by Burgy, P. J.
“Oh, she’s pretty from where I’m standing. I’ll get a better look at her soon.” The man had a good laugh and then pushed the woman aside to step back into the hallway. He called downstairs, his voice raised. “She’s good on her word. You’ll like her, Ben. She’s a cutie-pie. Looks feisty.”
“Leave some fight in her then, eh?” a man yelled from downstairs.
“Please don’t hurt her,” The old woman whispered, stepping back into the room. Kara glared at her as she approached. “Please, please forgive me. I am so sorry.”
“Let’s get you off the floor, little lady. The floor’s no place for a pretty girl like you.” The man was tall, strong, and was standing over her in a second. He reached down, grabbed Kara up by her middle and tossed her back onto the bed. He watched her as she huffed and puffed behind her gag, his smile crooked. “Yeah, good trade. Good trade. We’ll get you to Fort. St Claire tomorrow morning, Grandma.”
Kara lay on her side, her heart pounding, her mind racing. Her body had gone cold, her hands and feet felt numb from the tight zip-ties. Her eyes moved around the red tinted room, trying to find an idea, something, anything, some way to escape. The man sat down on the bed next to her, looking at her, looking her over, considering her shape, and he touched her hip. Kara bucked away, growling behind her gag.
“I just want to be your friend,” he told her, then chuckled.
“You won’t hurt her…” The old woman repeated herself, hands folded as she stood in the doorway. She looked so thin and so frail standing there that Kara had a hard time imagining how she had dragged a young woman up and onto a bed from the floor.
“No, we won’t.” The man played with Kara’s hair and laughed when she bucked away again. “She might hurt herself if she falls off the bed again. Come on, baby. Knock that squirming off. Until later.”
“Sun’s setting.” Another man stood in the doorway. He had long hair, tied up crudely. Younger than the first man, this member of the Red Brethren had the handprint tattooed right on his face, covering his left eye and running down his cheek. When he saw Kara his eyes lit up. “Oh wow.”
“No chance, beta,” the first man grumbled and then grinned ear to ear. “I called this one.”
“But you told Ben-”
“Ben’s my brother. I can share. Shut it.”
“Well, shit.” The long-haired Red Brethren shook his head, looking away.
“There are a few beds, the couch, for tonight…” The old woman began speaking again and the older of the two Red Brethren cast his eyes in her direction. When their eyes met, the old woman grew quiet and fumbled with her words, her voice shaking. “For when you sleep. There are beds. Here.”
“I’ll be sleeping in this room, I think,” the older of the Brethren said.
“Maybe that should wait,” The old woman suggested. When the man shot her a sharp glare, she cleared her throat, hands wringing. “She might scream, you see. She said she would. Gag or not.”
The man stroked Kara’s hair and grabbed her ponytail when she tried to buck away again. He pulled her toward him as he leaned down, their faces close. She could smell him, her nose wrinkling at the stink of sweat, axle grease, and dirt. “Oh, she will. But the gag’ll do, don’t worry, Grandma. Trust me.”
Kara was breathing so hard that she thought she might pass out. Still, she stared at him, her eyes boring into his. They had a staring match for more than a few seconds before he broke away, distracted by a shriek out in the night. He released her ponytail and stood up, checking on the guns he had holstered in his belt.
“Wailers are out,” he muttered.
“It’s true, isn’t it? They can’t see the red lights?”
“They can’t see the red lights. Stop your worrying, Grandma,” he said, and he went to the door. He looked back at Kara, glanced at the younger man still standing in the hall, and then made his way down the steps. He walked very softly, cautious in his movements, and spoke to the man downstairs in a voice too quiet to understand. It was vague whispering, back and forth, another shriek echoing outside.
“They’re red blind,” the younger man told the old woman, his voice lowered. When she stared at him with her big, frightened eyes, he seemed to puff up. “Yeah, we’ve been using red lights at the camps for a while now. They don’t see it. We’re all safe.”
“Good.” The old woman leaned on the wall.
Kara heard footsteps on the stairs, heard a whispered call to a man named ‘Jeep’, and saw the younger man turn and walk away.
She was left alone in the room with the old woman, who was wringing her hands over and over, staring at the floor. The tears she had cried earlier had dried on her cheeks, but her skin was still flushed, visibly darker in the red light of the room. The source of the red light was a single lamp near the bathroom, and Kara considered a way to roll over and knock the lamp into the window. She imagined the swarm of Infected and closed her eyes. There were many ways to die, and she didn’t want to end her life that way, but, there was also what lay ahead of her if she didn’t do anything.
The older man entered the room again.
“All right, Grandma, we’re on shifts until the morning. You can go to bed. Get some sleep.” His voice sounded gruffer than before and Kara watched him. He was looking over at her, looking pleased.
“Yes, I will. Yes. But-” The woman stopped in the doorway. “Are you hungry? Leo, that is your name, isn’t it? Are you hungry, Leo?”
“Leo.” The older man, his name apparently Leo, drew his attention back to the old woman. “I got a meal, don't worry.”
“Leo, please, let me make you something. Please. As a show of gratitude.” The old woman swayed from foot to foot in her loose cloth shoes. “Please.”
“No,” he said.
“It’s for the girl too. She needs to eat. She is weak, and she’s been through a lot. Please.” Her voice quaked and a few tears began to run down her cheeks.
“If we take the gag out, she’ll scream. She’ll make it to morning.” Leo turned toward Kara once more and the old woman reached out, grabbing at the man just above his elbow. Her small fingers had no chance of wrapping around his thickly muscled arm, but she tried nonetheless. “Grandma. You’re testing my patience. We had a deal here. Don’t make me reconsider it.”
“Then a drink maybe?” the old woman asked.
“A drink. Sure. A drink. Go get me a drink. Then, leave me alone.” Leo looked down at the woman and she scampered away, out of the room and down the hall. Kara heard her feet on the carpet of the steps. Then, she was alone with Leo, and he looked down at her with a smile. “Soon, baby.”
She glared at him as he sauntered over to her and bucked when he reached down to grab at her ankles. Leo feigned sadness, catching the zip-tie under his finger and giving it a tug. His eyes drifted up to her face and he grinned again, showing off the black spots where a few of his teeth should have been. When Kara growled at him and kicked her pinned feet in his direction, he had a quiet laugh.
“Gonna have to cut this one.” He pulled on the zip-tie at her ankles again and narrowly avoided another hard kick from Kara as she wriggled onto her back. Leo leaned down over her and ran his hand over her zip-tied arms. “We’ll get acquainted soon, be patient.”
She swallowed, breathing hard, sweat beading on her skin.
“You’re prettier than I expected,” Leo said, reaching to touch her hair. Kara flinched away. He continued, grabbing the side of her face and running his thumb across her temple. “And young. I wonder how young you are. It doesn’t matter. I had a woman, a real fine one. But, shit happens, and she’s gone. You’re prettier than she was, younger, stronger. You a runner? Yeah, you’re a runner. What fort? Pleasant Tree? Hopewell? Station Five? Blue Lagoon? I bet they’ll miss you. You got a boyfriend back home? Hm?”
He rubbed the side of her face as he asked her his questions, his voice low.
She shut her eyes tight, not wanting to look at him.
“You don’t look
like a virgin. I can check, but I bet you’re not.” Leo leaned in close to her, whispering in her ear. She felt his breath on the side of her face. “I don’t mind. Beggars can’t be choosers, sweetness.”
“Leo.” The old woman coughed to get his attention.
Kara opened her eyes when Leo stood up, and watched as he went to the door to meet the old woman. She offered him a glass of something dark brown and thin, and he was taking it from her. He sniffed it, gave his approval and turned away from her to sip his drink.
“I do have some questions, if you have a few minutes, please, Leo,” The old woman stammered.
“No, no questions. Just go to bed, Grandma,” Leo muttered. He chugged the drink, emptied the glass, and then spun on his heel to hand it back to her. “I had your drink, you’ve taken up enough of my time. You feel bad for the girl, I get it. I’m not an idiot. I know what you’re doing. We have a deal. This girl is mine. Go to bed, and we’ll get you to your goddamn family in the morning.”
The old woman frowned, lowering her head, and backed out of the room.
Leo sniffed. “Shut the door.”
The old woman shut the door quietly.
Leo turned around to look at Kara, smirking. He sauntered over to her, beginning to unfasten his chest plate. “Finally, right?”
A whimper sounded from under the bed.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Leo muttered. He dropped down and reached under the bedframe. Kara heard the dog whine and growl as he was dragged out by the scruff of the neck. “Come on, you damn mutt. Come on. Get out.”
Out on the floor now, and bristling like mad, the dog whipped his head around, burying his teeth into the flesh of Leo’s exposed lower arm. Leo wrenched the dog off, ripping his own flesh open. Kara saw the blood, heard Leo stifle his exclamation of pain behind clenched teeth. He threw the dog haphazardly toward the closed door and Leo was grabbing at the open, gaping wound on his arm, cursing under his breath.
When the door opened, the old woman on the other side, the dog slipped out and ran down the hall. She looked at Kara, looked at Leo, and then stepped back in surprised. “Oh!”
“Your dog fucking bit me.” Leo kept his voice low, turning his back to Kara. “Look at this shit!”
“I have gauze, antiseptic, supplies, downstairs, bathroom, under the sink-” The old woman hardly had a moment to reply as Leo shoved her to the side, blood running down his arm, splattering on the white carpet. In the red light, the blood looked black. “That is a lot of blood, let me get the gauze.”
“I’m going to kill your fucking dog,” Leo growled.
“Let me get the gauze.” The old woman shuffled out and away.
Leo stood in the doorway, bleeding all over the floor. He turned to look at Kara and narrowed his eyes, his lip pulling up in a snarl. He shook his head. “Gonna have to wait a little bit longer, huh, baby?”
He checked the wound, and he didn’t look happy. The flesh was torn open, the bite had been deep, and Leo’s face was etched in shades of pain. He winced, grinding his teeth, his jaw clenched. He was losing a lot of blood. By the time the old woman returned and began to help him wrap his arm, Leo was leaning against the wall. The one called Jeep had appeared there too, and was offering assistance.
“Get away from me.” Leo pushed Jeep away with his good arm.
“Perhaps you should lie down, in the other room. I will clean up the blood.” The old woman was more confident now, perhaps due to Leo's weakened state. She was able to convince him to leave the room, unsteady as he was on his feet, and they disappeared down the hall. Jeep stood there with a helpless expression as the old woman made her way back in and went over to Kara.
The look on the old woman’s face was unreadable. Kara made a sound behind her gag. The victory was short lived as Jeep entered the room and gave the woman a shove with his shoulder.
“Go on. I’ll clean it up. Go to bed, old lady. I got this.” Jeep wasn’t as big and muscled as Leo, but he was still tall and built strong. The old woman backed away.
“She is Leo’s woman, remember,” The old woman muttered.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jeep spat.
“I mean, goodnight. Goodnight. I will be downstairs.” The old woman bowed her head and then frowned at Kara before leaving the room. There was nothing more she could do.
Kara was now left alone with the long haired, younger man. Jeep looked down at her, sniffed, rolled his shoulders and then tongued the inside of his cheek. He seemed to be thinking and he walked around the bed, looking her over.
Her eyes followed him closely.
“Ben won’t be up here,” Jeep mused quietly. “Nope. Just you and me.”
She growled behind her gag.
“Y’see, Ben don’t like the ladies, but Leo thinks we don’t know. But we do.” Jeep rolled on the balls of his booted feet, pursing his lips before speaking again. “So, he’ll stay down there. And Leo, I guess he’ll be down there too now. He doesn’t look too good. Leaves me and you, doesn’t it?”
She stared at him.
“I’m not a beta male. Do you hear that?” Jeep suddenly drew close to her, stalking over to the bed, his face near hers. He bared his teeth, glowering at her before exhaling in frustration. “I am not. A beta male.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing deeply through her nose. Then, she opened her eyes again. Her brows lifted and she tilted her head, her expression softening as she moved on the bed. She made a soft sound at him, something sultry and low, and then watched as Jeep’s eyes studied her face. She shook her head slowly, eyes trained on his.
“You do know that, don’t you?” he asked.
She nodded.
“They call me Jeep, but my real name is Jesse,” he told her, his tone painfully sincere as he touched the side of her face. “I want to know your name. I bet it’s a pretty name.”
She made a noise at him and nodded.
“I can’t take your gag out, I’m sorry,” he whispered into her ear. He sat on the bed next to her, looking at her with eyes that were dark, the whites stained red by the light. “Unless you promised to be quiet. As quiet as possible.”
She nodded slowly.
“All right. Just, be quiet.” Jeep went to the door and shut it quietly, carefully. Then, he sat down beside her once more, unwrapped the fabric from her head and helped as Kara spit out the wad of wet towel. He seemed ready to shove it back in, his arms tensed as he hovered above her.
She licked her lips, swallowing.
“You can tell me your name.”
She smiled at him. “My name is Kara, Jesse.”
He grinned, his teeth stained and crooked.
“Kara. That is a beautiful name.”
“I knew it had to be you, Jesse,” she went on, keeping her voice low. “I knew it when I saw you. He shouldn’t talk to you like that.”
Jeep shook his head. “No, he shouldn’t. But, what do you mean, it had to be me?”
Her lips pulled back, her smile wider. “I knew you were the one I wanted.”
“Oh.”
“I guess we have some time together now, don’t we, Jesse?” she whispered. “I saw more zip-ties in the corner. You can cut mine, and replace them when we’re done.”
“Cut... yours?”
“Yeah.” She looked down to her ankles. “Those are the ones that need cut.”
“Oh.” Jeep grinned even wider.
“And no one has to know but you and me,” she said.
Jeep pulled a knife out of his belt and scooted down the bed to her feet. Looking up at her first for reassurance, she nodded at him and smiled before he cut the zip-ties, freeing her feet. She stretched her legs and then bit her bottom lip.
“You won't tell Leo?” he asked, taking a quick glance toward the door.
“Nope. Come on. Let's do this.” She bent her knees, opening and closing her thighs at him. Jeep was more than happy to grab at Kara's camo-shorts but she pushed him back with one of her sneakers. “Kiss
me first, Jesse. Please. I want to kiss you.”
“Sure, yeah. I can kiss you.” He cleared his throat. With unsteady motions, he crawled up along her body, his chest plates pressing into her zip-tied arms as he covered her. His hips were between her thighs, his hands on either side of her head. Their lips met, their mouths meshing, and they kissed.
He tasted like tobacco and alcohol mixed with morning tooth scum, and it took everything she had not to retch into his open mouth as they kissed. Their tongues met, and she wrapped her legs around his lower body. Face to face, she nuzzled his cheek when the kiss ended. Jeep was still poised there, lips parted, his eyes half open, his breathing ragged. She smiled at him, and she spoke with a sugary voice, “Take off your armor. I want to see you, Jesse.”
Jeep smiled, backing up to kneel between her thighs. He unfastened his chest plate, loosened the buckles and straps, and then pulled the mix of metal and heavy plastic away from himself. He set it on the bed right beside himself while Kara got a good, long look at his bare chest. Another tattoo, this one of a dragon, spread across his pectoral muscles, done in the same red color as the handprint tattoo on the left side of his face. He looked quite proud of himself, rolling his shoulders and flexing the strong abdominal muscles along his stomach. This wasn't going to be easy, she could see that, but she kept smiling regardless.
“Thank you.” She tilted her head, offered a wink, lifted a leg, and then, full force, slammed the heel of her left foot right into the center of his exposed chest, just above his navel. It took the wind out of him, the sound of the impact heavy and meaty. He was sent tumbling off of the bed, rolling backward, and hit the floor neck first. There was no way that the others didn't hear that. Kara was on her feet in less than a heartbeat, her timing crucial, and she stomped hard on him, right on the side of his head, even before he could make a sound or try to get up.
He was still fumbling on the ground when Kara rushed to her machete and bent over, dropping to her knees in front of it. With her arms tied the way they were, it was impossible to try to get a hold of the weapon. She used her feet to hold the handle of the machete to keep it still, and began to try sawing at one of the five zip-ties. Kara had broken one when she was grabbed from behind, by her ponytail, and thrown into the bedframe. The machete fell to the floor as she cried out.
