The Harvest by K. Makansi

Author:K. Makansi [Makansi, K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: K. Makansi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

15 - VALE

Spring 79, SA 106, 16h04

Gregorian Calendar: June 6

In the golden hour of the evening, the overgrown yard, drenched in yellow and green, begins to look like a fairyland. Remy and I crouch in the bushes about fifty meters from her grandfather’s house under the shade of a giant old oak tree. As we left Snake’s, I contacted Soren on our walkie-talkies and told him to meet us at Kanaan Alexander’s old house. Kanaan’s place is a little over twenty-five kilometers from Okaria’s last POD station, and since we took the oiseau while Soren, Osprey, and Saara travel on foot, we’ve arrived first. After Demeter confirmed the house was abandoned, everyone agreed it would be a good spot to lie low for a few days. There’s only one problem: the place isn’t abandoned. It looks like someone’s made themselves at home.

There aren’t any obvious signs of habitation, no hovercar parked outside, no smoke drifting up from the chimney, no porch light on, but there are more subtle signs. There’s an antenna going up from the roof, for instance, that Remy claims wasn’t there before. A well-trod path through the grass that leads to the back gate. And a pile of compost around the side of the house that includes fresh onion peel and squash pulp. We’re sitting on our haunches, trying to decide what to do, when we catch a glimpse of movement inside.

“See that?” Remy whispers. “Someone’s definitely in there.”

“A trap? Or just someone squatting?”

“Whoever it is, we need to warn Soren to approach the area with caution.”

“Wait here. I’ll head back out of earshot and contact him.”

Remy unclips the walkie-talkie from her belt and hands it to me. She gives me a silent nod, but before I leave our hiding place and head back through the brambles, she tugs my arm and whispers, “Why don’t you circle around and see if you can get a better read on the situation from the other side of the property.”

“Good idea,” I say. “Be back soon.”

I navigate down the unkempt path until I’m certain I’m well out of earshot. Then I signal Soren, giving him the news. They figure they’re still about ten kilometers out and won’t arrive for another two hours or so if they keep up their current pace.

After signing off, I creep as quietly as possible around the other side of the house. As I go, I can see the dock jutting out over the water, the spot where Remy and I first kissed, and I think of the photo Eli showed me the day I left Windy Pines. The photo of him and Tai and me and Remy sitting right there, without a care in the world. A stab of pain slices through me, lamenting that lost innocence, that childhood naiveté none of us will ever get back.

I glance across the yard toward the clump of bushes where I know Remy is waiting, watching. Before me, there’s a wide open space I need to cross. I

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