Mason too. But who knew when they’d all get back? They couldn’t leave Eve in the tent forever.
“We’ll bury her tonight. Let anyone know if they want to come.”
“I’ll spread the word,” Joy said.
Aries took one last look at the tent. She could see Eve’s legs sticking out through the flap. They’d become tangled in her sleeping bag as she died. What last thoughts went through her mind as she’d taken the pills? Aries simply couldn’t understand it. Through this whole ordeal, even when things were at their worst, she’d never once thought about killing herself. All the pain and death only made her more determined to fight. To make the Baggers pay for everything they’d done. Obviously Eve hadn’t felt the same. Maybe through all her pain and suffering, ending things made sense. Either way, hopefully she was reunited with her brother again, along with the rest of her family.
“I have to go,” Aries said. “I have to deal with something else.”
She avoided looking her friends in the eyes as she turned, hoping they wouldn’t think she was taking the coward’s way out by leaving. She should be doing more, offering to help Jack dig the grave or taking over Joy’s kitchen duties while she told the others, but Aries knew if she didn’t sneak out now, she might not be able to get away. Once the news spread, everyone would be coming to her with questions she couldn’t answer. And today was going to be busy. Eve couldn’t have picked a worse day to die.
“It’s okay,” Jack said. He knew what Aries had planned. Thankfully he wasn’t going to try and talk her out of it again. They’d run that particular conversation into the ground ages ago.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She turned and walked away. Just like that. Leaving the others to clean up the mess. Selfish. Aries tried to swallow the guilt that welled up inside her chest. What Eve had done wasn’t a mess. It’s not like she’d planned on making things more difficult. No, she’d been a messed up girl, younger than all of them, and Aries was to blame. She should have paid more attention. She should have been there.
She should have prevented this.
“Aries?”
Martin came scampering behind her, struggling to keep a large pile of wood in his arms. An older man and former prisoner from the Plaza of Nations, he was a good guy, but not someone Aries wanted to talk to at that particular moment.
“Don’t forget the meeting tomorrow,” Martin said, his face red and sticky. Martin had been a computer programmer before the earthquakes. He survived with his wife, Betsy, a childcare worker. Aries often wondered how on earth they’d managed to survive. Martin was a good fifty pounds overweight and couldn’t make it up a small hill without breaking into a strong sweat. Betsy was the type to pick spiders up, take them outside and find them a nice tree to inhabit. They were good people, but not fighters.
“What time?” Aries tried to keep her voice cheerful. She didn’t want to be the one to tell Martin. It would finalize things too much and Aries didn’t trust herself to not start bawling any second. Jack would fill him in later.
“Noon.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Cool.” Martin paused to catch his breath and Aries waved.
Carefully, she slipped through the woods, making sure to sidestep the guards as she made her way along the path that led down towards the houses outside the park. No one noticed her, something that made her both happy and annoyed. If it were this easy to sneak out, it would be just as easy to come in. She made a mental note to bring the issue up for tomorrows meeting.
The Baggers wouldn’t be as discreet if they were going to attack. They
“We’ll bury her tonight. Let anyone know if they want to come.”
“I’ll spread the word,” Joy said.
Aries took one last look at the tent. She could see Eve’s legs sticking out through the flap. They’d become tangled in her sleeping bag as she died. What last thoughts went through her mind as she’d taken the pills? Aries simply couldn’t understand it. Through this whole ordeal, even when things were at their worst, she’d never once thought about killing herself. All the pain and death only made her more determined to fight. To make the Baggers pay for everything they’d done. Obviously Eve hadn’t felt the same. Maybe through all her pain and suffering, ending things made sense. Either way, hopefully she was reunited with her brother again, along with the rest of her family.
“I have to go,” Aries said. “I have to deal with something else.”
She avoided looking her friends in the eyes as she turned, hoping they wouldn’t think she was taking the coward’s way out by leaving. She should be doing more, offering to help Jack dig the grave or taking over Joy’s kitchen duties while she told the others, but Aries knew if she didn’t sneak out now, she might not be able to get away. Once the news spread, everyone would be coming to her with questions she couldn’t answer. And today was going to be busy. Eve couldn’t have picked a worse day to die.
“It’s okay,” Jack said. He knew what Aries had planned. Thankfully he wasn’t going to try and talk her out of it again. They’d run that particular conversation into the ground ages ago.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She turned and walked away. Just like that. Leaving the others to clean up the mess. Selfish. Aries tried to swallow the guilt that welled up inside her chest. What Eve had done wasn’t a mess. It’s not like she’d planned on making things more difficult. No, she’d been a messed up girl, younger than all of them, and Aries was to blame. She should have paid more attention. She should have been there.
She should have prevented this.
“Aries?”
Martin came scampering behind her, struggling to keep a large pile of wood in his arms. An older man and former prisoner from the Plaza of Nations, he was a good guy, but not someone Aries wanted to talk to at that particular moment.
“Don’t forget the meeting tomorrow,” Martin said, his face red and sticky. Martin had been a computer programmer before the earthquakes. He survived with his wife, Betsy, a childcare worker. Aries often wondered how on earth they’d managed to survive. Martin was a good fifty pounds overweight and couldn’t make it up a small hill without breaking into a strong sweat. Betsy was the type to pick spiders up, take them outside and find them a nice tree to inhabit. They were good people, but not fighters.
“What time?” Aries tried to keep her voice cheerful. She didn’t want to be the one to tell Martin. It would finalize things too much and Aries didn’t trust herself to not start bawling any second. Jack would fill him in later.
“Noon.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Cool.” Martin paused to catch his breath and Aries waved.
Carefully, she slipped through the woods, making sure to sidestep the guards as she made her way along the path that led down towards the houses outside the park. No one noticed her, something that made her both happy and annoyed. If it were this easy to sneak out, it would be just as easy to come in. She made a mental note to bring the issue up for tomorrows meeting.
The Baggers wouldn’t be as discreet if they were going to attack. They
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