Moon Deeds by Palmer Pickering

Author:Palmer Pickering [Pickering, Palmer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Publisher: Mythology Press
Published: 2019-05-24T22:00:00+00:00

21

REFUGEE CAMP

Cassidy glanced behind her at the massive hangar and resisted the urge to run inside and board the next ship back to Earth. Instead she placed one foot in front of the other and headed down the road. Spoke Road Nine was long and straight, carving a wide channel between clusters of identical tents. An occasional group of haggard men trudged past them. They looked numbingly bored. Their eyes followed her as she walked down the road.

The surface of the moon was not white or golden like she’d imagined, but soot gray like ash from a fireplace. She’d determined that the subtle smell of gunpowder was just how the dust smelled. A barren landscape stretched beyond the edges of the dome, a vast, colorless desert in sharp contrast to Earth, which glistened a brilliant blue and gold. The beautiful planet was a prison for her parents, who were suddenly and irrevocably separated from her and Torr.

She lifted her eyes to the stars that seemed to glow brighter the longer she gazed at them. Their music streamed like the rushing of her blood, pushing its way into her awareness. The star music seemed louder out here than on Earth. She tilted her head, trying to discern the direction of its source. Did it come from one star, or all the stars? Was it one sound, or many? It seemed to come from everywhere, like an orchestra in a great hall. She scanned the horizon, turning in a circle to take it all in. Yes, it was definitely louder at the horizon. When she tilted her head back to look up, the volume lessened a tiny bit. She lowered her eyes to the horizon again and the strange music subtly amplified and gained clarity, like tuning into a radio frequency.

Torr waited for her as she circled slowly. His joy had subsided, as had hers, worry creasing his brow. They were alone in this strange, hostile place, and were never going home. She put on a brave face for him and shuffled along at his side, checking out the tent city.

Lengths of canvas covered the ground in front of some tents, displaying a random collection of wares. They looked to be secondhand items from Earth. A few people were picking through them. A man pulled a small wagon loaded with mason jars of yellow liquid, and called out, “Sun tea. Sun tea for sale!”

“Piss tea,” a man walking near them muttered.

“Ewww,” Cassidy said, wrinkling her nose. She wondered how thirsty people had to get to drink their own urine, though she supposed all moisture here was recycled.

They came upon an intersection and a road sign marked Ring Road L. The ring road arced away on either side. The next crossroad was Ring Road K. More tarps were spread on the ground, filled with a motley collection of used clothing tinged with the pervasive dust. Most everyone wore faded army surplus gear, whereas she had obviously just arrived from Earth. From the looks

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