A New Life Series - Starter Kit

by Samantha Jacobey

  Tori had never asserted herself before, but she had become a force to be reckoned with. For the first time since they had left the bush, she slept in peace, and no one touched her that night.

  The following night, the Dragons stopped and crashed at a farmhouse that appeared to be deserted, if only at the moment. As soon as they got inside, the crew made it clear, she would perform her duties as usual. Knowing that she could have a shower and rest afterwards, she persuaded herself to give in and did her best to entertain those that were in need that evening, telling herself, it's only a few; you can do this. She removed her clothing and did her best to please them and put them at ease so she could have some time for herself before morning.

  Of course, Red wanted a turn, and his turns always had to be special. While he fucked her, her thoughts fell randomly, and Tori remembered the time they had been in a motel with Michael Anderson watching. She thought about him, as Red pulled her hair the way he did that night so long ago. She allowed herself briefly to wonder if the mysterious Michael were still alive before pushing the memory aside, as if knowing would do you any good.

  Afterwards, she found a bathroom, where she slipped into the shower and washed away the grime of the days since she had last been able to cleanse herself. Blood oozed from her rear as she washed it, and Tori felt tired, like she couldn't go on much longer.

  Henry is gone, she lamented. There is no reason to hang on anymore. Her new life would never come; she would always be a slave to these men, to this endless road of misery.

  Standing in the bathroom drying off, Tori heard a rap on the door and opened it a crack to see it was Marcus himself, ready for a turn. Tori tried to send him away, “I’m done for the night. Maybe tomorrow, mmmk?”

  He laughed at her, pushing the door open, “Naw bitch, that’s not how this shit works… You’re gonna do your fucking job.” Closing the door behind him, he yanked on the towel she had wrapped around her and pulled her over to the sink. She had gotten away with beating him the day before, but she had never forgotten Tony's words from all those years before, you're not gonna win. Not against all of us.

  Leaning over the sink, she relented and allowed him have his way, accepting his punishment. He handled her roughly, pinching her and pulling her hair, then biting her ear as he held her in place. He added fresh gel to her, sneering as he pushed himself inside her. He emitted excited moans of pleasure while Tori fumed. How long do I have to endure this shit? How many times do I have to be made to crawl?

  She could feel him sliding in and out of her as he flexed his hips. He slammed against her, abusing her breasts viciously as he did so. Her rear end burned from the previous turns already taken that night and enough was enough. She had already had her shower, God dammit. She touched her scarred breast profusely, but it wasn't helping her calm down or remember her place.

  Marcus worked her for several more minutes, squeezing her and panting. Staring at the faucet before her, Tori's clothes were piled on the sink and brushed her left hand as she gripped the edge of the basin. Her mind kept turning, realizing her knife still lay underneath them.

  Sliding her hand beneath, she whipped her arm back quickly, elbowing him in the ribs to knock him down. The pop of the blade as it extended seemed extraordinarily loud in the cramped space and she stabbed his carotid in a flash.

  Blood squirted out onto her naked body, and continued to pulse over his hands as he tried to stem the flow. Falling back against the door, he sank to the floor, dead before Tori had realized what she had even done.

  Staring down at the knife in her hands, the room began to spin. She could feel the sticky blood on her fingers, and she knew the Dragons might kill her for this. Forcing back the panic, she realized the time had come. Tonight, she would bring justice to the gang of misfits, or she would die trying.

  Reaching down, she pulled Marcus' body out of the way of the door. Then, she stepped back into the shower to wash his blood off her chest and to think. When she climbed out, she dried herself again, but did not bother to get dressed. She switched the light off and tip-toed out into the hall. The house was mostly dark, as everyone had found a spot and called it a night.

  Beginning in the living room, she killed each man in practiced silence, letting his blood flow and moving to the next when his pulse had stopped. Each one was different, and yet each was the same. She looked for the most exposed major artery, and then used her knife to sever it with a quick stabbing motion.

  A few she had to hold down, as they squirmed or tried to call out after her knife found its way home. A couple were nearly decapitated by the time she finished with them. Most were drunk, and all were asleep, and that made the progress quick and easy.

  It only took a few minutes to make her way through, and then the only ones left were the twins. Walking lightly, Tori made it to the master bedroom, where she peeked in to find Eddie sprawled face down across the bed. He had not taken her that night, so although he had removed his shirt, his jeans were intact. With a quick, fluid motion, she also stabbed him in the carotid, just as she had done to Marcus, then leapt onto his back and yanking his head up by his hair, to cut him again from ear to ear.

  As his blood spilled, Tori could see Red, who had passed out in a chair by the window in the same room. Piece of shit. He had started drinking as soon as he was done with her, not even bothering to get dressed. Too bad, Tori half grinned, he might have been able to save himself and his brother if he wasn’t so fucking worthless.

  Standing over him, her posterior throbbed as she looked down at his still naked body. He had passed out, lounging across a rounded stuffed chair, his legs dangling over the arm. She wanted to hurt him, to make him suffer as she had suffered so many times at his hands. This time, she picked up a large volume that lay on the nightstand, and hit him square in the face with it, causing him to jump up with a start and fall down on his knees in anguish and surprise.

  Blood poured out of his mouth and nose. He tried to call out to the others, but there was no one left to hear. Ten men had been dealt with, and he would be the one to get what he had coming to him. What they all had coming to them.

  She could not risk them awakening others around them to punish them all. You can't beat them all; she thought, but you can beat this one. She hit him in the back of the head with a giant book, and he fell on his face, still resting on his knees and his ass sticking up in the air.

  The yard lamp from outside shown in through the window. She looked at the way it fell across his bare naked cheeks, and she had a terribly wonderful idea.

  In his drunken stupor, Red had no hope of stopping her. Tori fed her need to punish him, and stepped into the bathroom to grab the plunger. His tube of gel was still on the floor next to his pants, and she smeared it on the stick before shoving it inside of him, wanting to make sure he would take it all. He lurched forward at her action, his belly landing flat on the floor as he tried to struggle.

  Dropping onto the small of his back with her knee, she held him in place as he tried to knock her off. She held her ground, grabbing the rubbery end of the device and driving it as hard as she could into his orifice. Finally, after the stick had begun to grow dark in the light that shown in, Tori tossed it aside. Kicking him in the side, she forced him over onto his back.

  Sitting on the floor by the bathroom door sat a small clothes iron that was commonly used before electricity by placing it into the hot embers of a wood fire to heat it. It now acted as a decorative door stop. Grasping it, she cupped the body of it in the palm of her hand with the handle running over the back. Eagerly, she slapped him in the face with it, the impact causing her fingers to sting.

  She liked the way it made the bones in his face crack, and she hit him again, teeth flying out onto the floor. Suddenly, the rage inside her broke free, and she kept raising it over her head, hitting him until she could not lift her arm anymore, his lifeless body beneath her as she sat on his chest. Staring at the lump of flesh and blood that no longer resembled a human head,
she dropped the iron to the floor beside him.

  Standing, she went around the house in search of the bottles they had been drinking from. She finished off every one she could find, including a couple she found in a cabinet in the kitchen. When there were no more, she returned to the master bedroom, stepping over Red's body, still half afraid he would reach out and grab her, and turned on the water in the shower.

  Allowing the water to wash over her, she used the shampoo to wash the blood and grey matter from her nasty hair and face. The soap smelled nice as she used it, but it brought no comfort, and she washed her nether regions, wincing in pain; afterwards she leaned against the wall, the cool tile pressed to her face, and she sobbed in ragged breaths. She stood, allowing the water to pour over her until it ran cold, then fumbled for the lever to cut off the cascade.

  Awkwardly making her way out of the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and cautiously exited the bathroom, leaning on the door frame to hold herself up. Stumbling back into the bedroom, she slid down the wall next to the bathroom door. She sat staring at the bodies of Red and Eddie Farrell until the darkness overtook her, not for one second feeling sorry for what she had done to them.

  Freedom Isn't Free

  Tori sat in the chair, staring at her hands in silence. She could still see the blood on them, no matter how many times she washed them. Slowly, she could hear their voices, and the group began to whisper amongst themselves, but her story was done. She had nothing left to say. Finally, Special Agent James Godfry called the group to order and announced it was time to discuss her future.

  Tori did not look up; her face drawn with deep lines of pain no makeup could hide. Someone rested a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump. Knocking it away, she looked up and cried, “Don't touch me! Please God, don't touch me.” The offender stepped back and returned to his chair obediently.

  Looking around the faces of the committee, Tori sat in silence, waiting for them to pronounce judgment upon her. She deserved to be punished for what she had done. Instead, she had a piece of paper in her pocket that said she would never be indicted or prosecuted. She would be given her freedom, but freedom isn't free. It would have a price far heavier than anyone in that room could at the moment imagine.

  Godfry continued to outline the decision that the committee faced next. “Tori, it is the finding of Dr. Bennet and the agreement of this committee that you are, in fact, a minor. What we must do now is to talk about your next placement.”

  Tori gripped the arms of the chair more firmly. They aren’t even going to let me explain why they’re wrong.

  Noticing her distress, Godfry allowed the level of his voice to drop to a more compassionate tone. “We know this is not a popular topic with you and you do not agree with that finding. However, it is what we’re going to go with, and therefore we have a few options to discuss and would like your input before we make a final decision.” Several around the table nodded their agreement, but Tori remained tense. “Is there anything you would like to say before we get started?”

  “Why can't I stay at the hospital?” Tori blurted out immediately.

  Dr. Bennet quickly interceded, “We do not feel that the hospital is benefiting you or the most appropriate place for you at this time. What you need is social interaction—normal social interactions—with people.” After a quick pause, he laid out the options. “You see, we just don't think you are getting the personal attention you need in that environment. Instead, we would like to consider two other options.”

  “Because of your age, we thought it might be appropriate to place you into a foster care situation. That way you could get more of a feel of what it’s like to be part of a family unit. If we are able to place you soon, we have a family with two teenage boys that would be willing to have you. You would be able to attend High School and live the life of an average teenager.”

  He stopped for a moment to allow her to consider what the foster family would be like and have to offer her, and she began to shake her head in disgust…un-fucking believable.

  “However,” he then continued, “You scored very well on the educational testing, and we do appreciate your doing your best, by the way, and so it has been suggested that you would be better served in a more adult role or capacity. For example, you could reside in a halfway house where you would be able to hold a job, learn financial responsibility, and still have the interaction of a small group environment. This path would lead you more quickly into being able to attend a college or university if you so choose.”

  Tori sat clenching and unclenching her jaw for several seconds, looking from face to face. The only one who appeared easy to read was Warren La Buff, but only because his squinty eyes and the stiff way he held himself made his displeasure at the entire situation unmistakable.

  The rest of the group looked at her, hands in their laps, like they could wait all day for her response without giving away an ounce of how they felt about it. Finally, Eli smiled, and asked if she had any questions or comments on the subject. He really shouldn't have done that.

  “Any comments?” Tori's voice started low. “Well, I’m glad to see you are all so concerned about me getting out into the 'real' world for some 'normal' social interaction.” She could feel the anger bubbling inside of her. “And I really only have one question. What am I supposed to do when I get there?” She began to move her hands like a little puppet show, punctuating her sentences and illustrating her words.

  “You know, I saw a school once. Had all these little kids out on the playground, running around screaming and laughing, and I realized how different I was from them. I never went to school. Never even talked to a little kid, or laughed or played with anyone my size. What am I gonna do in a foster home, hanging out with a bunch of wet behind the ears kids? Talk about sex and drugs and how a fifth is good for dulling pain? There's some life lessons for you. I bet their parents will appreciate my sharing that one.”

  “How about, I show them how to run wire and lay charges? Do they have any small structures they would like removed?” A few of the listeners began to shift uncomfortably as she mocked them. “How about, how to clean an SR-25? I could take them out for some target practice, show them what I am really good at. Any chance I could get my knife back?” Her voice had been making a slow, steady climb and was reaching its peak, “Are you people out of your God damned minds?”

  “So is that what you are afraid of, hurting someone?” Eli's voice remained quiet and calm.

  “Afraid of? I'm not afraid of anything,” Tori rolled on, fully charged. “I know who I am and what I can do, and it's nothing I want to share. What do you think; I can just get that time back? I can't ever be one of those kids. I will never have what they have, the memories, the experiences, and I thank God they don't have mine. I will never be one of them. Never.” Tori trembled with rage.

  “So you would like to have a job and live with adults then.” Godfry stated flatly.

  “I don't want to live with anyone,” she clipped. Eli looked like he had been slapped, but Tori took a deep breath, gearing up for the second wave. “Adults would be worse than kids. Adults judge you when they don't even know you. They look at you and see things, like the scar on your face, and don't say anything or speak to you. They smile fake smiles and worm around the truth being 'polite'. They watch people do horrific things, and never stand up and defend the weak. Or they are the ones hurting the weak, beating and biting and burning.”

  She stopped cold, suddenly hitting the end of what she had to say. “You send me where ever the fuck you want,” she spit out the words as she stood and headed for the door. Out in the hall, she flopped down on the bench outside and pushed her face into her hands. She wanted to cry, but tears are for the weak, so she just sat there, breathing into her palms and waiting.

  Some minutes later, Eli came out and sat down next to her, leaning back against the wall. Taking in a deep breath, he let it escape slowly before he spoke. “Ok, so here's the deal.” He kept his voice a
s even as he could. “You’re going to a halfway house in a couple of days. After you have been there six months, the committee will reconvene with you, and if everything has gone well, you’ll be released for good. Basically, what we call emancipated, because even though we’re not for certain how old you are, they still suspect you are a minor at this time. Also, it’ll give us a little more time to locate your family. If we haven't found them by then, we probably aren't going to.”

  Tori absorbed his words for a moment, then lifted her head, “So there is no other way to get through this? I mean, I don't have a choice; I have to do this?”

  “Yes,” Eli spoke softly, trying to stick to the plan, “You have to do this. But, after the six months you can go where ever you want and live, however, you want. So if you want to be alone, just make it through and you can do that.” In the back of his mind, Eli still hoped she would return to him and share his little apartment.

  “Ok, well, I don't want you to find my family. I want them to stay safe and hidden, untouchable by the people I have betrayed.” Tori swung her gaze to stare him in the eye.

  “As far as your family goes, they’re going to try and identify you, whether you want them to or not.” He gave a small shrug, wishing he could do more. “It's not my call, and I don't think it's the committee's call on that one.”

  Tori sighed deeply. “And what if things don't go well? If I fuck up when I’m in this half-way house, what happens then?”

  Eli stared down at his hands, folded in his lap. “You may have to stay longer or we will do something else. The point is, you have to try.”

  “Do I still have to do all this other stuff? Go to group meetings and talk to the doctor and you and all of that shit?” her head still turned to look at him, she could see him swallow hard, not meeting her gaze.