The Blackened | ONC 2022

「Chapter Three: Dire Times」

When you're in a dire situation, you've been told not to look a gift horse in the mouth. I believe that is the first thing you should do. Isn't that what caused the chaos in the Trojan War? This situation seemed too familiar to receiving a wooden horse at our gates.

There is a point where I couldn't help but agree with Andrew as he debated with other members of our leading counsel. I so desperately wanted to side with McCall and say that this is exactly what we needed. I couldn't help but avoid those seafoam eyes of his. He wanted so badly for me to jump in and provide some kind of reasoning that would make this all right to proceed with.

I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Every time he looked at me, I knew he was crestfallen. Besides, I had no say in their delegation.

Our so-called business negotiators were given a tent to relax in after the journey was over. It was a surprise that a party with so few numbers and a clouded lay of the land could get here in one piece. Even more miraculously, without suffering any exposure to Decay.

From the quick glimpse I could get of them, I couldn't gain much insight, except for the lack of ill will. Based on the guard's testimony, they were from a similarly walled city named Lepus. From previous scouting missions, I had heard rumors about this city. It's supposedly short for the name Asclepius, the son of Apollo known for medicine. Although the shortened name Lepus leads people to believe they are associated with hares or rabbits, the town is known for its medical advances considering they are centered around a hospital. The people running the town had just so happened to clear out and find an abundance of medical supplies still intact.

It seems all too convenient the day Shelia tells McCall we're running out of medical necessities and that the community is known for its luck with them coming knocking on our doorstep.

Damn.

We're in too tight of a situation to refuse their offer, yet at the same time, I can smell a trap. I can't just take the convenience of the situation without suspicion. I wish this would be as easy as a coin flip, but considering how many lives we have to lose if this is all a ploy for whatever meager supplies we have, everything weighs as heavy as a boulder.

The council of leaders started to wrap up their debates. It seems they reached a consensus on taking this approach slowly. We won't outright reject their proposal, but we won't dive headfirst into it either.

I made a mental note of the points brought up and the end result. I can't call myself a historian without recording all of the events we encounter in our endeavor to stay alive. A centralized history of one civilization may not be the broad testimony future historians will be looking for.

The council looked at the group of civilians that had assembled during the commotion.

Shelia began, "Alright, so we've decided we will accept Lepus' proposal for trade. We are direly in need of the medical supplies they can provide at the rate we are moving forward."

Andrew stepped up, "However, we will not be hasty. We'll send a group to scout out their city. As much as the rumors we have picked up from wandering vagrants have promised, they are benevolent." He cast a glance around the crowd before making a pointed look at McCall. "We won't be taking a large risk no matter how much we need what they provide."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some of the parents, like Diana, shared their wholehearted agreement, while others shifted with discontent. I risked a glance at McCall, a big mistake.

He looked at me with hope in his eyes, seeking my approval as if I were his superior instead of mine. I shifted my eyes away, pulling out my notebook in the meantime to record the leader's words while they were fresh in my mind. "We'll send a small group to scout. Who joins will be based on volunteers as well as members of the council. In the event of an ambush, the losses will be minimal. None of you are obligated to go," McCall finished off their delivery.

After their dismissal, the crowd thinned out, no doubt to spread the gossip around the city.

Against my better judgment, I stood around waiting for McCall to approach me. Knowing him all too well, he did. I could tell this debacle had worn him out. He visibly sagged while walking away from his fellow leads. If I didn't know there was a lot more to plan and do after this meeting, we probably could have taken a nap in our tents. Nothing does better for a weary mind than a bit of rest.

"You're none too pleased with the decision we made, are you, Ravina?"

"I can't say it wasn't unexpected. I just expected more caution. Especially since I saw Andrew run his mouth faster than any of you did. How did anyone get the negotiations to move in the direction they did?" I asked, tossing my notebook back into my cross-body bag.

McCall eyed the notebook as I snapped the clasp shut. "The historian is hard at work." He motioned for me to follow him, assuming there was a better spot to continue this without interruption. "I can't say it was an easy war to win. But he's not as bad as you make him out to be, Ravina. As egotistical as he may be, he's looking out for the rest of us in his own way."

"Yeah, and how many times have you brought up that excuse while he dogged me out like I was about to pull out another world-ending disease from my notebook?" I shot back.

I'm tired of hearing the excuses on Andrew's behalf. I know we have beef. I punched him first. I started the silent war that keeps raging behind the scenes. We're natural enemies at this point. But there isn't enough slack in the world to excuse how he goes about business around here. He's controlling, and anyone could tell you that. McCall will call it being a stickler for the rules. But at what point is he going to be held accountable for his mistakes? When is he going to accept that he's the reason McCall's brother is dead?

"Ravina, look at me." He took my cheeks gently in his hands, turning me to face him. Those seafoam eyes were clouded with the storm forming in the sea. "I want you to stay here for the first round of scouting. We're sending a small group; Shelia will lead it as a measure of peace. A couple of volunteers will go with her, and they'll come back."

His thumb brushed over my cheek. I inspected every detail of his passive face— the lighter scars against his tanned face, the little quirk in his lips at the corner, and those bangs that he always insisted on pushing back despite his big forehead. Knowing how complicated everything was getting, I didn't want to lose him.

My only rock against the swirling hurricane. I hated how much I was associated with him rather than being my own person here. But it was true.

We're a team here.

I pushed his hands off of my face. "What happens after that?"

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants, "Then you can play the role of historian all you want." His bright smile caught me off guard. "If it all goes well, there's our medical supply. We can establish larger borders to make up the trade routes. We wouldn't have such a struggle to get food anymore."

McCall scoffed to himself, "And I might be a fool, but I can't wait for Andrew to eat his words."

"We could have allies, Ravina."

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