Survivors

Four hours later they were sat round the campfire with the others eating the thin bean soup that was pretty much their staple diet. The mood of the camp seemed to be fairly normal, so it was pretty obvious that Darius hadn’t told anyone about the loss of the card... yet! People were joking with them; they asked them what they’d been up to, they checked they were okay and generally showed the usual level of care that they had come to expect and even take for granted. These were generally genuinely good people, without being do-gooders. So on the paper thin face of things everything was normal.

The only obviously odd thing about the day (apart from all the stuff you already know about) was that Darius wasn’t with them for the meal and he hadn’t arrived to take their “lesson”. They and some of the other adults met every day for about an hour to sit with Darius for their “lesson”. These lessons weren’t really lessons that were more like “informative chats”. They covered everything; they did a bit of maths, a little chemistry, physics, history and lots and lots of reading. Darius had found a library in one part of the Wastelands, so getting books was no problem at all. Darius was an absolute book monster. His shack was home to hundreds of the things. He always had at least a couple of books on the go at any one time. He just loved to get people reading and for Darius it didn’t really matter what they read; fiction, fact, faction, historical, theological, scientific, technical ... absolutely anything at all, as long as they read.

What Darius loved the most was after they had read that they then discussed and debated what they thought about what they had read. Sometimes these debates got pretty heated. Those moments of “heat” were priceless because it allowed them to forget, just for a little while, the grim world they lived in. Discussing the various merits of Dickens, Harper Lee, and Pinter could pass a couple of hours. The debate of whether Chekhov plays were actually funny, or possibly just as dull as they first appeared went on for days! It was a huge treat just to talk to lose yourself for a while, and in loosing yourself you were able to hide from a world where all the theme parks, sweetshops and playing fields were gone forever.

Darius loved these lessons, so it was a sign of just how bad things must be that he’d missed it. Mamma had told them that Darius had been some sort of a lecturer before the Aliens came. That made complete sense because he was brilliant at getting you thinking and learning without even realising it. So there had been no lesson today and now there was no sign of Darius around the campfire. None of this was good news!

Mamma sidled up to Luke and sat down next to him on his bench “And how are we feeling now?” She asked.

“Better”

She looked him up and down, “You don’t look that much better to me. Not better on the inside, always shows as not better on the outside” she said tapping her nose and smiling like she had just told him a great secret.

“I know” he replied, “Look Mamma, I really don’t think I can talk about it... I’m sorry”

“That’s okay” she said, giving his knee a squeeze “You tell me when you want to, you always know where I am.”

Just then the Dane loomed over them. He looked worried, so perhaps Darius had at least told him about the lost card, and Luke felt his guts instinctively tighten with nerves.

“Have you seen Darius?” he asked anxiously looking around.

“Not me” said Mamma.

“I saw him this afternoon” said Luke. His guts began to relax a little, if the Dane was looking for Darius then he probably didn’t know yet. The Dane was a fearsome sight when he was angry, and had dealt Luke and Joe a cuff round the ear more than once. He’d probably only meant it as a tap, but he was such a big powerful man that the boys had always been left with a ringing in their ears and feeling slightly dizzy.

“Why don’t you sit and have a bit of soup with us” said Mamma, shuffling up towards Luke on the bench making room for the Dane.

He looked at the space for a moment and then seemed to make up his mind “Thanks but no” he said “I need to find Darius” and with that he strode off into the gathering gloom.

“Well, I’ll be” said Mamma gazing after him “Now when a man like the Dane is off his food, he’s either mighty sick, or mighty worried. I think I might go and see if there’s anything I can find out”. She gave Luke a comedy conspiratorial wink and followed after the Dane

Around the campfire there was the usual hubbub of voices as people chatted over their days exploits. Their little victories, their little losses and their little hopes and fears for the weeks to come. Nobody looked too far ahead anymore. What was the point? The long term things people used to plan for no longer existed, no mortgages, no pensions, and no universities to send your kids to. People now lived day to day, week to week and season to season. It had all become very normal and in a way all very reassuring because it now was all so normal.

A few people strummed guitars and sang little bursts of songs they’d either remembered from the old days or written for themselves. In all honesty, given the fact that they had no regular source of food, no real sanitation, no proper homes and an alien race in charge of the earth, life in Darius’ camp was about as good as it could be. This was a testament to Darius. He’d created this place and it was his will power that kept it what it was. The loss of the card wouldn’t finish the camp but it would certainly make life a lot more difficult.

Joe and Holly realised this, but not in the same way that Luke did. He felt his guilt building into a brooding resentment. He put his bean stew to one side. Somehow it suddenly tasted just too bitter to eat.