Morgan Nyberg - Since Tomorrow

“It’s Granville. I mean, that’s true too. What you said. But I thought, like, maybe I could stay here. Maybe I could join up with you guys. I mean…”

Langley turned back to the stove and slid the lid aside again and stared at the fire, scratching his face. Without turning he said “You want to be a soldier.”

Granville said nothing.

Langley gently closed the stove lid and turned and said “What if I give you a crossbow? And what if you come up close to Frost? If we were in a fight. What would you do?”

“If I come up close to Frost?”

“That guy who put all that meat on your bones. All that pretty hair on your head.”

“I’d kill him.”

Langley walked across the room and leaned close to Granville’s face. He looked into Granville’s eyes as Granville stood there blinking. Langley said “You would kill Frost, who done so much for you?”

“I would. Just like that.”

“Just like what?”

Granville tried to snap his fingers, could not do it. He said “I mean…”

Langley nodded and went to a window and stood looking out at the miserable dawn. He said quietly “Sounds good to me. I could use a good soldier. Since Frost’s dogs kilt Jericho. Hey, how’d you get past them guards up on the bridge? And that dog they got left.”

Granville said nothing. Langley turned toward him and said “Hm?”

“I snuck.”

“You snuck through Frost’s guards.”

Granville nodded.

“That’s a hell of a sneak.”

“Oh yeah. You can say that…”

Langley stretched, yawned. “Well, come on soldier, let’s see if we can find some breakfast.”

Granville followed him out the door, and Freeway and the two soldiers fell in behind Granville. There was no light in the stairwell. Langley climbed the stairs quickly. Granville managed to keep up, managed not to trip or get trampled by the three men behind him. They came out into a hallway, into which a hint of light emerged from a doorway. They passed through this doorway. Langley said “Go and find this soldier and me some breakfast.” The footsteps of Freeway and the two men faded up the stairwell.

They were in another large room. This one also had windows, but there was glass in only one of them. The other was covered by plastic. There was no stove nor any kind of fire. It was very cold. Against the windowless wall to the left six women were huddled in a tight group. In the poor light there was no colour to their sleeveless rag dresses, their faces or their hair. Without taking their eyes from Langley and Granville they slid closer together. One of them was pregnant. One of them was very young. She pushed herself back against another woman, who put both arms around her and held her close.

Langley said “Here they are. My women-folk. Ain’t they a pretty bunch? Shit, they ain’t even worth feedin’. Only reason they’re alive is to keep Frost from chargin’ in here. With them pointed arrows you say he’s got. Except for Snow. She’s worth feedin’. Worth skaggin’ too. Which I suppose I shouldn’t of started her on. Gettin’ kind of skinny. Don’t want food no more. Just skag.”

At the sound of the word the girl lifted her head, straightened a little. The woman holding the girl wrapped her arms more fully around her.

“I ought to cut her off.” Langley scratched at his face. “Jesus it’s cold in here. But that would be a problem, and I already got enough problems. Think I’ll just send her over to Frost’s. The way I sent that other one. That Willow. What do you think? Is that a good idea, Planville? To cut her throat and dump her somewhere where Frost is likely to trip over her?”

“What? I mean….”

“I said…. What the hell you shakin’ for? Didn’t I already say you could be a soldier? You ain’t scared, are you? A soldier can’t be scared, you know. Especially when there ain’t nothing to be scared of. What I was askin’ was, I was askin’ if you think it’s a good idea to cut that pretty little throat and dump that pretty little throat where Frost is going to for sure stumble over it and fall down and bruise his skinny old ass?”

“It is. It’s a good idea, Langley. I guess. Unless…. I mean….”

“’Cause I believe Frost needs more encouragement, Planville. To get off that farm. That`s my opinion. But I need your advice, soldier. That’s what you come here for, ain’t it — to give me advice about Frost? Well, I’m askin’ for it, so start doin’ your job. What I’m askin’ is, would it help to speed things along if you cut her throat for me so`s I could send her across the river for Frost to trip over? I wouldn’t ask you to do that — carry her over there. You’d have to haul her the long way round, see, over Wing’s Bridge, and I can tell you ain’t got the muscle for that. But it don’t take much muscle to run a sharp knife through young skin. And I got a knife so sharp I use it to shave this god damn itchy face. So, what do you say, Planville? Would that do the trick with Frost? Are you shakin’ again or are you just shakin’ your head? Is that a no?”

“Yeah. I mean, no. That wouldn’t do the trick? No way.”

Langley looked at Granville with surprise and delight. “Hey! There we are! I got some advice from my new soldier! Jesus it’s cold in here. Where the hell’s my breakfast? Them guys were just jokin’ about eatin’ addicts. We’re still eatin’ Wing’s cows. So you think I ought to cut her off.”

“I don’t know, Langley. I mean, that’s true too. What you said. You can say that again. I just know about Frost. Not girls. I mean….”

Langley patted Granville’s shoulder three times. “There’s an honest answer. You’re going to be a good soldier. Maybe I’ll send her to Frost’s, and maybe I won’t. But I ain’t going to cut her off. Hell, I got skag till the cows come home. Maybe she’s skinny, but she’s still better than anything else you can find around here. ’Except that Noor. And we’ll talk about that Noor after breakfast. That okay with you, soldier?”

“Yeah. That’s okay. I mean…. Yeah. We’ll talk about Noor after breakfast. I know all kinds of stuff.” He had stopped shaking.

“You do? Well, that’s wonderful. So, you ready for breakfast?”

Granville nodded. “You can say that again. I mean…”

“I wasn’t talkin’ to you. I was talkin’ to her. You ready for breakfast, Snow?” Langley slid a hand into his jeans pocket. He tugged out a clear plastic bag. The room had lightened slightly — some powder was visible in the bottom of the bag. Using two hands Langley carefully opened the bag, lifted it to his face, peered into it. He nodded, then turned to Granville. “You want to feed her?”

Langley just stared at him.

“You used to be an addict. You know how it goes. Just lick your finger and get a little skag, and she’ll take it from you. She’s trained good.” He held the bag out.

With two fingers of his right hand Granville accepted the bag. The fingers did not tremble. He looked at the girl.

She shrugged away from the woman who was holding her and crawled toward Granville on her hands and knees. The sleeveless dress slid off one shoulder, and a tiny breast appeared. Compared to the arms and face, whose colour was now discernable, the breast was very white. She looked up at Granville as she crawled toward him. There were dark bags below her eyes, but the eyes were wide and eager in the skull shape of her face. Her long hair dragged on the floor. Her hands and knees thumped softly against the hardened carpet. But yet she was so pretty.

Granville transferred the plastic bag from his right hand to his left. He looked at Langley. Langley nodded, smiled. Granville licked his right index finger and inserted it cautiously into the bag. When he took it out there was a smudge of powder stuck to its tip. He looked at Langley again. Langley nodded again, smiled again.