Survival

Chapter 29 Stick Together

Vita’s face dropped when Cynthia told her that they needed to leave Nouveau Depart. How could they leave? The food here made Vita forget they were living in some post apocalyptic world. They could be at summer camp as if she were twelve and the world still sparkled. She could still cling to the naive notion that all people could be good. The other reality was hard to stomach.

She kept her eyes on Cynthia after she had spoken with Mr. M. He must have told her miserable news because any trace of fight or hope had packed its bag and ran fast from her vacant face. Her shaking hand spooned tomato soup past her dry lips. Winston kept trying to crack jokes to bring a smile to her face, but she remained shell shocked. Poor kid.

Winston sighed and let his strong smile fade. “Mom, why do we need to leave? My friends are here and it’s safe.”

“We need to talk to a few people tonight and then we’ll see what we do.”

“Why can’t you just let me sleep here and come back in the morning? I’ll be alright here; Mr. M takes care of us real good.”

Vita wasn’t sure how Cynthia could turn down her boy’s gentle pout and sad eyes. He was such a sweetheart. Her mind began to drift. Would she be having a boy or a girl? Would it have her blonde hair or Rob’s awful shaved brown hair? Cynthia’s voice brought her back.

“Because I’m your family, and family sticks together.”

“We haven’t been together like a family for a long time. Why do we have to start now?”

Her spoon clattered against the ceramic bowl and her face went completely blank. She took a few deeps breaths before standing up and leaving the dining area. Vita’s eyes shifted to the ripples in the tomato soup bowl and the splashes on the plastic table top. Not much different from the blood that had been splattered on the streets and in homes. Cynthia had saved her from a fate like that, as had Petyon and Holly. She needed to repay the favour.

“You should listen to your mom,” Vita said.

Winston shrugged and his shoulder slumped further. “I don’t want to go.”

“Your mom’s a smart lady.”

“Then why does she want to go back out there? It’s not safe, and I’m scared to leave. She should be too.”

“We’ve been living out there, Winston. It’s not so bad, and it’s not forever,” she tried to say convincingly.

She fought to keep her thoughts from wandering and betraying her falsities. Rob’s sadistic smile flashed before her eyes encircled by flames and her hands rushed to her nearly flat stomach. All the nights Gunnar had spent tearing her spirit down threatened to bring tears to her eyes. He couldn’t see how much she resented herself, how she had only done this to survive. Nothing more. He still treated her like a common whore. Maybe, that was what she had been.

Vita didn’t want to leave this place either. This was a community she could actually contribute to, without taking advantage of the actions of resources of others. She could pull her own weight, have a safe place for the baby and maybe have a shot at happiness, if her memory was able to pull it out of the archives.

“Maybe I should go talk to her,” his eyes wandered off in the distance.

Around the dining area, more people began to crowd the area and their eyes all focused on her. She brought her next spoonful of soup to her lips with care. She needed to ease her trembling hand. Too much unwelcome attention. Moments later, the attractive, goateed man sat across from her.

“You and Cynthia are a popular attraction tonight. It’s not too often we get fresh faced women around here. We find far more male survivors typically. Don’t worry, they’re all harmless.”