“Sorrel, what can you tell us? What about food?”

“The camp is the nearest thing to us, but it’s heavily defended. Wall right around. There was a lot of haze and the signal was poor, so I couldn’t see any people clearly. I thought I could see the valley and the small town we saw in Jiba, same coordinates, but it looked different, I don’t know why. It’s a good three days away and far below us. I don’t know if it’s practical for foraging.”

“No food near, then?”

“Not that I could see. Not today, anyway, visibility too poor. We’re under a big rocky mountain. Maybe tomorrow will be clearer.”

“Probably another satellite down tomorrow. We need to hunt ferals,” Rashelope said. “Set traps. Cooking will kill the germs.”

No one answered.

“I think we should stay here,” Genus said. “The foragers should go out and find food.”

“Easy to say,” Rashelope said.

“From now on, we ration our food and share it equally,” Caroni said. “Bring your food to me. Every piece of it.”

“Bigger, stronger people should get more,” Rashelope said, glaring at Lichen and Genus.

“You can leave that to me,” the Zorah said.

CHAPTER 25 – MALES

Six days later, they were still in the cave. Each day, Caroni had sent a different group of girls to search for food, and each day, they came back empty handed. The traps they set for small birds or rodents were unsprung. “There’s nothing nearby,” Rashelope said, getting angrier with each attempt. “We have to stay out overday, like we used to in Jiba. We need to range much farther.”

“You said there were many signs of ferals. If we’re travelling, we travel together,” Caroni said.

Other girls had explored the tunnels as far as they dared and found no sign of an exit.

Conditions had remained hazy and there was little to see from the remaining satellites. “Maybe we should make for that valley and the small town we saw?” Emrallie said. “Where is it?”

Sorrel shrugged and gestured at the screen. “Can’t see much. Been like that since we got here.”

Caroni spent much of her time at the front of the cave looking out, her brow creased with worry. For the first time since encountering the Tribals, Sorrel felt that they were leaderless.

On the seventh afternoon, it started to rain in strange, short bursts. She went to the front of the cave. “This should clear the haze,” she said to the Zorah.

“Yes. It might.”

“Can we stand in the rain, Caroni? We’re all filthy and demoralized. Starving too. If we don’t find food soon, we won’t be able to travel anywhere.”

“I know. Yes, but strip. Keep your clothes dry. Go in groups. Come inside if it gets too heavy.”