Murmansk-13

Men on Ilya and Kirill’s side catcalled, words Tala knew to be Russian expletives pierced the tense silence like knives. The fragile order these twelve men had come to share for four years was coming to an end. She imagined Gennady’s supporters tensing as he strode unguarded into the middle of District Four and stood beside the cart of supplies. For a second, the man assigned to guard Katja and Tala sidestepped into Tala’s sights before disappearing from view.

“Brothers’ please hush.” Gennady’s old voice wavered over the thrum of the generator.

“We are no longer your brothers, Gennady,” Ilya spread his arms out as if encompassing those around him. “It is time you step aside.”

Gennady stood very still, staring down his opposition. “You will be pleased to hear I intend to.”

There was a surprised hush followed by muttered babble.

“But first,” Gennady continued. “Please let me ask you. Who will come with me?

“As you are surely aware, we have been graced by two visitors one of which is a spacefarer on a wayward merchant vessel. For four years, we have existed here, not lived. Four years of the same faces, the same routine while our loved ones slowly forget we exist. We live and yet we are mourned! Up to now, our only visitor has been the ghastly infected. Desperate to draw us into their ranks, desperate to give reasoning to our loved ones loss.

“We are afforded an opportunity, today, to leave this place. To leave this purgatory and return to our families, return to our friends.

“We know that District Seven know of this ship. We cannot dally. Igor will no more let us willingly leave than the infected or them,” Gennady gestured toward the faded graffiti. “I will be leaving tonight. I ask you, all of you, regardless of your allegiance, who will come with me?”

Some of the men around Ilya had bowed their heads. In the end the coup had been a peaceful one and brief, now they couldn’t look at their once appointed leader square in the face. They shuffled their feet while the men stood behind Gennady raised their arms. Those loyal to Gennady, Jamal was easily identifiable, so was long haired Andrei. They numbered four, five including the deposed autocrat who had raised his own arm.

“Why should we leave?” Asked one man, Tala was unable to identify him “We are safe here. If we leave we will die.”

“Our runner has left countless times and both our visitors came from beyond our domain,” Tala could hear incredulity creeping into Gennady’s voice. “We are safe for now, but we cannot exist here forever. The supplies have grown dangerously low. As far as we know this vessel is the first to dock here since our transporter smashed into it.”

The man Tala established as Kirill walked from the shadow of Ilya. “Men, do not listen to this zmeya,” his voice was high and fluting. “I never asked for this teacher to reign sovereign over me, I remember no election, I was detained beside him in Norilsk. He is weak, he subverts, he would sell out his other prisoners to guards so his letters would be sent home. Where are our supplies? Gennady. I don’t doubt he and his monkey boy know. I don’t doubt that is where they intend to go.”

“Madness, Kirill. You speak utter, unfounded madness. Are you suggesting I am intending to simply relocate with the supplies? That I have been knowingly stockpiling them elsewhere? If that were the case why would I offer for you to join me?”

Katja had shuffled up beside Tala and pressed into her, the cover still wrapped around her soft body. Katja had surely heard the spiralling conversation beyond the glass, muted though it was. “This is what happens when you introduce women into a male-only society.” She tried to smile, but her face betrayed her fear.

Tala felt it too. Kirill was desperate, there was surely some truth in Katja’s musing. The arrival of women had allowed Kirill to pervert the weakest men, to bend them to his will. She caught snippets of the conversation outside. “Thin you out… insane!” But she no longer listened, her mind rushed forewarning dread. “Katja, we need to leave. Now.”

What little colour remained in Katja’s round face drained away. Her skin turned white at Tala’s cold command. “How?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t…” Tala’s thought was shattered as something began to pound the guardroom door.

“YOU! You led them to us!” Tala returned her eye to the small scratched out sights. Kirill pointed at Gennady as the men backed away from the guardroom entrance. The iron bars rattled in their strikes. “Slash and burn. Slash and burn – Gennady and his lackies intend to kill District Four so that they may survive. This is treachery!”

Jamal stepped forward. “It is you who have allowed the infected to breach our barricades! You who convinced men to stand down from their posts for this charade.”

“But now we must surely leave!” Even before the words parted his lips, Gennady would realized he had incriminated himself.