Botanicaust (63 page)

Dark circles beneath their eyes and the occasional cough told her who these children were. They looked like walking skeletons.

“
What are you doing here? Where are your parents?
”

The eldest stood without releasing the hands of the children beside her.
“
We
’
ve come to be healed.
”

“
The Protectorate won
’
t heal you without conversion. Where are your parents?
”
Had the Protectorate tired of waiting for volunteers that never came?

A waif of a boy spoke behind her.
“
Are you Tula?
”

Tula turned. The child
’
s bones were about to puncture the skin of his skinny limbs. But his eyes …
“
Josef?
”
She
’
d only met him twice, and without his hair
,
he was hard to recognize
.

“
It is you! Papa said you
’
d take good care of me. That I wasn
’
t to cry.
”

“
There
wathn
’
t woom on the duthter.
”
A small girl spoke around her thumb.

Tula
’
s heart beat so fast she couldn
’
t breathe. Sinking to the end of the cot next to Josef, she hovered a hand over his
bald head
, finally stroking his back.
“
Are you sure he wants you to be here?
”

The older girl spoke again.
“
There was a call to Unity. God has shown us a new way.
”

There was no Unity.
The Order had shattered, resolving into two factions at odds with each other on only one subject: the salvation of the Blattvolk. About a quarter of the congregation had been moved by Levi
’
s plea. The Holdout now housed not only Old Order and Blattvolk, but also members of the
New
Order. Shunned by the rest of the congregation, they were led by Brother John, now named Bishop.

Standing in an anteroom of clear nuvoplast, Levi hoped his desperation had not led others astray. He glanced at Sister Rachel as she peered through the wall at the children playing in the Garden. The circulating air smelled slightly of wintergreen, and the sun
’
s rays through the ceiling were surprisingly pleasant
—
not too hot or too cool.

In the other room, a bald, green, spindly five-year-old walked around a circle of other green youngsters. The boy tapped another child and shouted
“
Goose!
”

And then he ran.

Tears filled Levi
’
s eyes and he rubbed them away, not wanting to miss sight of a single step. He never thought he
’
d see Josef run and play again.

While their organs regenerated, the children were vulnerable to diseases, not to mention the ultraviolet rays from the sun. Consequently, they stayed at the Protectorate, in the covered Garden, visited only by a few well-scrubbed doctors and teachers. One young teacher from the Holdout volunteered to live with the children and looked out of place with her pale face and long dress as she sat reading from her Bible.

The children wore short pants and sleeveless tunics much like the ones the Fosselites had given Levi. The clothing was the best compromise between the two worlds.
The first generation of the New Order.

A woman entered the room, hair pinned up beneath a kerchief, a short sleeved black coat wrapped around her.

“
Tula.
”
His vision narrowed, closing around her like an embrace.

Sister Rachel looked at him and then
back
to the children. Levi hardly realized he
’
d spoken aloud. How many months since he
’
d seen her? He still wasn
’
t sure where she stood with God. But he was hopeful.

A shout rose up among the children,
“
Tula!
”
Josef abandoned the game and flew into her arms. The rest of the students followed, flocking around her like chickens. She hugged and patted each one, then said a few words and pointed to the window Levi stood behind. Josef squealed and ran to his Papa. Levi grinned, pressing fingers to the glass to meet the flat of Josef
’
s tiny green palm.

Looking up, his eyes caught Tula
’
s and she looked away. The oldest girl spoke to her and Tula nodded and attempted to smile, but her brows were pinched in that little knot of worry he
’
d grown so used to.

“
Papa, look!
”
Josef scurried to collect a gamma pad from one of the tables. He
’
d been describing the neat
“
paper
”
the Blattvolk used.

Tula looked toward the window again, holding long enough for him to mouth,
“
Thank you.
”

Her lips turned up into a trembling smile and she nodded. They stared a few more heartbeats. He yearned for her voice. Her touch. Did she want to talk to him? If the New Order
was
to integrate, would it be so bad to talk to her? Levi licked his lips.
Why not?
“
Meet you later?
”

She hesitated, swallowed hard enough for the cords of her neck to stand out, and looked over the children pressed against the window. Then she smiled. The most beautiful thing he
’
d ever seen. And she nodded agreement.

Josef pounded on the glass, eager to show off his new somersault skills.

Keep reading for bonus material.

W
ant to know more
about the Botanicaust world? I have something special for you! Use this URL to access a
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on my website.
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GLOSSARY

Amarantox
—
a mutation of a common weed, which secretes toxins into the soil to prevent other vegetation from taking hold.
Largely responsible for the Botanicaust.

Bann
, The
—
a roster of those being shunned within the Old Order.
A punishment just shy of excommunication.

Blattvolk
—
what the Old Order call Haldanians. Literally
“
leaf people.
”

Blow Out
—
a sandstorm.

Botanicaust
—
an event 400 years ago during which invasive weeds wiped out most plant life on Earth, including the major food crops.

Burn, The
—
a five-mile radius of scorched earth around the Haldanian Protectorate, maintained by Burn Operatives to keep both cannibals and plant life at bay.

Cannibal
—
people roaming the Reaches and beyond who survive by not wasting any food opportunity.

Confinement
—
the prison where captive Cannibals are kept prior to conversion.

Convert
—
one who has undergone genetic therapy to insert chloroplasts, as opposed to those born with the gene.

Days of the Prophet
—
what the Old Order refers to when speaking about the Botanicaust.

Duster
—
a silent aircraft powered by electromagnetic engines used by Burn Ops to keep the Burn cleared.

Flame runna
—
what the Cannibals call the Haldanians.

Fosselites
—
a group of scientists who have found the secret to eternal life.

Gamma pad
—
electronic palm pad and stylus.
Various versions exist, such as a simple, indestructible one for children, and more complicated versions capable of higher computations.