THE SETTLEMENT
0200HRS
[The fracas comes from a household of three in prefab no. 13 at the
settlement. The pressure gauge is high and the release becomes
obligatory. Add alcohol and it all explodes.]
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
[shouting]
I just realized. We are shit. Everything is shit in this country. In this
country everything is shit. Given a chance I will burn this whole shitty
place to the ground. But they won’t give me a chance. Instead, they will
come for me tomorrow.
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
[shouting in response]
Calm down brother. You will burst an artery. Besides if it was shit we
wouldn’t be here.
HOOPTE GOBBLEDYGOOK
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
It is a shithole brother.
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
It is not a shithole
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
It is a shithole
GIGGLY SISTER RUKUS
[giggles deliriously]
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
Shithole.
GIGGLY SISTER RUKUS
[giggles louder]
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
Why are you laughing like that little one? You going to help big brother
here burn this place to the ground?
GIGGLY SISTER RUKUS
[Starts shaking hysterically with laughter]
I might.
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
I am telling you, we are shit. We go through the intestines and come out
the ass without communicating shit. We are the end of the line. You
arrive and discover that you are shit and can’t do shit. Why? We are at
the end of the line, waiting to get flushed!
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
[grabs bottle from big brother and looks at the writing]
How much alcohol is in this thing anyway? Or are you taking something
else big brother?
GIGGLY SISTER RUKUS
[giggles]
Stop it you two. Please. You are killing me.
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
[in a loud voice]
Killing us they will. Tomorrow. I am telling you. We are in this dump of
a camp. They are coming to incinerate and make some manure out of us.
See how they lined us up and dumped us in Exhausters.
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
They were trucks.
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
Exactly! Then they come and dump us here in this shithole.
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
It was for our own protection. From the little I could gather, there is a
disease of some kind going on. You saw all of those people with masks
on? That is why they gave us masks.
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
You know what? They think we brought it in. I could see the violence in
their eyes. Their faces similar to what I look like when I am taking a shit
and the shit is hard as fuck. They can’t wait to get rid of us.
HOOPTE GOBBLEDYGOOK
GIGGLY SISTER RUKUS
[holds her ribs and shudders]
Plea-
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
But I told you, there is a disease…
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
Yes there is a disease. Goddammit! That disease has many names,
Despair, Disappointment, Disaster, Damnation, Dead Ambitions,
Broken Dreams. That is what we got when we landed. This other disease
is just the icing on the shitty cake. Now give me that.
[yanks the bottle out of small brother Rukus’ hands]
If they have to incinerate me atleast I won’t be conscious. I need
anaesthesia for tomorrow’s operation.
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
Why tomorrow? If they wanted to do it they would have done it already.
Why wait?
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
Because they are clever that’s why. They are clever evil bastards. They
know we will let our guard down after 3 days. Then we relax. On the
fourth day they sneak up on us and do the deed.
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
The deed?
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
Yes, the deed.
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
The killing?
BIG BROTHER RUKUS
Yes, dummy. The killing. The burning of our shitty asses.
Tomorrow it is.
SMALL BROTHER RUKUS
I give up on you. Plus I need a smoke. Haven’t had a smoke since we
docked at the port.
[staggers to the pile of trunks and starts opening and searching]
* * *