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“Nothing, brother. The female was acting out, and I was just making sure she knew her place.” He squeezed his hand, but his foot tapped on the floor beside me. “And her backpack says Mila in permanent marker, so I’m guessing that’s her name.”
Interesting. I didn’t like the way my name filled his mouth, but I filed this piece of information away for later. Seemed not only was there still a hierarchy in the black market, but the “brothers” weren’t supposed to touch a woman without permission. I could definitely use that to my advantage. Also… Dogberry?
Just what kind of messed up cult had I stumbled into?
The other man in the black hoodie and mask rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Just bringMilain here. The Choosing will start soon, and our brothers are interested in meeting the new recruit.”
I stifled a laugh. Somehow I didn’t think Dogberry was going to get first dibs on anything, even if that happened to be me. I focused on my breath as we walked to keep my wits about me. We followed the larger man through the doorway into what appeared to be an ancient breakfast room.
Old wooden paneling and wallpaper lined the walls, and where this had peeled away, newspapers acted as makeshift decorations. One boasted the local baseball team’s win.
Another announced a holiday parade. I had stayed at motels like this, minus the newspaper decorations, before the Collapse.
Before the world went to shit, when I was just a college kid with nothing more to worry about than my exam the next week, or sleeping through a class.
Olivia and I would rent rooms as we road tripped down to Florida, cheap and convenient. Predictably someone would pull a bottle of cheap vodka out of their bag, and we’d spend the night getting wasted, rolling out of bed in the morning just in time to catch the last round of free breakfast.
Damn, I could almost smell the waffles in the air now, even though it had to have been at least a decade since this motel had a functioning waffle iron. A sharp kick to the back of my knees brought me out of my daydream, sinking me to the floor instead.
“Brother Brutus asked you a question, female,” Dogberry spat.Dogberry. Brutus.
Where had I heard those names before?
I tried to center my anger, keeping a dumb expression on my face. But when I got out of here, he would be the first person I would take down. The asshole with the bad teeth, thinking he could get away with calling mefemale. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”
I remained on my knees, leaning only my head up to look at the small group of men surrounding me.
They all wore black hoodies, their identities “hidden” by the bone masks they wore. It wouldn’t keep them hidden if I saw them individually, but in a group they all blended into the next. One of the men stepped forward, and my captor finally released his grip on my shoulder.
This guy,Brother Brutus, must be one of the ones in charge, judging by the way all the other men innately turned toward him. “I asked you if you knew why you were here,” Brutus repeated, approaching to crouch in front of me. “Do you know what will be expected of you?”
He made sure he was eye level with me, but I knew the game he was playing. He was trying to put me at ease, get my guard down. But I didn’t miss the ice piercing his blue gaze. This man was not here to be my friend. I looked up at him through my lashes. Demure. Pure. Malleable. All the things he expected me to be. “I’m here to serve my purpose.”
The man nodded. “Precisely. You are here because you have been chosen. It’s an honor, really. Each month, one of my brothers will select you in what we call the Choosing. He will come to you every other night, for what we call the Ceremony, until you are pregnant with his child. If it doesn’t happen that month, the next month another brother will take a turn. And so on and so forth.” He slid a knuckle under my chin, forcing my head higher just to stare me down. “Youwillbear us a child. The world has no purpose for useless women any longer.”
ACeremonyto produce achild. Put two and two together, and it wasn’t difficult to know what he meant.
Rape. Forced breeding. I wanted to gag.
But even if I ignored his choice of words, I didn’t miss the threat lacing them. There would be no leaving this place alive unless I escaped. “I’ll do my best, sir.” The title stuck in my throat, but I coughed it out, knowing it would add credibility to the part I was playing.
Sure enough, he gave me a smirk, releasing my chin. “Good girl. You’ll fit right in here. Now, you’ll attend tonight’s Choosing as a formality, but Brother Prospero here will be taking you for himself this month. An honor for both of you.” He leaned back, tipping his chin toward a tall man standing coolly to the side.
Behind me, Dogberry began to complain, only to shut up with one scathing glare from Brutus.
Shakespeare, I thought. Their names were taken from Shakespeare. It seemed like so long ago I had opened those dusty books, sitting in a classroom. Another life.
I eyedProsperowarily. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to be in this situation. The idea of this man’s – of any man’s – hands on me made me sick to my stomach...
But I had survived this long thanks to wit, and I knew there was no way out of one night of hell. I could just make out a bit of a dirty-blond curl touching his shoulder underneath his hood. I wanted to scream. I wanted to retch.
I wanted to run back to the woods, turn back time, and tell myself not to go into town. To suck it up and go to a market instead. But I was here now.
I couldn’t change the past. I could only move forward. And if Olivia had somehow survived a place like this, I could survive it too. For her.
Fuck. Is this what Olivia felt when they took her? This overwhelming combination of fear and sickness, a lack of control so deep it felt like you’d never unspiral completely?
Olivia. This was my penance for running, for leaving her behind. No question about it. But really, what else was I supposed to do? I would’ve still ended up here, just far earlier, and far less prepared.
