Page 7

CHAPTER 6

C alla

H ope fades as we go further into The Tangle. Closer to The Outpost, where we will be sold.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “We should have stuck with the original plan. I screwed up.”

“We fought,” Nara groans, hoisting herself up to a seated position and holding her ribs. “And we shut Carl up for the rest of the trip. Good job, Tansy.”

“T-thank you,” Tansy whispers, a faint half-smile tugging at her lips, but it instantly fades. “Except he’s probably going to be really angry when he wakes up.”

“All I did was get in the way,” Fiona sniffles. “I’m sorry, Nurse Calla. I tried to fight, I really did. I should have never taken the knife last night.”

“You were brave.” I pat her arm, trying to reassure her. “I’m proud of you. I’m proud of all of you.”

Brenna doesn’t say anything. Her thumb rubs a spot on her hand that is stained with Jed’s blood. She got a lick in and drew blood. That’s more than some of us did.

We’re dressed, but barely. The slavers weren’t gentle when they tore off our clothes, so they’re more like rags we have to drape around ourselves to preserve what little modesty we can. Not that it will matter. Once we get to The Outpost, we’ll be sold as slaves.

“They’ll be careful the next time they open the cage,” Nara groans. “And we lost the key, so we can’t escape on our own.”

I glance at the vine wrapped around my wrist. It’s still pulsing, and I can feel it every time my heart beats. “The vine is still here, but it’s no longer a key,” I say, showing the others. “But maybe if we get it near the lock, it’ll work like before.”

“Frank’s watching us closely,” Brenna whispers, finally speaking up. “Mostly you…”

“I still don’t understand what happened last night,” Nara says.

“Me either,” I admit. “It was so strange.”

I turn away from the others and stare into The Tangle. I don’t regret fighting back, but I hate that we weren’t better prepared. Unfortunately, there’s no going back now. We tried and we failed. If we get another opportunity, we’ll take it. Either way, they’re going to have to do a lot more than whip us if they expect us to be obedient slaves when we get to The Outpost.

“About an hour left,” Frank calls out.

“Thank fuck,” Jed mutters, glancing back at Carl. “Wonder how long he’ll be out?”

“Hard to say,” Jeb says, cracking the reins and urging the oxen to move faster. “But we’ll stick with the plan. Haggard is waiting for us. He gets one of the girls and then we’ll meet the buyers.”

“Do we get to split Carl’s share if he sleeps through the sale?” Jed chuckles.

“No,” Frank growls. “If he’s not awake, the buyers will just have to wait. He’s the one who made the deal. We’re not meeting with the buyers without him.”

“Fine,” Jeb grunts.

The Tangle seems to settle as we get closer to The Outpost. When it appears on the horizon, it doesn’t look like much—just a jagged collection of scrap and ruin rising out of The Tangle.

As we get closer, I see shattered concrete walls, rusted shipping containers, and the twisted remains of machinery that has been scrapped down to the bones. The walls, containers, and old machinery form a barrier. From the barrier, several watchtowers have been constructed from scaffolding that looks to be made of ironwood. Men with rifles stand in the watchtowers, and they straighten as we approach.

“Carl said Haggard is expecting us,” Frank says as we get close to the gate. “Hopefully that’s true.”

The gate is made from metal that has been welded together. The dents and marks on it suggest it’s defended The Outpost a few times from whatever threats emerged from The Tangle. Two men with rifles approach the front of the cart. They don’t seem to be surprised or bothered by the sight of Frank, so I assume hybrids aren’t uncommon visitors for them.

“What’s your business?” The man on the right glances past the slavers, eying us. “Slaves? There’s no auction for weeks.”

“Haggard is expecting us,” Jeb says, jerking a thumb toward Carl. “Well, expecting him, but he’s taking a nap.”

The man on the left steps forward and leans over, looking at Carl. “Oh, yeah. I recognize him. Let them in.”

The guards walk back to the gate and open it. It’s set up on rollers that groan and creak as the metal scrapes along them. Jeb cracks the reins and the cart moves forward, hitting a few bumps as we enter.

The Outpost is nothing like Haven North. There is barbed wire strung up along the wall. Shacks have been constructed from rotting wood and rusted metal. There are campfires everywhere, and the air is thick with smoke. The people I see look scrawny and disheveled, but most are armed. The humans, at least. I see a number of hybrids. Some are disfigured with boils and wounds that look infected. The stench of decay and rotted meat permeates the air.

“This place looks awful,” Fiona mutters.

“Y-yeah,” Tansy agrees, tearing up for the first time since we were thrown back in the cage. “Smells awful, too.”

“You know what I’m noticing?” Nara asks, groaning a little as she shifts. “I haven’t seen a single woman, except for us.”

I swallow hard and look around as the cart continues down a muddy, bumpy street. Some liquid splatters into the cage and I don’t have to get close to know there is more urine than water in the muddy slop.

“You’re right,” I whisper, noticing some hungry stares from a few of the men we pass. “No children, either.”

The stench lessens as we continue deeper into The Outpost. We pass shops that are set up, and I catch a glimpse of the wares being peddled. Old rations that don’t look edible, rusted weapons, alcohol, and various trinkets. Silver seems to be the currency, just like in Haven North, although we rarely ever see it. Most of our transactions are done with coupons that represent the money in our account.

“There’s Haggard’s place,” Jed says, pointing out a structure that looks a lot more lavish than the rest.

Haggard’s house, if you can call it that, is a palace compared to shacks we passed. It looks like it was built with timber and freshly poured concrete, rather than scraps from the world that existed before the solar flare. The road here is paved with broken pieces of concrete and rocks. They make the cart bounce several times as we approach.

“Alright,” Frank growls. “You can deal with Haggard. I’m going to get a drink. Stop by the tavern and get me when it’s time to meet the buyers.”

“Haggard will have drinks,” Jed says. “He’s always generous and he’ll be more generous than ever once he sees what we’ve brought him.”

“I don’t want to drink with Haggard,” Frank mutters, glancing at me as he walks past the cage. “I need to be alone for a while.”

“Alone? In a tavern full of people?” Jeb asks.

“Exactly,” Frank answers, continuing on without looking back.

The slavers park the cart behind Haggard’s house and get out. There’s a canopy that hangs over a fire pit with several chairs and tables. There’s more mud here, but it doesn’t smell like piss. Our conscious captors haul Carl out of the cart and carry him around the corner.

“If we’re going to run, now is our chance,” I say, hurrying to the cage door.

“But where will we run to?” Tansy asks, looking around nervously.

“The wall,” I answer. “I thought it would be safer for us here, but if we’re the only women, we’re going to stick out. We’ll have to take our chances in The Tangle. It’s the only option we have.”

I’m not eager to face the untamed wilds again, but I don’t want to be anyone’s slave. I hold my wrist near the lock, waiting for the vine to respond, but it doesn’t.

“No, no, please work!” I whimper, shaking my wrist frantically. “Please turn into a key! Or whatever you do! I’m begging you.”

I close my eyes, concentrate, and try to make the vine respond with willpower, but nothing happens. The only response I get is the gentle pulse that beats with mine.

“Well, fuck,” Brenna mutters.

I hear laughter and pull my hand away from the lock. Jeb and Jed round the corner, with a hefty man following them. He looks like he’s had his fair share of rations, and plenty of real food, unlike most of the other people at The Outpost. I assume it’s Haggard.

“Carl really let one of them get the drop on him?” Haggard asks. “Old boy is losing his edge.”

“Yeah, we still haven’t figured out how they got the door open,” Jeb chuckles. “But it doesn’t matter now. We got them here and Carl will meet with the buyers when he wakes up. He said you get first pick.”

Haggard looks past Jed and Jeb, grinning as he sees us huddled in the cage. He walks closer and I see the hunger in his eyes. It makes my blood run cold.

“Wow, it’s like Christmas,” Haggard jokes. “Mm, they’re all pretty. This isn’t going to be an easy choice.”

Fear radiates from our breath. I squeeze Fiona’s hand and scoot in front of her. Nara slides forward as well, trying to put herself between Brenna and Tansy. It doesn’t work. Haggard circles the cart so he can get a good look at all five of us.

“I like that one,” Haggard says, pointing at Fiona.

“No, oh, no,” Fiona whimpers.

I can’t let him take Fiona, but before I can say anything, Nara speaks up. “She’s just a kid. Come on, you want a woman, right? Take me.”

Haggard’s grin gets wider, and he leans closer to Nara. His eyes flick along her exposed skin, but he shakes his head and wrinkles his nose.

“Nah, you look like trouble,” Haggard chuckles.

“T-then take me,” I force out, scooting closer to the cage door. “I won’t fight you. I’ll do… what you want.”

“Damn, they’re all so willing,” Haggard says, glancing at Jed and Jeb. “The buyers will love those two. I want her.” He points at Fiona again.

“You got it,” Jeb says, walking closer with Carl’s key in his hand.

“They don’t take her without a fight,” I grind out, steadying myself on my knees.

“Agreed,” Nara says, positioning herself, despite the pain she’s in.

The others nod, but don’t say anything. Fiona is trembling so hard I don’t think she’ll be much help, so I keep her behind me. Tansy’s face is grim but determined. Brenna is poised and ready. I feel the pulse of the vine around my wrist, but it doesn’t offer any help, even though it’s still tethered to me for some reason.

“Watch them,” Jeb cautions. “They’re feisty.”

Jeb fumbles with the lock. The moment it clicks, we move. We don’t give him a chance to swing the door open or get ready for us. Nara hits the door with her shoulder and groans from the pain as she pushes it into Jeb. It slams into his face, but he doesn’t go down. Jed reaches past him and wrestles Nara the rest of the way out of the cage. I try to follow, but he slams her into the mud before I can intervene.

“Told you they are feisty,” Jeb grumbles, rubbing his face.

“I see that.” Haggard takes a step back, like he doesn’t want any part of it.

“Fucking bitches!” Jed shouts, raising his boot to stomp on Nara.

I jump out of the cage and land on Jed’s back. That stops him from kicking her. He tries to throw me off, but I dig my nails into his neck. Jeb jumps to his brother’s defense, only to get hit by the door again when Tansy forces her way out. Unfortunately, Jeb easily overpowers Tansy and slams her into the cage. He also catches Brenna as she tries to escape and throws her into the mud next to Nara.

“Fiona, run!” I yell, still hanging onto the bucking Jed for dear life.

Jeb moves to stop her, but Brenna comes up from the ground with a broken stick. She jams it into Jeb’s leg, which makes him roar and kick her in the face. That gives Fiona a chance to get out of the cage and run, but she doesn’t get far. Haggard snatches her up with his thick, meaty arms that nearly suffocate the smaller girl.

“You’re not going anywhere, you little slut,” he chuckles, throwing her over his shoulder. “You belong to me now.”

“Let me go! Let me go!” Fiona shrieks, her hands doing no damage as she pounds them into Haggard’s back. “Nurse Calla! Help!”

“No!” I scream, reaching out for Fiona.

Jed dislodges me from his neck and flips me over his back. I land face first into the mud. I claw and scamper toward Fiona, but Jed grabs my leg. My fingernails tears through the wet earth. I kick at Jed and see Jeb stomping on Brenna.

“Haggard got his girl,” Jed growls, kicking me in the back. “Get the rest of them back in the cage.”

Frank isn’t here to make them stop. Carl isn’t here to protect the merchandise. Jed and Jeb are much rougher this time. They punch and kick us as they drag us to our feet and shove us into the cage. We try to fight back, but it’s futile. They slam the door and lock it—leaving Fiona on the other side.

“Nurse Calla!” Fiona screams as Haggard carries her toward the house.

“There’s some food and drink over there,” Haggard motions toward the canopy. “Start a fire and enjoy yourselves until Carl wakes up. I know I’m going to.”

Watching Fiona disappear out of sight breaks me. I look at the vine wrapped around my wrist, still pulsing, matching the anguished beats of my heart.

“You’re as useless as I am,” I mutter, pulling and yanking at the vine until it pops free. I toss it into the mud and pull my knees close to my chest. “I’m sorry, Fiona. I’m so sorry.”

“Calla,” Tansy whimpers. “I think Nara is really hurt.”

I squeeze my eyes shut and swallow the rising grief as I turn my attention to Nara. She’s definitely injured. There’s a mark on her cheek and it doesn’t take more than a light press for me to confirm that the bone underneath is fractured. Her ribs are in worse shape now, and she’s slipping in and out of consciousness.

Fiona’s scream tears through the air and then I hear a door slam. It jolts me so hard tears run down my cheeks. I don’t want to think about what Haggard is doing to her. That poor child. She should be celebrating her assignment right now, not being raped by a savage.

“Are you okay?” I turn my attention to Brenna, who is huddled next to the side of the cage.

“I-I’ll live,” she whispers.

“How about you?” I ask, checking on Tansy.

“I got stuck in the mud,” she whimpers. “I’m fine.”

I have nothing to tend to Nara’s wounds. Not even a bandage. Our cuts and scrapes could easily become infected, if we’re not careful. Even some water would be useful to clean them.

I’d give anything for a fresh round of supplements. They may not be able to regulate the strongest emotions, but the ones coursing through me right now don’t have an outlet. I want to rage—tear this cage apart with my bare hands. But I can’t. I’m not strong enough. I couldn’t even tap into the strength I had last night when I grabbed Frank.

I start to sob softly, feeling the weight of everything, and then a door slams. I look up to see Haggard strolling around the corner with a grin on his face. Jed and Jeb have already started a fire, eaten a few rations, and are sipping what I assume is some form of alcohol.

“Already done with her?” Jed calls out. “That didn’t take long.”

“Nah, she was being a brat,” Haggard chuckles. “I gave her a spanking and put her in the corner. When I unlock the door again, I’ll let her decide if she wants to be a good little slut or get whipped until she’s begging to be one.”

“There’s no rush,” Jeb smirks. “She’s all yours.”

Haggard nods and walks under the canopy. He grabs a drink from his stash and sits down. “Anticipation makes it sweeter, too,” he adds. “Especially with a sweet thing like her. I’ll be thinking about that tight cherry until I make it bleed.”

“Plenty more where that came from, too,” Jed says. “I don’t think many of the girls in Haven North get fucked except for the ones they breed and those whores in the Lower District.”

Brenna bites her lip and looks down. She’s Unassigned. All she’s done is trade one horrible fate for another. Still, I think life in the Lower District would be better than slavery. She’d at least get half-rations, cleaner water than what Frank has given us, and medical care. She could even be one of my patients, if a serious illness or injury sent her to the Academic Medical Center.

The men drink, eat, and continue their misogynistic tirade. They clearly don’t value women as anything more than holes for their lust. I’m guessing there are no women here because they enslave every single girl they come across and sell them off.

“It’s getting late,” Jeb sighs, looking around the canopy and up at the sky. “Buyers were supposed to meet with us a while ago. We should probably send a message to them. You still got your errand boy?”

“Nah, someone offered me a gold piece for him,” Haggard chuckles and stands up. “But I can get a message to the buyers. I put them up at my brothel. The slave girls there aren’t as good as what they’re buying, but they’re better than nothing.”

So, there are women here. Just already enslaved. I wonder if they enslave boys too, like the one Haggard mentioned, or if they just prey on the weak. That’s what we are. Weak. We don’t have the numbers to try to fight them again. I’m sure Brenna and Tansy would try, if I asked, but I would just be putting them in danger. We may have to take our chances with the buyers—as scary as that is.

We sit in silence until Haggard returns. His sneer when he walks by the cage makes my blood boil, but I bite my tongue. He rejoins the others, and they continue drinking. The light fades overhead and it gets dark, but there’s still no sign of Carl.

“Hey, Calla,” Brenna whispers. “Your bracelet… it’s glowing.”

“What?” I move to the side of the cage and look where she is pointing.

Brenna’s right. The vine is lodged in the mud beneath the cart, but it’s glowing green like my hand was last night when I channeled a message to Frank. The vine slithers through the mud and I lose sight of it before it coils around the bars, several tendrils reaching toward me.

“Maybe it’ll open the door again,” Brenna says anxiously.

I glance back at our captors. Jed and Jeb are intoxicated based on the way they’re slurring insults at each other. Haggard isn’t interacting with them, but he’s steadily drinking.

I already feel a strange absence, without the vine pulsing in unison with my heart. I don’t feel the energy it seemed to provide. I removed it in frustration, but maybe that was a mistake. Maybe it still has help to offer. I move my hand to the vine and let it coil back around my wrist. It braids itself and looks like it was never removed.

“We wait until they go to bed to try,” I say, feeling the vine’s pulse sync with mine. “Or whenever Haggard goes back in the house. We need to try and help Fiona. She’s our top priority.”

“Okay, Calla,” Tansy whispers. “But what do we do about Nara?”

“We’ll have to carry her. See if you can get her to wake up,” I answer.

Nara is weak and disoriented. She may have a concussion on top of everything else. If I had realized that I would have tried to keep her conscious. I should have checked closer. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do for her, but I’m sure she’d choose to risk further injuries over being left behind.

Jed and Jeb don’t make it inside the house. Jeb is the first to pass out, likely from a mixture of exhaustion and alcohol. Jed stays awake a little longer before succumbing to the same combination. Haggard finishes his bottle and tosses it by the fire pit.

“Well, you boys are no fun,” Haggard snickers, leaning forward and standing up. “But I got someone waiting on me who will be.”

“Now,” I whisper. “We’ll have to take Haggard down. Grab the bottles they were drinking from and hit him as hard as you can—as many times as you can.”

“G-got it,” Tansy replies.

Haggard glances at the cage, but stumbles by. I scoot to the door and hold my bracelet up. There’s no response for a moment, then the vine begins to move. Tendrils rush into the lock and it clicks.

“We don’t go back in this cage,” I say, more conviction in my voice than ever.

We’re able to get out and grab bottles, but Haggard hears the commotion. He runs back around the house, right in time for Tansy’s hardest throw to ricochet off his skull.

“The fuck…” Haggard mutters, spinning on his feet.

“Softball,” she says, grabbing another bottle. “I played pitcher.”

Tansy windmills into another underhand throw and it not only hits Haggard, but shatters across his face. Blood splatters as the glass cuts him, and he goes down in a heap. I check his pockets, finding a ring of keys, some silver that I hand to Brenna, and a few items I don’t recognize.

“We should have given you something to throw earlier,” Brenna comments.

“We have to save Fiona,” I urge, motioning for Tansy. “Brenna, check on Nara and try to get her out of the cage.”

The door is unlocked, so I rush in, stopping dead in my tracks when I see Carl on the couch. He doesn’t move, so I urge Tansy onward.

“Fiona! Fiona, can you hear me?” I call out in a hushed whisper, but there is no response.

“Haggard said something about unlocking a door, but the front door was open.” Tansy looks around. “You check upstairs, I’ll check to see if there’s a basement.”

I run up the stairs and throw open several doors before I find one that’s locked. It takes two keys to find the one that fits. I push the door open and see Fiona standing in the corner. She’s naked with her hands on her head, and her bottom is as red as the ripe tomatoes they sell in the Upper District.

“Fiona!” I say, and she spins around with tears in her eyes.

“Nurse Calla!” she cries. “I-I was so scared, but I knew you’d come for me!”

I pull the girl into a hug and whisper some apologies before wrapping her in one of Haggard’s shirts. It fits her like a dress, but her clothes have been ripped off, and they’re too tattered to serve their intended purpose.

“Come on.” I take her hand. “We’re getting out of here.”

I meet up with Tansy downstairs. We rush back outside and turn the corner, then my jaw nearly hits the ground. Brenna is standing by the cart, balancing Nara the best she can. In her other hand is a broken piece of glass, covered in blood. I look down at Haggard and see a gash across his throat—then I realize Jeb and Jed have met the same fate.

“What did you do?” I ask in shock.

“They can’t follow us if they’re dead,” Brenna says, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Fiona pulls away from me and walks up to Haggard, kicking him in the ribs a few times and making more blood gush from his neck. I guess she’s not going to mourn the bastard. Not that I blame her.

“Let’s get out of here before Carl wakes up or Frank gets back,” I urge, hurrying to help Brenna with Nara.

“Should we bring the gun?” Brenna asks, discarding the broken glass and picking up a sharp stick.

“Too heavy, and we need to move quick,” I mutter. “I’m not sure I know how to use it, anyway, do you?”

“Point and shoot?” Brenna says, then she glances at the rifle. “But I have no idea how to reload it after that.”

“We don’t have time to figure it out. Come on.” I motion for her to follow me.

Nara starts to regain consciousness once we slip away from Haggard’s residence. I have no idea what danger could be lurking in the dark streets of The Outpost. Staying away from people seems like the best option, so I lead the rag-tag group to the wall.

“Nara, do you think you can climb if we help?” I whisper. “I know it’ll hurt, but this could be the only option we have.”

“I-I’ll manage,” she gasps.

The Outpost’s wall seems to be designed to slow down anything that tries to get in. Probably so the men in the watchtowers can deal with them. It’s fairly easy to find a spot to climb, and I go first, grimacing when I get to the barbed wire along the top.

“We’ll hurt ourselves too much if we try to go over this,” I whisper to Tansy, who is behind me.

“Look over there.” Fiona points, trying to support Nara. “There’s a hole.”

“Good eye,” I remark, carefully finding my footing on a piece of concrete as I cross over. “Yeah, we can get through here. Let’s get Nara up.”

There are no patrols in the streets. Nobody to keep order, except the men in the watchtowers, and they don’t seem concerned about anything on this side of the wall. It takes some effort to hoist Nara up, and we probably injure her further in the process, but we get her through the barbed wire. I help Fiona, Tansy, and Brenna through, and then they help me. Getting down the other side is easier, mainly because we jump once we’re close enough. Brenna and Tansy lower Nara to me. Fiona gives some assistance, but I shoulder most of the weight.

“Go left, where there are no watchtowers,” I say. “Then we’ll cut around to the road and try to follow the same path we took here.”

Back into The Tangle.

But it’s the only option we have.