Day 6
November, 2031
Marley paced up and down the conference room, hands behind her back. The Hellmares were coming to take their food tomorrow, and she hadn't found a way around it.
"Marley, what are you doing? You're making a face," Lilly asked, leaning forward on her elbows. The captain accepted the decision forced on them, but she wasn't ready to do that yet.
"Thinking of a way to get out of this," Marley replied, continuing to pace. Lilly rolled her eyes, sighing.
"You're stubborn as a mule, you know that? There's no way to get out of this. We have to give the Hellmares food, or they'll attack us. It's as simple as that," the fighter told her. She didn't respond, still thinking. Lilly let out another sigh, standing up. "You know, it's Jaden's birthday today. The others want to throw her a surprise party. I think it will help boost morale". Marley nodded mindlessly, tapping her fingers.
"Sure, go ahead and plan one. Talk to Storm about the food. You can ask her, Ujani, and Delilah about gifts, if possible. They're friends," she replied. Her mind was still on the Hellmares, though. What if they gave them crates filled with rocks painted to look like potatoes, instead? No, that wouldn't work. Lilly let out an annoyed sound, before walking over to the leader.
"SNAP OUT OF IT," she ordered, shaking her friend's shoulders. "It's Jaden's birthday, and you're stuck on something that can't be avoided. At least pretend to be focused for the others. They need this". Marley nodded, a bit ashamed. Lilly was right. She couldn't do anything about the Hellmares, but she could help throw Jaden a good party. They needed to show everyone that nothing would change, no matter what happened.
"Alright, I get it. Let's go talk to Storm first. We can talk to Jaden and Jon, too. We'll make it look like we're asking about the squash," she said, focused. Lilly grinned, pushing the leader towards the door.
"There's the Marley we all know and love. Now, let's get out of this stupid room. No time to waste!" She lead the way out of the building, over to the fields where the squash was being harvested. Marley checked her watch, making sure that Jaden would still be on watch duty. Good, they had another hour. Clearing her throat, she clasped her hands behind her back, watching the farmers work. They immediately stood up, turning to face her. Jaden even saluted. Jon looked slightly worried, probably thinking they were in trouble.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to yell at you. You guys are doing great. I'm actually here to talk to you about Jaden's birthday," Marley told them. Storm grinned, dusting the soil off of her pants.
"Perfect. Delilah and Duncan snagged some decorations on the last scavenging trip. I think Delilah has them," the farmer replied.
"Well, actually, I was coming to see about the food. Do you think we could have anything other than potatoes or squash?" Marley said, slipping her hands into her pockets. Storm motioned for them to follow her, as she headed into the warehouse part of the building, which stored all of the food.
"You can look through the canned goods. We might have some canned fruits, maybe some beans. You'll just have to see," the farmer told them. Marley nodded, and Storm went back to the fields.
"Let's see, we have chili, chili, chili, beans, and chili . . ." Lilly listed, sorting through the cans. She frowned, handing one to Marley. "There's really no variety, is there?" Marley rolled the can back and forth between her hands.
"So chili then. At least we have enough to feed everyone," she replied, setting the can back on the shelf. "I'll have Duncan and Kefira come down here and cook some of it. We still have some industrial pots lying around". Lilly nodded, and followed Marley out of the warehouse. They headed towards the gate, where Kefira and Delilah were on duty. Delilah was the first to look up, blinking tiredly.
"Marley, Lilly, are you going on a scouting mission? I didn't think we had any scheduled for today," she asked. Marley shook her head, putting her hands in her pockets.
"This is about Storm's birthday. Delilah, I heard you got some decorations. Can you put them up? And Kefira, could you get Duncan and go cook enough chili for the entire group? It'd really help," she said. Delilah nodded enthusiastically, while Kefira shrugged.
"Sure, why not? But you'll have to take gate duty," she replied. Marley nodded, and Kefira got up and sprinted away. Delilah stood up, smiling.
"Thanks for doing this. It's pretty cool," she said softly. Then she set off for the main building, leaving Marley and Lilly by the gate.
"I'm sitting down," Lilly told Marley. She sat down in the shade, staring out across the deserted area. All that was left to do was wait.
"Come on, Jaden, open your gift!" Ujani exclaimed, pushing the red box towards the healer. Jaden shook her head, grinning happily.
"Okay, fine," she said, taking the lid off of the box. She pulled out a new pair of running shoes, turning them over in her hands. "Where did you find these?! And how did you know mine were getting worn?" She took off her old shoes, putting on the new ones. "Thanks, guys. For the party, for the shoes, for everything. I mean it". Suddenly, the conference room door slammed open, and Kefira and Duncan came in carrying a large pot of chili.
"Who knew that cooking was so hard?" Duncan asked, breathless. Kefira nudged him, as they set the pot down on the table.
"Everyone, you idiot. Literally everyone," she replied teasingly. Duncan rolled his eyes, taking the stack of bowls off of the table.
"Whatever. You're just lucky that I stopped the chili from burning," he retorted, scooping chili into one of the bowls. He passed it to Jaden, who waited patiently for everyone else to get their food. "The red streamers look cool, by the way. Good job Delilah". The worker grinned, leaning back in her chair proudly. As the talk continued, Marley checked her watch, sighing. It was time for the pick up. She tapped Lilly's shoulder, then slipped out of the room. Her captain followed, as she went down the stairs and into the cool desert night. When they got to the gate, a group of Hellmares were already waiting, leaning against their bikes. Three trucks were parked behind them. One of them, a blond haired, blue eyed man, walked forward.
"My name is Karsh. I'm the leader of the Hellmares. Now, if you'd just bring the food out, my people will pack it up. Quickly, if you would," he demanded, arrogantly crossing his arms. Marley fumed, but didn't say anything. She just turned around, dragging out the cart piled with rations.
"Take it. Just leave my group alone," she ordered. Karsh waved for his people to come take the food, as he pulled out a letter from his pocket. He handed it to her, and got on his bike.
"We'll be seeing more of each other, Marlene Fitzgerald. Until next time," he said, with a light smirk. Then he let out a loud whistle, and he drove off, the other motorcycles and the three trucks closely following him. Marley opened the letter, able to read it thanks to the full moon.
We'll need twenty packages of medicine as well. The deadline is next month. Better start collecting.
- Karsh
Marley crumpled the letter in her hand, looking towards Lilly furiously.
"One day. One day, we will be strong enough to fight back".
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