<USS Avalon> The Promise

**takes place just before "Logging the Hours"
 
 
The Promise
By Joshua Garrity
 
Josh settled easily into the routine. He worked, he showered, he changed, he 
worked some more. He drank copious quantities of strong black coffee and 
focussed on nothing but work. And still they found him. The memories. The 
grief. The pain. He could push them away, ignore them, avoid them. But in the 
silence, when all was still and he was still alone, they were still there. 
 
Zachary was still gone.
 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
 
The two boys huddled in the darkness, the older holding the younger as the 
desperate cries and blood curdling screams of the others grew louder. The 
rancid smell of death and decay in the alcove where they hid would have been 
overpowering to an outsider. To them, it was nothing. Josh could make out the 
faint smell of fresh blood amid the near-overpowering rot and knew that new 
bodies had been dumped here on top of old earlier that day. Setting Zack 
carefully away from the walls, he began feeling around until he located the 
still supple forms of the newly dead and rummaged blindly through pockets for 
anything they might be able to use, careful of the young Vr'tae he could hear 
shifting, feeding near-silently around them. Extracting the contents of their 
pockets and shifting them to his own, he moved quickly back to Zachary's side 
and, lifting him high, out of reach of the young Vr'tae who'd bored up from the 
bottom of the alcove toward what they percieved as food, stepped deep
 er in,
 away from the sounds of the tiny parasites' movement as well before setting 
him down again. 
 
~He's going to find us,~ the tiny blonde child fretted silently. 
 
The taller boy shook his head, knowing his brother would sense it even if he 
didn't see it. They'd be fine. Keeper Tam's tirade would only last until he 
passed out. By morning all would be as it always was. They could return to work 
then. Taking out the piece of the food he'd scavenged for them moments before, 
he closed it in his brother's small hand, his own long slender fingers holding 
it there until he was sure Zack understood he was to take it and not argue. 
 
~Is there much left?~ the young one asked, nibbling at the morsel without 
argument. 
 
Josh shook his head. That was all of it. 
 
~Did you eat?~ 
 
Josh hesitated then shrugged. Better a noncommital answer than an honest one at 
this point. Zachary needed it far more than he did.
 
They sat there in complete silence listening to the sounds of the others as 
they fell for some time, until at last that sound too, died away. All was 
still. 
 
~Can we go now?~ the tiny blonde asked, looking toward his older brother. Josh 
shook his head, running his hand through long unruly brown curls matted with 
dirt and blood. After a long moment, Zachary reached up into the darkness, 
running his finger along the long, jagged cut on his older brother's cheek. 
~He's going to keep doing this, isn't he? Until you surrender and die like the 
others. He won't stop, will he?~ 
 
Because of me, Zachary added silently, even to Joshua. He's doing this because 
of me.
 
Josh shrugged, unwilling to allow his thoughts to go where his brother's had 
wandered. He would survive. He had to. At least until Zachary was somewhere 
else. Somewhere safe. That was all that mattered. Zachary dubiously asked 
aloud, if only barely, "Is there really such a place as someplace safe?" 
 
Josh shrugged again. There had to be, he supposed. All the traders that came to 
and from, speaking of their worlds, their families. Speaking in their many 
languages of stars and space and ships that travelled freely to and from the 
places that they called home. He would have that one day. A ship. A place away 
from this. A home. They would have a home. Zachary deserved that.
 
"He won't let us have it." He whispered. "They won't let us go." 
 
Josh nodded. He knew that. It didn't matter. They weren't going to ask. 
 
"I'm scared," he admitted at last. Josh nodded again. He understood. He was 
scared too. 
 
~Promise me he won't win,~ Zachary begged, his large brown eyes made larger by 
fear. ~Promise me you won't die.~
 
Josh sighed. He couldn't promise that. How could he? With the way Tam kept 
coming, it was likely he would and they both knew it. 
 
"Please. If you die, then I'll be alone and I can't do it. I'll die too. I'll 
die here. I don't want to die here," His voice sounded thick in Josh's ears. He 
wiped away his brother's tears as the panic of that thought really hit the 
diminutive child, the thought of ending up like all those other children, just 
another body thrown in an alcove to feed the young Vr'tae or simply rot away 
unknown and forgotten, or worse fed upon by the other children because there 
simply wasn't anything else and the alternative was starvation. "You can't die 
before me. You can't leave me alone. Promise me, please just promise," the 
child sobbed desperately in his brother's arms.
 
Gently, Josh held him and quietly whispered, "I promise." 
 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
 
Briskly wiping away the tears, Josh finished the job at hand and marked it on 
the PADD complete, pulling up the next as he realized the promise was, at last, 
fullfilled.  

                
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
 Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!

Other related posts: