The Cost of Survival by J. L. Stowers

Author:J. L. Stowers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: post apocalyptic, postapocalyptic, colonization, end of the world, global infertility, new world, new earth
Publisher: Sixth Moon Publishing
Published: 2017-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

All my love,

Taia

Chapter 12

Walt finished the entry and checked his watch. It was nearly time for the dinner meeting. He tucked away the books and secured his bag with a small lock he had brought with him, safely tucking the key into his pocket. After freshening himself up using the small sink, Walt stepped out into the courtyard and lightly knocked on Caitlyn’s door. She promptly answered and let him in. Caitlyn’s room mirrored Walt’s, but she had already added her personal touches. The framed photograph from her tent was on the small nightstand. Her bag was nowhere to be seen, so Walt was sure she had unpacked.

“Ready for dinner, Cait?” he asked her as his eyes glanced around the space.

“You bet.” Caitlyn smiled, grabbing a notepad and pen from a drawer.

Together they stepped out of the apartment and saw Ivan approaching them on the walkway. He gave a nod before gesturing for them to follow. He led them down to the ground level of the courtyard and then through a large door. It wasn’t far to get to the dining hall.

The room was set up much like a cafeteria. Long tables with connected benches had been unfolded from their cubbies and created neat lines through the room. The trio joined the end of the line that had formed on the perimeter of the large space. Slowly, the line worked its way to a buffet area, where several crewmembers were serving scoops of various foods onto the trays of Titan’s general population. A sign above the buffet area indicated they were serving ‘Group 2.’

Caitlyn nudged Walt with her elbow when the captain entered the cafeteria and took her place at the end of the line.

Walt and Caitlyn’s place in line continued to crawl forward until, at last, they reached the buffet area. They each selected a compartmentalized tray and proceeded down the line. Walt was a little dismayed to discover the food didn’t appear to be as delicious as he had hoped. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed a home-cooked meal, and it looked as though things weren’t about to change. The first thing plopped down on his tray with a less than satisfying splat was a scoopful of beans, followed by mashed potatoes, rice, and some sort of blended vegetable medley. The only thing that seemed remotely appetizing was the freshly baked roll he received at the end of the line. Caitlyn seemed equally unsatisfied with her meal, if not more, as she pursed her lips while looking down at her tray. They collected their utensils and a reusable cloth napkin at the end of the line before turning to locate an empty space at the end of a table.

They still hadn’t touched their dinners when the captain seated herself next to Caitlyn. Her immediate burst of laugher startled Walt and Caitlyn, as well as the group of people who had just sat down at the table behind them.

“Not what you were expecting?” Captain Agnew grinned.

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