Read The Cellar: A Post-Apocalyptic Novella for Free Online

wondering about this.”
    Daren looked at what he was holding. It was the can of beans from his coat pocket.
    “Looks like it’s in pretty good shape.” The man inspected the label. “I have never seen a can this new. You wouldn’t mind telling me if you have any more, would you?”
    “I…I…just found it lying in the woods.” Daren felt his throat go dry. “That’s all I have.”
    The man opened his mouth a little wider and slowly brushed his tongue on his upper teeth. “I’ll ask you again and this time I’ll get a better answer.” He smiled and cocked his head to the right. “Where’s the rest of it?”
    “I swear that’s all I have.”
    The clan leader shook his head and sighed. He looked back at his clan members and shrugged, as if apologizing. He turned, grabbed Daren’s shirt, and slammed him against the tree. Daren yelped in pain as the bark dug into his back. Taunts and laughter erupted from the group. The man raised Daren’s knife to the boy’s face and pressed the blade tip right under his eye.  
    “I’ll ask you one more time.” The man’s breath reeked of decay. “If I still don’t like what you’re telling me, I’ll slice off your eyelids so you can dream while you’re awake.”
    “You know what,” Daren said, praying he wouldn’t wet his pants, “come to think of it, there’s a stash of supplies hidden somewhere. I can show you where it is.”
    The man let go of him and strapped the knife back to his belt. He extended his right hand. “Let’s start over,” he said. “The name’s Bryson.”
    Like the rest of him, the man’s outstretched hand was filthy, with fingernails encrusted in what looked like dried blood. Daren looked around at the mace-, scythe-, and axe-wielding audience and decided to play along. He certainly wanted to keep his eyelids and other parts he couldn’t do without.
    “Daren,” he replied, wincing as he took Bryson’s hand.
    “A pleasure, Daren.” Bryson revealed his sharp teeth again. “And I hope we can remain friends.”
    “I hope so, too.” Daren’s voice was too high-pitched for his liking.
    The others chuckled as if he had just made a joke.
    “I believe that all friendship is based on trust.” Bryson tightened his grip on Daren’s hand. “So if I find that you’ve lost my trust in any way, I’ll string you up by your toes until they break off. Is that understood?”
    Daren nodded quietly as he felt the pressure on his hand.
    “What was that?” Bryson used his left fingers to push forward his earlobe.
    “Understood,” Daren replied.
    The pressure lifted from his hand, and he shook it to let the blood rush back. A woman with a bone earring and a half shaved head broke into a guffaw. Around her eyes was some kind of black pigment that made her look like a raccoon. He gulped when he saw that her necklace was made from human molars.
    “All right, Daren.” Bryson extended his arm to his side. “Lead the way.”
    Daren felt his heartbeat thudding in his ears as he took point with Bryson behind him. The other clan members followed along in single file through the forest. He had no idea where the food stash was— if there was even a stash to be found. And it wouldn’t take too long for the raiders to figure that out either.
    Daren kept on walking, not knowing where he’d eventually end up. The area wasn’t familiar to him. In the distance, there was a clearing in the forest, and he headed toward it. When he got to the middle of the clearing, he tried to figure out his next move. As he slowed down to think, he felt a knife point on his lower back.
    “Body language reveals so much,” Bryson said. “And based on what yours is saying, I’m not convinced you know where you’re headed.”
    Daren pointed right ahead of him and forced himself to sound confident. “It’s not that far. The stash is right over there.”
    “Show me.” Bryson shoved him between the shoulder blades.
    Daren walked to a random area on the ground and