Dark Space - Marianne de Pierres [62]
Dimming solar lights showed the walls to be standing but the roof had collapsed in places. The floor was littered with large chunks of catoplasma from the ceiling, just like the one she was holding. She unsealed her velum and climbed over a pile of rubbish towards the line of frijs. They had already been ransacked.
A ragazzo with a torch was picking through one. He drew back when he saw Mira.
‘Nothin’ left,’ he said. His voice was soft. In the torchlight his skin looked sallow and tight like Djeserit’s but he had no neck gills.
Mira moved slowly towards him and set down the chunk of catoplasma.
He retreated, clutching the light.
‘I have a ‘bino outside. I need food for it,’ she said.
‘Sure. Everyone’s savin’ that. But there’s no food coming in. No help. They’re planning to starve us out.’
‘Who?’ Mira asked the question as she stepped over to the first frij. It was empty.
‘Them ginks who want our planet.’
Mira took another step. He was right. All the frijs were bare. ‘What. . . ginkos?’
‘Haven’t you seen ‘em? Ugly maggoty things cracking out of eggs.’
The ragazzo was badly unwashed. Now that Mira was closer she could smell his body odour. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Perche?’
She shrugged. ‘I am Mira.’ She gave up on the frijs and began foraging under the fallen catoplasma. Keeping her gloves on, she burrowed for a few moments while he watched.
‘You’re familia. I c’n see that. I thought you’d all gone. Left us to die.’
She paused, not knowing how to answer. He was right—no familia had stayed to help. They stood in silence for a moment.
‘I’m Vani,’ he said finally.
Mira managed a smile. ‘Come and give me a hand, Vani. I think I’ve found something.’
He stayed where he was, suspicious.
‘I’ll share it with you,’ she coaxed.
Keeping the torch’s beam on her, he moved closer.
‘It’s a small frij under the fallen roof, I think. You can just see the corner.’
Vani’s hunger overcame his distrust and he put down the light and began to help her dig.
In a few minutes they’d cleared around the frij enough to open it. The smell of rotting food made her gag and her stomach hurt as it contracted. She doubled over in pain.
Vani took no notice, grabbing what he could.
Mira knelt down. In the door were little packets of latte. She scooped them inside her fellala. The corners scraped her skin where she’d removed her underclothes.
Vani was gorging on stale tramezzini.
‘Don’t eat any meat or eggs. You’ll get sick,’ she said automatically. ‘Just peel the pane off them.’
He ignored her, eating it all.
Mira found another compartment in the frij with stale pane rolls left in it, and slipped them inside her fellala as well. Satisfied that the frij had no more to offer she straightened. Then the sound of voices sent her stepping back into the shadows. Three ‘esques surprised Vani with his head still in the small frij.
‘What ya got there, ‘bino?’
They were older than Vani. And bigger. Each carried a weapon of sorts, clubs and a pistol. The biggest was ‘esque—a teranu, judging by his flat features. The others, like Vani, had sharp profiles.
‘Nothin’,’ said Vani.
‘Give us what you found. We need food,’ said the biggest of them.
One of the smaller ones cuffed Vani.
He staggered.
‘Next time it’ll be this.’ The teranu waved his pistol. It looked like a pulse device, not a solid-projectile gun. Mira guessed it probably had no charge, but Vani was terrified.
‘Now gimme ya light and get outta my way.’
Vani handed it over. ‘Can I have some food?’
The teranu grabbed Vani and bent him over, making obscene gestures. The others laughed.
Their crudity shocked Mira. She reached down for the chunk of catoplasma and then stepped into the arc of light. ‘Vani?’
They turned on her, surprised. ‘Familia,’ said one of them and spat.
Mira lifted the catoplasma into view. Now she would find out if the pistol worked. ‘We’re hungry like you but there’s nothing left here. We are leaving,’ she said. ‘Dai,