Chapter 5 – The Earth Tribe

5th October 2027 16:28

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, Pov thought, panicking.

In this forest, Pov and Carrie were surrounded by people who were equipped with stone spears. Sure, those weapons were primitive, not sure why they wouldn’t opt for a kitchen knife, especially since it was easy to get, but that was beside the point. Those stone spears, primitive as the might be, were still weapons.

Not to mention, they were outnumbered.

‘Wait, wait,’ Pov raised her hands, showing her palms, ‘we don’t mean any harm! Please, give us a chance to talk, and I’m sure you’ll find that we’re harmless!’

‘Ha!’ said one of them. ‘Harmless? How are we convinced when your partner over there already took out a pocketknife?!’

What? ‘Carrie! Put that knife down!’ She wasn’t listening. For goodness sake! ‘Look, I’m really sorry, Carrie over there isn’t thinking straight. She’s really really dehydrated, you see. And I’m to blame for that because—’ she hated to say this— ‘because I’m a burden!

‘She’s a jerk, I’ll admit. Horrible person, I would say. But really, if you’re willing to get through her exterior badness, you’ll find that she’s kind! Kind enough not to leave me, someone who’s scared of being alone. I’m not making this up!’

The people who surrounded her were wary of Carrie, who still held her knife. Though she was dehydrated and weak, she still had the sense to—make matters worse—adopt a stance. Of course the people would be on guard now!

Pov was panicking even more now. ‘I-I’ll do anything! I—Pass me a spear, and I’ll stab my own leg if that can convince you. I-I’ll follow anything you say! So, please!’

‘Does she ever shut up?’ one of them, the leader, Pov assumed, said. The bald man with hair for tattoos.

Carrie shook her head. Then, mimed shooting a gun to her head.

‘Understandable.’

‘Rude!!’ Pov protested.

‘Well, everyone, I don’t think they’re one of those people who like to do whatever. Just passers. Someone toss that dehydrated woman a water bottle!’

Someone tossed what seemed to be… a wooden bottle? Toward Carrie.

That was great. Carrie can—

Carrie tossed it back.

—toss it back?! ‘Why do you do that?!’

‘She’s a cautious one.’ The leader was impressed. He opened the bottle, drank from it, closed the bottle, then tossed it back. Only then did Carrie drink it.

She didn’t show this much caution when she had cooked for her the first time. Or did she? Now that Pov thought about it, when she had cooked for Carrie the first time, she had watched the process intently. She had thought she was just curious back then, but now it seemed that she was just cautious.

… What kind of experience would make her put up this much defense against others? Pov couldn’t help but wonder.

---

16:43

Both sides sat around a campfire.

The other side had a total of eight people. Six men, two women. The leader, the bald topless man, sat more frontward than the others.

‘First, let us introduce ourselves, as you’ve already done most of the talking before,’ the leader said. ‘We call ourselves the earth tribe. I am One, that’s Two, Three,’ he kept counting to eight. Pov couldn’t remember which one was which by the time he was done. ‘When the calamity was announced, when we knew that the earth had an ultimate deadline, we wanted… to redeem ourselves.

‘We used to live in a small settlement nearby, perhaps you had even passed it. The residents had decided to abandon the settlement in favor of moving to the capital city. However, the eight of us begged to differ. The earth is ending. And… we believed that it’s not too late to revert to our old ways. To become one once more with nature as we spend the rest of our days.’

True to his words, the earth tribe’s equipment were all things that could be gained from nature. Leaves for clothes, wooden box for backpack, vines for ropes, and so on. Pov still couldn’t understand why they would do that, but she let One carry on,

‘We believe that we can live as true humans. Be one with nature. Help others whenever we can. That’s why we’re willing to share our water. And that’s why we would like to cook with ingredients that we’ve attained and share it with you.’

Pov couldn’t say no to that.

‘Forgive us for our being wary. However, your side was also being wary of us. So, I would say we’re even.’

‘We are definitely even,’ Pov said. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘Well, before it becomes my turn to ask you questions, do you have any questions that you would like to ask?’

‘Yes,’ Carrie said. Her voice was weak, but she sounded better. Somehow, Pov was irritated by Carrie’s quick response. She didn’t think that she had ever done that for her. ‘You’ve been living as one with nature. Is there food that tastes good?’

Of course that’s your main concern. Of course.

‘Food that tastes good? You should know that all food given to us by the earth is all delicious!’

‘Never eaten a poisonous mushroom before?’

One laughed. ‘You got me there. We’d like to believe that they’re all delicious. Show our appreciation to the earth. But, if we are to judge the taste by modern tongue, then it could be said that they’re all horrible.’

‘Pity.’

Pov could see that one of the earth tribes was taking something out of a wooden box. A small creature. Was that… ‘Is that a grasshopper?’

One nodded. ‘They’re nutritious.’

Pov felt ill. Sure, maybe grasshoppers were nutritious. But how would they taste? Pov wasn’t brave enough to find out, but… she had to. Right now, she was a burden to Carrie. She was conserving her rations because of her. More than she should have. And right now, she had to lessen that burden by eating whatever she could eat.

‘Anymore questions?’

‘None for now,’ Carrie said. Either she wasn’t curious about the earth tribe or she had heard enough. Pov would agree if the reason was the latter.

‘Alright, my turn then, where are you heading? You’ve decided to avoid the road and cut your way through the forest. Can’t help but wonder.’

‘I’m heading toward the capital city,’ Carrie answered.

So that’s where we’ve been heading towards.

‘For what purpose? Miss civilization by chance?’

‘Sort of. I heard they still have restaurants there. I’d like to find food that tastes good there.’

‘Just for that reason alone?’

Carrie nodded.

‘Huh… And what about the partner?’

‘I’m following wherever she goes.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I hate being alone.’

‘Right, right. You mentioned that. You both make for a… weird pair, I would say. But we’ve met some people ever since our journey as the earth tribe, and they call us weird. So maybe we’re not one to say that to others.

‘Anyway, if you’re heading to the capital city… you should be warned. It seems that things aren’t as great as anyone would imagine there. Sometimes, we meet people running away from the capital. No idea how bad it is there.

‘With that in mind, are you still going to go to the capital city?’

Carrie nodded.

‘We pray for your well-being then.’

---

19:01

That night, they all ate grasshoppers. Unseasoned.

The earth tribe had no problems with it. Carrie had no problems with it. But Pov had to resist the urge to throw up. Something about the texture felt disgusting. She could feel the legs in her mouth as she chewed. And… why do they have… some sort of liquid inside them despite having been roasted? Ugh…

---

October 6th 2027 08:38

Pov woke up feeling horrible because of the grasshoppers from the other night.

Greeted by the sight of more roasted grasshoppers for breakfast, Pov decided to power through them. They were horrible, but she grew some resistance toward the disgusting taste after the first time eating.

Carrie, after breakfast, was hydrated and in good shape now. The earth tribe had shared their rations with them.

‘Best of luck for your journey,’ One said.

Carrie nodded.

Pov readied to follow her.

‘You’re still following me?’ Carrie asked.

‘Huh?’ Pov remarked.

‘Go stay with them.’

Right. The main reason Pov had followed Carrie was because she didn’t want to be alone. And their arrangement was that she could follow her, until she could find someone else. ‘Will they… be okay with it?’

‘Why wouldn’t we be?’ One said with a smile. ‘As long as you abandon your possession and switch to things that can be gathered from nature, we would welcome you as Nine.’

‘She’d have no problem with that.’

‘… I-I guess not.’ She had been a burden to her throughout this short journey together. If she could avoid being a burden, then sure, she could live as one of the earth tribe. Adopt her new identity as Nine. And continue living until the end of the world. She could—do that…

‘Good-bye,’ Carrie said. She patted Pov’s shoulder. ‘The other food you made these past few days were tasteless, but that marshmallow you made for me wasn’t bad. You’re a burden, that’s for sure—’ ‘Rude!’ ‘—but…’ Oh? ‘Actually, there’s no but. You are a burden.’

‘… You’re a horrible person.’

Carrie smiled. Then nodded. She then walked away.

Pov would miss her. Though the time she had spent with her was short, she had found her to be a good companion. A horrible person, as in her personality was horrible, but she was willing to take risks for her. Maybe she wasn’t so horrible. Or maybe horrible wasn’t the right word.

I don’t really know how to describe her…

Pov smiled.

Well, time to live my life as an earth tribe, I guess.

‘Oh,’ One said, ‘I forgot to mention.’

‘Hm?’

‘To become one of us, you have to undergo a ritual.’

‘Sure. I can do that. What kind of ritual?’

‘You have to meditate alone, by yourself, for twenty-four hours.’

Nope. ‘Carrie!! Wait for me!’ With her satchel slung on her shoulder, she chased after her.