Free Oakaigus #1: Red Bloom by Nathan Sanders Page A

Fields.”
     
    “Wait,”
Lilah said, “I thought those couldn’t grow in this region.”
     
    “I
thought so too,” Jogen added.
     
    “Same
here,” Mr. Singu said, “as long as we knew, they couldn’t grow in climates this
hot. But for some reason, they just started popping up…”
     
    “So
you want us to pick them?” Lilah asked.
     
    “Yup!
This is our chance to get a leg up over the other cooks, so we need to pick all
the bushes ‘fore they find out!”
     
    “Meaning,
this is gonna’ be a long day,” Lilah said with her finger up her nose.
     
    “I’ll
make it worth your while! I’ve got a surprise for you two when you’re
finished!”
     
    “Really?”
Jogen said with a smile.
    “Not
only that, BUT, if you two can pick all the bushes before 28:30 AM, I’ll throw
in an extra surprise!”
     
    A
smirk grew on Lilah’s face.
     
    “I’LL
WIN,” Lilah shouted.
     
    “Uh,”
Jogen said softly, “I don’t think it’s a competi-“
     
    “READY,
SET G-“
     
    “WAIT,”
Mr. Singu said, “before you go, make sure you use the bulk carts. You’ll need
‘em. I want whole bushes: leaves, wood, everything .”
     
    “What
for?” Lilah asked.
     
    “Jhama
leaves give a real, exotic kick to the flavor when you use it for seasoning,
and the wood is supposed to give meat a special flavor when smoking with it.”
     
    “Okay,
got it. We’re off!” Lilah rushed to the back of the kitchen and through the
back door connected to the shed.
     
    “Oh,”
Jogen said, “uh, see you later!” Jogen ran after Lilah to the shed.
     
    “Be
safe out there!” Mr. Singu yelled.
     
    Mr.
Singu’s halved grin dissolved into a straight face. “Still,” he said under his
breath, “why are those berries growing here? Strange…”

 
    CHAPTER 2
     
    From
inside the shed, Jogen and Lilah stepped out into the blistering sun, pulling
out two, four-wheeled carts cladded in iron with crates attached to the back of
them.
     
    Lilah
hopped on her cart and fastened the safety belt over her waist.
     
    “Ready?”
she said.
     
    “Yeah,”
Jogen replied as he fastened his belt.
     
    The
two of them started to pedal and rode off from the sandy lot of the diner.
     
    Jogen
and Lilah made their way onto the rugged, muddy streets of their town. They
rode past smaller children kicking rubber balls and women filling the
atmosphere with the smoky aroma of fifty-pound ribs that massaged their noses.
     
    Lilah
looked to her side and saw a man lying on the ground, groaning as he massaged
his ribcage that protruded through his skin. His wrinkled stomach touched all
the way to his spine, while his bone-thin limbs showed patched of scabs on his
crackling, dry skin.
     
    “Poor
guy,” Lilah said.
     
    “They
still haven’t found a cure for PID yet?” Jogen said.
     
    “I
don’t think so. He’s probably gonna’ die there…”
     
    “Dammit.”
     
    The
two of them rode past more people congregating near abandoned buildings. On one
of the buildings, there were wrinkled, dirty posters hanging up with pictures
of people that had the word ‘ Missing ’ at the bottom of each poster.
     
    Jogen
turned his head to gaze at a poster with the picture of a brown-skinned woman
with long, dark hair.
     
    Jogen’s
grip tightened on his cart handle as he gritted his teeth.
    Lilah
glanced over at Jogen and saw the shift in his expressions.
     
    “We’ll
find her,” she said, “whoever took her is gonna’ get theirs. Trust.”
     
    Jogen
squinted his eyes as he turned his attention to the path in front of him.
     
    As
they rode through the streets, Lilah stopped to look down a dead-end alleyway.
She saw a man standing above a cornered woman. “Hey, Jo, look,” she said.
     
    Jogen
looked over in the alley. “What’s going on?”
     
    “Not
sure…”
     
    As
they stared longer, they saw the man choke the woman with one hand, and ripping
off her garments with his other hand.
     
    “NO,”
the woman cried, “PLEASE