Primal Gambit

Chapter 17: Renault Sees

Renault gazed out the window of the kitchen. Cracked glass from the attempted breach of looters made it difficult for him to see, adding an ominous tone to what he saw in the fields before him. At one time, they had been rolling pastures. Now the overconsumption of man acted like parasites in what was once green grass. Now dead stalks of hollowness – he regretted not taking his parent's advice in vacating the home, the country, the expanse. The valley had nearly become a shantytown overnight, infecting the valley like weeds. Most of the other pre-expanse homes in the area had long since been invaded, families treated like lambs before the slaughter while their antiquities and valuables were stripped from their possession.

Had Renault not thwarted the last attack, the fate of his family would have been the same.

His parents once told him that a great war was coming, that man would soon exceed and consume the natural resources until every field, mesa, and oasis would wither and die as the overpopulated country struggled to find placement. He regretted not taking their advice sooner, gathering their necessities and departing on the most important mission of all – finding respite from this. Now his own family was in jeopardy, something he despised himself for not acting on with each passing day.

A storm of ash would hit them soon; bring into question the power left in their generator. He wondered how much longer the heavy drilling would thunder the ground and the table, interrupting dinner as the three watched the candlelight dance and the wax drip. He recalled his wife approaching him once while he sat alone in the empty, dark den. She approached the doorway and leaned against it, rubbing her elbows and feeling the winter chill crawl up her spine:

"We can't stay here." She whispered to keep her words out of their daughter's earshot as she struggled to fall asleep.

"Where can we go? This is happening all over the world." His head turned, the glass of bourbon biting his lips like venom.

"I know you don't want to leave this place because it's where we grew up, but look around: it's nothing like it was when you were a child. It isn't safe here." Her words cut into his bloodstream as fast as the liquor did.

"We don't have money – I'd have to consider joining a PMC to make that kind of salary. It's disheartening work, I don't want to do it." He stared into his snifter.

"How many times do we have to go through this? How many more break-ins do you need to stop before you realize the severity of this? I don't see any other option." She hissed.

"Start packing in the morning – I'll worry about making enough money to get us out." He moved to the defensive while she moved to his side, sitting on the couch and taking the glass from his hands. After sipping the stinging elixir, she remarked:

"They're going to start fracking again soon. We should try and sleep while we can."