In the years since the old officer died, during the ice age, Charlie had learned that he was wrong. Those that could survive weren’t repressed. They were in tune with their emotions and in a good position to act upon them.
He’d seen too many good people die because they repressed their fear.
As far as Charlie was concerned there were no such things as negative emotions. Each one served an important role and the individual who had those in harmony were the ones that outlasted those who were devoid.
Maria was one of those people who had that harmony.
Even now, after all the stress and fear of the day before, she was delighting in the simple pleasures of spit-roasted rabbit and fish, caught naturally.
Ethan sat back, crossing his arms, parallel lines etched into his forehead. “I know something’s going on,” he said, looking up at Denver.
At first, Charlie thought he meant Denver’s not too subtle glances at Maria. But then the boy continued and looked to Charlie as he spoke, uncrossing his arms and pointing his finger.
“You’re in on it too. In fact, I think I must be the only one you haven’t told. You’re planning something. I know it.”
“What are you talking about?” Maria said, shaking her head with annoyance.
“The atmosphere’s changed. Hasn’t it Ben?” Ethan said.
After sitting there silent for the best part of an hour, his right fist shut around the bead, Ben looked up at Ethan and then Maria. His face tightened as though he was in pain.
Internally he probably was, Charlie thought. Ben had clearly made up his mind to leave for the farm, but the thought of leaving his friends behind weighed on him heavily. Even his shoulders were hunched as though his concern was real and solid.
“I’m not staying,” Ben finally said.
“What?” Ethan replied, his eyebrows twitching upward.
“Staying here? None of us are, Ben. We’re moving on later today,” Maria said, not really getting what Ben was saying.
He stood up, brushed the dirt from his now-tatty-looking uniform and took a breath. “I’m leaving you, I mean here with Charlie and Denver. I can’t do this, I’m just not cut out for it.”
“I don’t understand,” Ethan said.
“What is it you’re saying?”
“Explain Ben. You’re not making much sense,” Maria added.
“Like I said. I’m not cut out for this. I can’t survive out here. Not like you two. I don’t belong here. I’m going to do a job for Charlie. I’m returning to the croatoans, in a farm run by a human called Gregor. Charlie and Denver have explained everything, and it’s the right choice for everyone concerned. I’m doing this for me but also for you two. You’ll stand a better chance if I do this. We all will.”
For the next ten minutes, Charlie and Denver briefly explained the plan to Ethan and Maria, leaving out certain important pieces that could get them into trouble if they were to be captured, such as the bead and the location of the decoy shelter.
“And there’s no changing your mind?” Maria said.
“None.”
“Well, that’s that then,” Maria said. “I understand and respect your decision. But I hope we’ll get to see you again soon. I’ll miss you.”
“And I’ll miss you too,” Ben said, moving to her, leaning down and hugging her. He broke away and hugged Ethan. “And you too, Ethan. But you’re young enough that you’ll soon adapt out here and thrive. I’m not so adaptable.”
“This might be what a funeral felt like,” Ethan said. “Like the ones on the video recording. I never knew it’d feel so bad. It’s worse than losing Jimmy.”
A hush descended on the camp as people processed that thought in their own way.
For Charlie it was the picture of hundreds of graves he had personally dug in order that those who had perished would at least get some kind of sendoff.
Even if almost all of them were strangers, given the state of the world, having to bury anyone, even someone with no personal connection still felt like a loss. Every human counted for so much more now when there were so few.
“Denver, be a lad and get Ben’s pack ready.”
“Sure thing.” Denver stood up and moved to the shelter, Pip following right behind him like she was his shadow.
“Before I go,” Ben said, “Can you tell us what it was like before all this? How did it happen? The knowledge might help me on the farm.”
Charlie looked at the three of them starting back at him with the rapt attention of children at story time. With the fire burning to embers and the morning’s chill burning off he thought it as good a time as any. Once Ben was gone, it’d be one less thing to go through for the others, and Ben was right. The more he knew, the stronger position he would be in.
“Okay, let’s start at the beginning.” He leaned back and crossed his legs and began his tale. He filled them in about how society was back then, how he worked for a production company and that fateful day when he went down into the sinkhole.
“How did you survive that?” Maria said, her mouth gaping with surprise.
“Pippa was on the surface looking down. She saw the alien craft before I did. She got the firemen and the police to haul me and the boy up, but he perished as the great metal orb climbed out of the hole and crushed him into the sides. I managed to land on the front of it and use its momentum to ride up and out.
“When I got to the surface everyone ran. Once I was clear of the ropes and harnesses, Pippa and I managed to get into my truck before the croatoan orb dispensed the gas.
“That’s what killed most people on their first surfacing. We don’t know what it was exactly, but later, talking with some guys from the army who had tried to fight back initially, it seemed it was some kind of neurotoxin.”
“What did it do?” Ethan said, not understanding the term.
“It paralyzed people. But it didn’t stop them from feeling pain. Most of the afflicted died through starvation and thirst, while others died from heart attacks and other blood-pressure based illnesses.”
“That’s terrible,” Maria said. “I can’t imagine how scary that must have been to be paralyzed and know you’re going to die but not being able to do anything about it.”
Charlie shook his head at the memories. “If only you know half of it. It was a terrible time. Numbing. No one could truly comprehend what was happening. The croatoan’s orbs came up at the same time and continued to surface for a week all over the world. There must have been hundreds of thousands of them.
“Pippa and I estimated they were in the ground for thousands of years. Before even humans fully evolved. We should have known it sooner. The signs were there. Over the ages, many societies and cultures had experienced them in some way or another.
“We discovered cave paintings that in hindsight were obviously early croatoans. When you go back through human history and look at some of the strange reported events, its clear the aliens were involved. I can show you in more detail when we reach our destination. Pippa and I researched a lot of this once that initial phase was over.”
“Initial phase?” Ethan asked. “What else happened?”
Lighting a root cigar, Charlie took a long drag and exhaled the orange smoke. The root made his brain tingle and a warm sensation crawled over his body, clearing away the tiredness, making him feel alert and a little high—an energetic high, one that he had come to rely on to keep him vital and healthy.
“When the military initially resisted, they busted open one of the orbs. It had one of those smaller aliens inside. Shriveled up and aged but still alive. We carbon dated one. They’re essentially immortal as long as they maintain their chemical composition. Within the pod were a number of tanks filled with this root compound.