Stealing Silence
E.A. Darl
Chapter 1
The Theft
FOR THE TENTH TIME, Avalon crouched by the rusting wheel of the abandoned wagon, the hood of her filthy hoodie pulled tight round her face. The sleeves were too long and bunched up in the crook of her arm. She had cut holes in the cuffs to act as gloves on the colder evenings. Avalon’s cracked and dirty fingernails poked through the openings and curled around the rotting wooden spokes as she counted off the steps of the patrolling guard.
The great dome that covered the greenhouse was lit from within by rows of hydroponic lights, blurred to her view by the fogged glass. Avalon quickly lowered her eyes, preserving her night vision and continued to count inside her head. Her stomach rumbled at the sight of so much food gathered in one location. She pulled a stone from her pocket and began to suck on it, to quell the rumblings and distract herself from her hunger.
Twenty eight. Twenty nine. Thirty, she counted silently.
The guard disappeared around the far end of the greenhouse, to continue his patrol on the other side from where she hid. She checked both directions and listened for the telltale sounds of human movement, but all was silent. Neither creature nor insect stirred in the sweltering heat. She swiped her sleeve across her face, to clear her eyes of the sweat rolling down her forehead and dripping off her nose. It left a greasy smear on her pixie features.
With one last check to be sure the coast was clear, she ran toward the glass enclosure, keeping to the shadows cast by the abandoned farm equipment. She zigzagged across the hundred or so yards that were the moment of truth, for in that one hundred yards there was no protection, no place to hide. She saw the camera mounted on a pole at the entrance to the greenhouse swing her direction and dropped flat to the ground. Her dirty clothing blended in with the dusty landscape as she froze, counting down the seconds until the camera swung away from her location. Blind to the gatekeepers, she ran for the shadow cast by the thick iron rib that supported the glass of the dome. Two feet of metal supported the bones and formed the foundation of the structure, running around the circumference of the structure. At periodic intervals, hinged metal plates were spaced, through which ran electrical cables and watering lines, that snaked up the sides of the greenhouse to feed the water supply lines suspended above and feeding to every vertical growing mat. Avalon tugged on the three foot wide plate, which opened to a squawk that shot into the silence like a gun shot. Avalon grimaced and then crawled into the hatch, wriggling herself over and under the tumble of lines, all which sought to either strangle or electrocute her. She moved slowly, careful to not touch any of the unprotected connections. With all this dirt and water, she was sure to electrocute herself if she misstepped.
A line caught around her foot and she eased it out of the tangle, then slithered down onto the floor of the greenhouse. The rich, moist scent of growing assailed her hungered senses as she got to her feet. Everywhere was a riot of green plants and flowering crops in various stages of their reproductive cycle. As she straightened, her forehead bumped a plump red tomato and her eyes bulged at its size. She plucked the tomato and bit into its shining surface. The tangy juice ran down her chin in glorious rivulets and in four bites, she had consumed it. She swiped her sleeve across her chin as her eyes swept the interior, searching for the ripest and easiest bounty to harvest. She spied a carefully pruned apple tree, branches bent to the ground and tied for easy picking. A bag was produced from inside her sleeve and she plucked half a dozen apples and stuffed them inside it. Her eyes fell on plump ears of corn, sagging from an eight foot stalk. She took her knife and cut out four of the ears and stuffed them in the bag alongside the apples. Some fat mushrooms and a long zucchini also disappeared inside. With the bag nearly full and only so much room in the corded space of the hatch, she reluctantly returned to the hatch. On the way she grabbed a handful of blueberries from the bush hanging at eye level in its nutrient sack, and nearly cried with joy for the sweetness of the treat. She paused and stuffed a bunch in her pockets before kneeling down before the exit. She shoved the bag through the tangle, then dropped it gently onto the ground outside the green house. With a regretful last glance at the sinful amount of food all around her, she squeezed her way back through the narrow, dangerous opening, pulling herself out with her hands wrapped around the lower edge of the wall opening and inching forward with her toes. She pulled herself forward, head tucked to avoid a drooping cable.
Suddenly hands grabbed her by the elbows and she was yanked out of the opening to slide to the ground with a thump that squashed the blueberries in the pockets of her hoodie. With a cry, she rolled over to be met with a flashlight that was shone directly into her eyes, blinding her.
“Well, if it isn’t little Avalon the thief. So it’s you, who has been plundering the greenhouse, eh? A nice black market sideline I am sure.” The guard’s hand clamped around her upper arm, and he painfully pulled her to her feet. She kicked out at him but he dodged the attack easily, being twice her height and double her weight, if not triple. Instead she dropped her teeth to his arm and bit as hard as she could into the flesh of his forearm. Cursing, he clouted her with the hand that gripped the flash light. The rough lip of metal caught her cheek, slicing a gash even as her head snapped back. “Enough of that, you she-devil!” Rough hands pulled her arms behind her back and she heard the snap of handcuffs, as the cool metal encircled her wrists. Gripping her by the upper arm with his right hand, he picked up the bag of stolen edibles with his left and dragged her along behind him. She staggered, her head still wringing from the blow.