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RED SOX: Let’s try to forget the 2006 season ever happened. Count with me won’t you 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, ...,
WARNING: I wasn’t kidding at the start. This is a tough story to take. Beatings are expected. Foul language is a guarantee. Unreasonable pain is a given. Like I said, it’s...
by Phair
Kendall had abruptly ended Brady’s tale when the woman accused her of somehow enabling the militia. The true horror of the accusation was that it might have some merit. Kendall needed to distance herself from Brady’s claim in order to regain her emotional control. She did so by retrieving the dinner Quon was dishing out over at Decam 28.
Kendall silently accepted the plates and turned away from Decam 28 to make her way back to where Brady lay curled up on the sleeping bag. There area was dimly lit by a couple of battery run lanterns and the blue flamed camping stove. Kendall stepped cautiously over the rough and rocky terrain. She had no intention of dropping the two tepid plates of rice and beef because of a misstep.
“Hope you’re not a vegetarian,” Kendall spoke softly when she offered the plate to Brady.
Brady sat up and gave a negative head shake, “Not anymore.”
Bound hands reached up for the food. Kendall hesitated a bare moment when she saw the red, irritated skin bulging around the nylon ties. She made sure Brady had a good, even though somewhat awkward, hold on the plate before she let go.
“Thanks,” Brady mumbled.
Kendall sat herself down against a rock near the end of the sleeping bag to eat her meal. She remembered only then that she had plastic forks inside her vest pocket for both Brady and herself. She pulled them free and started to offer one to Brady. Her captive’s behavior stole her voice from her throat. Brady had balanced the plate on her crossed legs and was shoving fistfuls of food into her mouth. In those few moments, Brady had gulped down more than half of her meager meal. The young woman was behaving more like a starvation victim than a PhD.
“Hungry?” Kendall asked.
Brady grunted as she nodded yes.
“It’s okay to slow down, Brady. Nobody’s going to take your food away.” Kendall swallowed hard before she could trust her voice again, “We have plenty of food with us.”
Kendall watched as the woman forced herself to stop. Brady closed her eyes and her cheeks reddened with shame. She looked away and ducked her head as if trying to hide from Kendall’s judgment.
“Sorry. It’s just…before this…back home…it was so long ago…like a different lifetime. It’s really easy to forget how to be civilized, I guess. My life here is all that I know now. All that I can dare to remember. After my capture, my Master told me he was going to break my spirit. He said it was best for me to try to learn fast otherwise he’d be sure I suffered. He said it was for my own good. The beatings and whipping were bad but the hunger and thirst were unbearable. Master’s most effective training method was to offer food then take it back to punish me. Sometimes, I went for days with nothing to eat or drink.” A sob broke Brady’s voice, “He got me to behave like an animal.”
Kendall wanted to walk away. Brady’s story, if true, was heartbreaking. Worse, it could have been Kendall’s story if Jay hadn’t stopped her from returning to the island. Still worse, it could be all Kendall’s fault.
“You’re safe with us. Nobody working for Beckworth has the right to punish you,” Kendall said as she scooted forward and put her own plate next to Brady. “None of us has the desire to starve you or …break you.” She pulled her blade out and sliced through the nylon ties binding Brady’s wrists before asking, “You won’t do anything to make me regret this, right?”
Brady quickly shook her head no.
“Good.”
“Thank you, Savage,” Brady said quietly as she blinked back tears while watching Kendall return to her seat by the rock. “This is your dinner. Aren’t you going to eat?”
Kendall answered, “You have it. I’m not hungry.”
Brady focused on her food. She devoured the last of her meal before taking Kendall’s plate. It took only a few minutes to clean that plate too. She stared at the empty dishes for a few more minutes, savoring the full feeling in her belly.
“Should I bring these back over to Quon?”
“No, I’ll take care of it. First, tell me more about this road to Armageddon I mapped out,” Kendall swallowed her pride to ask for the ugly details.
Brady shuddered, “Sorry, I didn’t mean it. Honestly, I was so angry to be tied up again, I lashed out at you. You didn’t do anything other than your job. Somehow your maps to the island got into the hands of the militia; Soldiers of Heaven.”
Kendall shrugged, “Why would they even care about the island? There’s no fresh water, no animal food source, the terrain is too rugged to farm, and the fishing is questionable in the winter months.”
“Their leader, Commander Esau, says God’s Vengeance is buried in the mud at the base of the high peak. He’s using most of the massacre survivors as slaves to dig for it.” Brady grimaced as she clarified her statement, “He’s using the survivors who wouldn’t join him or were judged not worthy of joining him, that is.”
“Are you kidding me? Some of the settlers joined him?”
Brady looked directly at Kendall when she answered, “He came with five hundred men and now the Soldiers of Heaven number twelve hundred men, women, and children; all of them are white or Asian, no Jews or Arabs or blacks or Catholics or mixed race.”
Gun fire echoed in the distance. A rapid series of volleys was followed by faint screams. Kendall tried to reassure herself with a hand on her weapon.
“Master Esau said he is the instrument of preparation for the real Messiah who will cleanse the earth. These are the end of days and this is Heaven. The just will be rewarded with power and the unclean will come to serve their new Masters or perish.” Brady lowered her head and voice as she spoke, “Apparently, some of my fellow unclean just perished.”
“Come on, I know you want some. All you gotta do is give me a little suck off,” Woody taunted as he held the bowl of steaming oatmeal in one hand while caressing his erection with the other. “Not so much to ask for saving your life, is it?”
Brady was backed up to the rock Kendall sat against the night before. Brady clutched the sleeping bag to her chest as she slowly shook her head no. She didn’t know where Quon or Kendall were. In fact, she had been sleeping soundly until Woody kicked her awake.
“Look, girlie, you’ll probably be goin’ to prison or something so take some male meat while you still can.” Woody smirked, “How ‘bout, I promise not to come in your mouth, okay?”
“PUT IT AWAY, JERK OFF!” Quon’s angry shout caused Woody’s hard on to sag.
“But…,” Woody’s attempted explanation was ended with a hard slap across the face.
“You’re lucky I caught you and not Savage. She’d probably shot your dick off. Now, put it away,” Quon instructed and took the bowl of food from the man. He handed the breakfast to Brady and said, “Sorry for the misunderstanding. My boy’s a bit stupid. Every time he tries to think he ends up with his dick in his hand.”
“Hey!” Woody tried to protest.
Quon lost his patience and leveled a hard punch to Woody’s nose, “You shut up and do what you’re told. Now, go finish cleaning up before Savage gets back.”
Brady waited until Woody walked away to speak, “If you expect me to thank you then don’t hold your breath.”
Quon glared at her and hissed, “You should shut up too!”
The angry man stormed away from Brady. She let herself drop to the dirt when both men were across the other side of the camp. The smell of the oatmeal caught her attention as soon as the immediate threat retreated. Unable to calm her appetite, Brady dug into the food with her fingers.
“Have you completely given up on silverware,” Kendall teased as she entered the campsite.
Brady didn’t respond. She continued to stuff the simple food into her mouth. Even when the bowl was emptied, Brady desperately licked at the sides for any remaining dollop of food.
“Hey, relax. You can have more. Give me the bowl and I’ll get you some more,” Kendall hushed as she squatted next to Brady.
Brady eyed her with suspicion. She took one long last lick of the bowl before handing it to Kendall. Brady was certain there would be no more food today. To her amazement, Kendall returned quickly with another bowl of oatmeal and bottle of water.
“Okay, first you need your Neurontin,” Kendall explained as she handed the pill to Brady. The woman obediently popped it in her mouth. “Want something for pain?” Kendall asked as she held up a small white pill.
“Will it make me sleep like I did today?”
“Probably,” Kendall answered evenly but did not understand the hesitation in Brady’s voice.
“Nothing for pain, I’m fine,” Brady replied.
Kendall didn’t believe her but wouldn’t push the issue. “Okay, then here you go.”
Brady couldn’t stop herself from grabbing the bowl of food. She was all set to reach in for a handful when Kendall produced a plastic spoon. Brady tried to steady herself. With a deep breath, she accepted the spoon.
“Master said only people get to use utensils. Animals and slaves eat scraps from the dirt. It’s God’s will.”
Kendall blanched at the statement and took a moment to answer, “It’s not my God’s will to enslave people and torture animals. It’s not your God’s will either. Brady,” Kendall beseeched her former friend, “you have to reclaim yourself. Stop believing that man’s lies.”
“It’s so hard, Savage. I keep thinking this is a dream and I’m gonna wake up next to him; chained to his bed.” Brady wiped her eyes dry of tears before begging, “Promise me you won’t let him take me. If you have to kill me then do it. I can’t go back to that existence. Please, Kendall, kill me before he gets his hands on me again.”
Kendall mutely nodded agreement only to quiet Brady’s rising panic. “I won’t let anything hurt you. You’re safe with me, promise. Besides, I have good news. Quon, Woody get over here.”
Both men approached but neither seemed happy to be summoned this way. Brady shifted her body so Kendall blocked part of her from view.
“What?” Quon grumbled.
Kendall gave a dazzling smile, “Beckworth is on his way up the hillside. He and his team should be here for supper.”
“About time,” Woody sneered.
Quon said, “Now, all we need is for Recon 2 to show up and we can evac out so the US military can deal with this crap.”
“Amen,” Brady agreed between mouthfuls of oatmeal.
