The Anomaly Affliction

Nineteen

"So," I say, when the group start walking. "What do we do now?"

"Now, we go back home," Harrison replies, with the bleeding body of a fox over his shoulder. "We'll share the rest of that meat can when the sun's above us, then two of us can go to the warehouse."

Share the rest of that meat can? These people share a tin of meat between themselves and call it a meal? How have they survived out here for so long? And what's the warehouse?

"The warehouse?" I enquire.

"There are a group of factories outside the Crimson District, " says Vic. "The warehouse there is where we get our food from. Well, the food that isn't fox meat. All those tins of meat you stole from us before we found you? They all came from the warehouse."

I feel a pang of guilt, and it must show on my face, because Cage adds: "You don't need to feel bad. We all would've done the same."

"We get water from there too," adds Vic. "Well, kind of. There's a water purification plant next to the warehouse. That's where the water comes from. But then it gets put into bottles in one of the factories, and then the bottles get put in the warehouse ready to be taken to Nacoma."

"And then we nick 'em," Harrison says with a grin.

"And you don't get caught?" I ask.

"Nope. We almost have before, but we keep quiet and stealthy. They've got so many products, they don't notice when things are missing. Probably. Anyway, that's why we only send two people out to go there - we'd draw attention to ourselves if it was all of us."

"So who's going today?"

"I think it's meant to be me and X," says Harrison. "But you should go instead of me, Violet."

So I'll be alone with X? I don't know if this is good or bad. It might be good because he might start to talk to me. But also, he's the only member of the group that unnerves me.

X looks over at me with those dark eyes and I silently pray that he'll talk to me and I'll realise that he's actually not a bad guy at all and I'm just getting nervous over nothing.

After "lunch", it's time to go to the warehouse. X stands up and starts to walk away, with me following behind him.

"X, be nice," Harrison calls out. "Keep her safe."

X leads the way, and we walk in silence. It's a long, painful walk. He doesn't look at me. I feel like I've annoyed him, but I don't know what I've done. Maybe he just doesn't want me here. Still, I guess it's worth trying to start a conversation.

"Is X your real name?" I ask awkwardly.

He doesn't respond.

"It's...it's a cool name."

He doesn't respond.

"Um, how long were you in prison for?"

"No," he says, taking me by surprise.

His voice is low and husky. I wasn't expecting him to talk at all, but I think I'm glad he did.

He seems to sense my confusion at his response, because he adds: "it's not my real name."

Feeling slightly more relaxed now, I try to continue the conversation.

"What is your real name?"

He doesn't respond.