base.

  She finally looked over at him, an amused expression on her face. “How sweet,” she said, though a little smile lurked around the corners of her lips.

  “Is there anything I should know, though, before we get there?” he went on.

  “Well…” Her face screwed up in concentration this time as she gave his query real consideration. “Okay. Here’s something. The Base is a small place. Word gets around fast and everyone has their eyes on you just about all the time. Watch what you say and do, because they’ll be watching you especially close. Because you’ll be an outsider.” She blushed as she added the last part, but he tactfully ignored it. “You’re going to have to prove them wrong, what they think about people from outside. When we get there, you had better be on your best behavior. The first thing we’ll do is take you to the Mayor; he’ll be the one to agree with your plan or not, though I sincerely doubt he’ll have a problem with it.”

  “You know the Mayor well?” he asked, curious about the confidence in her voice as she predicted the Mayor’s decision.

  “Yeah, pretty well,” she said. “Everyone does.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I don’t think the members of the Base are going to be your biggest problem,” she said, giving him a stern look. “Are you gonna tell me now how you plan to deal with the Outliers?”

  “I told you, don’t worry about it. They are my kind of people. I’ll handle them,” he returned with as much aloofness in his voice as he could muster. He had no idea if he could handle them, but she didn’t need to know that right now.

  “I hope so.”

  The rain continued to dump from the sky for the rest of the afternoon, letting up just as the sun was beginning its descent. David suggested they stay where they were for the night. He was beginning to really worry about what would happen when their trip was over and he had to propose an actual plan. What could potentially be the last vestiges of humanity would rely on him to negotiate peace between their split factions. A few days earlier, he had nearly walked off a cliff. How qualified could he be?

  Elizabeth wanted to continue until it got dark, so David compromised that they would find a place to camp at the bottom of the ridge, which he hoped would only take a couple of hours to find. She was happy with that, and they moved on. He had to hold her hand for most of the descent to keep her from tumbling down the slippery slope. Her skin was soft and warm. Her face was painted almost constantly with apprehension at the perilous way down the rocky face, and she clung to him every time she began to slip. He would wrap his free arm around her to steady her, though it was not always necessary.

  He tried to avoid looking into her eyes when they were close like this; they were so dazzling he nearly fell himself the first time they made eye contact. They were peridot pools he could lose himself in too easily, hidden behind long lashes, the most mesmerizing things he had ever seen. It had been a long time since he had seen any girl, so his judgment may have been overly generous, but he could swear she was the most beautiful one he had ever seen. He was torn. He knew he might need her and didn’t want to saunter into the Base on her arm. That was not how he wanted to be seen. But whenever she grabbed his arm or clenched his hand a little tighter, his heart would jump and he would feel a rush of emotion surge through his entire body. Maybe it would fade when there were more women around. For now, it was poignant.

  When they reached the forest floor once again, he hopped down from the last ledge and held his arms up to support her. She took his hands, put her foot on the edge of the stone and slipped. He pulled her in as she fell, pressing her body up against his as he stumbled back, her cry of fear ringing in his ears. They collapsed on the damp forest floor, lingering on the soft ground for a moment, their eyes locked. David felt a tingling in his hands; he wanted to say something but his vocal chords were frozen. He felt stunned and shocked at that moment, the way a loose wire had once paralyzed his arm in a collapsing building. Her soft form pressed against his and he felt his groin stiffen. He caught himself and let his arms drop from her back, clearing his throat and turning his head away. His face was hot and he knew it must be extremely red. He hoped she hadn’t noticed, or would simply attribute it to the exertion of climbing down from the ridge. She rose and brushed herself off, continuing as if nothing had occurred. David waited a minute before he got up. He said nothing and struck off behind her, enjoying the cold, moist air that drifted out from among the trunks of the trees.

  Her face floated in front of his. He could only half focus on the branches and bushes in front of him. Had she looked at him, what, expectantly? Her eyes had been open wide, but that could have been fear. She had been peering at him through her thick lashes, even though he was holding her above him, her cheeks rosy, golden hair partially covering her face, falling down onto his. No, that was ridiculous. She had just been scared, and he had caught her. It would have been no different if she had been a man. Though maybe then he wouldn’t have caught her hips, and he didn’t think he would have felt the rush of blood that made his pants suddenly so much
tighter and left him breathless. He wanted to look back, wanted to try and read something of her thoughts from her face, but couldn’t. He leaned to one side in an attempt to catch a glimpse and snapped back into place, suddenly embarrassed. This was no time for that.

  He was shaking his head, chastising himself, when he walked headfirst into the trunk of a tree with a resounding thunk as his cranium rebounded off the rough bark. His head cleared for the moment and he was glad, until he heard her laugh. She glanced over his shoulder as she cackled, and he couldn’t help but crack a smirk at himself. Her laugh bubbled and rolled over his ears, though he told himself not to enjoy it. He tried to be angry, to flush away his discomfort with that overwhelming emotion, but his flesh still burned with a different passion and he looked back at her giggling at his expense, and could only smile.

  CHAPTER 11

  Having returned to the depths of the coniferous ocean, David and Elizabeth found a spot to camp in a small clearing next to a gurgling stream. They made their beds on the soft, billowy grass that carpeted the ground; hers comprised of a patched sleeping bag, David’s beloved blankets making up his. David looked at the contrast and sighed; he still didn’t know what he was walking into. Well, he had a fair idea what he might have to pass through to get to the base; tattered blankets, ratty clothes and smelly, vicious people. There were sure to be camping coolers galore, maybe even a few old cars that some ambitious survivors had gutted and transformed into a new type of mobile home, one that forsook even horsepower for manpower. Guns would be toted and flaunted, though there were sure to be few if any bullets; arms were strictly for show at this point. Tubers and wild onions or whatever edibles could be found would be roasting over fires, hungry faces engrossed by their simmering flesh.

  David hoped he could fit in with these people; these were the people he knew. His plan, and ultimately his life, depended on it. They would be the more familiar, but that didn’t mean much. He wasn’t expecting to find any friends there. He knew these survivors wouldn’t be like him. They were the ones that had formed tribes and packs when civilization had crumbled. They were in a new dark age with no end in sight.