The Scourge (A.G. Henley) - By A.G. Henley Page 0,12
have to admit that experiencing the cause of the Fall firsthand over the last two days gave me a new appreciation for the terror our ancestors must have felt as the Scourge overtook them, turning them one by one into the vast numbers of creatures that now roam the earth.
“Have you ever noticed that he almost seems happy about it? Like we brought it on ourselves or something?” Calli’s voice is pitched low. “Sometimes I wonder if he thinks we all deserve to be, you know, consumed.”
“Calli!” Eland says, sounding scandalized.
“Well, he is obsessed!”
“Aren’t we all?” I say. “Without the Scourge we wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore. We wouldn’t have to hide in these caves. We wouldn’t even have to live on the ground. We could live in the trees, or in the City, or even in deserts, if we wanted. Maybe we could find a camel, or a tiger–”
“What? What are deserts? And tigers? What are you talking about, Fenn?” Calli asks.
I feel them staring at me, and I wish I hadn’t said anything. Suddenly, loud voices ricochet across the cave.
“They cheated us, I tell you!” Adder shouts.
“We can’t be sure of that,” Fox says. His voice is calm. More calm than Adder’s, anyway.
“The sacks aren’t full! What else could it be?”
“Where’s Fennel? We should ask her what happened.” It’s Aloe.
I stand, willing my tired legs not to wobble, hoping I look stronger than I feel. “Over here.”
Adder reaches me first, moving so silently I’m sure he must have slithered. “Did you fill all four sacks today?”
“Yes.” I try to keep my voice even, but a defensive note creeps in. People gather around, their whispers reverberating against the walls of rock.
“All the way to the top?” Sable asks. “Each of them?”
I hesitate. Between fighting my fear of the creatures, and resisting the urge to swim away from them, I can’t remember whether I did or not.
“Fennel,” Aloe says, “I know you did your very best. But the sacks the Lofties brought to us were only three-quarters full. To the best of your knowledge, did you fill them all the way up?”
“I don’t know. I think so.”
“You see?” Adder explodes. “They’re cheating us, pulling off extra water! Fennel, tomorrow you’ll collect one sack for us. Don’t give it to the Lofty Keeper to hold. Drag it back here instead.”
“So you’ll put us on water rations to punish the Lofties?” Fox still sounds composed, but there’s a sharp edge to his voice.
“I’ll do what it takes to show them we won’t be taken advantage of,” Adder says.
“We should discuss this. The girl isn’t sure,” Sable says.
“There’s nothing to discuss! We won’t tolerate Lofty deceit.”
“Adder, Sable, we should speak somewhere more private.” Aloe's voice holds a warning. The crowd has grown. She squeezes my shoulder reassuringly before the Three move away. People disperse, muttering in worried voices.
I sink back down to the freezing floor. My one responsibility was to fill the bags and deliver them to the Lofties. Did I fill them completely? Could I have been so distracted that I only filled them part of the way? Wouldn’t Peree have pointed it out if I had? How could I have failed to do the one thing that was expected of me? Calli and Eland go back to their meals, but I push the rest of mine aside. What little appetite I had is gone now. Someone drops down next to us.
“Damn Lofties,” Bear says. “Stealing from us—after all you went through to collect water for them.”
“What do you think happened, Fenn?” Calli asks. “Could the sacks have leaked somehow?”
I shrug, feeling helpless. How can I explain my state of mind while I was filling and tying those sacks? I can’t, not without admitting I was almost paralyzed with fear, dependent on the voice of a Lofty to pull me through.
“We all know Fenn did her duty well, as she always has,” Bear says, patting my back. I’m touched by his unquestioning faith, even as it causes fresh guilt to rip through me. I smile a half-smile at him. “It was probably that Lofty Keeper of yours. Wouldn’t be surprised if he quenched his own thirst before delivering the sacks, then blamed it on you.”
My smile fades. “Peree wouldn’t do that."
“I didn’t like the look of him,” he continues. “Looked like he’d cheat his own mother out of her ration if he got the chance.”
“Don’t say that about him.” My voice is harsh, indignant; it surprises everyone, including me. “He wouldn’t