Pastures of Plenty (Defiant/Mim)

(Title song)

It was hot. Of course, it was always hot, but today was hotter than most days. She supposed it would be summer, if they had summers. She had heard stories about summer from some of the old people, about how it used to be fun for children and meant things like going away to a new and exciting place to relax. Vacation, she thought it was called, but she could never be sure. It sounded like there used to be a lot of things she had never seen before, things like trees and grass; new buildings and fresh, uncracked pavement; water filters and internet; people who had time to do something other than work and scramble to survive. From what she had heard, there weren't any Riders either and she was certain they could all do with a few less bandits in their lives stealing what precious few resources they had.

Lola straightened up and removed her hat, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her bandana before replacing that then the hat. She didn't know what an ozone was, but she knew that there had been one before and a lot fewer people got cancer. The young woman was about to bend to her work again when a breeze stirred and she turned her face toward it. It was dry and hot, but it moved the heat around a little and that was good enough for her. Stooping again, she slid her bucket beneath another arm of the cactus she was working on.

This was how her people lived. There weren't many of them; maybe 25 or 30 at most, but the old-timers had all found each other when this once the radiation levels were safe enough and found themselves a little spot in the wilderness. One of them had had a few seeds and from that had sprung a cactus field and a modestly-sized aloe vera patch. From the way they told it, this place used to be all swamp and a few sparse shells of houses a few miles away indicated people had lived there once. Now they lived here again, but in a dry desert, scraping a living off the land as a testament to the tenacity of the human race; surviving despite having absolutely no reason to.

Lola was distracted from watching the steady trickle of water fall from the tap into the bucket by movement in the corner of her eye. When she looked up she saw a dust cloud in the distance moving at a decent pace. As she shaded her eyes and watched it draw a little closer she could make out a caravan of various old trucks and other off-road vehicles led by a beaten, knackered old camper and it looked like they were heading for town. Lola frowned. What was a caravan like that--six or seven cars at least, plus the Winnebago--doing stopping here? If they wanted to stay the night that would double their population and put a serious strain on their resources. Her parents had taught her to be kind to passing travelers when she could, but there was a line between kindness and self-endangerment. Once the trickle from the cactus had sufficiently slowed, she picked up her bucket and headed back for the small cluster of houses that made up their town, immensely curious about these strangers and the nature of their visit.

It would be great if the air conditioner still worked in the vehicle, at least this one. Not that it had ever worked while he was travelling with the caravan but the sound of it was appealing. Air made cold by the engine and blowing through the vent. Yea, that was a nice thought. Though the window was down, the truck was travelling fast enough to create a breeze to combat the stifling heat. It was better than nothing.

Life hadn't really started out this easy for him, Richard had shown up with promises of fruitful lands, fresh water lakes. A piece of paradise which had survived the war, had electricity through solar something or other. It sounded like a farce to him. He was happy living with the small group who'd found him wandering the desert but majority of them desired more. It'd come down to a vote for them in the end. Whether to leave or not, and they did it together. Leaving was the majority so they all packed up what they would need and situated the vehicles then hit the road. People already members of the convoy spoke of Richard like some sort of... Messiah. They praised and worshipped him. Offered him extra food, their bodies for his pleasure. He was their deity.

James wasn't just going to let some man come in, uproot his family and then get on his knees and pray to him. He was nothing more than a man to James. Sure he'd come to them, promises of an easier, better life. A life with a future, hope. Hope. It was the pipeline. What pushed people to keep going. He'd never bothered trying to find a woman to promise himself to, it was hard to open his heart when they didn't know if they if they'd have enough water to get through the next week.

Life changed though. And it was changing. James just chose not to dare to hope. He was along for the ride, he did, deep down, want this place to be real. He wanted it to be there. Drink water until his stomach hurt, eat enough to actually not have hunger pains hours later.

“Hey, there's someone out there,” Clark said, perking up as he moved the vehicle to the left, getting a better view. “There's a fuckin' town!” He grinned, sitting up a bit more as he saw the buildings rising up in the distance and a lone person walking towards it. Away from them. “You think they're friendly?”

“Who knows. Maybe. Friendly enough to lure us in so they'll be able to take our vehicles, food and water,” he said with a light smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Screw that man, you're so... dark. Maybe they'll be happy to see us. And give us pie,” Clark said, a wide grin stretching across his face.

“Pie? For all of us? If they have that kind of food source then Richard will have a hard time convincing anybody to leave this town,” he commented as they drove closer. He leaned over watching as the person neared the town.

The caravan stopped about thirty meters short of the small town, James saw Richard climbing from his camper, others climbed out of their cars but remained relatively close to their cars. It was precautionary. They were larger in number but they also didn't want any casualties. James slid from his seat and glanced around before he walked forward, he stayed a few feet from Richard. As a younger, healthier member of the convoy he was tasked with following Richard just in case. Because Richard, as a God, wasn't immortal. Pssh.

“We mean you no harm. We are here to offer you something better,” he called, out, drawing the attention of the people in the town. James and a few others moved a little closer to Richard. “We are travelling! Travelling to a place in the mountains. There is water. There is fooood! There is electricity!” He said, his voice strong, powerful and demanding attention.

By the time Lola reached the houses most of the others had noticed the caravan and were stepping out onto the porches of their shacks made of materials scavenged from the old, abandoned houses. New ones had been built as people found them and settled or as families grew, though nothing new had been built since Lola was young. People murmured amongst themselves and Lola went to find her father and Craig.

"What's going on?"

"You saw those cars, didn't you?" Craig put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer as people started getting out.

"Riders?"

"Dunno." Her father already had a shotgun in his hand. "We're not taking chances though."

"Honey I'm telling you, if they are riders they outnumber us," Craig pointed out. "Those of us who could fight them off, anyway."

Lola had always felt fortunate to have two dads and to be on good terms with all of her parents. Though most people found a life partner in the village, marriage was very rare, everyone had children young, and monogamy was highly discouraged for the sake of survival, especially now that the founders were getting old. The entire village raised the children, if nothing else then because sometimes their parentage was a bit questionable, though both parents--and Craig--had been a major presence in her life. Not many people born in the village could say that, not even her half-siblings of which she was the youngest, and for that she was grateful. Not everyone knew their parents and if they did not everyone's parents were on the best of terms with each other.

No one left their porch, but everyone shifted uneasily when the man who appeared to be the leader climbed out of the camper and approached. There was mumbling when he promised them food, water, and electricity. One of the elders stepped forward.

"We have electricity," he said, pointing to a very loud generator, "and plenty of fuel for it." Plenty wasn't the word Lola would have used. She'd heard people talking lately about what they were going to do when it ran out.

"We also have water," Craig called from the porch, motioning to Lola's bucket then to a trough.

"We have a stable life here," the elder continued after nodding in agreement. "What use have we for your promised land? You aren't the first thinking you've found it and you won't be the last. If you've really found a place like that, why the hell would you share it? Too many people and it becomes a place like this." He motioned around, indicating the chalky desert, before looking back at him. "This was once fertile farmland and swamp before the war. If this place didn't survive, nowhere did."

“I am here to inform you, I am not here to convince you. We are all free people and nobody can force you from your homes,” Richard reasoned, talking now more to the elder who had stepped froward rather than projecting his voice to speak to the community as a whole.

In his past experience, it was easier to get someone with some pull in the community to trust him and let him do the work of actually convincing the community of him doing all the work. It saved time too. Sometimes he'd be in a town for a week or so, convincing other's to join his crusade before they would head off with the new members of their convoy. But the last few had only taken a few days. People were giving up hope. They were running out of supplies, elders were dying and the populations were getting smaller. People weren't reproducing fast enough. They weren't healthy enough to carry or the kid didn't last in the harsh climate they'd found themselves in.

“Another place did survive. It's nestled between the mountain range in Colorado. Why not share it? You think the future will populate itself? The land will farm itself? There needs to be a population to keep things going,” he spoke one and one to the elder, have moved from his spot where he'd been speaking to go stand closer to the other man.

“Wouldn't you rather have your people know there will be enough water in the morning? Food enough to want to lay down after a meal?” He asked, his face breaking into a friendly smile. “There is no point in enjoying the present if there's no hope of a future,” he said in a quiet tone.

James looked around at the people. A lot of them seemed older in years, some younger. The argument could stand about the population but he didn't see how it was a valid argument until they found this so called paradise.

“Generators run out of fuel. Solar panels last as long as the sun does. Considering you have someone who knows how to fix them. This place does,” he offered. It was a good reason to leave. “The mountains offer endless fresh water,” he added. There's the kicker.

That was what convinced James' community to pack up and leave. Water running down from the mountains. The elevation, they'd have snow, water made sense. It was logical. It was a long drive though. “Why don't you all discuss it? We'll set up camp, however far away you'd like until you have time to sit down and talk it out with everyone,” he said, putting a friendly hand on the other's shoulder. “We have our own food and water. We won't require any resources,” Richard assured the elder.

"It's too dangerous! We have all we need here."

The elders had listened to the stranger's argument carefully. The caravan had been ordered to make camp five miles away while the village had a meeting to talk things over. The shouting over one another, struggling to be heard, had taken the first half hour or so before they'd gotten organized enough to have an actual discussion. Many points had been made both in favor of and against going with the caravan to find this magical land of plenty. The elder who had spoken to the man who'd stepped out of the camper kept pointing out that even if this place was real, it was unlikely someone would want to share its location. Besides, it looked like they'd been traveling for a long time and even in a caravan it wouldn't be more than maybe two weeks. The suggestion that it was too dangerous had begun another rabble.

"I'll go!" Lola's voice was finally heard above the crowd. Others turned to her with curious expressions.

"Lola honey..." Craig put a hand on her shoulder. "Your life is here."

"Maybe," she said, shrugging his hand off. "But what if we could have a better life? I mean think about it. What if it's real?"

"We can't take that chance." Her mother had also come out against leaving. "You don't know what kind of people they are. They could be lying."

"But what if they aren't?" Lola was starting to get frustrated. "I haven't had any children yet. I'll go ahead as a scout and if it's a real place...I'll come back." She looked at the village, the only people she'd known her entire life. "You can't trust them, but obviously you can trust one of your own. If this place really is the way he says it is, 3 people aren't going to make a difference to the land in the long run. " She looked around. "I'll come back. I promise."

There was a heavy discussion that night amongst Lola, her parents, and Craig. In the end her mother was crying and her father and Craig were looking somber but resigned. She'd resolved to go with them in the morning, so she would spend one last night with her family. It was a sad occasion and Lola didn't particularly want to go...but if it would save her village then someone had to. '

Morning dawned entirely too early. Lola's eyes were heavy with sleep and sadness as she hugged her family goodbye, hoisted her pack of all her earthly belongings, and said goodbye to the only home she'd ever known. Her feet were a bit sore by the time she'd walked the five miles out to the caravan, but she tried not to look scared as she banged on the camper door with the flat of her fist.

James was sitting on the hood of the truck when he noticed the figure walking towards the camp they'd set up. Some had tents but he preferred the cushions of the truck over the ground or the pathetic excuses they had for mattresses when they did stop to set up camp. He'd assumed they'd be deliberating for a while longer before a decision was made. He figured the woman was coming to inform them they'd decided to reject the idea of leaving but as she neared, he saw the woman had some belongings with her. He sat up, curious now.

As she got closer he watched closely as she neared the trailer. She'd obviously been paying attention when they'd pulled up since she went directly for Richard's. But he was the only one who actually had a real camper so it wasn't like it would be hard to pick out where he was.

He sat silently, watching her knock. It took a few moments but Richard pulled open the door. He looked down at her from the steps, confusion gave way to realization and he looked past her, towards her community then back to her. “So, you wish to come alone? You're a very brave girl to make such a sacrifice but it will pay off,” he said and stepped down from his camper.

He gave her a smile and glanced towards her belongings. “Not much to bring. That's good. A lot of the space we have while we're on the road is for water or food,” he said and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked around. “James! Come here a moment!” He called and beckoned for the other man to come over to them.

James slid from the hood of the truck and made his way over to them, he gave her an easy smile as he came to stand in front of her and Richard. “This young lady will be joining our caravan. Help her to find someplace to get settled. We'll get on the move in the few hours,” he said and looked towards Lola. “What is your name dear?” He asked, putting a welcoming hand on her shoulder.

“I'm Richard, this is James, he'll help you settle in,” he said after learning her name. “It's great to have a new face,” he said then gave them a nod before turning and returning to his camper.

“Welcome to the convoy,” James said and gave her a smile. “C'mon,” he said, motioning backwards as he turned and lead her towards the truck. “If you don't mind hanging out with a couple of guys you're more than welcome to call this home while we're on the road,” he said and leaned against the truck. “Or if you'd rather female company, there's a few cars you can pick from. Or if you like napping there's a few vehicles with a couple older folks,” he smiled. “Every time we stop we have to wake them up,” he chuckled.

The convoy had become his family since joining and he knew who was in each car and the company they preferred. He'd do his best to find a spot for her where she'd be most comfortable. He didn't think it was easy for her to leave her family behind.

"I'm Lola and please don't touch me," was the first thing she said to the leader, Richard. She was certainly in a mood. She supposed leaving behind everything you've ever known would do that to you. "I'm doing this for my family and my people, not for you or myself."

Lola tried to smile back at James. After all, she knew it wasn't his fault. Richard had been the one to turn their worlds upside-down and honestly if she could give a better life to the people in her little town she would. She just didn't like going alone and that was exactly how she felt right now. James ran through the list of people she could travel with, but she simply tossed her bag into the bed of the truck before leaning against it.

"Here's fine," she said with a shrug. "Don't much care who it is I ride with. I'm here to find this place Richard was talking about then come back and get my folks." Lola folded her arms across her chest and looked at him. "How long you been with them?"

He liked her already. Her attitude made him smile. Not a lot of people stood up against Richard. Not that she was actually standing up against him but she was standing her own ground and that made her pretty awesome in his books. He appreciated people with strength.

He watched her chuck her bag into the bed of the truck and arched a brow as she spoke. “Well, that's fair and an'all but you might as well enjoy the journey as much as you can,” he said and shrugged a shoulder. “I've been with the convoy for a few months now. I think. I'd guess. My family has never bothered much with time,” he explained and then opened the door. “Hey, how long have I been with the convoy?” He asked and when he didn't receive an answer he leaned into the truck and nudged the sleeping Carl then repeated the question.

“Damn man. I dunno. Almost two months?” He mumbled and shifted to go back to sleep in just as an awkward position as he'd been in before. “Feels like a lot longer though. Annoying motherfucker you are,” he sighed and began snoring a few minutes later.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Carl, you'll grow to laugh at the crap he says,” he nodded his head towards a spot over her shoulder. “You wanna go get some food or would you rather get acquainted with your new lodgings?” He asked and patted the truck.

She spat into the dust. "Yeah, well, sounds like you got family with you. Try picking up and leaving everything you've ever known and not knowing when the hell you're coming back," she suggested, squinting in the desert sun. "Couple months huh? If there really were a promised land up in the mountains you'd think Richard would've gotten y'all there by now, wouldn't you? I mean, looks like most of your vehicles are in good working order. Anything that isn't could limp along or y'all could double-up. What's taking so long?"

But James was prodding awake one of his truck mates to get an exact time frame. Two months. She wondered how long most people stayed with this convoy before giving up. How long had they been going, anyway? Lola glanced over her shoulder as James gestured with his chin.

"It's a truck," she said with a shrug before turning to the truck. "Hello, truck." Lola patted it gingerly, careful not to burn her hands on the hot metal. "Aloe and cactus ain't too filling. Y'all got something different?"

James didn't know what she was going through and he felt bad she had to leave her family behind but it was still a choice she was making. His gaze was pulled back to her when she asked her questions. “You would think that but he's convinced finding more people before we make the trek to the mountains,” he said and gave a shrug. “I'm only here cause my whole community decided to join up with him. I wasn't gonna stay alone,” he added and nodded his head as he began to walk towards where they kept the food.

When they parked for the night the food and fuel trucks were kept in the middle of everything. Food was the most precious thing out there now. And water of course. Fuel, well you could get by without vehicles if you needed too.

“I'm not gonna lie. I want to believe in this paradise. I really do. And everybody here does so I keep my opinions to myself but I can't help the voice in my head telling me it's a pipedream. We're just going to keep going to communities, finding people and then the truck's are going to give out and then we're going to walk around till we just die out. Like the rest of humanity,” he sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.

“Don't worry, the older women who serve the food are happy, optimistic folk. And work miracles with this stuff,” he said and nodded to an older woman who gave them a warm smile. “Lola, this is my mom, Bernie,” he said with a smile as he gave her a one armed hug and a kiss to her cheek. There was a small group there already. They used racks with a fire underneath to heat the food, like a large campfire surrounded by rocks and the racks lain across the rocks. Skillets or cans were placed on top of the racks to heat the food.

Most of the time it was pretty bland but having it warmed and by using spices salvaged and found made meal time interesting and it was usually some sort of soup, which was exactly what was brewing today. It wasn't much for protein or vitamins but there was flavour and chunks of something in there. James never asked, he just ate.

Bertie looked to Lola and walked over to her. “How are you doing honey?” She asked, she'd noticed the woman had come with James by herself and when new people joined, they were inseparable for a while. “Can't imagine leaving family behind, you're a strong young woman sweetie,” she smiled. “Now if you need for anything, don't you hesitate to ask. We're all in this journey together.”

"Yeah, well at least you'd die trying to find something better," Lola said with a shrug. "Me? I'm giving this Richard guy three months then I'm going home, with or without the convoy."

Her stomach twisted with hunger as they neared the food. Her entire life Lola had survived mostly off of cactus fruit and aloe leaves. It wasn't filling and it certainly wasn't nutritious--her ribs were clearly visible when she took off her shirt--but it was enough to keep going. She'd never smelled anything so warm and inviting before. She'd heard of spices, but the only thing they'd ever been able to scavenge to flavor their food with was sage. It was wonderful.

Lola wanted to be nasty to James's mom. She was in a sour mood and wanted to lash out at anyone and everyone she could in this damned convoy...but not at Bertie. She was too nice, too welcoming. Instead she pushed her lips into something resembling a smile.

"Thanks ma'am," she said respectfully. "Mostly I'm just hungry right now. Ain't never seen anything like this before, curious what it tastes like. Honestly I'd rather leave them behind for a little while to see if there really is some promised land than stay with them and wonder about it forever."

“Oh darlin', I ain't no ma'am. I appreciate the respect but please call me Bernie,” she said with a toothy smile. She was getting the vibe Lola wasn't in the best of moods but Bernie had been in the same situation not very far back. In a way. She'd made a home of the community they'd been at before joining up with the convoy. And while James had been excited about the adventure and everyone moving on as one, she'd wanted to stay where life was sure and comfortable.

But she kept her mouth shut because she wasn't about to be left behind and had she stayed, James would have as well. And with just the two of them, even with James' seeming inability to be negative and give up, they wouldn't have lasted too long.

James made his way back over to the two women after giving them a few moments to speak alone and had a bowl of soup in his hand, the spoon resting in the bowl. The soup was kept to a lukewarm temperature, the heat seemed to bring out he flavours a bit more but it was too hot to eat hot food.

“You're not eating?” Bernie asked when she noticed he had only one bowl.

“Huh?” he asked, glancing down at the bowl then back to his mother.

She only arched a brow and tilted her head towards Lola. James took barely a split second before he clued in and handed the bowl over to Lola. “You didn't take a bite of that did you?” Bernie asked.

“Not yet,” he said and once Lola'd taken the bowl Bernie took the opportunity to cuff her son up the side of his head. “Didn't raise a gentleman now did I?”

“When was the last time we had someone new? I'm just- Stop hitting me!” He threw his hands up when she gave his head another swat.

“Just cause it ain't a common place new people joinin' up don't mean you bring yourself food and nobody else,” she stated and put her hands on her hips. He knew that meant the conversation was over.

“Would you like a bowl mom?” He asked, resisting the temptation to roll his eyes.

“Yes baby, I would. Thank you,” she said and put a hand on Lola's elbow. “Come on dear, let's go sit in the shade so you can enjoy that,” she said and lead the way over towards a few chairs gathered under some umbrellas.