Red Rock

Chapter 9 Rockets to the Stone Age (Part 2)

Chapter 9 Rockets to the Stone Age (Part 2)

Sasha was the first up in the morning watching the sunrise from the back of the ship. Her left eye was still partially shut with different shades of purple. "Up time!" she yelled banging the side of the ship until she reached the front. "Everybody up!"

Slowly eyes opened as people waddled their way outside. Sasha loudly counted every person that exited the ship. "Ninety-eight!" she concluded as the last person exited. "And it's going to stay at that number! Everyone gather your things! We're leaving right now."

Daire grabbed his bag but was hesitant to put all of his belongings back inside. The juice of the berries made the interior wet, sticky and full of dirt. "Get the bows and machetes," Jacob motioned to a couple of the Surveyors including Daire. "We'll need them to get things going."

Daire sighed and put his clothes and miscellaneous items in the sticky berry sauce that immediately rubbed off on the items. His tall jacket was much too important to soak in such gooey goodness, so he folded it under his arm. "I feel yuh," Cody said from behind Daire. "Should have thought things through before we volunteered our bags as baskets," he chuckled.

"We can wash everything in the pond when we get there," Daire smiled.

"If we make it there alive. Not sure if I even trust Sasha after yesterday."

Daire cringed inside. "Because of the cannibals?"

"Because of everything. She promised we would survive when we voted for her. And now that she's in power, two of us are dead, and we've only been here for three days."

"That's an unfair correlation to make."

"Well, it's true,"

Daire could tell that Cody had been talking to Jane. "Have you been talking to anyone about this?"

"Who hasn't?" Cody responded. "Jane says things are only going to get worse."

"If things get worse, it won't be Sasha's fault."

"Then who do you blame?"

Daire picked up his bag and a machete. "All of us."

*

"Everyone leaves! Nobody stays behind!" Sasha hollered, herding the Surveyors across the field. "Carry as much as you can! We'll be back for everything else tonight!"

The Surveyors walked the thousand meters to the forest and followed Sasha deeper inside. Jacob told Sasha about the oasis he had found the day before and recommended the relocation after Keith's wife was assumed the latest unfortunate victim of cannibalism. Sasha wasn't going to make the same mistake twice of neglecting Jacob's judgment.

Jacob gave her a nod, encouraging her that she was heading in the right direction. Daire saw the same hazel tree where he enjoyed his first hazelnut. He knew they were close. A conjoined 'awe' spread through the group when the shade from the large hazel and maple trees was no longer seen. The open oasis was just as beautiful as Daire had left it, filled with butterflies and ripe berries ready for the picking. The Surveyors ran to different parts of the open space, picking the fresh berries and quickly popping them in their mouths.

Daire headed straight to the small pond in the corner of the field, emptying his bag and sinking it and its contents in the water. There were others who had underestimated the staining power of the berries as well, following Daire to the pond and trying to scrub off the sauce that stained their material.