“That’s my guess. They’re likely being given a sedative for the trip, but in reality, they never wake up. It could be anything, but however they do it, the women wind up in pods in a secret hospital. What they do after that, we have no way to know.”
Charlotte gazes toward the modules where women and girls are even now going about their days. She shifts that gaze to the special modules interspersed between those normal ones. Those deluxe modules are for expecting mothers or those who have babies under two years old.
If their lives here are like one very long, all-inclusive vacation, then those modules provide the equivalent of the bridal suite or penthouse. There is absolutely nothing the inhabitants of those modules can’t have…except a way out.
Despite that lure, the modules aren’t full. Not one of them is full. With so much uncertainty, there’s been a real reluctance to have babies. Not because of fear for themselves, but because they fear for the baby if they have a girl. What might her life be like? What would she face?
“You told Rick that you thought it was because we didn’t have enough babies here. Is that what you think?”
Tabitha nods. “They have to be practical. The human race will end if those who are left don’t have as many female babies as possible. In the end, it almost doesn’t matter what we think about it. The world is now almost entirely populated by men, and it’s their extinction they’re worried about. Even though we’re the ones who are almost gone, they’re worried for their own legacies. It almost makes a terrible sort of sense.”
Charlotte can see that, but she can also see the horror in it. And the logic of self-preservation often doesn’t include how many others might die. It’s the calculus of self…and selfishness.
“And that’s why they haven’t taken many groups like you and me. That’s why it’s only the single women and girls my age without parents here. You can’t have babies, and you protect me.”
“We think so.”
“So, you think they’ll keep the camps then?”
“I do. Or else there really is a nicer camp going up somewhere. They’ll have to have something like this. You can’t put a newborn in a coma and expect it to grow up to have more babies that way.”
Charlotte winces at the imagery, but says, “Eventually, they’ll want me.”
“Which is why I have to get you out.”
*****
A few days later, the monthly list of women selected to move is released. Charlotte isn’t even worried. After all, she’s part of a pair, and that complicates matters. When she sees her mother’s face, she knows.
“Am I on it?” she asks as Tabitha rushes toward her, enfolding her in a hug. The nod into her shoulder is all the answer she needs. She clings tightly to her mother. What can they do? These lists come out one week before the move. They have so little time.
When she breaks the embrace, Tabitha hands her the tablet in her hands. “It’s got me on there too. The list is for college bound young women and their mothers. It’s about half this module.”
“What are they going to do with you guys? I mean, the ones like you who are past…you know.”
“Menopause? It’s not a dirty word. And I don’t know. They can’t keep us. Maybe they’ll try to pump us up with hormones to harvest any remaining eggs or carry fetuses. There might be some eggs in there still.”
“Oh, Mom!”
Charlotte knows what this means. Perhaps they’ll have a use for women like her mother, but it won’t be a good use. And what’s really going to happen to her? Is she about to be put into a permanent coma to bear endless children? Are these her last days as a living, thinking human?
“Mom, I’m scared.”
“I know, baby, but try to be calm. Don’t show it. We don’t know what they’ll do if they even suspect we’ve figured out something is wrong.”
Charlotte shakes her head. “No, they won’t think that. They know we love the horses. They know we’ll be sad to leave them.”
“That’s it!” Tabitha exclaims, spreading her arms to indicate the stables. “I run this place. You run half the classes. We can get off the list if I tell them I need more time to train up replacements.”
“You think so?”
“It’s worth a shot. Horses aren’t goldfish and it won’t do anything good for morale if the animals suffer or get taken away. It’s really worth a shot. You’re brilliant!”
The next day, Charlotte fidgets in the waiting area at administration while Tabitha talks to the man in charge of the entire camp. They don’t call it a camp officially, of course, and the titles are far more genial, but that’s what he is.
When her mother exits the office, she smiles and looks quite hopeful. Charlotte breathes a sigh of relief and just barely manages to remain silent while they exit the building. As soon as they hit the path, she asks, “Did he take us off the list?”
Tabitha gives her a one-armed hug while they walk, then says, “I think so. He said he hadn’t realized I was in charge of the stables. He didn’t really understand how specialized that skill was either. After I explained, and mentioned how hard the women here would take it if the horses got sick from poor care, he seemed to see the problem. He asked me if there were any good candidates to train up, which is a good sign.”
“It is! What did you say about how long it would take?”
Tabitha grins and says, “I told him it can take years to learn how to do it really well, but I could train up some eager volunteers for these horses in particular in a few months if they were dedicated.”
“A few months isn’t that long,” Charlotte says.
“It’s longer than the six days we have now. And I’ll have to work more with the supply
