'Luck of the Draw'
Maggy crouched behind leafy brambles, eyes narrowing onto a large deer. Sweat beaded on her dark umber skin from the hot and sticky air. Her fingers trembled slightly, carefully hooking an arrow in place, and aiming it at the animal. Beside her, Ella kneeled silently observing her with cold steel eyes, sneering at her hesitance. As the animal came to nibble on a grassy patch right in front of them, the air stilled, and the crack of her bowstring sounded.
Lowering the bow with a quick exhaled, they stood and walked cautiously towards it. Maggy shut her eyes and waved a hand over the animal, trying to sense any form of the sickness.
"It's clean," she quickly deduced. "This should be enough for long time."
Ella nodded, "Let's head back, we'll need to can it before any of the Sick pick up the smell"
Ella tied up its limbs and began to haul it onto a wagon, beckoning Maggy to help. The two road in silence, Maggy gazing at the open rural landscape as old wooden wheels rumbled along. The steady gallop of her horse slowed as they neared the gates of the community. A small village of houses with a large barn and silos not far behind it and large wall surrounding it all.
Hopping off the wagon, Ella approached the gates, the wind blowing through her bright copper hair. Rubbing her hands, she pointed up towards the top of the gates and shot a spark of red flame through the air. It dissipated into a cloud of smoke and the gates creaked open, two female guards marched in front of them, bows at the ready.
With a stern look, they rolled the wagon forward and checked it briefly, taking note of the deer and clearing them to enter. The gates wedged shut behind them and the guards retook their positions, with a nudge to her horse, Maggy headed for the barn while Ella went to report to the House Lady. Every time anything went in or out of the community, it needed to be reported, to keep everyone safe, or so they told.
Maggy became lost in thought, thinking of a time before everyone got sick. 7 years ago, in 2024, archeologists found the remains of what looked to be an early-hominin, like Lucy the Australopithecus. But what they really uncovered was an ancient virus, still buried in those bones, and because it spread through the air, almost everyone got infected in the first weeks. People spread it out farther, and soon everyone had gotten sick.
Luckily, some had the Gift, a genetic mutation that gave them their abilities which activated once the virus hit and this left small pockets of survivors on gated communities like this one.
Arriving at the barn, Maggy released her horse to graze in the fields and slowly wheeled the deer inside. The dirt floor was littered with straw, haybales sat stacked in the corners. Barrels of pickled foods and dried goods stood in groups. Shelves of thick glass jars salvaged from abandoned grocery stores lined the walls. All were filled with vegetables: beets, corn, peppers, and more.
This community got lucky, one of their Gifted could control plants and worked very well with nature. The girl was one of the most important people here, being able to grow almost anything, giving them plenty of food. This girl was Maggy's daughter, Sage, who she took in and raised after finding her at the beginning of the Sickness. They had once been very close, only having each other to survive, but in these past few days Sage rarely leaves the gardens, her once bright minty hair turning to a dull and mossy shade.
Despite the large amounts of vegetables, there was scarcely any meat left, as the summer heat quickly spoiled it. Barely any animals lived in the community, as most carried the disease from their previous owners. Only hunting wild deer and fowl proved to be effective in procuring meat, and even then, only certain people like Maggy could sense if they were sick.
