steal from the Cave. I’m within my rights to kill him.”
“Then you should be killed for stealing the apple from Rebecca,” Steven said softly but firmly. “Because that is what happened, right Rebecca?”
His wife looked uncomfortably from Block to Steven to Darius to her feet. The little girl Mia looked wide-eyed and frightened. “Yes, that’s what happened.”
Block’s demeanor changed in an instant, going from full-blown kill mode to laughter. “That’s what happened, is it, Rebecca? Fine. Have it your way.” He stood and snatched a spear from one of his men, thrusting it towards Rebecca. “Here, take it. If that’s the case, you are to be the executioner. Take my life, woman, for your apple.”
Rebecca knocked the wooden spear to the ground, took the little girl’s hand, and stomped off into the Cave, heading back towards where Amanda still slept. Block laughed aloud. “No, I didn’t think so. Get the fuck away from me!” he ordered to everyone. “There may be a Game tomorrow and I’m not losing because I was up all night dicking around with you assholes.”
His men obliged and the trio of remaining newcomers backed away slowly. They then quietly followed Rebecca back towards their own camp. Darius clamped his big arm around Steven’s shoulder and whispered into his ear, “Don’t worry about it, champ. I’ll help you take care of your wife.”
Steven didn’t know what to say, but instead of sleeping, he spent the rest of the night wondering why his wife had lied.
* * *
“I have to go, Steven,” Rebecca told him as she madly stuffed clothing and toiletries into a small backpack, “I’m sorry.”
“I understand you have to go,” he said. “No, wait…I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of this. You get a phone call in the middle of the night that you won’t tell me about and now you have to go to some undisclosed location and you can’t tell me about that either? Am I supposed to understand that, Rebecca?”
She paused and turned to him, a lone tear snaking down her cheek. “No, you’re not supposed to understand, and I’ll understand if you’re not here when I get back.”
He stepped to her and looped his arms around her shoulders, looking into her eyes. “You’re also crazy. I didn’t marry you to up and leave you at the drop of a hat.”
“But this is big.”
“Yeah.”
“And I’d understand.”
“It’s not happening, Rebecca. I’m just worried about you, and I don’t understand why you can’t tell me what’s going on. Are you in some sort of trouble?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
His wife was torn and he couldn’t understand why she was hiding this. She’d never hid anything from him—they’d never hid anything from each other. “Steven, pleas—just trust me.”
“I don’t have any other choice. I love you.”
“I’ll be back in a couple of weeks,” she told him, stroking his cheek. “And everything will be right by then.”
He nodded grimly and watched as his wife walked out the door to destinations and situations unknown to him.
* * *
Morning in the Cave was simple. People woke and relieved themselves, generally close to wherever they were, and if they had any food stashed away from the evening before, they ate. Children played as if the world they lived in, the Cave and its atrocities, was the right world, the proper place. Steven wondered if any of them actually managed to escape what they’d think of a school, or video games, or just not having to eat garbage and each other. Would they reject that life in favor of long pork?
Rebecca stirred, standing and stretching. Mia sat cross-legged, watching her and Steven.
“Good morning,” he said, forcing a smile.
“Hey.”
“Did you manage to sleep any?”
The right side of her face was covered in dried mud from where she’d slipped off her arm and landed in the mud, apparently without
“Then you should be killed for stealing the apple from Rebecca,” Steven said softly but firmly. “Because that is what happened, right Rebecca?”
His wife looked uncomfortably from Block to Steven to Darius to her feet. The little girl Mia looked wide-eyed and frightened. “Yes, that’s what happened.”
Block’s demeanor changed in an instant, going from full-blown kill mode to laughter. “That’s what happened, is it, Rebecca? Fine. Have it your way.” He stood and snatched a spear from one of his men, thrusting it towards Rebecca. “Here, take it. If that’s the case, you are to be the executioner. Take my life, woman, for your apple.”
Rebecca knocked the wooden spear to the ground, took the little girl’s hand, and stomped off into the Cave, heading back towards where Amanda still slept. Block laughed aloud. “No, I didn’t think so. Get the fuck away from me!” he ordered to everyone. “There may be a Game tomorrow and I’m not losing because I was up all night dicking around with you assholes.”
His men obliged and the trio of remaining newcomers backed away slowly. They then quietly followed Rebecca back towards their own camp. Darius clamped his big arm around Steven’s shoulder and whispered into his ear, “Don’t worry about it, champ. I’ll help you take care of your wife.”
Steven didn’t know what to say, but instead of sleeping, he spent the rest of the night wondering why his wife had lied.
* * *
“I have to go, Steven,” Rebecca told him as she madly stuffed clothing and toiletries into a small backpack, “I’m sorry.”
“I understand you have to go,” he said. “No, wait…I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of this. You get a phone call in the middle of the night that you won’t tell me about and now you have to go to some undisclosed location and you can’t tell me about that either? Am I supposed to understand that, Rebecca?”
She paused and turned to him, a lone tear snaking down her cheek. “No, you’re not supposed to understand, and I’ll understand if you’re not here when I get back.”
He stepped to her and looped his arms around her shoulders, looking into her eyes. “You’re also crazy. I didn’t marry you to up and leave you at the drop of a hat.”
“But this is big.”
“Yeah.”
“And I’d understand.”
“It’s not happening, Rebecca. I’m just worried about you, and I don’t understand why you can’t tell me what’s going on. Are you in some sort of trouble?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
His wife was torn and he couldn’t understand why she was hiding this. She’d never hid anything from him—they’d never hid anything from each other. “Steven, pleas—just trust me.”
“I don’t have any other choice. I love you.”
“I’ll be back in a couple of weeks,” she told him, stroking his cheek. “And everything will be right by then.”
He nodded grimly and watched as his wife walked out the door to destinations and situations unknown to him.
* * *
Morning in the Cave was simple. People woke and relieved themselves, generally close to wherever they were, and if they had any food stashed away from the evening before, they ate. Children played as if the world they lived in, the Cave and its atrocities, was the right world, the proper place. Steven wondered if any of them actually managed to escape what they’d think of a school, or video games, or just not having to eat garbage and each other. Would they reject that life in favor of long pork?
Rebecca stirred, standing and stretching. Mia sat cross-legged, watching her and Steven.
“Good morning,” he said, forcing a smile.
“Hey.”
“Did you manage to sleep any?”
The right side of her face was covered in dried mud from where she’d slipped off her arm and landed in the mud, apparently without
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