Page 10 of Calico Descending

“I’m pretty sure you know the rules about finding children.”

“C’mon. Just one of them? The big one.” The bald jerk points to me. “She’s feistier than the other one. I’d love to see her torn to pieces.”

I offer him a glare and swing my attention back to see the woman has pulled a gun. “Don’t make me shoot you, Kemper. You know I will.”

“I’m just playing, Dina. ‘Fucks sake, learn how to take a joke.” He reaches down for me, but I don’t reach back. Instead I slap his hand away, frowning, as I push to my feet. “You see? Feisty.”

“Good,” Dina volleys back. “Maybe if we’re lucky, she’ll cut your nutsack off while you’re sleeping, and we’ll all get to watch the cat tear it to pieces.”

Hand covering his crotch, he grimaces. “You’re a sick woman.”

“And you’re a dead man, if you go near these girls again.” Her gaze falls on me, and she jerks her head for us to follow her.

Flashing Baldy another glare, I catch the twitch of his eyes and the curl of his lip, as Dina leads us out of the cave. I like this woman. In some ways, she reminds me of my mother. Strong and unyielding.

An ache blossoms in my chest at the thought of her, and I tamp it down to stay focused.

Eyes trail our steps as we follow Dina into the small camp, where the savory scent of cooked meat waters my mouth. She guides us to two large boulders set beside a campfire, where some torched animal spins on a spit. “You must be starving.”

I try not to look too eager when I nod, but I can’t take my eyes off the meat.

Tearing pieces from the animal, Dina piles the meat onto a thornless cactus pad and hands it to my sister. She gathers more on a separate pad for me. “I’m giving you my rations for tonight. I’ve eaten plenty today. Enjoy it.”

Lowering my gaze, I can’t even look her in the eye, the shame of hunger overpowering my will to politely decline. “Thank you. We’re grateful.”

Warm, greasy meat fills my belly, as I shove the food into my mouth, licking the smoky flavor from my fingers. The others in the camp keep their distance, but I’ve caught the stares from a couple of younger men. Maybe in their twenties. Dina appears to be one of only a half dozen females in a ratio of one to about four. A few small children scamper about, eyeing Bryani, but it’s the men I’m worried about.

As if she senses it, Dina looks up toward the one male across the camp, who watches us as he sits sipping out of a flask.

“Don’t worry about them. I promise no one will touch you. They’re just curious, is all. Don’t see young girls roaming about very often. Where’d you come from?”

Its not fair to keep anything from her, given she offered up her ration of food. I can’t even imagine such a thing, as starving as I was when we first sat down. The prickly pears offered some relief, but there’s nothing quite like meat to sate real hunger. “Our hive … it was raided by Ragers.”

She rolls her shoulders back, looking suspicious, and I shake my head.

“We didn’t get bit. We got out ahead of them.”

“Horde, was it?”

Nodding, I shove another thread of meat into my mouth and lick the grease from my fingers. “They got our mother.”

“Sorry to hear that. So, you two …. You’re all alone out here?”

A glance at Bryani shows her licking the cactus pad for the last bits of meat, and I offer her one of two pieces left on my plate. “Yeah. Just Bryani, my sister, and me.”

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Calithea.”

“Pretty.” Her eyes seem to appraise me for a moment, before lifting back to my gaze. “You two virgins?”

The question hits me off guard, twisting my stomach with discomfort. Looking around to make sure no one is in earshot, I hesitate to answer her. I know the word, one thrown around by the boys in our hive, and by my mother. She always told us the fact that we never lay with a man makes us more at risk out in the Deadlands.

“You don’t have to answer. Just strange to see two girls who haven’t been swiped up already. Seems someone would’ve gotten to you by now.” Maybe she thinks marauders are after us. Or worse, Legion. I’ve heard about the soldiers who raid hives, raping and murdering the women, and stealing the men away.

“No one’s touched us. At all. We’re virgins.”

A flicker of a frown or intrigue dances across her face, it’s hard to discern between the two. “Interesting.” She gives a sly glance around and picks two more pieces of meat from the animal, handing it to each of us. “C’mon, you must be exhausted. I’ll show you where you can sleep tonight.”

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