Gloom
Part 1 of a Post-Apocalyptic Mini-Series
He squinted longingly at the pocket torch, before heaving a rat, a head of lettuce, and a tub of crunchy tarantulas onto the bench. A week’s worth of food.
“That’s the best I can do.”
“Not even any beansprouts?”
“Not even if I wanted to. Two newcomers yesterday. Glen thought we oughta use the last of our supply to feed them. Wanted to help them out.”
“He needs to stop doing that.”
“Preaching to the fucken choir, mate. Now, do we have a deal or what?”
I bit my lip, looked at the rat. It was plump. Hairless too.
“It’s a good torch,” I barter. “Battery’s full too. I checked.”
“You’re not getting any more than this.”
“Then I’ll go somewhere else.”
“To get anywhere else, you’ll have to use the blasted thing you’re trying to sell, and at that point they won’t want it. This is your one and only deal.”
“No, then I need more,” I said. “The runs are getting harder. All our old spots are getting blocked up. I won’t make it up and back with this.”
“If you’re asking for generosity then you’ve come to the wrong guy.”
“I’m asking for an extended investment in one of your best scavengers.”
“Yeah, and what if that scavenger uses the food to survive a trip to another camp, or gets killed before he’s eaten half of it. You know I don’t do shit like this.”
“Then what’s it going to take?”
“You could always do that charger job.”
“No fucking way.”
“Someone’s got to.”
“Not me. Like I said, one of your best scavengers, not human sacrifice.”
“You’d be earning a lot more than just a couple rats. Not to mention the respect of these people. How do you think Glen got to be in charge? Sure wasn’t by bringing pocket torches back. Gotta do something big.”
I look over his shoulder into the sewer gardens. People’s face illuminated by dim red and blue. Poor, hungry, wilting. Do I want to be their king? Or is their respect worth my betrayal, a reaping of their crops.
“Yeah, well, I’m not sure they’d respect a dead man.”
“Fine. Then you’ll have to settle for this offer.”
He held the rat up in one hand, and an unfolding solar panel in the other. The rat’s eyes were so beady, so inviting. They begged me to stay in this life forever. But that solar panel…
I knew I’d already made my mind up, now it was just about finding the courage to grab it.
“Which one is it?”
I snatched the solar panel.
“Fuck you.”
“Attaboy.”