Botanicaust

T ula retrieved her gamma pad. “ He doesn ’ t even know how old he is. I thought our mission was to bring enlightenment to the Outside. To make the world safe again. ”
    Vitus shrugged, his earrings swaying. His gaze lowered to her wrist where a shiny patch of pink scar tissue over most of her right forearm had not taken the chloroplasts during her childhood conversion. “ You can ’ t trust a convert. ”
    Tula ’ s face burned. The scar served as a constant reminder of her outsider roots. By force of will, she met his eyes. “ You look like you could use a little therapy yourself, sir. Jo Boy should be done in another forty minutes, if you want to come back. ”
    An angry flush obliterated the remaining green in Vitus ’ s skin. The tech covered his jolt of laughter with a cough and turned to his computer. No one liked Vitus, and it didn ’ t help that he thought he was too good to allow his own Conversion Team to oversee his treatments. “ I want to see that paperwork before you go home today. ” He pivoted on his heel and stalked from the room in a jangle of copper beads.

    Old Order Holdout
    Amarantox Plains
    Levi stuffed his rain poncho into a sturdy leather rucksack resting on the foot of his bed, avoiding his brother-in-law ’ s eyes. Above his beard, Samuel ’ s solemn face was ruddy from working the fields, but Levi knew him well enough to detect a flush of controlled anger. “ Brother Levi, you cannot go against the Ordnung . ”
    Levi continued packing. “ I accepted Gotte ’ s Wille when the cannibals carried off Papa Lapp. And found peace in my son when the Lord took Sarah from me. But I will not accept the death of my little boy when there ’ s a chance to cure him. You were by my side when my brothers died. When Sarah let out her last breath — ” He forced himself to breathe deeply, suck back the grief. “ Surely, you would not see Josef suffer so. ”
    Samuel ’ s single-minded focus didn ’ t waver, even at the reminder of his sister ’ s death. “ The Elders forbade it. You ’ ll be shunned. ”
    “ Then shun me. ” Levi pushed past to retrieve his shaving kit. Samuel always asserted the Elders ’ decrees came straight from God. “ Too many children die before they reach Rumspringa . If it ’ s Gotte ’ s Wille that they die, let Him stop me. But don ’ t you try. ”
    “ Brother Levi, you know no one will lay a hand to stop you. ”
    Levi stared past Samuel at the quilt Sarah had made while pregnant with Josef. It was true. The Old Order did not believe in violence of any sort, even in the dry years, when cannibals broke past the electric fences and carried off those who didn ’ t make it to the underground passages.
    Samuel continued. “ This silly intuition of yours isn ’ t a call from God. It ’ s a selfish excuse to do as you wish. Leaving here, you risk falling to the cannibals. Or worse yet, the atro cities of the Blattvolk . Would you leave your son an orphan? ”
    The Blattvolk. Genetic abominations who hunted humans to drag them into Hell. “ The green people are far to the south. I shouldn ’ t run into them at all. I ’ ll be back by harvest. ” Levi shrugged with feigned nonchalance and looked Samuel in the eye. “ And if it means saving my son, then I ’ m willing to risk my place in Heaven. ”
    Samuel gasped at the blasphemy and stiffly turned away. Levi clenched his jaw and went back to packing. After all their years as friends, Samuel should be used to his irreverence. But his long-time friend ’ s mind remained as closed as the Holdout ’ s gate.
    Levi pulled his notebook from the rucksack to make room for the shaving kit, and hesitated. Only a few blank sheets remained, but the rest of the pages were covered with sketched memories of Sarah and the past four years with Josef. He was already breaking the Ordnung by leaving the village and venturing into the world in search of a forbidden miracle. Foregoing shaving would be the least of his law breaking. He put the kit to one side and secured the strap over the notebook.
    “ Won ’ t you at least wait until tomorrow? ” Samuel didn ’ t turn around to ask.
    Settling his wide brimmed straw hat in place, Levi stood beside his friend. The street outside the window was dead, everyone already inside for supper. He held out a hand to shake. “ I ’ ve already said goodbye to Josef. The new moon is tonight, and I must use the dark. ”
    Samuel didn ’ t take his hand. “ We will