“Man can live on elk jerky alone,” Mitch joked, knowing full well that that had kept them from starving for the last month and a half.
“I just can’t stomach stale fish or grubs,” Richard said with a sour look on his face.
“Really, you’re going to bring up the grubs again?” Mitch remarked.
“Well you did eat one, did you not?” Richard jested.
“It was a bet, and you cheated to win,” Mitch asserted.
“I didn’t cheat, you asked me what the tallest mountain was and I said Olympus Mons,” Richard replied.
“I meant the tallest mountain on Earth,” Mitch replied.
“Yes, but you didn’t specify that when we made the bet.”
“Like I said, you cheated,” Mitch replied with a smile.
“Okay, enjoy your fish. I’m going to take a look up the trail. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Richard remarked.
Richard made his way up to the top of a ridge that gave him a clear view looking south. After scanning the horizon for several minutes with his binoculars, he didn’t see any Aug patrols. It was exactly what he had hoped for. The Augs had reduced their presence in the rural areas figuring that the mosquitoes had converted all the humans in the area. After a few more minutes of surveying, Richard put away his binoculars and headed back to the clan.
“How does it look?” Mitch asked upon his return.
“Not an Aug in sight,” Richard exclaimed.
“That’s good, so how much further are we going to go today?” Mitch asked.
“Five more miles, and then we’ll stop for the night,” Richard replied as he signaled that he was ready to get going. Within a few minutes they were back on the trail with Richard leading the way. Every so often he would pull out his map and check it, but in reality he knew the way. He could look at a map once, and then navigate without it by using landmarks. It was a talent that he had learned as a Boy Scout. The only reason he looked at the map along the way was to instill confidence in the others that he knew where he was going.
Richard finally stopped after a couple more hours of hiking when he came upon large flat overlook. It gave a commanding view of the surrounding area, and was readily defendable if any Augs happened along. After the clan finished setting up their tents, they cooked dinner and watched the sun go down. It was peaceful evening, and the darkness revealed a sky filled with stars.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Bella commented as she peered up at the constellations.
“Yeah, every night is a good one if it’s free from Augs and mosquitoes,” Richard replied.
“Why don’t you go get some rest, I’ll keep watch tonight,” Bella offered.
“Are you sure?” Richard asked.
“Yeah, you took the last watch, so it’s my turn,” she insisted.
“Alright, I’ll see you in the morning,” he replied before retiring to his tent. Richard trusted Bella even more than Mitch, but he knew Mitch needed tasks to keep him focused. Bella on the other hand was self-sufficient and self-motivated. Richard respected Bella above all else, and he knew she could lead the clan if he wasn’t able to.
The next morning Bella noticed a faint plume of smoke rising from the valley below and she ran over to Richard’s tent and tapped on the pole to get his attention.
“What is it?” Richard replied in a sleepy voice.
“I think there is a camp a little south of us,” she announced. Richard quickly got out of his sleeping bag and followed Bella out to the overlook.
“Do you think they are Augs?” she questioned.
“I don’t know, let me get the binoculars from my pack and see if we can tell.” A moment later Richard returned to the overlook and peered down at camp. He could see several men busily working, but it wasn’t until he spotted a group of women that he was convinced that they were not Augs.
“What do you think?” Bella asked in an anxious tone.
“I’m pretty sure they’re human, none of the women appear to be pregnant.”
“A settlement this far south, how can that be?” she questioned.
“See for yourself,” Richard said as he passed the binoculars to her.
“You’re right, none of those women are pregnant. They must be human,” Bella agreed. It was a well-known fact that Aug women got pregnant as soon as possible after giving birth so that there would be a continuous supply of new hosts to implant.
“Should we go down there for a closer look?” Bella asked hesitantly.
“I’ll go, but I want everyone else to stay put in case things aren’t what they appear. There’s no reason to put the rest of the clan at risk or give away our position,” Richard insisted.
“Why don’t we just go around them,” Bella suggested.
“If those are humans, I want to find out how they have managed to survive this far south without being infected by the mosquitos,” Richard replied.
“Let’s hope they’re friendly,” Bella remarked.
“Yeah, but if they’re not, I want you to take charge and head west immediately,” Richard ordered.
Bella nodded and then kept watch as Richard headed down the hill towards the settlement.
When he reached the outskirts of their camp, he paused behind a thicket and watched a couple of individuals for a few minutes to make sure their behavior seemed human. Once he was confident they weren’t Augs, he slowly approached the camp. When the first few residents noticed him, they ran into their makeshift homes, only to reappear a moment later armed with various weapons.
“Who are you?” one of the men asked in an abrasive tone while aiming his weapon at Richard.
“I mean you no harm,” Richard replied as he held his hands up.
“Don’t move,” the man ordered as he slowly approached. The other two men kept their distance, while the first man inched closer until he was close enough to see the whites of Richard’s eyes. Richard held his gaze, also looking carefully to confirm the stranger was in fact human.
“He’s clean,” the man said as he lowered his weapon and then held out his hand in a welcoming gesture. “My name is Jake, and behind me are my sons, Sean and Matt.”
“It’s nice to meet you, my name is Richard.”
“Sorry about the hostile greeting, but we haven’t seen any other humans pass this way for almost a year. How have you survived on your own?” Jake asked.
“I’m not alone. The rest of my clan is up on the hill. We didn’t want your clan to think we were a raiding party so I came over to check things out first,” Richard replied.
“I appreciate that. We tend to shoot first if it looks like there’s going to be any trouble,” Jake admitted.
“Yeah, you can’t be too cautious,” Richard agreed.
“Well, now that we know you’re human, and vise-versa, feel free to invite your clan down here,” Jake offered.
“Thank you,” Richard replied as he motioned to Bella to bring the clan down.
“How did you find us?” Jake asked.
“We spotted the smoke from your campfire and were quite surprised to see humans living this far south. I guess you’re not worried about the Augs finding you?” Richard asked.
“The Augs have all but stopped patrolling this far out ever since they unleased the parasitic mosquitoes on us,” Jake replied.
“You have to tell me how you’re able avoid the infection in the warmer months?” Richard asked.
“We’re lucky enough to have a botanist in our group, and she located a little known fern called Dryopteri filix-mas. It contains a powerful anti-worm agent that acts as a natural protectant when consumed in small doses. I don’t think the Augs know about the fern, and they think this area is free of humans as a result of their mosquito campaign,” Jake revealed.
“How widespread is this fern?” Richard asked.