Vita’s face dropped when Cynthia told her that they needed to leave Nouveau Depart. How could they leave? The food here made Vita forget they were living in some post apocalyptic world. They could be at summer camp as if she were twelve and the world still sparkled. She could still cling to the naive notion that all people could be good. The other reality was hard to stomach.

She kept her eyes on Cynthia after she had spoken with Mr. M. He must have told her miserable news because any trace of fight or hope had packed its bag and ran fast from her vacant face. Her shaking hand spooned tomato soup past her dry lips. Winston kept trying to crack jokes to bring a smile to her face, but she remained shell shocked. Poor kid.

Winston sighed and let his strong smile fade. “Mom, why do we need to leave? My friends are here and it’s safe.”

“We need to talk to a few people tonight and then we’ll see what we do.”

“Why can’t you just let me sleep here and come back in the morning? I’ll be alright here; Mr. M takes care of us real good.”

Vita wasn’t sure how Cynthia could turn down her boy’s gentle pout and sad eyes. He was such a sweetheart. Her mind began to drift. Would she be having a boy or a girl? Would it have her blonde hair or Rob’s awful shaved brown hair? Cynthia’s voice brought her back.

“Because I’m your family, and family sticks together.”

“We haven’t been together like a family for a long time. Why do we have to start now?”

Her spoon clattered against the ceramic bowl and her face went completely blank. She took a few deeps breaths before standing up and leaving the dining area. Vita’s eyes shifted to the ripples in the tomato soup bowl and the splashes on the plastic table top. Not much different from the blood that had been splattered on the streets and in homes. Cynthia had saved her from a fate like that, as had Petyon and Holly. She needed to repay the favour.

“You should listen to your mom,” Vita said.

Winston shrugged and his shoulder slumped further. “I don’t want to go.”

“Your mom’s a smart lady.”

“Then why does she want to go back out there? It’s not safe, and I’m scared to leave. She should be too.”

“We’ve been living out there, Winston. It’s not so bad, and it’s not forever,” she tried to say convincingly.

She fought to keep her thoughts from wandering and betraying her falsities. Rob’s sadistic smile flashed before her eyes encircled by flames and her hands rushed to her nearly flat stomach. All the nights Gunnar had spent tearing her spirit down threatened to bring tears to her eyes. He couldn’t see how much she resented herself, how she had only done this to survive. Nothing more. He still treated her like a common whore. Maybe, that was what she had been.

Vita didn’t want to leave this place either. This was a community she could actually contribute to, without taking advantage of the actions of resources of others. She could pull her own weight, have a safe place for the baby and maybe have a shot at happiness, if her memory was able to pull it out of the archives.

“Maybe I should go talk to her,” his eyes wandered off in the distance.

Around the dining area, more people began to crowd the area and their eyes all focused on her. She brought her next spoonful of soup to her lips with care. She needed to ease her trembling hand. Too much unwelcome attention. Moments later, the attractive, goateed man sat across from her.

“You and Cynthia are a popular attraction tonight. It’s not too often we get fresh faced women around here. We find far more male survivors typically. Don’t worry, they’re all harmless.”

“There are probably more women out there.”

“Of course, but women tend to be less nomadic by nature and stick with a close group, as you two have done.”

Vita took in his words for a moment. She hadn’t been alone for a moment since the disaster. Weeks transitioned from being Rob’s plaything to Cynthia’s charity case. She sighed with downcast eyes, knowing the news she’d have to deliver to the defeated woman shortly. But, she needed to do it. It was time to take control of her future.

“I want a job here. I don’t want a free ride or your pity.”

“We expect that of any person your age living here.”

“Am I free to come and go as I please?”

“It isn’t recommended for your own safety, but it won’t be forbidden. What kind of skills can you offer?”

“I wouldn’t mind working the kitchen. Preferably lunch or supper shifts.”

Mr. M’s lips eased into a gentle smile. “Of course, we’ll try our best to accommodate your condition. We want your delivery to go as smoothly as possible.” He reached across the table and took hold of her hand gently. “I wasn’t lying when I told you our community will help you raise your baby. Life is meant to be celebrated, without it, we have no future. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances were, good homes raise good children.” He released her hand while his smile remained fixed on his lips.

Vita’s heart soared as she bit her lip and nodded. Optimism looked good and she wanted a slice. “Do you have any new clothes that I can wear?” She tugged at the crop top that certainly wouldn’t help to conceal her condition in the coming months.

“Of course. I’ll have someone get you an outfit. Chris.” He gestured to a boy her age who probably would have come running without being called after watching their whole exchange.

“Yes, Mr. M?”

“Could you be so kind as to find two clean outfits for Vita?”

“Absolutely!” he said with a gleaming smile and he took off running.

“He’s a good kid,” Mr. M said. She couldn’t discern if it was a suggestion or a warning.

At the other end of the warehouse, Cynthia sighed as Winston’s pleas grew harder and harder to ignore. Why couldn’t he see she had his best interest at heart?  Under no circumstance would she leave him behind again, not after abandoning them during the disaster. Little good came from putting work before her family, and now she knew what took priority. After losing John, there would be no gray area.

“Mom needs to talk to a few people before we decide to stay here. You understand that, don’t you, baby?”

Winston’s forehead creased. “Then call them.”

“Phones don’t work anymore. They are about twenty minutes away; it won’t take long to get there.”

His big lips trembled and he shook his head. “It’s scary out there mom. It still gives me nightmares.”

Cynthia kneeled down and clutched his tense body to her chest. He grabbed handfuls of her scrubs and snuggled his head into the crook of her shoulder. The warmth of his body washed a wave of calm over her. He smelled clean, something she hadn’t experienced in awhile. Before she could stop it, sobs crawled up her throat and to escape into this strange new world. They rocked side to side to a silent melody, the sweet sound of reunion.

It took fifteen minutes for the sobs to ease and her body to willingly let go of her baby. She’d talk to Vita and see what could be arranged. She could tell that her son had been well treated over the past months, but the thought of separation made her mind go blank and vision cloud over. In the end, the fear of an agent outside these walls hurting her baby growled louder than the stress of leaving him in relatively safe hands.

“It is scary out there Winston, but the scariest thing of all would be to lose you again.”

“I won’t go anywhere, I promise. I’ll wait in the front area for as long as it takes. My friends can bring all my meals to me so you’ll see me as soon as you come back. I’ll even pee in a jar.”

Cynthia began to laugh and as she did, more tears fell down. She sighed and smoothed out his tight curls and he grimaced like he would have months ago when she fussed over him.

“So I can stay?”

“Only if Vita stays with you.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve known her longer than these people and it makes her easier to trust. If something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. Let’s go find her.”

Winston jutted out his bottom lip and fiddled with his pants pockets. “Are you upset because of what happened to dad?”

“Of course baby, I love your father very much and it’s... I don’t want to believe it’s true.”

“Is that why you were upset with me?”

“What do you mean?”

Winston looked down at the floor and his tears dripped down from his chubby cheeks to the floor. “It was my fault,” he whispered.

“Winston, that isn’t true.”

“He wanted to come with us to get the snacks but we told him to stay there because we could handle it. Then the whole building fell apart. I told him to stay mom; it’s my fault.”

Cynthia pulled Winston into a tight embrace.  “Listen to me young man. None of this was your fault. I don’t want you thinking that for a minute. An earthquake k-k-killed your daddy and there’s nothing that will change that.” She wasn’t sure where the strength had come from, but saying those words aloud really sunk in that reality. John really was gone and there was nothing that could change it. It was time to accept the consequences.

Thirty minutes later, she sat in Pele’s kitchen with Peyton and Holly. She tapped her fingers on the table, the tempo increasing until Holly passed her a cup of tea. Her hands welcomed the warmth now that the sun had set. Their eyes burned with questions their lips wouldn’t disclose.

“We found something this evening,” Cynthia started.

“You and Vita?” Peyton said.

“Yes, we came across a group of people living in a warehouse not far from here. I was wondering if you had heard anything about them, or if your wife...”

“My wife was picked up by a group of people hell-bent on running our planet into the ground out of vengeance. If that organization survived and are recruiting people, they are extremely dangerous.”

Cynthia’s nails clanged a cacophony on the metal mug.

“They’re sadists masquerading as humanitarians. They approached my wife for help with their food production system. She was well versed in practising permaculture and instrumental to the Albuquerque sector-”

“Sorry, you lost me.”

“Permaculture promotes integration of all elements of an ecosystem, the people, plants, needs, food sources, environment and so much more. They all rely on one another and work together towards a mutually beneficial goal. This community wasn’t interested in integrating into nature as it was controlling it. I still get chills thinking about what they might have done and are likely forcing her to do.”

“What was their name? Was it French?”

“No, I would have remembered that.”

Her shoulders relaxed. Perhaps, Nouveau Depart really could be a happy coincidence and a new home for her and her son.

“Why do you call them sadists?”

“Because they saw themselves as environmental vigilantes willing to do whatever it took to show humanity how dangerous overconsumption could truly be. Those were just rumours that I hope to God aren’t true.” Peyton said, clenching his fists more with each word.

Holly gently squeezed her brother-in-law’s shoulder and his face softened. She gave Cynthia a gentle smile. “What about this group you found?”

“They call themselves Nouveau Depart. They’re a group of about 200 people that live together in this building where they’re fed, clothed, and washed. My son has been living there for the past month or so. They found him a few days after the disaster with a couple of his friends”

Holly’s face brightened like a mid-summer’s day. “Cynthia, I’m so happy for you. He’s doing well?”

“Better than any of us have and he’s not willing to move without a good reason.”

“He’ll be safe,” Peyton said. “The monsters that have my wife wouldn’t include children. That would show too much compassion towards those that lived the ‘impure’ life as they called it.”

Anxiousness evaporated into the air and Cynthia could finally breathe unrestricted. Her baby would be safe and they could live together under than roof until... The uncertainty of the future didn’t bother her too much. She had her son and they would start a new life, help out Vita. Although with her most recent news of staying at Nouveau Depart, the girl had finally stumbled upon some much needed confidence.

“I can’t see them turning you away, should you want to join us.”

Holly’s eyes widened and they darted to Peyton’s straight face. “They might have information Peyton.”

“They did seem organized enough to set this space up prior to the disaster. There could be some shared knowledge.” Cynthia cringed hoping that their ideals were quite distinct.

“It’s worth a shot,” Holly said. “You’ve been doing nothing but hit walls lately trying to track her down lately. If Amelia could see you now, what would she say?”    

“Alright, we’ll join you shortly.”

Holly mouthed ‘Thank you’ to Cynthia. This disaster hadn’t been kind to them either.