"It's a farce!" The old lady shouted.
The building descended into chaos, and the whispers became protests as Lacey's touch failed to cure the old lady. John stood up, trying to tame the rabid crowd, knowing we had failed.
"Calm down! Calm down, everyone."
With his words, the crowd returned to their seats, staring with disgust at the baby I held in my hands.
"Now, we will vote in accordance with our rules. All in favor for the baby to stay, please raise your hand."
The results were disheartening. Only one hand rose in her favor.
"All against, raise your hand."
At that point, I didn't look. I walked away with my brother, understanding that was the most probable outcome. Once at our place, I left the sleeping baby in the bed and began to gather all my things.
"You don't think they will kick us out in the middle of the night, right?" Julius asked.
"Please get ready. I'm not sure what to expect from now on. Leaving us alone until the morning will be the best-case scenario, but I want to be prepared for the worst."
Immediately, a knock sounds at our door. John walked in, carrying a hint of remorse. "I'm sorry, Farris. You knew this would be a difficult decision."
I turned around, furious at his implication. "You knew my father! You know how he raised us. And even with me doubling my efforts to find more food and supplies, you let them gang up against us. You should be ashamed of how weak you have become."
"Please understand. I am not the man I was ten years ago. If I don't obey the majority, I fear we all be dead in no time. At least, this keeps the peace between them and me."
"At the expense of her life? Tell me, how many of them can stand half an hour outside under the blazing sun looking for supplies?" I paused, waiting for him to answer my question. "Do you want me to answer the question for you?... None of them. Without young people, this village is doomed. You'll all be dead within weeks."
I turned around, ignoring the old man. I saw John as a father figure for us when my parents died. I knew it was my anger speaking — not my heart.
"You don't need to pack immediately. You can leave in the morning." John said.
I walked towards the door and held it open for him, assuming he would get the hint of me not welcoming his presence inside my house any longer.
Without saying any words, the old man understood what I wanted to say. "Good night, Farris," John said, walking away.
I felt a great deal of remorse, flooding my frustration onto him. I stood in front of my brother, his expression waiting for an explanation of my behavior towards John.
"I didn't want our relationship to end like that. But I was furious he didn't stand by my father's beliefs." I said as I packed the last bag. "I'm sorry if you think I was unfair, but I want you understand, our father was the leader of this village, and he would do anything to rescue anyone in need."
My brother lay down next to Lacey, covering his head with a blanket. "Unfortunately, he is not here right now, and there's nothing you can do to change that," Julius said.
Early in the morning, I woke to Lacey's cooing. I stood up from my improvised bed on the floor, as I let Lacey sleep comfortably on my side of the bed.
"I bet you're starving," I said to her. "I will make us a quick bite to eat."
I took one of the cans and removed the top lid, revealing the intense aroma of black beans in brine. "They smell ok." I took some of the beans and smashed them until they turned into puree. I grabbed a little portion with a spoon and brought it to Lacey.
"Open up, little sister! Here comes the plane!"
But her reaction was one of dislike. With her hand, she knocked the spoon out of my hand. "You don't like it? It tasted ok to me."
She moved her head towards the bottle of water left by me last night in a box next to our bed. "Water? That's what you want? How can you survive only on water?"
I took the bottlecap, filled it to the brim, and placed it on Lacey's lips. Suddenly, the front door opened, and one of the guards entered the room.
"I have been instructed to escort you out to the gates," The guard said.
"Morning, Nathan. We'll be ready shortly." The guard nodded and exited our home.
I shook my brother's leg, waking him up. "Hey, it's time to get up. I got some black beans on the table, eat up, and let's go."
We finished packing our bags and left them at the entrance. I helped my brother with the bow and the quiver, our only weapon to defend ourselves against anything that threatened us while we explored around for shelter.
"Are you ready?" I asked Julius.
"I'm nervous. I've never been outside of this building for a long period of time."
"You have me, your big brother. I promise, nothing will happen to you."
My brother nodded, grabbed the bags, and left our humble abode. Outside, the guard waited patiently, resting under an old store sign. "We're ready, Nathan."
The guard walked with us until we reached the man-made gate. Once outside, a woman ran towards us, the only person who had voted for Lacey to stay. She pressed a basket into my hands.
"I found those a while back. I'm not sure if they'll be of any use, but they're of no use to me. I thought you might need them more than I do."
"Thank you," I said, turning around, holding my brother's hand. Behind us, the mall swallowed the last of its light, and with it, the only home we had ever known.
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