The Nameless Survivor (Valkyrie)

by Hawk, J. K.

  hours later;

  My eyes opened much better than before, all the blood that had caked over my face had magically been washed away in my sleep. It was night again, and a chorus of crickets rung out in my ears. I was back in that same room again, staring at a small burning candle, the wick flickering rapidly as it tried to stay above molten wax. My back throbbed in pain, and I just wanted to cry some more. But I couldn't, I had no tears left, Paul had stolen them all. And so I just whimpered quietly into my pillow, breathing in the stench of sweat and mildew as I tried to ignore the pain.

  Like a gentle hand reaching down from the heavens, a cool and almost soothing sensation ran down my back. Slowly I looked over to find the Old Lady, Lilly, cleaning my wounds with a cloth and some water. The sight of her had me sobbing some more, a dry and empty sob. My emotions were uncontrollable, it was unlike anything I had ever felt before, and I wished for Lilly to take it all away.

  “Hush now girl,” she whispered ever so sweetly, “You's rest yourself, I'll cleans you up just like new.”

  “C-c-can I leave now?” I asked.

  Lilly stopped wiping my back and went silent for a moment. She stared down at me with such caring yet grave eyes.

  “Girl, this is your home now. You's just do as your told, it be much easier for ya, child.”

  I didn't say any more as she finished cleaning me up and bandaging my wounds. When she left the room I just laid there alone, quietly trying to cry. I began to think of Momma and Daddy and even Old Ben. I missed them so, I missed my bedroom, my school, even little Bobby Masse who use to chase me with bugs at recess. I missed them all so much. But I had to forget about them, I had to stop dreaming of the past.

  Turning my head I notice someone was standing quietly at the door, it was the little boy from the fire. He was probably only ten years old with tangled brown hair and an adorable round and freckled face. He seemed so happy, unlike myself or most of the others here. He stared back at me with a cute little smile and his big brown eyes, filled with such curiosity. Slowly he walked in a little-bit further and quietly sat cross-legged on the floor.

  “Hi, my name is Tommy, what’s yours?” he whispered.

  “Mia.” I whispered.

  “Mia.” He repeated, “I like it.” he paused for a moment then asked, “Did Paul tell you the rules?” Finally the tears flowed from my parched eyes as I nodded yes.

  “You best do as he says, he won’t hurt you so much.” he smiled in a brief moment of silence while staring back at me, then he asked, “Will you be my friend?” Before I could even respond, Lilly stormed into the room.

  “Tommy! You's should not be here!” she exclaimed. “Get, before BP catches you's.”

  “Bye,” he said shaking his hand at me with a big grin across his face.

  Lilly quickly ushered him out, lightly slapping his butt as he scurried off into the other room. I took a deep breath and was able to smile just a bit, finding a friend almost made me forget about everything else. For a moment, I even forgot about BP. Finally the tears began to flow, and quietly I whispered back.

  “Yes.”

  continuance;

  A few days after my lesson I was back on my feet and immediately put to work; cleaning, cooking and hauling supplies. Big Paul and a few others had headed out the day before to scavenge for more supplies, leaving me alone with the rest of the men. Lilly ended up being my only protection, keeping me busy with chores and out of sight of the others as much as possible. She rarely spoke to me though, aside from barking orders. Thankfully, BP and the others were gone for weeks, maybe even a month or two. I had begun to hope that something had happened to them, that they may never return. However, none of the others seemed too concerned about their absence.

  The highlight of my days would be getting a few words in with Tommy, whenever we found the time, which was not often. Our friendship became strong during that time, we bonded like a big brother with his little sister. Although he was younger than I, he took on the role quiet well. Even protecting me from the others, distracting them away from me whenever he saw them getting too close. He was a good little boy.

  Every so often Lilly would repeat stories of Amy, stories from before she became hungry, stories from before the world changed. It was those brief moments that got me through those days, and kept my mind off of the others taunts. Amy was always on my mind. It was my job to feed and clean up after her. Lilly avoided the shed as much as she could, too afraid to look at what her daughter had become. I found it sad, sad that they let her live like that. Alone, and changed in a dark musty shed. Why didn't they just put her down, let her rest, I didn't know.

  Every time I looked into her eyes it was as if I could see the real Amy within them, it was like she were staring out a dusty window. It made me wonder if she actually was still in there, aware of what was going on, lost within her own mind. It made me wonder. Would I ever end up like her? Would I still be able to see the world while trapped inside my own body? I hoped that if I ever did go, someone would end it, rather than to chain me in a shed.

  One horrible day, while I cleaned up after Amy's last feeding, the skinny-man – Logan, came stomping into the shed. He startled me for a moment, but I just kept my eyes down and focused on scrubbing the chicken blood from the floor. I hoped that if I ignored him he would just go away, but as always, my hopes were ignored.

  “Hey there, Tight-Lips?” he said with a dirty smile across his face, all the while rubbing himself. “I tell ya what, you treat me good and I'll make sure you get some extra slop for dinner.”

  He chuckled, and in a desperate attempt I made a quick dash for the door. He was much faster, rushing over and grabbing hard onto my arm and tossing me back down to the floor, kicking the door shut in the process. I cowered back onto the floor, keeping my eyes on his feet as he circled me, breathing heavy with each step he took.

  “Stay right there, bitch.” He curse at me, pointing his dirty finger in my face, “I kill you, Oh yes I would.” He paused for a moment, pacing back and forth like a mad-dog. “I could just tell him you tried to escape.” He smiled and walked back over to Amy. “There is only one real reason that your still alive, fresh pussy.”

  He stared into Amy's eyes quietly, yet still rubbing his crotch. Every time she lashed out at him he would grab himself harder, not once did he flinch. As my father would say, 'He had a few screws loose.' Every so often he would reach up and brush her hair back behind her ears, pulling his hand back just as she turned to bite. Unfortunately she was never fast enough.

  “If it weren't for fear of turning, I'd tap this ass.” He said, still staring into Amy's eyes. “You just gotta get past the smell, and I ain't talking fish.” He chuckled again as looked back at me with those empty and evil eyes.

  He continued to pace about the shed, fiddling with different tools and other junk lying about. Every so often he would shoot a nasty glare in my direction, and that creepy smile never left his face. I wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do, but I prayed that Lilly, or even Tommy would soon come in and stop him.

  “Let me show you what you be missing,” He said while chuckling as he reached down his pants and pulled his penis out. “Not bad, eh? Big enough to satisfy your tight holes.” I didn't want to look, but did anyway.

  It was ugly, bent and it almost had too much skin hanging off the end. I have only seen a few before, including my father’s once when he was taking a shower. Much cleaner and less skin then Logan's, maybe he just needed a shower. At least a quick rinse in the river to wash away that smell which was almost as bad as Amy's. Logan spit in his hand before rubbing it aggressively over it. Quickly it got bigger, and slowly changed color until it was almost purple. The bend also seemed to worsen, making the tip point further to the right. I wanted to look away but was afraid of what he would do, instead I just knelt there and watched as he stepped closer to me.

  “Tell you what, Mia, is it?” I didn't respond. “Tell you what Mia, you suck me off, and I'll leave you al
one from now on.”

  I remained quiet as he continued to rub his penis back and forth in my face. A thick white film smeared from it and on to his hand, building up like a layer of cottage cheese. Thankfully he backed off moments later and laughed out as he pulled his pants back up. His attention then turned back to Amy.

  “Never had a chance with Amy, before she turned of course, Paul's not too big at sharing.” He said before spitting in Amy's face. Casually he reached out and grabbed a rusted blade hanging from the wall and gently began to caress her breasts with it, keeping his eyes locked on hers as she thrashed about in anger. “Too bad too, I'd treat her real nice, not like Paul did.”

  He snapped a gaze back at me again, fearfully I just look back down towards the floor. He remained silent for the moment, and even though I never looked up I could feel his gaze burning into me. I thought about making another run of it, but my legs would not move, I was frozen in fear.

  “Yeah, BP gonna wreck you when he gets back.” He chuckled that evil chuckle again. “He gonna tear that vaj up good, if you know what I mean?” He paused another moment as he stepped closer to me, dropping the blade to the floor. When I glanced up, his unzipped pants were directly in my face, his brown stained undies slightly hanging out. Then, in an almost sweet and gentle voice he whispered, “How would you like a kiss, sweetie?”

  Immediately looked back down towards the floor. My heart thumped hard in my chest and a cold-sweat broke out across my forehead. I was shaking and breathing heavily, for a moment I thought I was going to pass-out. Instead, he broke my trembles with another monstrous chuckle. He had his fun, and as he began to zip up his pants he stepped back away from me still laughing like a rabid hyena. Fortunately he stepped back a bit too far. Amy's teeth plunged deep into his shoulder with such force that his blood instantly poured out on to the floor and sprayed upon walls. Logan screamed out while reaching back, trying to break free from her tightly clenched jaws.

  Two other men burst through the door and forcefully pried Logan away from Amy, the flesh from his shoulder tore free allowing more blood to gush out from the wound. Without hesitation one of them men plunged his knife into Logan's skull, his body fell lifeless to the floor. Then without remorse he savagely plunged the same knife into Amy's head. Rotten black blood oozed down her face as she fell still and silent. Only the gurgling of her lungs emptying could be heard.

  Frozen in fear I remained silent upon the floor. Lilly now stood in the doorway, sobbing loudly at the sight of her daughter finally at peace. The man with the knife, Walter I believe, turned towards Lilly, pointing the blood-smeared knife straight into her face. He stared angrily into her eyes, without any care for her tragic loss. Even though he had never really bothered me, I hated him. More now than before.

  “I said it was a mistake to keep her, didn't I?”

  Lilly either didn't hear his question, or she simply ignored him. She dropped down to the floor beside her daughter and gently stroked her legs as she swayed lifeless from her binds. Walter huffed in anger as he wiped the blade clean on his pants before placing back in the sheath. Then he turned towards the others who stood in the doorway watching with curiosity.

  “Dispose of the bodies.” he ordered then looked down at Lilly, “Stop your fucking crying, she was already dead, now get this little bitch back to her room!”

  Promptly Lilly obeyed, snatching my arm and dragging me out of the shed and into the house. Lilly never said a word, and regrettably, neither did I. What could I have said, I could see it in her eyes that she blamed me for Amy's death. Instead she pushed me into my room and shut the door before stumbling off, wailing with such sadness. I just stood there, staring at the door, and listening to poor finally mourning the loss of her daughter.

  continuance;

  The following few days went by fairly quietly, I minded my work and no one bothered with me. Lilly still hadn't said a word, she had become cold and uncaring, keeping to herself most days. This had left me open to the others, but thankfully even they did not bother with me. I am sure they were more concerned with BP’s reaction when he returned.

  Tommy was the only one who spoke to me, sneaking off to find me whenever he had the chance. Whether it was when I was left alone to clean, or relieving myself in the outhouse, he would find me. Not for any real purpose except to talk, or maybe just to hear himself talk. He was a proud little boy and always had a story to tell. Hunting and fishing were his favorite topics, he mentioned that Big Paul had taught him all the good tricks for fly fishing. He spoke of BP quite often, sometimes good, but mostly bad. Yet to Tommy, BP was not loved and nor was he hated. He was just Big Paul, a protector and a bully.

  He seemed to be quite content with what the world had become, almost happy with it. It was however all he has known, he couldn't really remember his parents, and wasn't even sure if they were still alive. BP found Tommy roaming about an abandoned house and had raised him ever since. And yet, Tommy was nothing like Paul, he had grown into a kind and gentle boy.

  After Amy's death I focused on figuring out how to run away, especially knowing that BP could return any day now. Yet, there was no way I could do it without help. Lilly wouldn't even talk to me, even if she did, I doubt that she would have helped me. None of the others could be trusted, all fearfully loyal to Big Paul. Except Tommy, he was the only one I could trust, and although he was loyal to BP, he had become fonder of me. So one day, after he had startled me once again in the outhouse, I asked him about it.

  “I'm going to run away.” I said, and he didn't answer right off. He took a moment, then in a low and concerned voice he responded.

  “Big Paul would find you, he would kill you.”

  “I won't let him, we just need a plan” I reassured him.

  “It's safer here, Mia. You don't know Paul!” he squawked. “BP is an expert tracker, he will find us, and he will punish us.”

  “Us?” I asked.

  “You can't survive on your own!” He answered and I had to chuckle.

  “So you will help me?”

  “I don't know Mia, I still think it's safer here.”

  “No Tommy, it's not, at least not for me.” I paused for a moment, reaching out and grabbing his arm. His face instantly blushing. “We will go deep in the forest, far – far away from here.” He looked up at me with his big brown eyes, not sure of what to say at first, then.

  “We will need to move fast, and pack some supplies. We will need to find shelter very quickly. Snow-Fall is not far off.”

  “We should leave before Paul returns.” I said.

  He paused for a moment then smiled, “I can catch fish and hunt for food, and you can cook for me!” His excitement grew almost instantly. “I can protect you out there too. Maybe even be your husband one day!”

  “You would make a good one.” I said with a smile.

  “I'll start gathering supplies and hiding them.” Just as swiftly as he came, he trotted off.

  I smiled to myself with content that we might actually escape this place. It was a long shot for sure, and even though I reassured him, I knew the risk of what we were about to do. Hopefully we would be ready before Big Paul returned, I thought as I wiped myself and exited the outhouse. I returned to my chores, ideas and plans running through my head. Thinking of a life where I was treated like a lady, rather than a piece of meat.

  However, the next day, Big Paul and his group returned, and my excitement instantly faded away. The memory of our last encounter was almost forgotten, but the sight of him again sent a wave of stinging pain down my raw back. Escaping would be even harder with Paul around, and trying to plan everything with Tommy would be almost impossible now. But, I wasn’t about to give up, I wasn’t about to cower and obey.

  Everyone gathered round to see what provisions BP had scrounged up, all of them crying out for food. Stacked in the back were old dusty boxes of canned goods, a couple of wooden crates that held live chickens, bundles of clothing and other odds and ends. Everyone began un
packing the bounty, pushing and shoving just to get to the good stuff. BP never said a word to them and simply walked over and grabbed me by the arm as I waited quietly for some food. But he had other plans as he pulled me with him into the house and led me up the stairs and into his bedroom, shoving me hard down onto the bed before slamming the door behind us.

  I don't know why I did it, I knew what would happen, but still I darted towards the door only to meet the back of his hand. I slammed hard onto the floor with a loud thump, my breath instantly knocked out of me. As I gasped for air he picked me back up, tore off my ratted clothes and tossed me back onto the bed.

  There was no strength left in me to fight back the tears so I just buried my face into the smelly old mattress to hide them. BP sat down on the bed next to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me over onto his lap, stomach down. I closed my eyes, tighter than I ever have before, and prayed for this to all go away. Gently he rubbed his hand up and down my butt, the tips of his fingers gently caressing the crease between my cheeks. His breathed heavily through his nose as his other hand stroked the lashes down my back, the raw wounds began to sting and burn from his touch. Yet, I clenched my teeth, and waited for his gentle caress to fade into sinfulness.

  SLAP, his other hand struck so hard against my butt it sent a stinging sensation up my spine. I cried out as the next one came even harder, the sound of his hand against my flesh was so loud it must have echoed throughout the house. I cried out again, and he did not hesitate to strike again, and again. Not once did he speak, not to even tell me to stop my crying. Only his heavy breathing, and muffled moans intertwined with crack of each strike. He was not punishing me, his abuse was but only for his own pleasure.

  Even with all my crying and screaming, no one came to help. Not even Tommy, but what could he do, he was just a little boy. After what seemed like hours of punishment; the spankings, pinching, and biting - BP pulled me up hard by my hair. I could see it in his eyes that he was enjoying my pain, my tears did not anger him like they had before. Instead he wanted to see me cry, he enjoyed my suffering. The harder I cried, the heavier he breathed. He stared into my eyes for only a moment before he forced my head down between his legs and shoved himself into my mouth. He – he pushed down hard on the back of my head, forcing himself deeper into my throat. I couldn't breathe, and my gagging and choking only made him more excited. Even when I struggled to get away, he became more aggressive in his assault.