Population Zero

Chapter 25

We entered Van Whittle's cabin and immediately Sophia responded in disgust. How could I blame her? Van Whittle was a slob at best. Flies infested in the place, whirring and buzzing all around the dinner table where several bowls of cereal sat out and a pint of milk sat, spoiled. She began clearing the table, shooing the pests out of her way as she set to work on the dishes.

"We will need something to eat on if we don't want to starve to death before they kill us." She stated matter-of-factly. I stood there like an idiot for a second before deciding she was completely right. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday but I hardly noticed until now. My stomach growled loudly from hunger.

"See!" She laughed. Who was this beautiful and intelligent girl I was staring at? She was nothing like the females we learned about in class. I smiled back at her, gazing into her eyes a little too long. She shuffled uncomfortably under my gaze and turned back to finish her task. Smooth move, buddy.

I turned away with nothing else to do but check on William. I slowly crept into his room half expecting him to be laying on his bed in the nude and asleep, ready to burst through the door and attack me. Instead I found him sitting up fully clothed in his cloak fervently scribbling in a notebook. He looked up somewhat surprised to find me standing there in front of him. After all, he had only dropped me off at the female compound yesterday morning.

"Lucas! My boy! You've returned! Tell me everything. Oh, right. Right. You can't hear." He tore out a page from his notebook and began scribbling some more.

"I can hear you. I've got a new hearing aid." I said pointing toward my right ear. My heart warmed with gratitude knowing that Sophia had shared hers with me.

"Hold on. Give me a second." He said continuing to scribble. "Don't interrupt." I smiled a half smile because I sort of guessed that it hadn't clicked in his head yet that I could hear him. He tore the page from his notebook and when he started to hand it to me we locked eyes and I grinned wide. He paused for a moment and then broke out in laughter. "Oh, my. Oh, my" He laughed. "Yes, of course. You can hear. Ho ho! Yes!" He jumped up and embraced me with a hug. "So glad to see you, boy. And in one piece! So you've done it then? You've convinced the females to stop this fight!"

"WHAT?" Sophia barged through the door holding a bowl and a mixing spoon. "What is he talking about, Lucas?" William turned three shades whiter at her entrance and mouth hung open. "A female..." He whispered barely moving his lips.

"I don't know what he's talking about." I said and turned to Van Whittle. "Stop what fight?"

"You didn't know then? You didn't finish reading my book?" I shook my head. I couldn't finish reading it. It was too painful. William tore his eyes away from Sophia and vanished out of the room in a flash. Sophia and I quickly followed suit into the living room. He tore through his cluttered bookshelf until finally he came upon his prize. The Great Flood by William Van Whittle. He flipped to the last chapter. I added this chapter 8 years ago. I suppose I shouldn't have assumed you read it. Granted it was very difficult communicating with you before." He was talking quickly. "8 years ago we were still living in peace time. Mother Camila, which I am sure you had the grace of meeting, was deeply in love with my brother. Sadly, the feeling was not mutual. Mother Camila gave birth to many sons bestowing them upon my brother but it would not change his mind. She was angry and bitter and decided to turn the female compound against us. She claimed that we had stolen her sons away. She even went as far as destroying her own population in an attempt to convince them of the false treachery. Mother Camila was a merciless ruler who worked closely with the corrupted males and oppressed her own population in order to appease my brother."" He finished. Sophia's eyes filled with tears and she dropped the bowl and mixing spoon, spilling some sort of sticky dough onto the floor. She began drying her eyes with her sleeve and promptly scooped up the bowl and spoon, scraping as much back into the bowl as she could. She left the room and went into the kitchen where we heard pots and pans being knocked and clanged around.