by Mya Robarts
Argh! That’s the reason why the Comanches call him Priest. I run my hands through my hair in exasperation. “No, Rey. I’ll never value that.” If he thinks my virtue is valuable, then he is as medieval as the soldiers.
“If you married me, you’d see how important waiting for the right person is and—”
I raise my voice. “No preaching. I don’t value your religion’s rules.”
“But you value your own rules. Otherwise, you’d have been with someone already. If it weren’t for recruitment, you’d wait.” He turns to me, and our eyes meet in the mirror. “Your values don’t stem from religion. You’re a hopeless romantic. You want to belong to a man and only one man.”
Rey knows me so well. At this moment, I hate that he’s so right about my feelings and so wrong about our reality.
“Didn’t you see what almost happened to Sara?” I ask in a shaky voice. “What does it matter what I want if they recruit me?”
“They won’t. We hacked the 36th Battalion itinerary before the soldiers attacked Duque. We’ll stop the ceremony.”
I grind my teeth. “We’ve been trying that for years and—”
“Why can’t you have faith?”
“Why are you trying to save me from ‘sin’?” I ask, emphasizing the word with air quotes.
“Please wait for me. Let me be your first.”
“Can’t you see that I did want you to be my first?” I yell. “But you won’t budge, and that will earn me a spot at the end of recruitment. If they didn’t punish the families of those who commit suicide, I’d kill myself first!”
Rey’s face contorts in pain. I remember that suicide is a touchy subject with him because of Duque. I reach out to console him, but in a flashing movement, he grabs my hand and kisses it.
“I’ll ask you again. So far, you’ve said ‘no,’ but we’ll marry someday.”
I storm out of the apartment, frustrated by his insistence. I’m almost at the front door when I hear Rey’s desperate voice from upstairs.
“Wait. I’ll walk you home, Lily.”
“Don’t call me ‘Lily’! My name is Lila!” I snap, quickening my pace.
“Please! Stay away from the cops. They want you because you are—”
He doesn’t say what is on both of our minds. Aleksey might be interested in me for the same reason the soldiers prefer inexperienced girls.
“—they’ll lose interest after you … when you—”
When I lose my virtue? Rey would say that. He won’t have sex with me, but he doesn’t want me to sleep with anyone else. That’s so selfish. I can’t believe I’ve always thought of him as a selfless person. Almost a saint.
I stop, turning to look at him with a defiant expression.
“Who are you?” My question takes him aback. “At what point did you lose yourself?” Or has he always been like this and I was too blind to see? It’s incredible how little you know a guy until you try to sleep with him. But who am I to judge? I shouldn’t feel disappointed. I’m more selfish than he is. I tried to use him for my deflowering, and now the plan has backfired.
Suppressing tears of fury, I open the door to Rey’s apartment building and dart through the rainy streets. I make myself a promise—I won’t ask anything of him again.
I’m still far from the clinic when Poncho barks, which keeps me from turning onto Numbers Avenue. Danger. Poncho’s warning me. I hide in an alley and get my knives ready.
The moments pass. Other than the afternoon rain, which has diminished to a light drizzle, nothing happens. I wonder if Poncho’s survival instincts are still intact, and that’s when I see them. About thirty soldiers pass the dark alley. They’re focused on a drill, so they don’t notice me.
Cold panic shoots through my stomach. These soldiers are new to town. Have they come to start preparations for the recruitment ceremony?
I still have time to get home safely before the sun sets, but I have to hurry. Taking a soldier-free route to the clinic, I end up near the southwestern border, where the ruins of the cinema crumple among a sea of trees. I dart along a paved street partially swallowed by vegetation.
The place could be dangerous, though less so than the streets full of soldiers. It reeks of the impoverished people who live beneath the ruins: people who were never assigned housing by the Patriot authorities. The plumbing in Starville is inadequate; here, it’s nonexistent.
Poncho growls, urging me to move faster. Fear creeps up my spine. I’m about to run away when I hear someone whispering. Not my name. Not even ‘Layla.’ Someone whispers my Comanche nickname.
“V-girl. Come over here, V-girl.”
The voice comes from behind a thick tree, where the grass grows tall. I hesitate. It could be someone from the Comanche group. They could be in trouble.
No, it can’t be them.
I storm off, away from the trees, but the hesitation costs me a precious second.
“Aaaaaaargh!” I shout when someone takes me by the arms and brings me to the ground. I lie flat on my stomach while the stranger pins me down. I can’t see my attacker, but I know my chance of beating him is zero. Because my attacker isn’t normal. His strength is inhuman.
I’m stuck beneath the weight of a soldier.
24
Copulation without Conversation
Poncho is all over the soldier, snapping furiously, and twisting the soldier’s armor with his powerful jaws. Pieces of it fall to the ground beside me.
My dog’s attack forces the soldier to search for his gun, but he cannot get to it. Poncho is incredibly fast, and only the man’s armor prevents the dog’s fangs from piercing his skin.
My attacker releases me and swiftly wraps his legs and arms around Poncho. They roll in a lethal embrace.
I’m on my feet and ready to flee when I hear something.
“Stop! If you flee, I’ll make sure Azalea services the cocks of the whole battalion.”
Panic freezes me to the spot. This soldier knows my family.
“Order your dog to behave. Now!”
I whistle. Poncho breaks free and runs to my side. I scratch his ears and rub his muzzle, my eyes glued to my attacker. His Patriot uniform is falling apart, revealing his body. A middle-aged soldier. He’s getting up slowly, his back to me.
“Long time no see, V-girl,” says a drawling voice.
It’s not possible. How is he even here? “Gary,” I whisper.
He finally turns around and points his gun at me. “So, you learned my name? I can’t say the same about you.”
His other hand goes to his slacks, and in a minute, he has his shaft in view. No!
“You’ll cooperate with me, or your siblings will end up in a canteen. Your brother is the perfect age for a eunuch, and your sister will be very popular with the troops. Even your crippled father will be useful. Some soldiers aren’t picky.”
I glare at him. Disgusting cockroach. I want to kill him.
Gary laughs derisively. “You’d like to kill me, wouldn’t you?”
I’m giving away my emotions, and this bastard will use them against me. I try to hide my disgust with a neutral face.
“Not happening, virgin. I’ve been on high doses of tonics lately. I’m as strong as a soldier, and I’ll take you as a Patriot soldier should.”
No one will hear my screams here. No one will care. This bastard attacked me before in front of dozens of Starvillers, and no one gave a damn.
I feel a sharp pain in my temple. He has grabbed my hair and is forcing me to kneel in front of him. “Keep your dog meek and do as I say. I don’t trust you, so this little friend,” I hear the pistol click, “will remain pointed at your little head while you and I enjoy private time.”
Poncho is still, but he keeps growling at Gary. “Poncho, quiet please.”
“In my time, it was forbidden for us cops to marry, fuck, or even look at Nat women. But copulation without conversation doesn’t constitute fraternization.” He chants his last words several times. “That’s what
Allied troops used to say when they attacked hundreds of women during World War II. You would think soldiers would have better things to do than rape … but no.”
He chants copulation without conversation again. “Do you want to know who taught us those words of wisdom? Every single Nationalist soldier we’ve met. You Nats love to rape, too.”
The pain dulls my senses when he slams the butt of the gun into my head. “You know what? Thanks to the recruitment bill, I’ll have any kind of fraternization I want with you.”
He yanks back my hair to force me to look at him. I suppress a scream of pain.
“Stupid whore. You don’t qualify as a person. You aren’t subject to international human rights,” he spits out. “You aren’t any more human than a bitch in heat. You aren’t better than a sow. Do you know why?” I don’t answer, so he slaps me. A burning pain stings my left cheek.
“Because the country where you were born doesn’t exist anymore. The USA is nothing but an old fantasy.”
He keeps stroking his shaft up and down. The white creamy liquid at the tip makes me want to vomit. I don’t want it inside my mouth.
“You’ll thank me for this later, when your face is covered with my cum.”
I used to wonder why survivors like Divine didn’t bite down on the men violating them. Now I know. I can’t ignore his threat to my family. I’ll endure whatever this asshole wants to do to me if he leaves them alone.
“Open your mouth. I know you want it.”
Fighting the revulsion that threatens to overpower me, I clench my fists and open my mouth wide.
25
Threat
The clamor of multiple voices approaching makes me look to the right. Even Gary looks startled.
“It won’t be today, virgin. But I’ll give you something to remember.”
In a heartbeat, he forces my body to the ground. The surprise of his weight immobilizes me while he gropes my legs and bites my left breast. The pain is nothing compared to the repulsion. It’s over in two seconds, but those seconds feel like an eternity.
Poncho has resumed his barking, and Gary looks at him maliciously. “You’d better train your dog to obey me. He’ll be useful when he becomes my pet.”
His face is so close to mine that his saliva sprinkles me with each word. “You’ll keep your mouth shut, and you won’t let anyone except me take your virginity, you hear me? Don’t cross me, or I’ll make sure your whole family ends up in a canteen. You’d like that wouldn’t you, little slut? You’d let your crippled father fuck you if you could.”
I can’t take it anymore. I spit at him. His face contorts in surprise and disgust. He slaps me again. This impulsive, almost involuntary act will lead to the damnation of my family. But before I can regret it, he stands up.
“One more thing,” he says as he looks around, as though fearing someone might appear at any moment. “Don’t be fooled by Prince Aleksey. He likes to possess women. You’ll be only another one of them. He wants you to lower your guard; that way he’ll hurt you more when he forces you. Oh, yes! He enjoys his wicked games. You’ll see. He’s a soldier and a rapist and—”
The voices interrupt him again. They’re almost here.
“Ask him about the South Metropolis incident. Ask him about Clavel. See if he dares to answer. We’ll meet again soon.”
He races toward the woods.
I force myself up, shaking uncontrollably. I don’t fear for my life. I’m afraid of what this asshole will do to my family.
In a remote corner of my mind, I notice black-clad people passing me, ignoring me. A procession. They’re heading to Sara’s wake. I barely register them because a dizzying combination of fury, fear, and nausea threatens to knock me out. But another emotion keeps me standing and eventually forces my mind to work: hatred.
He has to die. My mind repeats this mantra until I notice that someone has grabbed my shoulders.
“V-girl! Snap out of it!” says Joey Waters, shaking me slightly. Divine and Cara are with him, looking at me worriedly. They must have been part of the procession. I wonder what they saw in my eyes that put them on edge.
I put my index finger to my lips to shush them. Gary seemed to know about my attempts to lose my V. How? I run my hands through my hair on a hunch. I don’t cut my hair with my knife because the three Comanches keep looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
A bug. He might’ve put a bug on me. It’s the only explanation that makes sense. I search through my bushy, light-brown mane until my hands finally find it. When I raise the louse-shaped device for the others to see, they are aghast.
Starvillers used to spread rumors about Gary. I never paid attention to them, but now I know that they had a ring of truth. Gary Sleecket is a spy who might be working for the Patriot government.
A spy I’m determined to hunt and kill.
Right now.
Prince Aleksey:
Gary attacked me today. I’ll try to track him and kill him. If I don’t survive, please, PLEASE don’t let him hurt my family.
I hope you’ll never forget me.
Lila Velez Tcherkassky
P.S. Thanks for everything.
26
Revenge
“Didn’t I tell you? We should’ve waited for the Priest,” says Divine as we descend a steep slope toward the woods surrounding the city, leaving behind the crumbling walls of what used to be the music hall. The trees cover the moonlight, and we’re advancing at a turtle’s pace. The ever-changing weather has treated us to a scorching night, and we’re sweating bullets.
“Didn’t I tell you? You shouldn’t have come,” I retort. I’m acting impulsively. Without plans or a strategy, I’m reluctant to drag others into this.
“No time to wait,” says Joey. “I couldn’t find the Priest anywhere. And this is a now-or-never situation.”
Now or never. That’s an understatement. Gary didn’t look like he had the Patriots’ support. His armor was fake, and he acted as though he was afraid of someone. But if there’s a slim possibility that he’s a menace, I’d rather finish this now than give him time to act against us. My family didn’t realize that I was saying farewell when I hugged them earlier. I may not survive my attempt to ambush Gary, but I would rather die than let him recruit my family.
It was supposed to be a solo attack, but Cara and the lovers insisted on joining me. When I told them what had happened, they revealed that Gary had touched Cara and Holly inappropriately, too. They were relieved when Gary disappeared. Now that he’s back, Cara insists that we take care of this together. After preparing at the clinic, we followed Poncho into the woods.
I haven’t trained Poncho in tracking, but he has acute senses and modified genes that tell him what to do. My dog stops to sniff some trees, and I pat him. I have always considered him family, and I fear for him.
“Don’t get killed, little Poncho,” I whisper. Then I look at our painfully rudimentary weaponry. Wooden swords, boomerangs, knives, and slings won’t be of much use against real weapons. Drug-filled soldiers don’t tolerate alcohol, so we’ve brought along small balloons filled with liquor. I’ve soaked my knives in alcohol. In combat, Gary will have the advantage, and not only because of his guns. An average person wouldn’t have recovered so soon after Aleksey’s bestial attack.
I left a note for Aleksey, asking him to protect my family from Gary’s threats. A threat is only as strong as the fear of the threatened. Fear isn’t clouding my judgment anymore, so I can see through Gary’s lies. I’ve been on high doses of tonics lately. As if! There are hundreds of different tonics and they are used according to the level of the soldier’s genetic manipulation. Using the wrong one means a slow, painful death. The same goes for stealing the drugs. No wonder he was on edge this afternoon.
The bug in my hair is a more worrisome threat. If those bugs have reached our headquarters, the entire town could face the same fate as Midian.
We reach a clearing surrounded by elms and oaks, and we’re forced to cra
wl through it.
The moonlight is so bright that we cannot hide. If Gary is on the lookout, he’ll see us.
Our best fighters are Poncho and Cara. Crawling along the moonlit terrain, her short blonde hair shining, she looks like a lioness defending her cub. She crouches behind a tree stump, her bow already taut with an arrow. Poncho has sensed the danger and growls at an unseen enemy that only his acute hearing can detect.
I prepare my knives. Something is coming in our direction.
My heart beats with inhuman speed. I don’t have time to wish that the danger is merely a bear. Poncho barrels against something I can’t see while Cara shoots an arrow above Poncho’s head.
The arrow rebounds and falls to the ground, as though repelled by an invisible force. Cara shoots a second arrow as the bangs of gunshots hurt my ears.
I press my head to the ground and roll over to avoid the bullets. The shooter is perfectly camouflaged, probably beneath a soldier’s cape. A loud thud tells me that Poncho has collided with the invisible attacker.
“Kill the dog!” shouts a familiar voice.
Fear rushes over me. No! Poncho!
When I look up, I see that Poncho’s attack has made them lose their camouflage capes. Gary and a younger soldier stand near the edge of the clearing. Poncho snaps and twists, but the soldier’s armor doesn’t budge.
Gary raises his gun, aiming for Poncho, but my knife reaches his hand first. He drops the gun and howls in pain. Divine and Joey throw alcohol-soaked rocks at Gary with their slings. Incredibly, this makes him retreat toward the trees.
Cara shoots an arrow at the soldier, and it almost hits Poncho as he wrestles the man. She shoots another arrow at our attacker’s foot. The arrow lodges in his boot and snaps in two parts when the soldier steps on it.
Our only advantage is surprise. Gary and company weren’t prepared for this. Soldiers would never have imagined that a few primitive, uneducated Starvillers could pose a threat.
I approach Gary close enough to drop a balloon full of alcohol over his head. Joey’s boomerang collides with the bag at the right moment, causing it to burst. The cop ducks and avoids most of the liquid, but the few droplets he can’t avoid make him scream.