by Coralee June
Chapter Nine
It took almost a full hour to get through the intricate tunnel system leading to the Zone. Occasionally, Tallis would hold his hand up and place a finger to his lips. We’d all stare at the ceiling of the caverns, waiting as heavy footsteps passed overhead.
“We need more support beams in here,” he said to Jules, and she nodded.
“I’ll let Louis know.”
At the end of the tunnels, we were told to wait outside a green door as Tallis checked the auction post. For five minutes, we stood in silence, waiting for him to return with the okay that the coast was clear. Jules briefly explained that the tunnels poured out to the auction post in the Zone.
“Inside that door,” she said to Huxley while nodding towards the green metal door with rust on the hinges, “leads to the auction post. We checked the auctioneer board, so it should be empty. But if there are people inside, then we’ll have to spend the night here.”
“Why does it lead there?” I asked.
“These caves were here long before the empire. The old world used them to filter out waste. When we first discovered them, they were infested with Walkers and decaying bodies. Everyone dumped their loved ones here. A small team of immune Walkers cleared it out about a year ago.”
My brow shot up. This place was enormous. It would take a lot to stomach the clean up of that. Kemper looked around once more. “It’s smart,” he said with an appreciative smile. “If you’re caught here, they’d just assume—”
“That we’re here to toss the body of a loved one. They have no idea that it leads in and out of Galla. It’s how the deadlands population has been able to grow so much.”
The hinges of the metal door groaned as Tallis returned. “It’s clear,” he said.
I took a deep breath. The last time I was in the Zone, a Walker attacked me, and Cyler saved my life. I didn’t feel in danger, I mostly just missed Cyler’s presence.
The auction post was strangely familiar, and another memory tickled in the back of my mind. The clean white tile was a stark contrast to our dirty shoes and clothes. The fluorescent lights were turned off, and Tallis held a lantern up to guide us through the dimly lit hallways.
“We have to cut through the stage,” Jules whispered.
I trudged my feet up a couple steps until I was standing on the metal stage. I’d been here before. I could remember it. Phantom fear and sadness burned me as I breathed in the energy of this place.
This was where the Stonewells bought me. I put my hand to my lips to stifle the gasp as I looked out at the empty chairs of the crowd. I could almost hear the auctioneer’s cruel voice.
“Stop crying. Your tears mean nothing here. Be glad you’re immune. You could have a decent life.”
“I miss my Mommy,” my childish voice said, muffled by my faraway memories.
“Your Mother and Father are dead. And you will be too if you don’t wipe the stress from your eyes. Today is the day you grow up, little Walker.”
I felt a hand grip mine, jarring me out of my memory. “Where’d your mind go just now?” Kemper asked. I paused to stare out at the audience once more and sighed.
“This is where I was auctioned.”
Ahead of us, Jules and Tallis were leaving, but my men lingered, staring at Kemper and me. “Let’s go,” I choked out. There were much worse things in the Zone than the auction post. I was lucky. I was procured by a wealthy family. This was where I met Josiah.
“Just hope Lackley doesn’t get you. He and his favorite little scientist have been experimenting on immunes,” the auctioneer’s voice said in my memory once more.
Something about that made me pause. It was like I was staring down the barrel of a memory. I knew it would destroy me, but I couldn’t help but look.
I shook away the flashbacks and allowed Kemper to steer me off the stage and through a back door which led to an alley in the Zone.
“Now, we have to make it to Madam B’s brothel without running into any guards. Louis is still working on removing your face from the database. He needs to do a new scan of your face after I’ve done some of my magic.”
“Okay.”
The seven of us spaced out as we walked, hoping to not look suspicious in such a large group. Jacob kept his hood up and stepped in front of me a few paces, leading the way in case we got separated from Jules and Tallis.
Kemper was still holding my hand, standing rigid as he took in the dismal surroundings. He looked unsure and entirely out of place. The uncomfortable way he took in everything would surely draw attention to us.
“You know, I think I lived close to here as a child,” I said to Kemper.
“Oh really?” he asked, looking at me. I squeezed his hand and pleaded with him to relax with my eyes.
“I can’t remember exactly where. But this feels familiar. I’ve often wanted to see my childhood home again,” I replied.
From what I remembered, it was nothing but a two bedroom shack with running water and a stove. We had it a lot nicer than other Walkers. Dad worked at the garbage station, hauling trash for members of the Elite. Unfortunately, it was how he contracted X.
“My dad worked outside the Zone at the dump. He processed trash. My mom sold bread on the corner. We were one of the few families with a working kitchen, so she made do. Although, if I remember correctly, she would just hand out most of the bread instead of charging for it. She couldn’t stand to see a hungry child.”
“They seem like they were wonderful people,” Kemper said.
“I think they were,” I replied with a shrug. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, but most of the time, I wondered if what little memories of my family I had were real, or if it was something my adolescent brain made up. They could have been bad people. Negligent. My perceptions were limited, and I liked it that way. I’d rather cling to the idea of who my parents were than know the truth.
Even though I was an attendant in the Stonewell home, I still had a good life. I was provided for. I might not have been comfortable, but I was alive.
My parents gave me a future when they died.
I stared at the street where barefoot children stumbled past us, clutching their threadbare clothes to their chest. The colder season was upon us. Within a few weeks, it would be too chilly for them. I’d heard stories of Walkers freezing to death in the streets of the Zone. They became solid as ice.
“I know we had a red door. It was two bedrooms,” I said while squinting and trying to place my childhood home in my mind's eye. Kemper nodded, and I saw the wheels in his head turning. If anyone could figure out where I once lived, it was him. He was a fixer. A finder of lost things.
The Zone was dirty. Trash littered the streets. Blood stained the concrete, but people kept walking like it was a regular occurrence. Unlike Saberus, Walkers traveled along the streets like it was nothing. I guess in the Zone, people stopped fearing death a long time ago. The threat of a new regime—and the virus—was still the same as it was yesterday. Their existence was temporary, and they’d accepted that long ago.
“Keep walking, we’re almost there,” Jules said while she turned a corner. My eyes locked on Huxley’s hard shoulders until we arrived at a small building about two stories tall. Around us were numerous shacks with sheet metal for roofs, but not this. It was a beacon of brick and mortar standing proudly within the filth.
“We’re...we are...here,” Jacob said. Jules and Tallis entered the home, but Jacob whirled around to stare at me. He slid back on his mindspeak translator.
“I know this is a brothel, and when you first walk in, things will be jarring. Hell, even I’m shocked by some of the shit I’ve seen here. But know it’s been only you, Ash. It’s always been only you. It will always be only you.”
My mouth went soft as I stared at Jacob in wonder. Of everything, he was concerned with making sure I felt comfortable?
“I know,” I said before using the hand that wasn’t holding his to stroke his arm. “Thank you, Jacob.”
To the left of the entry was an all white, finely furnished sitting room. A tray of tea and cookies sat on the center table, and a plump woman with blindingly white teeth lay on the lavish couch. She plopped a grape in her mouth before standing and walking towards us.
First, she gave Jules a generous hug. “You had me scared when you didn’t show up. I’ve had to deal with Tallis’ insufferable moping. He’s been whispering riddles all day. I’ll never understand you two,” the woman scolded.
“We had some trouble. I could have called, but with how much Cavil is tapping communications, I didn’t want to risk it,” Jules replied. She sifted through her dress, lifting the hem until the knife strapped to her thigh was visible. “Thanks for this. You were right, it did come in handy.”
The woman held her hands up and said, “Keep it. I’m sure you’ll need it again before this is all said and done.”
The woman had red, curly hair and thin lips. Her breasts were practically pouring out of her tight, white dress. And when she looked at the twins, her eyes went hot with wild hunger. I briefly wondered if that was how I looked when I drank in their appearance.
“Well, aren’t you two a cool drink of water?” she said while pretending to fan herself. “What damned corner of the empire have you been hiding in, and where is my one-way ticket?”
She held her hand out, and naturally, my antisocial twin, Huxley, didn’t accept it. Luckily, Patrick still had the good sense to be polite and grabbed it gingerly.
“It's a pleasure to meet you, Mistress…”
The woman burst out in laughter. Bending over at the waist, her breasts bounced as she shook with humor. It wasn’t until she broke out into a coughing fit that she stood to wipe her eyes and calm down.
“Oh, you’re a funny one. I’m no Mistress, kid. I’m a madam. Which is just those pompous Elites’ way of saying I’m a whore.”
Patrick turned such a bright shade of red that I couldn’t help but giggle. At the sound, Madam B turned her attention towards me.
“You must be the immune Walker that Jules pretends to hate,” Madam B said with a wink, making Jules scowl behind her. “She won’t admit it, but she missed you. If I had to hear one more word about your chocolate cake, I might have gone mad.”
“You have a nice home,” I said while looking around. I couldn’t get over the fact that it seemed so similar to one of the Elite manors.
“My customers like to pretend they aren’t slumming it in the Zone when they visit here. It took a while, but we like to give them the illusion that they are at home. The show starts when they walk through my door,” Madam B explained with a wild grin.
She walked towards me and placed a painted finger under her chin. “Well, let me get a look at you,” she ordered.
I stood still, forcing my posture straight like Mistress Stonewell had taught me. I kept my eyes ahead, and my arms firmly at my side. I had been trained by the best to be a household Walker, I could do this.
“Oh dear,” Madam B said while circling me. “I see what you mean, Jules.”
“What?” I asked.
“You’re not going to work at all.”
I swore I heard Huxley say, “Thank God,” but I didn’t dwell on that.
“What do you mean I’m not going to work? I’ve been a Walker my whole life, I was trained by the best in etiquette and cooking. I lived in the Governor of Galla’s manor.” I’d never been one to brag about my upbringing, but I felt it pertinent to show her my abilities.
Madam B traveled back until she was facing me. Her eyes gave me one last appraising swoop before she spoke again. “That's great and all, hon. But we don’t need a Walker. We need a Companion. I bet you’re a virgin.”
I felt the blood rush from my skin as I bit my lips in embarrassment. How could she possibly know that?
“Oh, no, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I know many girls that wish they had your predicament. Not many want this life,” she said, “but for this mission, we need someone with a bit more experience. Someone who can blend in and flirt.”
“I can do that!” I resolved. I was determined to fit whatever mold she needed me to. “I can do whatever it takes.”
“Oh really?” Madam B asked. “Louis, come down here please,” she yelled towards the stairs while keeping her eyes on me.
Soon, pounding boots descended the stairs, and a man with reddish hair and black eyes bounded towards us. He looked like Madam B but had more freckles peppered across his skin.
“This is my son, Louis. Seduce him,” she ordered. Beside me, I watched as Huxley, Patrick, Kemper, and Jacob went into fits of disapproval.
“Abso-fucking-lutely not!” Huxley shouted.
“Certainly there is another way,” Kemper then added.
Patrick laughed like the idea was absurd before giving Louis a murderous glare.
Jacob, who was still fumbling to remove his mindspeak translator from his ears was letting loose a list of monotoned threats.
“Enough!” Madam said, holding up her hand. She gave me a sly smile while taking in the angry group of men in her sitting room before speaking again. “All of them? Well well well, maybe I’ve underestimated you after all.”
She took another look at me, and I stopped trying to stand tall. I thought of my guys. Of the heated stares, the sensual way they touched me. I pushed each loving thought I had of them to the forefront of my mind while standing beneath Madam B’s intrusive stare. Finally, she spoke. “You still have a lot to learn, and not enough time to do it. We have a meeting tomorrow, and I’ll let the other girls decide if you’re fit to stay. Until then, Louis will show you all to your rooms. Tonight, Jules will change your appearance so my son can update you in the Walker database.”
Instinctually, I reached up to touch my hair and frowned when I imagined all the things Jules would do to me. And as if reading my mind, Madam B said, “The idea is to make you attractive. Don’t worry. She’s smart enough not to do anything ridiculous.”
“Thank you,” I choked out. Madam B was a strange woman, indeed. But I found her humor and abruptness endearing.
“Stay off the third floor, it’s where my girls work. Not unless you want a lesson in seduction.” She winked at me and turned away, leaving us all in the entryway.
Louis looked at all of us before speaking to me. “I was going to make a joke about seducing me, but I don’t feel like dying today. I was at least hoping to make it to the end of the month. I’m going back to work.” He gave an awkward wave before heading back upstairs.
“Smart man,” Huxley said. “I like him.”
Chapter Ten
I spent a good half hour searching for myself in the reflection of a dirty mirror in Jules and Tallis’ room. The unfamiliar girl staring back at me had long, straight hair that hit my lower back. The sleekness of it had me baffled. I’d always been at war with my curls, but these unfamiliar new tresses had me missing my wild mane. Jules applied some cream to it, lightening the shiny strands to match my white roots.
A plumping serum took my already cushioned lips and made them even more voluptuous. I found myself making facial expressions in the mirror and staring at the red lipstick Jules so carefully painted on me.
My skin was tanned from being in the sun the last five months, and Louis brought eye drops which temporarily changed the color of my irises to grey. I’d have to add drops every morning, but the overall look was...haunting.
It was me, I knew that much, but the woman in my reflection was cold. Was this what my men saw when they looked at me? The numb, unfeeling woman just scratching the surface of existence?
“Ash?” Kemper’s voice called out from behind me. I sucked in a deep breath before turning to face him.
“You might want to get used to calling me Shade,” I said with a half-grin. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it
. The new name Louis assigned me in the database felt foreign on my lips. I’d have to practice introducing myself as such if I wanted to survive. It felt like each step closer to revenge I got, the less of myself I had.
“Shade? That's an interesting choice,” Kemper mused while walking forward. He pinched my lightened hair between his fingertips. “I miss your curls,” he whispered.
“As much as I’m happy that you like my curls, I’ll admit that the maintenance of the straight hair will be a relief. Jules said the chemical she used will last for a month! Can you believe this magic serum to tame my hair has been around all this time?” I asked incredulously, joking to hide that I felt like a foreigner in my own skin. Jules was efficient and well-versed in the arts of pampering and appearance. It was jarring almost. She went from cleaning her knife to discussing the proper tint of red for a Companion to wear. She transitioned through her personalities efficiently. I wondered if I’d be able to go from Shade to Ash as quickly.
“I think you could shave your hair off, and I’ll still find you addicting,” Kemper said before leaning forward to kiss my forehead. “Madam B wants you to come down and meet the other Companions.”
“Okay,” I replied nervously. Madam’s words still echoed in my mind. I felt inadequate in this role. Jules could dress me up, but my inexperience was in the way I carried myself.
Kemper must have seen the unease in my expression because he immediately went to fix-it mode. “What's wrong, sweetheart?” he asked while gripping the bathroom countertop, caging me between his arms.
“I’m not as experienced…”
I could feel Kemper’s eyes boring into me as I stood there; he looked me over, pausing at my chest where the dress Jules picked was draped dangerously low. The see-through material had gained all of his attention.
“Everything about you is sexy. I want you to be the first thing I touch in the morning,” Kemper said in a hoarse voice before kissing my neck. “And at night? I want you to be the last thing I taste.”