Between Two Worlds
You Eat, You Work

A series of natural disasters, the books said, not a war, had caused the issues. The planet that had once loved and nourished her inhabitants had awoken one day and punished them. She had awoken angry and had taken out that anger on those who had taken her for granted. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, and rising water levels; most of the land was no longer habitable for human life. Eventually, the waters receded, and the ground calmed, but the land was no longer recognizable to what little human life remained. Everly Station was built a few years later, on a site called a zoo. The animals had escaped, so the buildings were dismantled and salvaged to build the town. Unfortunately, the woods became dangerous thanks to the many new predators that now roamed free. So, the people rigged the electric wiring to the metal entrance gate, for protection. It’s no wonder that Wolfe was being so protective of Lou.

I stop, stand upright, and stretch; I have farming duty today. Every person, no matter how many days they stay, is required by the town’s laws to work in some form. ‘You eat the food; you do the work’. It’s not a particularly clever saying, but it does get the point across. With the massive amount of nomadic people coming through, I guess it makes sense. Otherwise, people would eat and eat, until there was no food left. The small handful of constants, the people who never leave, would never be able to farm enough food, by themselves. I’m assuming everyone follows that school of thought.

I’ve been out here hoeing the garden for the past five hours, and I probably have another five hours or so of work, left. I wipe the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. I would rather be out here, sweating, than inside doing kitchen duty. I can cook just fine, but it’s the middle of summer, it’s hot, and the kitchen doesn’t have enough cool breezes blowing through it, for my taste. Hot air, hot ovens, and sweaty bodies make for a horribly fragrant combination. I don’t have to work in the kitchen to know that; I caught a whiff of that fragrance the other day.

It’s been a week since I first woke up here. I guess the other world, with the lottery, the Ghemin, and the experiments was just a bad dream brought on by a head injury. Although I can’t figure out why I still don’t remember much before the fall. It’s a bad feeling not remembering anything. Wolfe thinks it will all come back to me at some point, but I’m not so sure. All I know for sure is that I’m glad that I have my brother, again. That dream world was a dark and scary place, that I hope to never return to.

I look up at the sky, the sun is shining overhead. Lunchtime. I lay the hoe down and pick my way to the end of the field, carefully stepping over rows of varying vegetables, and sitting down under the apple tree that marks the beginning of the fruit orchards. I pick up the small black box, sitting on the ground next to me, and open it up. I pull out my water bottle and start chugging the water until I am gasping for air. Next, I pull out a small bowl of cantaloupe and watermelon, a bowl of sliced tomatoes, and a piece of meat sandwiched in between two slices of bread. I eat my food, not really in any hurry to get back to work.

I replace myself staring at the section of field I was just working in, and I catch sight of movement not far from me. I see a dark-colored bird hopping around on the ground. The bird draws my attention and I watch as it does a sort of odd-looking dance, hopping in circles, and pecking. Something spooks it because it suddenly takes flight, and as it passes over my head, I get a glimpse of yellow feathers. I have spent so much time running in fear from nature, that I forgot just how beautiful it can be. I stare off into the distance, my food eaten, not really looking at anything in particular. My mind wanders and I enjoy the peace the fields bring.

A loud bang echoes through the orchard and I jump, startled. I guess I fell asleep. According to the position of the sun, I must have been asleep for an hour or two. Great. Good job, Rayanna. Thanks to your snooze, you will still be attempting this at dusk. I could just kick myself for my own stupidity. I quickly glance around me to see if I can replace whatever made the banging noise, but I don’t see anything. “Oh, well.” I sigh to myself, “back to the old grind mill.”

I climb back to my feet, walk to where I left the hoe, pick it up, and continue the strenuous work of cutting and pulling the weeds out of the community garden. The sun is just starting to set when I finally finish my work. I carry the hoe to the shed and put it away, before returning for my lunchbox. I am heading back to my sleeping quarters, past the entrance to town, when it happens. Had I not dozed off earlier, I would have been safely asleep in my bed already and wouldn’t have seen anything. Instead, I happen to be near the gate when I hear a series of roars. Luckily, the gates are closed and electrified at this time of day. When I turn my head, I see it; large, brown, and cat like. A lioness stands near the gates, and I hear at least two more, roaring, nearby.