Eden Rising by Brett Battles Page A

of room for Kusum’s and Sanjay’s friends to spread out. The best feature of the place was that it allowed them to hide from view if anyone passed by on one of the surrounding streets, while still having open air above them. If they needed shelter, there was plenty of that inside.
    Kusum entered through a back door that led into a basement, where she took the stairs up into the main workshop. Along the interior wall was a large door that could be opened onto the courtyard, but whoever had left the business last had shut it and locked it in place—a hopeful act that he or she would return. She exited through the smaller door on the right and stepped into the outdoor space.
    “Stop.” The voice was low, the tone commanding.
    “It is only me,” Kusum said.
    “Kusum?”
    “Yes.”
    Darshana stepped from the shadows behind a stack of wooden planks, in her hand an iron rod. After she could see it was indeed Kusum, she lowered her weapon.
    “Sorry, I did not realize it was you,” she said.
    “Never be sorry for this,” Kusum said. “I could have been anyone. I would have been surprised if you had not greeted me like this.”
    Darshana tried to maintain a neutral expression, but Kusum thought she saw a flash of pride cross her friend’s face. Though they were about the same age, Darshana and the rest of their survival group considered Kusum and Sanjay to be their leaders, and looked up to them more than Kusum thought they should.
    “The others?” Kusum asked.
    “Sleeping.”
    “We must get them up. I need you all to come with me.”
    “This way.”
    Darshana led Kusum around the piles of wood and metal to the open area where Prabal and Arjun were stretched out on thin blankets.
    “Wake up,” Darshana said, shaking first Arjun’s shoulder then Prabal’s. “Come on. Wake up. We need to go.”
    Prabal rolled onto his back with a groan. “What?” he asked, his eyes struggling to open.
    “Kusum is here. She needs us to go with her.”
    Arjun raised himself on an elbow. “Kusum?” He looked around as if he didn’t quite understand, and then his gaze fell on Kusum. “Oh. Oh, Kusum.” He sat all the way up. “I am sorry. I am…um…still…”
    “It’s okay,” Kusum said. “Please get up and gather your things.”
    Arjun immediately began rolling up his blanket.
    “What’s going on?” Prabal asked, slowly sitting up.
    “I need you all to come with me,” Kusum said. “We found something and we might need your help.”
    “What did you find?”
    Darshana shoved Prabal in the back. “You don’t need to ask what. If Kusum needs us to go with her, we go.”
    “Of course, we go,” Prabal said. “I was just wondering what we were going to. It was only a question.”
    “It is a stupid question,” Darshana said. “We will find out when we get there.”
    As Prabal rose to his feet, he said, “It is not a stupid question. It is simply a question. Who are you to—”
    “Please,” Kusum said. “There is no need for this. Nothing is a secret here. We are going to a place close to the so-called UN survival station.”
    Prabal shot a see-it-wasn’t-stupid look at Darshana.
    “So-called?” Arjun said. “So it is not what they are saying?”
    Kusum shook her head. “It does not look like it. Many of the people there are the same ones who were in charge of distributing the disease throughout the city.”
    “Are you serious?”
    “It is even worse than that,” she said.
    “How worse?” Prabal asked.
    “Survivors are coming in and being locked in holding areas.”
    “You have seen this?” Arjun asked.
    “Yes. Not too long before I left, a group of four women arrived. Thirty minutes later they were led to one of the holding areas.”
    “What is going to happen to them?” Prabal asked.
    “No way to know for sure, but I cannot imagine it is good.” She let this sink in for a moment, then said, “We need to go. There may be nothing we can do, but if there is, we need to be in a position