Page 16 of The Program

She looked as if she might argue, but she seemed to accept my answer and conceded without a fight. She settled at the base of a tree away from the two already on the ground, and the woman I guessed was her partner joined her. The other pairs followed suit, some sneering at the messy ground before realising there wasn’t much else for it and finally settled in.

My first order of business was to gather some sturdy sticks and some leaves to create a shelter. I set to it, leaving Libby with the others while I scavenged for supplies. I stuck close to the group because I didn’t completely trust them with my best friend, even if I didn’t think they would try anything right this moment. They were exhausted, but from personal experience, exhaustion was nothing in the face of fight or flight. If any of them so chosethey could ruin everything before we’d even gotten the chance to settle in and become friends.

Well, ‘friends’ was a stretch, but the point was the same.

After gathering the supplies I needed, I used practiced hands to stake the sticks into the ground and weave the leaves around them. I tore some up to use as twine and secured the makeshift shelter. I stood back to admire my handiwork. It wasn’t much but it would do in a pinch.

‘It’s cold. Can we start a fire?’ the redhead asked. I really needed to learn her name so I could stop referring to her by the colour of her hair.

‘No fire,’ I said with finality, gazing through the rain and into the forest to gauge what edible plants could be scavenged.

‘Why not?’

I sighed, my frustration getting the better of me. ‘A few reasons, but two main ones. The wood would be too wet to burn and the smoke would give away our location. If you want to get warm, share body heat. I’m going to look for food.’

I’m coming with you,’ said Libby, standing back up and stepping towards me.

I scowled at her, then where I imagined her baby was curled up inside her. ‘No, you’re staying here where it’s drier.’

The way she tilted her chin up and set her teeth told me all I needed to know about how this argument would go. I could win if I wanted to, but it would cause more issues in the long run.

‘Fine,’ I bit out. ‘But you follow my lead and do as I say.’

I didn’t give her time to argue, stomping off into the woods with the knowledge that she would follow. I wasn’t usually so bossy with her, but she seemed to sense my need for control.

‘What are we looking for?’ she asked when she caught up to me.

‘Anything edible.’

‘Like what?’

‘I don’t know yet, that’s why I’m looking.’

She pointed to a bush brimming with bright yellow berries. ‘What about these?’

I pursed my lips. ‘Sure. If you want to die.’

Her hand snapped back to her body as if merely pointing at the offending fruit would cause harm. Then she hummed thoughtfully as she looked around. ‘What about these?’

She pointed high into the trees where bunches of an unfamiliar fruit hung from the branches, heavy with their meat. They were a dark green with yellow spots. Spots that glowed brilliantly in the shadows…

I shook my head. ‘I don’t know what they are, and I make it a habit not to eat anything that glows. It’s safer to avoid them.’

‘No glow. Got it. What about these?’

I didn’t even have to look to know she was pointed at the small brown nuts protruding from a bush. Strange thing about nuts, they were always the same earthy colours regardless of the planet they grew on. The stranger thing about these nuts particularly was that they were a different kind of nut entirely.

‘Those are Kribit testicles, Libs.’

A sound of disgust and alarm wrenched from her the back of her throat. ‘Oh, fuck no.’

I giggled at the mental image of her trying to pick them and the little squeak they would make in response.

‘Bitch, it’s not funny.’

I laughed harder.

‘Shut up!’ she snapped, but it was filled with amusement. ‘I bet you only know that because you made the same mistake and learned the hard way.’

---