Chapter 2

Hope

“Hey.” Rough hands gripped my shoulders and shook.”Are you ok?”

My eyes sprang open , only it wasn’t street lights that filled my vision, it was darkness. Darkness so thick that it almost didn’t matter whether I had my eyes open or closed and in that darkness a bulky figure moved. The hands on my shoulders slipped away.

“Hope?”

“Yeah.” With a groan I pushed myself up on the narrow cot and the rusty metal slats groaned under my weight.

“You were having the dream again.” The dark figure moved around the room and now I was used to the darkness I could follow his movements. Even if I couldn’t see his face or his features.

“I know.” Running my hands over my sweaty face I scrubbed at my skin.

“You really need to stop having those dreams, Hope. It’s not going to do you any good where you are going.”

Something by the one small window clattered and made  me jump even though deep down I knew it was only a mug or something falling.

“It’s not like I want to have the dreams Franc, I don’t have them on purpose believe me.” Unsteadily I climbed to my feet and stretched. Gazing around the small room which was our home. Although home was a bit of a stretch. This was little more than a hut.

A hut filled with mismatched , ancient furniture like the small child’s bed I had been sleeping on since the morning Franc had found me.

Or saved me, as he liked to remind me.

“They won’t like it if you wake up screaming every night.” Thrusting a plastic beaker than might have once been green into my hands , he motioned for me to drink up.

And I knew better than to argue. Just like I knew better than to expect cool clean water. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d drunk any. The day before I had been dropped into this hell hole I was guessing.

How long ago was that? A year? Two? It was hard to keep count. All I knew was that I had stepped out of the taxi and dropped that stupid watch and when I had woken up I had been here, with Francs face hovering over mine.

And I wasn’t anywhere near my parents house.

I wasn’t anywhere near the city I called home. Although actually that wasn’t true.

I was still exactly where I had fallen, the only thing that had changed was the time.

Grimacing, I took a sip of the bitter ale in the mug. I didn’t know how it was possible but time had shifted and Justin had been right. The end of the world had been so much closer than anyone had thought and this was what was left.

“Are you ready for today?”

I took another drink so I didn’t have to answer.

“Hope?” My savior's voice was a sharp bark. “You can’t miss this one. You can’t.” His voice was rising to a wail. Shuffling forward because my knees were still complaining about having to be cramped up on a child’s bed I went to him. Standing by the small window as the first rays of the sun hit us directly on the face.

It’s orangey glow showed me every line on his face, each one deeply etched by the hardships he had suffered and the losses he had endured.

“I won’t miss this one.” I promised and felt my heart sink. I was part of this world now, so I had to abide by the rules and the rules were clear.

Any woman must present herself to the commanders. They took some , discarded most. No one knew what they were looking for in those women but I was guessing it wasn’t anything good.

Companion was the word they used. The commanders were looking for special females to become companions.

Concubine might have been a better word for it. I shook the thought out of my head. It didn’t matter what they called it really. I had been dodging the meetings and interviews for months. I couldn’t do it anymore.

“Thank you Hope.” Reaching down , he pressed his dry cracked lips to my cheek in a rough kiss. “My old bones can’t take another beating and with winter coming-“ He trailed off.

Yeah, winters after nuclear devastation sucked.

“I’m going to run out and see if I can get us some food.” Stepping away I forced myself to smile.

“Hope-“

Finally I lifted my eyes to his. “I won’t let you down, Franc, I’ll be back before noon.”

“Do you promise this time Hope?” The first hint of anger had entered his voice and I knew why. When he had found me and nursed me back to health he hadn’t done it out of the kindness of his heart, although I was sure he cared for me a little now.

No, Franc needed me to take his dead daughter's place and this would have been the year she met with the commanders. That was the deal I had made for food and a roof over my head in this new apocalyptic world, he protected me and I put myself forward as a willing companion.

And so far, I had managed to get out of it but time had run out for me. If I didn’t go today then they would punish Franc and I didn’t want that to happen.

I owed him.

“I promise.” Gathering up the threadbare jacket that was much too big for me, I stuffed my arms into it and headed towards the door. “I’ll be back in time for the meeting Franc, I swear it.”

He didn’t believe me and he had every reason not to, I hadn’t exactly been good for my word since I had arrived. There was too much of the old Hope still in me. The girl who wanted to paint the world and all its colourful beauty.

There was no colour or beauty anymore but that didn’t change what was in my heart.

“I hope so Hope and if you are going to -“ he paused and shook his head. “If you are going to do anything stupid please don’t get caught.”

“I don’t plan on getting caught.” I threw back over my shoulder as I slipped into the grime and rubbish filled street and headed into the head of our settlement. That’s where the food would be.

And I needed food. Franc did as well but mostly I was thinking about me. Which was kind of selfish but if I was going to be given away like some prize hog, then I wanted to have a full belly when it happened.

I meant it when I said I wasn’t planning on doing anything stupid. At least I thought I meant it but this was a dog eat dog world and only the richest and most powerful had things easy. In the ruins , in the slums where I now lived nothing came easy and food was hard to come by.

If doing something stupid meant we ate for the next few days then so be it. I would do it.

I wouldn’t get caught though, that was a promise I planned on keeping.