Joseph D'Lacey - Meat

‘He doesn’t want to hear this, Torrance, believe me.’

‘I’m sure he doesn’t. But someone has to understand what goes on up here and it ought to be him. I will do everything in my power to keep the plant working as efficiently as possible until Mr. Magnus gets the power back on.’

Bruno shook his head.

‘I can’t see that happening any time soon. It’s going to take years to fix the gas power station. We’re not even sure we can fix it.’

‘What? Why not?’

‘We’re short of the right kind of materials for a start. Mainly it’s a lack of knowledge. The maintenance engineers are going to have to learn how to put it all back together. They’re starting almost from scratch. When the Father created the town, I don’t think he was expecting a bunch of heretics to blow bits of it up.’

Torrance was quiet while he considered the implications of running the plant forever without electricity. It was possible but it would take a lot of doing. If Magnus demanded the same efficiency as before, they’d have to create more chains working manually in the slaughterhouse. They’d have to take men on for milking. If they couldn’t create gas from waste, none of the herds would move in trucks any more. Men would be hauling carts of meat into the town. Everything would change. Torrance felt the first naggings of doubt about the order of things, the first tugs of fear over the future.

Bruno interrupted his thoughts.

‘We’ve got to make sure that something similar doesn’t happen up here.’

‘You think they’re going to attack the plant? Why would they do that? It’s suicide.’

‘From what I’ve seen, this lot have death wishes. I’ve seen…’

‘What?’

‘Doesn’t matter. This guy Collins that leads them, he’s crazy. There’s nothing he won’t try. That’s why I’ve brought some of our boys up here. They’re going to keep an eye on your perimeters. Especially at night. Make sure you look after them, right?’

‘I’ll let the stockmen know.’ Torrance rubbed a hand over his mouth and beard. ‘You really think they’ll try something?’

‘I don’t know but we’re not leaving it to chance.’

‘I should arm the stockmen.’

‘Too right. Get them bladed up, Torrance. This place has got to stay on track or the town’s in big trouble.’

Bruno turned to leave.

‘Wait. What about the Welfare? Have they sent word? They must have an answer to all of this. They should send out the Parsons and seize this Collins man.’

‘I don’t know what the Grand Bishop’s response has been to the destruction of the power station but I know that Magnus has already asked Welfare for help and that they weren’t very cooperative. Him and the Grand Bishop… they don’t get on.’

‘Fuck me, Bruno. Two men with a disagreement is no reason to let the town be overrun by lunatics.’

‘That’s what I’ve been thinking.’

‘There must be something else we can do.’

‘If I think of anything, I’ll let you know. No reason why we can’t work together.’

Torrance nodded. No reason at all.

They didn’t knock.

She heard footsteps, glimpsed dark figures passing the kitchen window and hadn’t even the time to be frightened when they walked through the back door. They entered as though into their own mother’s house and threw themselves down on kitchen or living room chairs. So nonchalant, she half believed they were meant to be there – friends of her husband and he would follow them in at any moment.

He didn’t.

One of the men, his hair long, black and greasy, couldn’t be still. He paced around the open plan ground floor picking things up, half inspecting them, putting them down. It was as though she didn’t exist. She found her voice and began to speak but the restless one held up his hand to silence her without even looking her way.

‘Where are the children?’ he asked.

It was easier now to stay silent than to talk. She didn’t answer.

The greasy-haired one gestured with his head to two of the others and they slipped upstairs.

‘No.’ She ran towards them, still holding a wet dishrag. ‘Wait. Please just tell me why you’re here. You’re not Welfare. What do you want?’

The leader grinned through bad teeth.

‘How do you know we’re not Welfare?’

‘You’re not… Parsons.’

‘We could be… undercover Parsons.’

The others laughed.

‘You can’t take them away. We’ve done nothing wrong.’

‘Denials. Without an accusation even being made. I smell a guilty conscience.’

‘I swear to you, we’re good townsfolk. We live by the Book.’

‘Oh? And what book would that be?’

She could see how her confusion amused them. Why would they toy with her this way?

‘The Book of Giving, of course.’

‘Sounds a bit old-fashioned to me. Bit… dated. Sounds like the sort of book we could burn and no one would miss it.’

The two men descended the stairs, each carrying one of her daughters.

‘Ahh. Soon have the whole family together, won’t we?’

The girls and their bearers were smiling.

‘Please.’ She dropped the rag and took hold of the man’s hands. ‘Please don’t take them away. I told you, we do things right in this family.’

The man smiled in genuine amusement.

‘I’m sure you do, Mrs. Shanti.’ He removed his hands from hers. ‘But I’m really not interested in how piously you run your household. I’m merely here to extend you an invitation from my employer, Mr. Rory Magnus. He’s requested the pleasure of your company.’

‘But I… I mean we… this is something to do with Richard, isn’t it? What has he done? Tell me what he’s done.’

‘Mrs. Shanti, I don’t know what you mean. All I know is that you and your daughters and Mr. Shanti are all required to be the guests of Mr. Magnus.’

‘Required? I—’

‘He’s very particular about who he invites. I’d say you were all very honoured. Wouldn’t you, boys?’

There were nods all around the room.

Hema and Harsha could hardly contain their excitement.

‘We’re all going to go for a ride in the big black bus, Mummy. We’re going to see the biggest house in the town.’

Maya knew she had a choice about how she handled their captors. If she struggled, protested and begged it would frighten the girls. If she went meekly, calmly, at least they would be shielded for a little longer.

‘Well, in that case, I’d better put my best shoes on.’

Torrance tapped a pencil against a chipped mug in his office. Shanti watched his face for clues, for any sign of what the man was really thinking. There was nothing there but veils. What he said after his long silence was unexpected.

‘We have to reduce the herds.’

‘Reduce?’

‘It amounts to a cull, really. Management of numbers.’

‘But why? It’ll result in a reduced yield. More people going hungry.’

Torrance shook his head. He had the look of a teacher trying to explain something to a small child.

‘No one goes hungry because of a lack of meat, Rick.’

‘There isn’t enough to go around as it is… Bob.’

If the familiarity annoyed Torrance he showed no sign of it.

‘It’s true, that’s what people think. But that’s just what Magnus wants townsfolk to believe. It keeps the price high, funnels the town’s wealth in a very particular direction.’

‘I don’t understand.’

Torrance appeared to make some kind of mental decision.

‘Look, Rick, I like you. You’re a good man. A great asset to MMP. So I’m going to tell you something. But first you have to swear to me that nothing I say will be repeated. To anyone. Ever.’