I thought. Emptiness is a type of completion of its own, and while the past and the future struggle for a spot inside of me, it is only easier for the emptiness to take hold.
Soon after I finish eating, Desmond comes up to me, holding an oblong bag in his hand.
“Hey, Molly, I’m Desmond, if you remember. I’ll show you around camp.”
“Um, okay. Thank you.”
I stand up, taking my bowl with me, and follow him.
“So, this is our camp,” he says, planting his foot in the ground. The sunlight reflects off of his reddish hair. “We eat in the center, live on the edges, and train everywhere. There are several fields all within a kilometer of here that are our primary training areas. We also have a lookout post over to the West. Thos e – ” He gestures to three larger tents at the edge, “ – are the infirmary, the weapons storage, and the food storage, from left to right. Don’t go in the food storage if you don’t want Big Sal after your head. Behind that, we have a chicken coop — you can’t see it from here — but we have fresh eggs for breakfast at least once a week. They’re what Big Sal calls ‘free-range’, so don’t be surprised if you see them wandering around, and don’t touch them, or you’ll see which one of us is really the superior species.” He smiles a little at his own joke and I smile too. “That shed over ther e – ” he points to a shed on the far side of the field, “ – is where we keep the snowmobiles. We have six, but we rarely use them all at the same time. You know. Just in case.” He pauses meaningfully. “Anyway, let’s go set up your tent before it gets dark.” He leads me to the edge of the clearing where there is an empty space. “Your tent will be here. Eventually, you can choose to move in with someone else. I’ll show you how to fold it up. We’ve been here for a pretty long time, but in case of emergency, be ready to move.” He unzips the bag. “This is your tent. It’s very easy to set up.” The unfolded tent is a circular top with four folded legs sticking out of it. The fabric is attached to the top.
“You take these sticks and unfold them,” Desmond continues. “As so. Now you do the rest of them.” I unfold them, pleasantly surprised at how easily they pop into place. When I’m done, the outline of a tent is already in place.
“Now just fasten the straps on the inside to the poles.” I climb into it and find the small velcro straps. When I climb back out, it already looks like a decent living space.
“Talk to Big Sal about anything that you need that you didn’t think to bring. Make sure to get plenty of blankets. It gets cold at night. After you get settled in, talk to Rebekah and Emily. Weapons and survival will be your first steps of training. In terms of how your training is structured, the gist of it is, you train for three to four months in various combat techniques and once you’re ready, you go on your first raid. You start training tomorrow.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I drop my backpack into the tent and survey it from the inside. It has a small pocket on either side and a zipper door and window. It is made of gray synthetic cloth. I wonder where they found all of this. After the Eruption, so many things had burned.
“Also,” Desmond adds after I come out, “here’s a bag for you to keep. Put the things you carry around every day in it.” He hands me a small backpack.
“Oh, thanks.” I place my bowl and cutlery in it. I’m extremely excited about all of this, but I’m also nervous and very overwhelmed. What if I forget? What if I don’t learn? What if I’m not good at anything? What if I made the wrong choice?
I push those thoughts aside and go to find Rebekah. She is scolding a chicken at the edge of the clearing. I recognize her by the oversized jacket.
“Um...Hi. Sorry to interrupt. I’m Molly. I was, uh, told to find you.”
“Yes. Good. My name is Rebekah. You know how the
Soon after I finish eating, Desmond comes up to me, holding an oblong bag in his hand.
“Hey, Molly, I’m Desmond, if you remember. I’ll show you around camp.”
“Um, okay. Thank you.”
I stand up, taking my bowl with me, and follow him.
“So, this is our camp,” he says, planting his foot in the ground. The sunlight reflects off of his reddish hair. “We eat in the center, live on the edges, and train everywhere. There are several fields all within a kilometer of here that are our primary training areas. We also have a lookout post over to the West. Thos e – ” He gestures to three larger tents at the edge, “ – are the infirmary, the weapons storage, and the food storage, from left to right. Don’t go in the food storage if you don’t want Big Sal after your head. Behind that, we have a chicken coop — you can’t see it from here — but we have fresh eggs for breakfast at least once a week. They’re what Big Sal calls ‘free-range’, so don’t be surprised if you see them wandering around, and don’t touch them, or you’ll see which one of us is really the superior species.” He smiles a little at his own joke and I smile too. “That shed over ther e – ” he points to a shed on the far side of the field, “ – is where we keep the snowmobiles. We have six, but we rarely use them all at the same time. You know. Just in case.” He pauses meaningfully. “Anyway, let’s go set up your tent before it gets dark.” He leads me to the edge of the clearing where there is an empty space. “Your tent will be here. Eventually, you can choose to move in with someone else. I’ll show you how to fold it up. We’ve been here for a pretty long time, but in case of emergency, be ready to move.” He unzips the bag. “This is your tent. It’s very easy to set up.” The unfolded tent is a circular top with four folded legs sticking out of it. The fabric is attached to the top.
“You take these sticks and unfold them,” Desmond continues. “As so. Now you do the rest of them.” I unfold them, pleasantly surprised at how easily they pop into place. When I’m done, the outline of a tent is already in place.
“Now just fasten the straps on the inside to the poles.” I climb into it and find the small velcro straps. When I climb back out, it already looks like a decent living space.
“Talk to Big Sal about anything that you need that you didn’t think to bring. Make sure to get plenty of blankets. It gets cold at night. After you get settled in, talk to Rebekah and Emily. Weapons and survival will be your first steps of training. In terms of how your training is structured, the gist of it is, you train for three to four months in various combat techniques and once you’re ready, you go on your first raid. You start training tomorrow.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I drop my backpack into the tent and survey it from the inside. It has a small pocket on either side and a zipper door and window. It is made of gray synthetic cloth. I wonder where they found all of this. After the Eruption, so many things had burned.
“Also,” Desmond adds after I come out, “here’s a bag for you to keep. Put the things you carry around every day in it.” He hands me a small backpack.
“Oh, thanks.” I place my bowl and cutlery in it. I’m extremely excited about all of this, but I’m also nervous and very overwhelmed. What if I forget? What if I don’t learn? What if I’m not good at anything? What if I made the wrong choice?
I push those thoughts aside and go to find Rebekah. She is scolding a chicken at the edge of the clearing. I recognize her by the oversized jacket.
“Um...Hi. Sorry to interrupt. I’m Molly. I was, uh, told to find you.”
“Yes. Good. My name is Rebekah. You know how the
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