Botanicaust

kit into a hook, in case he found fish in the river.
    While his line drifted in the shallows of the river, Levi lay out his blanket at the edge of the thicket and rested his pack against the roots of the trees. He built a small driftwood fire, then set about filling the water bottles.
    Tula still hadn ’ t joined him, and he worried, but not to the point of looking for her. He glanced up the hill and had trouble spotting her in the falling light.
    His throat tightened in guilt. She didn ’ t deserve his poor treatment. Or to be blamed for the Blattvolk atrocities. She ’ d chosen to do the right thing and, deep in his soul, he knew he needed to forgive. He felt God would grant forgiveness, green skin or not. So why was he so angry?
    He turned to the thicket to fetch Tula and froze. Between the trees, a foreign face glared at him, dark eyes glittering in the firelight. He was, for a brief moment, reminded of Awnia as she thrust the pencil into the Blattvolk ’ s neck.
    And then a cry from behind him spun his attention the other direction to see a man wielding a long knife launch out of the branches. On instinct, Levi ’ s arm flew up to ward the blow, and the blade raked his arm. The momentum knocked him backward and sent the man ’ s blade flying.
    Excruciating pain as his shoulder landed square in the fire made him shout obscenities. The woven shirt smoldered against his skin. He tried to roll away as another person joined in with a volley of kicks to Levi ’ s shoulders and back. All he could do was protect his face as the man pummeled him with his fists.

    Tula watched Levi from the rise beyond the tamarisk. She ’ d taken the allelopathic suppression pills before they left the pool, thankful they kept the drunkenness at bay, but the side effects made her tired. She wanted to curl up on a soft bed and rest. He hadn ’ t even noticed she ’ d fallen behind. Since the duster, he ’ d been snappish and reticent. She didn ’ t understand what he was thinking, but he obviously didn ’ t want her along.
    But she had nowhere else to go.
    She hung back, sitting on the dusty ground with her knees drawn up to her chest. The long line of water stretched from east to west as far as she could see. If Levi intended to cross, she had no way to follow him. And he didn ’ t seem inclined to teach her how to swim.
    What if he left her here, all alone? Could she survive by herself? All she carried was the robe with a nearly empty water bottle in one pocket. The remaining pills were in her other pocket . Two more doses and she ’ d be at the mercy of the sun unless she found shelter during the highest points of the day. The Protectorate might be a mercy — if they killed her, it would be quick and humane, not rotting alone in the sun. The scar on her arm mocked her in the orange light of sunset. She swapped her arms around her knees top to bottom, hiding the mark.
    You have a better chance of surviving than Levi . He would need to scrounge for food in a world of scarcity. To compete with savage cannibals and toxic weeds. How far was it to his people? And how had they managed to survive without resorting to cannibalism? His notebook indicated a society more stable than cannibals, but it was also a primitive tool compared to the gamma pads and dusters the Protectorate had to offer. Wouldn ’ t his people appreciate such innovation and ease?
    She stroked the green skin on her knee. Conversion was the last best hope for human survival. Cannibals would run out of food, eventually. And the Fosselites by all accounts weren ’ t truly human any more, living forever yet refusing to come out of their mountain cave. Levi hadn ’ t wanted conversion, but perhaps others of his people would.
    Gritting her teeth with determination, she rose and lifted a hand to her eyes to shade them from the setting sun. The orange globe sat half below the horizon already. She had to stay with him. With more time, surely he ’ d see that conversion was the only way. If Mo ’ s offer of amnesty was true, she could serve as a liaison between Levi ’ s people and the Protectorate. Once she ’ d established a rapport, she could contact the Protectorate.
    A flare of orange light and a trickle of smoke down by the tamarisk let her know Levi had started a fire. A fire tonight would be nice. The breeze on the rise had already cooled.
    She picked her way through the leaves and branches as the light faded, using Levi ’ s fire as a beacon. A shout