The Scourge Read online

  She stopped and sniffed. "You don't know anything. You are going to test positive tomorrow, just like I am. And you might as well accept that now, because sometime after that, they'll ship us both off to the Scourge Colony. Neither of us will ever go home again."

  I hesitated a moment. "Does everyone who gets tested end up at the Colony?"

  "No. But we will. The governor hates my father for trying to replace her in the last election. And you're a grub. If she decides we're sick, then we're sick."

  I shook my head as fear began to fill me. "The test isn't real?"

  "Oh, it's real, but the Scourge is everywhere in Keldan, so unless you live under a rock--" She hesitated. "Do you--"

  "River People don't live under rocks, Della." Sadly, this was not the first time I'd had to explain that to a pinchworm.

  "Well, unless you live under a rock, you've been exposed to the Scourge. So I already know how my test will come out. You should accept your fate too." Now she stood and stomped over to me, saying, "It's your fault I'm here. And for that, I will do everything in my power to make the final days of your life as miserable and lonely as I can. I promise you that."

  "Miserable or lonely, which do you prefer?" Yet again, my fear was coming out like anger. "Because whenever you're with me, I'm plenty miserable. I'd much rather you went to your half of the cell and let me be lonely instead."

  "You shouldn't have come down to help me!" she yelled.

  "And you shouldn't have asked me to come!" I countered.

  She pinched her mouth shut and stomped back to the cell door, but kept her eyes fixed on me in a murderous glare. I wasn't sure it was safe to roll over and sleep, but I suddenly didn't care. Something told me that no matter how awful today had been, tomorrow wasn't going to get any better. For now, I needed to sleep.

  Early the next morning, Warden Brogg appeared at the cell door with a cup in each hand. One for both me and Della, obviously.

  "Where's the other warden?" Della asked. "Your superior?"

  Brogg's eyes shifted. "Warden Gossel returned to the Colony this morning as punishment for disobeying the governor's orders."

  The order to take five River People, I guessed. But I didn't say anything. Brogg probably wouldn't want to be reminded that I had overheard his conversation with Warden Gossel.

  Brogg pushed the cups through the bars. "Here, take these."

  "Breakfast?" I asked. After missing supper last night, I was hungry. But Della seemed to know better.

  She sniffed at the cups. "This is the test? I thought it was more ... painful."

  "That was the old test," Brogg said. "Trust me, you'd rather cooperate now than face the way we used to do it."

  "How did you used to do it?" I asked, but Brogg shook his head at me, warning me not to ask again.

  "What's in the drink?" Della asked, taking one cup.

  "Do I look like a physician?" he replied. "All I know is it draws out symptoms that might not appear for two or three weeks otherwise. If you're sick, we'll know it within the hour. If it doesn't affect you, then you're free to go home."

  He held out the second cup to me, but I remained on the bed, letting Della drink hers first.

  She took a sip and murmured, "Tastes sweet."

  He smiled, clearly pleased with himself. "Many people who take the test ask for more. But even if they beg, they only get one."

  I doubted that was true. It seemed more likely that people were usually forced into taking this test, just as we were. Nobody would beg for seconds, no matter how good it tasted.

  When she'd finished, Della handed him the cup back. "I don't feel any different."

  "As I said, miss, it takes an hour." Then his eyes shifted to me. "Your turn."

  I stood and gingerly tested my ankle before putting any real weight on it. The tenderness was still there, but the swelling had gone down quite a bit, and even the rash wasn't too bad anymore. That was a relief. With only a slight limp, I walked over to him and took the cup.

  "How many people who take the drink show up with symptoms?" I asked.

  He shrugged. "Plenty of people pass this test, including a family of nine just yesterday. If you're not sick, we'll know soon enough."

  "One hour. If I don't show any symptoms, I can go home?"

  "One hour."

  I sniffed the drink, but couldn't recognize the smell as anything I was used to. It wasn't fruit, or herbs, or even spirits. Just ... unfamiliar.

  "Drink it," Della said impatiently. "I'll be home eating a fine breakfast of egg dumplings before you've even taken a sip."

  I glared at her and then swallowed it all in one gulp. One hour.

  Warden Brogg took my cup back and then disappeared into the building. I had wondered at first about why our cell was not guarded, especially after Weevil had proven how easy it was to escape. But during the night, it had begun to make sense to me. Wardens weren't immune to this disease any more than the rest of us. They were simply forced into the job. I might be afraid of what the wardens could do, but they were just as afraid of me, maybe more.

  Della was back on her side of the cell now, staring at me to see if I'd explode or spontaneously burst into flame or whatever the contents of that cup were supposed to make me do. I stared back, determined to be equally rude.

  "How bad is the Scourge for you grubs?" she asked, rebraiding her hair as we talked. It made me wonder if I should try braiding mine instead of letting it hang in loose tangles over my shoulders. "Has it affected many people?"

  "None of our people have gotten it."

  "Someone has to be first," she said. "When you fail the test, all the grubs will know your name, how you're the person who brought the disease to them."

  I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came. It was true that I had always hoped for a day when everyone knew my name. But not for this reason. Not for being the one who brought disease to the river country.

  "I know several Scourge victims," she said. "A lot of times it takes our workers, sometimes even our best ones, the ones that you'd never think could get sick. But that doesn't explain why you grubs haven't been affected. I mean, you're dirtier than any of our workers."

  Now I started finger-combing my hair. "Maybe the disease doesn't care about dirt."

  She sniffed, as if that was too absurd to deserve a response. "Lately it's been moving into families like mine. And the scary thing is that who gets it seems so random. I shouldn't be here."

  I felt like arguing that point, reminding her that she probably wouldn't be here if she had not slapped me last night. If the wardens truly believed I had the Scourge, after seeing her touch me, they had no choice but to test her too.

  I definitely felt like reminding her of that, but I didn't. She looked too much the way I felt--scared, confused, and lonely.

  So instead, I asked, "What were you doing in that boat last night?"

  She opened her mouth, closed it, and then sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you now. One of our workers is a boy named Jonas Orden, who did all sorts of odd jobs around our home. I don't think of him as a worker, though. We were friends. He was taken away with the Scourge about three weeks ago. I knew it was only a matter of time before I started to feel sick too."

  I felt like backing as far away from her as possible, though there was nowhere for me to go. "Wait--you already have the Scourge? You called me down to help you, asked me to carry you through the water, all the while knowing you are sick?"

  "I'm not sick right now. I'm just ... worried." She shrugged. "And anyway, you came down to my boat, knowing you're probably sick too."

  There was nothing I could say to that. Though my intentions were good, to respond to a cry for help, it had been a mistake on my part to get so close to someone else. If I did have the Scourge, if I had exposed myself to it ... No, I couldn't let my mind wander there. The test would answer those questions soon enough.

  Della continued. "I knew that once I started to show symptoms, I'd be taken away too, sent to
the Colony like a common person. So I decided to run away, but I didn't get far in the boat before I realized I'd never survive on my own. I didn't even know how to row it! So I changed my mind and meant to go home, but the boat had already started down river. I couldn't let my father find out I tried to leave. He'd ask why."

  "If you were already exposed to the Scourge, then why do you hate me so much?" I asked. "I didn't give it to you."

  Her eyes filled with tears. "I don't hate you for giving me the Scourge. I hate you for letting them find me. Wardens were already after you. Why did you stop to help?"

  It was a good question. Or a better question might've been, why did I stop to help her? "Della?" A man came running into the courtyard, dressed in a long black coat, gold vest, and a gentleman's hat. His face was square with a wide mustache, and he looked kinder than I'd have expected, considering what I knew of his daughter. Della ran to the bars. "Father?"

  "They told me what happened." He nodded at me. "Is that the girl who tried to steal our boat?"

  "Yes," I said. "A worker friend of mine got the Scourge, and I was afraid I'd get it too. I didn't want to go to the Colony like some common person, so I was using your boat to run away."

  Della flashed me a glare, and I smirked back at her. She turned to her father. "You must get me out of here."

  "I'll do everything I can," he said. "I'll speak to the governor at once."

  When he hurried away, Della seemed to breathe easier, and she returned to her half of the cell.

  I walked over to the bars myself, wondering if anyone would come for me, to beg the governor for my release. My father would come, if he knew where I was. But he didn't know, and no warden would be sent to notify him. Even if he did come, none of my people had the kind of power to demand a meeting with Governor Felling. We didn't have enough money to bribe our way in, and if my father fought me out of here, we'd only bring the battle back to the river country.

  The only person who could do anything to help me was probably miles from here now, headed upriver to where it was safe.

  At least, I hoped that's where Weevil was.

  And at the same time, I hoped not.

  I wanted him far away. I needed him here.

  If someone asked one of the River People for the time, the answer would be something like "daytime." Which in most cases was good enough for us. We estimated the passing of hours by the movement of the sun and figured overcast days were an excuse to ignore time for a while. For the River People, minutes and hours were an afterthought.

  This morning, however, my entire life depended on the passing of time. I had watched the changing angle of the sun so much that my eyes were beginning to burn.

  It had not been an hour yet when Della cried out behind me, "Ah!" I turned to see her kneeling on the ground, clutching her stomach. "Ani, help me!"

  My first thought was whether she truly wanted my help or whether this was another excuse to accuse me of a crime. But her cries were sincere. She was hurting.

  I backed away, ashamed of myself for ignoring her cries. "Get to the bed," I said. "Can you do that?" I hoped so, because I couldn't bear to see her on the ground, but I couldn't force myself to get any closer either.

  Della grunted and rolled onto the bed, still doubled over.

  "Where does it hurt?" I asked.

  "My stomach! Oh, Ani, what does this mean? What is this?"

  I knew exactly what it meant and so did she. Despite the fact that she and I were as close to enemies as anyone could be in such a short acquaintance, I still felt bad for her. I worried for myself too. Was this same pain about to come to me? I'd taken my drink just seconds after her.

  Yet though I searched within myself for any sign of pain, there was nothing. I was hungry--that was certain. But hunger would not leave me shrieking with pain-filled gasps, as she was.

  "Sing to me, Ani," she said. "Please."

  "Sing?"

  "I heard that grubs--that River People--know songs that can take the pain away."

  I snorted. "That's one of the old stories. It was never true, and it's especially not true about me. Trust me, my singing will bring you more pain than it takes away."

  "You offered before."

  Only out of a desire to be mean. But she didn't know that.

  "Please, Ani," she added.

  I looked around to be sure we were alone, then started humming a tune, softly at first. When Della closed her eyes to listen, I began singing. I chose one of the nursery songs my mother used years ago to get me to sleep. From my mother's lips, the song fell like dew onto grass. My song was closer to falling cow dung.

  I didn't get four notes in before her eyes flew open. "What is that noise?"

  "Singing!"

  "Were you singing or choking to death?" She clutched at her stomach again. "Ow! Honestly, Ani, you made me hurt worse!"

  "I warned you!"

  I actually had tried to sing my best. If I sang the way I usually did, I could have brought her to tears. With only a little effort, I could have made her wish the Scourge would just take her before I reached the next note.

  Then Della turned to me. "I know who you are now," she said. "My people talk about you. The priest even prayed for you once in church, that you'd be healed of whatever evil spirit curses your singing."

  "He prayed for me?"

  "He must not have prayed hard enough. You're the grub who sings in the town squares, refusing to stop singing until people pay you coins."

  "Other people sing for coins too," I said. "It's an honest way to earn money."

  "But they sing well. People pay coins to thank them." She scrunched up her nose. "You're paid to stop."

  My smile beamed with pride. "Either way, they pay."

  "What do grubs need money for anyway?" Della asked. "You eat bugs and build your homes from logs and clay, and steal from us whenever you need something."

  "That's not true," I said. We didn't eat bugs ... very often. Only our nicest homes were made from logs and clay. And we didn't steal. However, like Weevil, some of our people were very good at borrowing. Some borrowed for longer than others. Rumor had it that sixty years ago, old Farmer Adderson even borrowed one of the pinchworm women to marry him, though she already loved him back, so she refused to be returned.

  "It's so warm already," she said. "Can't you feel it?"

  A warm day was coming, but nothing hot enough to cause the beads of sweat on her brow. The wardens had left us a fresh pitcher of water last night, but I'd already finished it. I regretted that now. Della's tongue was moving inside her mouth as if she was thirsty.

  Della cried out and clutched at her stomach again. I wanted to cry too, but not because I felt any pain. It's only that we'd been in this same cell all night. Every contact I made with her increased my chances of getting the Scourge as well.

  Della's eyes were closed, but she had calmed a bit and she whispered, "You should be feeling just as awful by now."

  "I don't." Then hope flooded into me. "I'm not sick! I don't have the Scourge!" If Della hated me before, this wouldn't help things.

  "Congratulations," she murmured, and a tear slipped beneath her lashes. "My father won't be able to get me out now. There's no chance of that."

  My voice softened. "Everything will be all right." Though we both knew that was never the way the Scourge ended.

  Suddenly, Della sat up, though her hand was still pressed against her side and her teeth were gritted. "Wait, I have an idea! Maybe I'm hurting, but there are no outward symptoms, right? No rash or fever or green dots all over my face."

  For some reason, I thought about Weevil then. If the Scourge put green dots on a person's face, Weevil would probably try to get the disease. He'd find that entertaining.

  Della grabbed my arm. "We can help each other."

  "I don't need your help," I said, pulling away from her. "The drink didn't affect me. They'll let me go home."

  Della shook her head. "You've been in this cell with me all night. You're goin
g to get the Scourge now too, sooner or later. But if we work together, we can both walk away from here."

  "You can barely walk now. And I'm not sick."

  "You'll have to do the talking, Ani. You have to, because when I talk, I sound like I'm in pain. Tell them we're both fine. I can nod and agree with you."

  "Della, this is the Scourge, not some simple flu. You know what it does to people."

  Her voice raised in pitch. "My father will take us both away from here. He can put me in seclusion, where I won't give the disease to anyone. And he'll help you get home, offer any reward you want to bring you home to your family." She hesitated. "Grubs do have families, right?"

  "Those of us who don't spring forth from the mud have families, yes."

  If she even heard me, she missed the joke. She hesitated a moment to deal with another wave of pain, then said, "This can work."

  "It cannot work. It must not work, Della. If you leave, you'll get others sick too."

  Her face darkened. "I know about the Colony--you don't! The things the governor says in her speeches, they're not true. Why do you think I considered running away? I don't want to spend the last days of my life in the Colony."

  Governor Felling often talked about the Colony in her speeches. Scourge victims were housed in the old prison, but that was only out of necessity and it did provide a single place to care for the growing population of victims. Besides, the prison had been redesigned to feel like rooms, not cells. Though Keldan had little money, the governor had redirected what resources she could to provide food for the victims, and care was provided by shepherds--volunteers from the churches who had dedicated their lives to caring for Scourge victims in their final days. The disease always ended in death, but at least it wouldn't be a cold death, one without love.

  If all of that was wrong, then what was the Colony really like? And was it true that getting the Scourge was now inevitable for me? Everything I knew about the Scourge told me I was infected now.

  Yet it had been one hour and I wasn't feeling sick. I had passed the test. Warden Brogg had promised I could go home now.

  "Here they come," Della said. "Think of it, Ani, you can change your life today. The prettiest new dresses, a better home for your family. Think of the best reward you can imagine, and I'll make it happen. All you have to do is tell the wardens that we're both fine."