The Bane by Keary Taylor

Author:Keary Taylor [Taylor, Keary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BA
Publisher: Keary Taylor Books
Published: 2013-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-ONE

Bill and Graye headed off to the south while West and I headed east. Now that I had figured out I could be around West again without attacking him, I had agreed to let Gabriel put him back in our scouting group.

The sun beat down on us with an intensity that was beyond miserable. Had I felt pain like the rest of everyone I was sure my sunburned skin would make it beyond uncomfortable to move, much less go on an entire scouting operation.

West and I walked silently through the woods, eyes searching the tree line. Birds chirped in an annoying afternoon chat. Insects hummed. But there were no other sounds. No traces of any Bane.

“Clear?” West whispered, clutching his rifle tightly in his hands.

“Clear,” I said as we finished sweeping around the perimeter of the gardens. West waited at the bottom while I scaled the biggest nearby tree. When I reached the top, I shook its branches with as much force as I possessed. The entire top half of the tree swayed.

One hundred yards away I saw a figure wave at me. They knew it was safe to come work.

I dropped down to the ground and straightened my pack. We had to be more careful than ever these days. The Bane obviously knew where the gardens where and must know we would be nearby. It wouldn’t be too difficult for them to track us down now, using the gardens as a trap. That was why we scouted the area every morning first, before a small crew came to tend.

Not that there was much to tend anymore. The heat wave wasn’t letting up and everything was withering away. Soon there would be nothing left.

West and I set out to the north again.

“What do you think is going to happen to us now?” West said quietly as we walked.

I didn’t answer for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts. “Eventually we’re going to have to move. Sooner than later.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s obvious. We have supplies for a while but winter is coming. We don’t have enough to last that long. We’re going to have to move where it’s warmer or we’re going to starve to death,” I said as I stepped over a log. “We have natural resources here, animals to hunt, but it’s not going to be enough to sustain everyone through the entire winter.”

West was quiet for a while. “Have you talked to Gabriel about this? You’re right, but he’s going to have to be the one to initiate it.”

“I will,” I said as I readjusted my grip on the shotgun in my hands. “The problem is, how do we move that many people without being spotted by Bane? How do we move that many supplies at once?”

“That’s a good question,” he said quietly as his eyes jerked to the right. A squirrel scampered down a tree.

I briefly considered shooting the animal. I decided against it. With as little meat it would provide it wouldn’t be worth the ammunition.

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