Dancing in the Ruins

By Ann Stratton

After the world's been destroyed and all trust is gone, is the deal the only thing holding what's left together?

 

Dayel thought he had a deal with Jermy, but then that Jorjy butted in. And then Jermy took up with those two raggedy starving stranger Mikey and Bobby. Dayel took that deal because onlies don't live long.

 

So now the five of them have a little food, a shelter rebuilt into a fort, and they are living life as high as it's likely to get.

 

And then Hairy shows up to remind them they aren't all that and what they have is not guaranteed. Their tiny paradise is not as secure as they thought it was. especially after that starving boy shows up.

 

With all that, how can Dayel trust his new crew? How can he stay where he doesn't trust? Does he dare go, when there's only stranger dangers and the unknown out there? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ann Stratton
• Release date: Apr 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215431481

Ann Stratton

Ann Stratton started writing at age thirteen with the usual results. After a long stint in fan fiction, honing her skills, she hopes she has gotten better since then. She lives in Southeastern Arizona, trying to juggle all her varied interests. 

Book preview

Dancing in the Ruins

The E-Book edition

Ann Stratton

A Blind Woman Production publication

Copyright © 2023 Ann Stratton

To give the reader more of a sample, the front matter appears at the end.

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CHAPTER ONE

Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! Jermy jumped up n down like ‘e was goin’ somewhere. Maybe he was jus’ cold. Dayel sure was. He c’dn’t feel ‘is feet. He put ‘is hands in ‘is armpits. That made his body cold. His hands was cold too.

Where we goin’? he asked.

Corky’s recruitin’, Jermy said. word says he got room for two more, says he’ll feed an’ shelter who ‘e picks. We get there fast, we might get in.

Food? Dayel asked. He ain’t et in he c’dn’t ‘member how long. Shelter? A house t’ stay in? he been livin’ under tore down houses all ‘is life. Bein’ under a roof sounded awful nice right about now.

That’s th’ word. Come on, let’s go!

Okay, okay, I’m comin’. Dayel grumbled. Sun was shinin’ real nice. It was warm on his back.  Followin’ Jermy meant goin’ off into the shadows.

Jermy wasn’t gonna wait for him. He lit out in a hurry. Dayel grabbed his best club, an’ ran after him. They had to stop and breathe hard after a little while. They wasn’t very strong, at least not for runnin’.

Lake Shore Drive was a long ways away. Ever’body got the word, they was runnin’ for Loma Vista too. Dayel worried they was gonna get there too late. He tried to run a little faster, a little longer. Jermy got lef’ behind, but he caught up. He was tryin’ hard too.

They foun’ Corky’s forted up house by the crowd of raggedy boys. Corky’s crew kept ‘em from just runnin’ in an’ pushin’ everbody out so’s they c’d grab th’ food an’ take the shelter. They guarded the doors and windows. Anybody who tried to get in that way got the shit beat outta ‘em. They was a couple’a bodies already layin’ under the raggedy bushes on the edge of the yard.

Dayel and Jermy wasn’t last, but they wasn’t first either. Corky’s boy Eddy, who ever’body hated, made ‘em get in the backa the line, with a couple’a shitty boys from another ‘hood, just comin’ in to see what they c’d get. They looked pretty sad. Just all rags and bones, them guys.

At least Eddy kept the line movin’. Dayel and Jermy din’t stand in line long before they was  standin’ at the front door and Corky was tellin’ ‘em he din’t have no more room. Go over t’ th’ house on Bridgewater, he said, they still got a space.

Eddy an’ Petey run all the wannabes off, tellin ‘em t’ go t’ the Bridgewater house. Dayel an’ Jermy din’t go very far. Jus’ far ‘enough nobody c’d throw somethin’ at ‘em. A few boys started a fire on a house slab, burnin’ pieces a th’ house that useta be there. They hadda can a food they was sharing b’tween ‘em, but they was big boys an’ wasn’t sharin’. They was another buncha boys sitting aroun’ th’ fire watchin’ em, but knowing they wasn’t goin’ t’ get anything.

Dayel and Jermy foun’ a spot sorta close t’ the fire so’s they c’d get warm. His belly was empty. He din’t eat nothin’ for a lotta days now. He didn’t go over an’ ask them boys fer a bite. They’d’a beat him to death if he did.

Jorjy walked past with a piece’a carpet. He put it down on the ground next to Dayel and Jermy and sat down so his back would get warm. What you get? he asked, looking them over in case they had something he c’d get offa them.

Nothin’, Jermy said ‘fore Dayel c’d say anything. Got there too late.

Jorjy patted the carpet he sat on. Foun’ this under a buncha wood from th’ house ov’there. He nodded ‘is head off aroun’ the lake. Dayel looked, but they wasn’t anything there but ol’ tore down houses. Not much, but better’n nothin’. I can sleep on it, I guess. He turned around to warm up his front. Anybody know what else is opened up?

Dayel looked up and down the street. All the other houses been destroyed. Corky hung onto his territory tight. You suck up to him, you might get to sleep in one’a his houses here. Dayel wondered just what Corky wanted to sleep in one’a his houses. Eddy says there’s a house on Bridgewater’s got some room left, he said.

Jermy grunted. He turned around to warm his other side. S’not much left in town, not here anyway. Maybe downtown, or out on the fringes, where the stores are. Jermy was smart that way, always thinkin’. He knew things nobody else did.

Jorjy thought about it. Nah, he said, shaking his head, they got cleaned out first. An’ anyway, they’s meaner gangs got those places. All’s left is these places here, and they’s slim pickins. I heard summa the boys’re thinking about lightin’ out for new territory. Dunno where they’re gonna go. Nothin’ left, anywhere.

The three of them thought about it. Dayel turned around to warm up some other part of his body. Corky an’ his crew were fortin’ up th’ house ‘e claimed. They was puttin’ boards in fronta th’ windows an’ doors. Place was lookin’ pretty solid, what with a real roof n all. They was a lotta shoutin’ an’ carryin’ on, inside th’ house an’ outside where Eddy n Petey yelled at the new guys.

Those two scrawny kids from the other ‘hood came an’ hunkered down by the hot cinders. They shouldna been there, but Dayel din’t feel like runnin’ ‘em off. This’s Corky’s ‘hood. ‘f he didn’t want ‘em here, he’d’a run ‘em off already. They really looked sad, all bones an’ rags. They looked at the two boys with the can like they was gonna cry. The two boys with the can finished it and tossed it in the cinders. If anyone tried t’ get it, they be burnt an’ prob’ly die.

To take his mind offa his belly, he asked, So, whatta we do now? We gonna stay here, maybe get beat up, or we gonna go find someplace else t’ stay?

Where we gonna go that ain’t already been claimed? Jorjy asked. He turned around to warm another side. Dayel was envious of his piece a carpet. The ground under his butt was warm from the fire, but it was hard an’ had lotsa rocks an’ other sharp stuff t’ sit on. The piece a carpet woulda been nicer to sit on. I mean, ya know, ain’t no more houses t’ loot. Not this ‘hood. No stores, they was all gone right away. Nobody gonna let us raggedy boys into their gangs, ‘less we wanna be slaves er somethin’.

They thought about that too. Slaves din’t last long, raped ‘r worked ‘r starved t’ death. Corky might not give out any food t’ anybody who din’t swear loyalty t’ him, but he didn’t rape ‘r work ya t’ death. Mostly he left ya alone, long’s you did what he tol’ you. You wanna join his gang, you hadda ask him. He din’t ask you or press you in. Anybody attack him, got killt.

We can’t stay here, Jermy said. He was thinkin’ agin, Dayel c’d tell. This place got water. Got lakes. Lakes got fish. We can catch fish, an’ eat ‘em.

Dayel’s belly rumbled at that. It also curled up in disgust. Raw fish, bleh. He ate raw worms, and they tasted like dirt. What did raw fish taste like? Water?

We can get fire, Jermy promised. He waved a hand at the cinders behind him. We don’t haf’ta eat ‘em raw.

So how come nobody else’s thought about that? Jorjy asked. Summa the olders gotta remember fish. They’d’a been eatin’ all the fish already.

What kinda fish? Dayel asked. I ‘member one a my olders talkin’ about garbage fish. Don’t wanna eat no garbage.

You know what garbage fish looks like? Jermy asked. Dayel shrugged. He din’t even know what a fish looked like. So what’s the diff’rence? Dayel had to shrug agin. So ‘f we can eat ‘em, what’s the diff’rence? Not like we got any stores to go to, get real food.

Dayel had to agree wit’ him ‘bout that. So what’re we gonna do? Go look for these fish you think’re there? How you know nobody else got to ‘em yet?

Only way to really know is t’ go look. But Jermy stayed where he was. He din’t get up. He din’t want to go out into the cold away from the fire any more’n Dayel did. Jorjy looked at ‘em, but he din’t get up neither.

Okay, he said. Say there’s fish in the lake. How we get em? Anybody know how t’ get fish? Not me. I never saw a lake until we come here when it all go bust.

Dayel had to shake his head no. Jermy did too. The two raggedy kids from somewhere else looked at each other. The littler one said in a scared voice, Don’t you dare.

Everybody stared at them. They put their shoulders up around they’s ears an’ looked at their feet because they was all starin’ at them.

Don’t you dare what? Jorjy asked, all angry like.

We don’t tell you nothin’! the little boy said, all aggressive n protective. We don’t tell no boss nothin’! The bigger boy shushed him an’ he curled up in a little ball, all eyes and feet.

So what you not tellin’ us, then? Jorjy asked.

The two raggedy boys looked at each other. You’s bigger’n us. Mebbe we help each other, the bigger boy said.

How you know we won’t just beat you up ‘til you tell us what you’re not talkin’ about? Jermy asked.

The two raggedy boys looked at each other. Mebbe you try, the bigger boy said.

Mebbe we do, Jorjy said an’ started to stand up. He ‘membered he hadda piece a carpet an’ nobody else did. He sat down agin in a big hurry so nobody take his carpet.

Don’t be getting’ excited, Jermy said. He stood up. Dayel jumped up too, ready t’ back his buddy. Mebbe we can work t’gether ‘r somethin’. You only two raggedy boys. We two not as raggedy boys, ‘less Jorjy wants t’ join up. We better as a crew than alone. Whaddya say?

Jorjy stared up at him. You mean, make our own crew?

Jermy waved his hands. Why not? What’s a crew anyway? Just a bunch’a guys get t’gether? So we do a job an’ we go our own ways after that!

The idea of makin’ their own crew on Corky’s ground made Dayel sick about the stomach. What’s Corky gonna say when he finds out? He gonna kill us!

Jermy shook his head. Not ‘f we don’t tell ‘im. We do this job, we go our own ways after that. Whaddya say?

So, what’s the job? the littler boy asked, like he was getting’ ready to jump up and run. We don’t join no crew ‘f there’s no job.

Or food, or shelter, the bigger boy said. What’s it worth to us ‘f we throw in wit’ you?

Don’t you got your own crew, over in your own ‘hood? Dayel asked. He was starting to get real impatient wit’ these raggedy outsider boys, come t’ eat their food an’ take their stuff.

The bigger boy blew air outta his mouth. Got nothin’ left over there. We come t’ see ‘f there’s somethin’ here, or a crew worth joinin’. You worth joinin’?

Dunno. What you got’s worth our time? Jorjy asked.

The bigger boy started to talk. The littler boy