The Ultimate Choice

by Lisa C Hinsley

  The man strode into the room, walking towards her. He stopped by the bed, his bare feet directly in front of her face, his toes drumming a silent beat on the floorboards. “Girl, I found you,” he sang in soft tones as he knelt down.

  Suddenly his face appeared in front of hers, so close his hot breath caressed her cheeks.

  “No, please,” she begged, and pushed further back.

  “Girl, I don’t want to hurt you.” He crouched down lower. He was a big man with dark skin and a close cropped set of black curls covering his head and face. His eyes were a startling green, in complete contrast to his brown complexion. He reached for her, his hand large enough to grab her by her neck and drag her out.

  A scream escaped Cassie, she kicked out at him and pushed backwards at the same time, but her back was firm up against the wall, there was nowhere else to go.

  “Don’t eat me!” she shrieked. “I’ll… I’ll do other things.”

  A wide smile grew on the man’s face revealing bright white teeth. He liked her suggestion.

  “If… I have to. I’ll do what you want.” Despite her promises, Cassie wiggled and kicked at him.

  But his massive hand wrapped around her wrist and held firm.

  “Please, I beg you, don’t eat me,” she cried.

  The man laughed. “Why would I eat such a pretty girl?” He pulled, surprisingly gently until he had her half out from under the bed. “You need more water. And food.”

  She nodded.

  “Then come out girl…” He glanced around the room, as if someone else might be close by, listening. “Girl,” he whispered. “I know who you are... you escaped The Ultimate Choice. You’re Cassie.”

  Cassie gazed past the man to the open bedroom door. If she scrambled to her feet, managed to get in a hard kick to the bloke’s privates, she’d have the element of surprise. She’d heard him come in, so she could approximate roughly where the front door was located. Once she got out of the flat, there’d be a hall and… stairs? She didn’t know how high in the building they were. Might be lucky, cross fingers they were on the ground floor. She’d disappear into the shadows before he’d even recovered from a well-judged kick to the balls.

  Then he said something that made her stop.

  “Thank you.” Elijah released her wrist. “More water?” He reached up to the bedside cabinet and retrieved the re-filled cup.

  Cassie stared at the door, and returned her gaze to the water. Her throat ached. Her tongue was only now beginning to lose the horrible leathery feel. If she went back on the run, how long before she found a public bathroom? How long could she run before her body gave up? She needed water, and food. Or she would die.

  “I don’t understand,” she said finally and took the glass. “Why are you thanking me?”

  “You beat them. You beat those bastards.” He leaned up against the wall and laughed, a rich, deep roar of happiness that forced a smile from Cassie. “Elijah watched your show. Bob almost exploded in rage, what a performance!”

  He laughed again then bent forward, one finger out and pointing at her. For a moment, Cassie flashed back to the woman on the street, the one who tried to get everyone to catch her.

  “Elijah caught you, sneaking away when Drusilla collapsed, and you crept up the aisle and out the back door. Elijah saw everything.” He gave her a broad smile. “The security took a long time noticing you’d gone from your seat. Then they acted like bees buzzing about the stage, not sure how you got out – which direction to run in. No one saw a thing.” He touched a long finger to the side of his nose. “But Elijah did.” He broke into more laughter. “Oh my.” He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

  Cassie drank the water in three giant gulps. “Thank you,” she said and handed the glass over to him.

  “You need a rest from drinking or you’ll bring all the water back up. Elijah knows. Seen dehydration before. Nasty way to die. Worse than needles.” He got up, picked up the other glasses on the cabinet, and strode over to the door.

  “Why did you save me?” Cassie recited a simple prayer in her head, asking to not be eaten or raped, and shuffled the rest of the way out from under the bed. Her body was weak and she desperately needed food. Almost as if in confirmation to this fact, her stomach rumbled loudly.

  Elijah thought about her question for a moment before saying, “You’re pretty.” He turned and walked out of the room.

  “Shit,” she muttered. She had to find a way to escape.

  Cassie leaned heavily on the bed and clambered onto her feet. She wobbled, her legs weak. The window was only a few paces away; using the wall to support her, she shuffled over and looked down. Elijah’s flat was on the first floor. Not too many steps to take at a run.

  “When did you last eat?” Elijah asked from the other room.

  “I haven’t a clue. When did I go on The Ultimate Choice?” The sun arched through the sky, on its way towards setting. She worked out what she thought might be south – or at least south-ish. That was the direction she should run in.

  “Two days ago,” he called back.

  “Wow, really? How long have I been asleep in your bed?” Cassie memorised the building opposite. There seemed to be an electronics factory on the ground floor. Spare wiring, circuits and dust were piled up against the windows. From here it was impossible to figure out where the entrance of the block of flats let out. She’d need to check for that window to find her guess at south.

  “I found you yesterday evening. Dripped drops of water in your mouth during the night.” Sadness crept into his voice. “You nearly died.”

  Cassie turned from the window. “You dripped water in my mouth?”

  Elijah paused, the said, “Yes.”

  “You did that for me?” Cassie couldn’t quite believe him.

  “Pretty girls shouldn’t die of thirst.” He was up to something in the other room, rustling and banging about. “Shouldn’t die of hunger either.”

  Curious, Cassie crossed the room and peeked out. The main living area was small, as she expected. Elijah had arranged two chairs and a round table on one side of the room, a kitchenette was built in against the far wall. A television on a rolling trolley sat in between. The unit pointed towards the kitchen area at the moment. Flickering lights from the telly added to the dim overhead bulb as Elijah unpacked a ration box. Saliva filled her mouth as she watched him unload rice, dried meat strips and a box of powdered eggs. A second full box was nearby.

  “You’ve got a double ration there. How did you get double rations?”

  “Here, have this.” He dug down for a grain bar and chucked it her way.

  Cassie had to step into the room to catch the bar. Her stomach let out a painful rumble. She didn’t wait for a repeat and ripped off the paper wrapping. She bit in, no other food having ever looked so wonderful. Her eyes closed as she chewed her mouthful, finding the different flavours and textures of the ingredients with her tongue and savouring every moment.

  “I’ve never known anything taste so good,” she said after swallowing. She popped the other half of the bar in her mouth.

  “You need to sit. There’s a chair for you.” He turned and pointed at her feet.

  Cassie looked down, stunned to find her feet bandaged with rags. Small blood blossoms had soaked through in a few places, and as she stared, the first twinges of pain started.

  “Elijah gave you pain killers. Mashed the pills up and dissolved them in water. Dripped the medicine in your mouth as you slept. Wrapped the wounds the way someone taught me once. Skin on feet so thin now. Not much holding bones together.”

  Cassie wondered again about the sanity of her captor as she listened to him speak, and then realised with a jolt that she wouldn’t be running anywhere for a while. Now she’d seen the bandages, the ache was growing. She limped over to one of the chairs and collapsed.

  Maybe she should do what he wanted for a while and recover from her walk out of London – let her feet heal. How bad could sex be if she complied?
An image passed across her eyes, of Pete, his naked body against hers, the odd sensation as he eased into her – the sharp pain that came first, and swiftly followed by exquisite pleasure. He’d convinced her the authorities banned sex to keep the population under control, with such pleasures discovered in the bedroom, common folk would start expecting their life to improve in other ways as well. But how did he know sex was so much better with a woman – so much better than a quick pump of his hand?

  She shook her head. The world seemed so much clearer now, and so much more unfriendly. The time had come to grow up. She turned her attention to Elijah of the chocolate brown skin, the stunning green eyes and blatant insanity. And she smiled.

  Chapter 8

  “So how come you’ve got double rations?” she asked as Elijah started making a batch of scrambled eggs.

  “I had a twin brother. He died…” he thought for a second, his brow furrowed. Cassie could almost hear him trying out calculations. He gave up, the frown lifting and said, “A long while ago. Was ill for so many weeks. I kept him going after he cared for me all my life.” Elijah put down his spatula and turned to face her directly. “Elijah not one-hundred percent up here.” He pointed at his head and twirled his finger. “Thoughts get muddled, each day hard. John took good care of me. Taught me how to get on before he died. I miss him.” His eyes misted. Elijah blinked a few times and returned to his cooking.

  “But shouldn’t you have handed in his identity and ration cards when he passed away?” Cassie put her feet up on the other chair. They’d started to throb.

  “John told me to hold onto them. Keep his death a secret. Gave me instructions. Had to strip him of all his clothes and identity. Dumped his body for the police to take. Hated the authorities for dragging him away, not caring, not loving him. Mean police, they don’t care about life. Elijah loved John, wanted him buried properly, not thrown in the hospital incinerator.” His voice had risen, almost to a shout, his eyes deepened to a dark green. He sighed deeply and continued, “Now I go to the distribution centre twice a week. Once as Elijah, second time as John.”

  Cassie frowned. “How can you do that – take double rations, men rations, when there are so many hungry people? Did your brother want you to do that? Steal? Did your brother want you to become – a thief?” Anger came down as an unexpected veil. She felt the heat rise, burning her cheeks, and knew she’d gone bright red, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. “How dare you.” She got up, despite the pain of her feet, and took a limping step towards him, shaking her finger at him.

  Elijah crossed the room in two heavy steps and grabbed her by the shoulders. He shook her roughly, his eyes wide, his mouth drawn into a sneer. He drew back one hand. Cassie turned her face to the side, eyes tightly closed, and waited for the inevitable slap. Instead, Elijah took a deep breath and shoved her down onto the chair.

  “No pain. No violence. John told Elijah. Only what’s needed to survive.” He wandered over to the kitchen side of the room, his shoulders stooped over. He opened a drawer and started rooting around inside. Elijah took out a sheet of paper and started to read, muttering the words under his breath, calming visibly as he got to the end of the page. He returned the paper and carefully flattened it in the drawer, almost with a lover’s touch.

  Cassie hardly blinked, her eyes on Elijah, wondering what he was going to do next, and whether she should ignore the pain in her feet and go on the run anyway.

  “Does Elijah look well fed?” he blurted out suddenly.

  Cassie checked him out. The answer was no, he was as starved as everyone else.

  He didn’t wait for her response and said, “Every night Elijah walks the streets.” His voice was quiet, almost apologetic in tone. He hunched over the pot, stirring. “I search for homeless people. Elijah finds their hidey holes. Between the buildings, behind the bins. Secret places where lost citizens go.” He glanced back at her for a moment. “John told me to do good before he went away. Insisted Elijah help those who have been disowned by society. I package up John’s food and take it too them.”

  “I-I-I…,” Cassie stuttered. She took a deep breath and started again, “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Eat.” He put a plate of steaming scrambled eggs on the table and handed her a fork.

  “Thank you,” she said. For a moment, she thought of the illegal who wouldn’t eat tonight because of her. She stifled the wave of guilt with a different thought: she was also an illegal now. She deserved to eat as much as they did. Her stomach growled and her mouth watered, but for a moment she did nothing but breathe in the aroma of the food.

  Elijah sat on the other chair.

  Cassie took a forkful of egg, watching him. She swallowed and said, “Where’s yours?”

  “You need food more. Elijah fine.” He patted his stomach. “Eat. Then sleep. Pretty girl needs sleep to heal.”

  Cassie took another mouthful. “Share with me.” She pushed the plate to the middle of the table.

  “No.” Elijah shook his head, the big grin returned to his face, studying her every movement. He shoved the eggs back at her. “Eat. Then sleep.”

  Cassie felt a yawn coming on. Without even realising it, she’d scraped her plate clean and she had a full stomach. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so satisfied. Next thing she knew, Elijah was beside her and leading her back to bed. He tucked her in and ran his fingers down the side of her face. A sweet caress she half-expected to end with a kiss – and perhaps a performance to pay for her lodgings. But he smiled and left the room, flicking the light off as he went.

  Evening had come while she ate, and the moon was rising in the darkening sky, shining a silver beam in through the curtain-less window. Cassie yawned again and closed her eyes. There was a good chance the throbbing in her feet would keep her awake. But despite the pain, sleep took her.

  “Morning, girl.”

  Elijah had pulled in a chair from the other room and sat where the moonbeam had been the night before. Now the same spot was bathed in sunlight.

  Cassie rubbed her eyes and stretched. She had an urgent need to use the loo, but overall, she felt refreshed and more far better than the day before. “Good morning, Elijah. How are you today?” she asked.

  He rewarded her with one of his generous grins. “Today is a good day. Elijah has work to do. Divide up the rations. Decide who gets them and when evening comes, run the deliveries to illegals.” He nodded vigorously. “A good day today.”

  “Elijah, may I use your bathroom?”

  “Good, good! Dehydration fixing. Waterworks running again.” He jumped up off his seat and helped Cassie to her feet. He led her through to the living area and to a room on the left.

  Cassie bolted the door, sat on the loo to relieve herself. The walk out of the bedroom had been remarkably pain free. She wiggled her toes. There was some stiffness, but that was all. She didn’t dare hope too much, but the thought remained: she might just get an early release from Elijah’s flat. Her tongue did a rotation in her mouth, finding her teeth furry, and she was certain her breath reeked. Next to the sink she found a pot of toothpaste. She dipped her finger in and scrubbed at her teeth best she could. That would have to do, she thought as she rinsed and spat.

  Elijah stood in the kitchen area, tinkering about with some ingredients. He’d moved the chair back from the bedroom so there was a pair once more. Cassie sat on one and put her feet up on the other. Gingerly, she started to unwrap the bandages on her left foot.

  “Blisters healing?” he asked.

  She glanced up to find him studying her in that unnerving way of his.

  “Loads better. Yet I could still sleep some more.” She smiled back at him. “My feet don’t hurt so much.” She pulled off the last of the bandage. “Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

  “Couldn’t leave a pretty girl like you for the needles.” He lowered his eyes, flashed her a shy smile and returned to his cooking.

  Curious, she thought, then pul
led her foot closer to examine the wounds. The heel had obviously blistered on her long walk, but had now scabbed over. She gave the sides a squeeze. Oddly, the bones twinged a little, but she imagined in a day the twinges would be gone, and the scab on the back almost healed. She pulled off the other bandage and found her right foot in much the same condition, if anything even better.

  “Eat a little food, drink plenty of water and get lots of sleep – good for the healing, body and mind.”

  “Is that what you think?”

  “No. John told me. He taught Elijah so many things. Some remembered.” He served two plates of a stewed food. The dish seemed to consist of mostly grain, with strips of dried meat mixed in. She dug her fork in, watching her host as he ate.

  “Elijah, I’m going to have to leave soon. Would you be able to get a hold of some new shoes for me? Maybe a few extra bits of clothing?”

  He finished his plate without pause, put the dirty dish in the sink and ran off into the bedroom. She couldn’t give any more thoughts as to what Elijah might or might not do to her. For all she knew, he’d gone back there to get the chains ready to stop her leaving. But so far, he’d done nothing to actually threaten her. Besides being a bit dim, and extremely odd, he seemed very well-meaning. She had to think of her stomach, with two ration boxes every week and his cooking abilities, there was always the possibility of staying a while longer. Yesterday, she wouldn’t have even considered such a thing. Cassie continued to eat, savouring each mouthful as long as possible before taking another.

  Elijah appeared at the bedroom door. “Come on,” he said, motioning for her to follow, and promptly disappeared back inside.