Amongst the Dead (13 page)

She was taken to a room at the end of the hall. Once inside, the steel-barred door—prison-like—was closed and locked. The room was bare, except for two beds and a dresser. On one of the beds sat a young lady, and to Riley’s relief, she had eyes and was reading a book.
 

The young woman had thick, wavy hair that ran past her shoulders. Her skin was chalky white, and the bags under her eyes said that she hadn’t slept in days. Riley thought she looked like a zombie, but without the milky, dead eyes and purple veins running along her skin. She might even have been beautiful at one time, but now she looked haggard and tired. She looked up when Riley entered the center of the room.
 

“They got you too?” the young woman asked.
 

“I was brought here by some men,” Riley answered. She took a seat on the bed opposite the woman. “My name’s Riley.”
 

“Jen,” the young woman said, holding out a hand. Riley reached out and shook it.
 

“What is this place?” she asked.

“The Sisters’ House, but I call it Hell.”
 

“The place is so clean and well taken care of.”
 

“Oh, the place is immaculate, germ free and clean, but it’s all bullshit. They keep it clean to lessen the chance of disease for the pregnant women.”
 

“What goes on here?” Riley was almost afraid to ask.
 

“The building belongs to the Sisters of Life. They’re a sick and demented religious organization that believe the Earth is now the Devil’s property. Zombies are nothing more than Satan’s soldiers sent to cleanse the land. It’s up to the faithful to bring God back to Earth with a new breed of people.”
 

Riley hadn’t known what to expect, but it sounded along the lines of what she could guess. Some crazy shit by another group of demented assholes. The world was truly worse than she had thought. The mindless killing was bad enough, but this place of human incubation was downright evil.
 

“There’s water and bread over on the dresser if you want. It’s not drugged or anything so don’t worry.”
 

Riley grabbed the pitcher of water, poured herself a glass and sat down on the unoccupied bed. Jen continued her story and Riley listened, putting every word to memory.
 

The men that had brought Riley to the apartment worked in conjunction with the Sisters of Life. The old lady was the Queen, but was more commonly referred to as the Hag. All females brought in that could become pregnant are brought to the Hag and given living quarters. The men are given carnal visitations, raping them over and over every day until the woman takes with child. Then the woman is housed and fed and kept comfortable until the baby arrives before the process is repeated. By then most women are brainwashed and become willing members of the Sisters of Life.
 

The babies are then raised to serve in the gang’s army, becoming faithful soldiers to the cause; or they become Sisters, raised and bred with no fuss.
 

“What’s the deal with the eyes?” Riley asked.
 

“To keep the Sisters from becoming zombies when they die. And to keep anyone from running away.”
 

Riley had thought she’d seen the worst of the world but this new tale was awful, something from a demented nightmare. How could anyone let this happen? Taking out eyes and impregnating women? Raising an army? She would have been better off if she was captured by the army men back in Roscoe. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
 

“Impossible,” Jen said. “No one has ever escaped. At least that’s what I’m told from speaking with others.” Jen got up, went over to the window and looked out. “Occasionally, if a high-ranking member of the gang fancies a female in the Sisterhood, he can have her live with him.” Jen turned to look at Riley, her face somber. “That’s the only way out of here.”
 

“What happens to the women who can’t conceive?”
 

Jen laughed. “They’re brought to live in the whorehouse. It’s filled with women of all ages, mostly older. They become the gang’s property to do as they please with. Most of them become sex slaves, repeatedly beaten and raped. Some are killed for sport.”
 

Riley swallowed hard. If Joanne was alive, that’s where they must’ve taken her. She was probably too old to be a Sister.
 

Riley got up off the bed and stood next to a defeated-looking Jen. She whispered, “Together, we can find a way out of here. They’re blind, after all.”
 

Jen shuffled away from Riley, as if disgusted. “Don’t talk like that. They may be blind, but they see better in here than you and me. Have you seen the way they move?”
 

“I noticed,” Riley said, her voice low. “It was frightening how neither woman hesitated with me as we traveled the stairs and hallways.”
 

“They know this place better without eyes. They can hear better than us too. They’re probably listening to us now.”
 

Riley sat on the bed, her legs feeling weak. “We’ve got to try something.”
 

Jen sat across from her, seeming angered. “Why? What’s out there,” she pointed to the window, “in the world that’s so great I’d risk my ass for it?”
 

Riley was taken aback. “Your freedom,” she said, plainly.
 

“The world is dead,” Jen said, her face contorted in anger. “A wasteland for the dead or dying. At least this place offers safety and food. And a feeling of belonging.”
 

Riley was beginning to feel as if Jen had already joined the Sisters, mentally. She had seemed normal enough when Riley first talked to her, but now it seemed like the woman was trying to convince Riley that it was better here. “But they rape women and they’ll take your eyes. And do you really want to carry one of their babies, raised to believe this nonsense?”
 

Jen stared at Riley with icy, hate-filled eyes.
 

“You’re already pregnant?” Riley asked, her eyes wide with shock. “Aren’t you?”
 

“Yes,” Jen said, smugly. “And if I wasn’t, I’d be one of the gang’s whores and living in the whorehouse or worse, dead.”
 

Riley’s mouth hung open, too appalled to speak.
 

“Don’t look so shocked,” Jen told her. “When I first arrived I was like you. I got used to the men. Hardly any of them really hurt you and when you’re pregnant they can’t lay a hand on you.”
 

Riley couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could anyone, let alone a building’s worth of women, let themselves become incubators for such filth? And their babies used and taught that Sisterhood or gang life was the way of the world. A child growing up in this environment would know no different.
 

Jen laughed as she looked upon Riley with pity. “I guess that’s how I looked when I first arrived. It’s really not so bad here, Riley. We live in a hideous and ugly world and if losing one of my senses and being part of a new generation, one that will end the apocalypse… Well doesn’t that sound nice?”
 

Riley stood up. “No. And I won’t become a part of this.” She walked over to the barred door. “You hear me? I won’t become a part of this.”
 

“Not yet,” Jen said. “But you’re coming of age, aren’t you? Soon you’ll get your period.”
 

Riley didn’t move from the barred door, still wrapping her fingers around the steel. But Jen was right. Riley was thirteen now. She knew about womanhood—the menstrual cycle. Girls typically got their period between twelve and thirteen years of age. Riley was a forbidden piece of fruit about ready to ripen.
 

“They’ll keep you well nourished and apart from the men, wanting you in prime condition.”
 

Riley walked back to the bed area. She sat down, pulling her legs up to her chest, and rolled onto her side, facing away from Jen. She had to find a way out, find Eric and Joanne and get as far away from the Sisters as possible.
 

Chapter Ten

Blood
 

A month went by and every day was a monotonous drone of utter boredom. There was no torture, no degradation. Riley was supplied with three meals a day plus intermittent snacks. She ate eggs, vegetables, canned goods and some form of meat, usually venison. All in all, she was treated well.
 

As difficult as it was to contemplate, she understood why women eventually succumbed to the Sisters. They gave the appearance of safety, caring and community. And with the world so messed up, to put it plainly, it gave the hopeless a place to live. The Sisters of Life came across as a highly religious organization and that following their ways would lead to the betterment of society.
 

Riley saw it for what it was: a farce. Nothing more than brainwashing, where the weak were preyed upon. Then they were fattened up, and made ready to become an incubator. The Sisterhood wanted the women’s bodies in prime condition, both physically and mentally, for when they were to be with child. And as young as Riley was, she had hope for the world. She hadn’t in any way given up, and would take advantage of the wonderful meals she was given. Not for any future child—no, but for the energy she’d need to escape when the time presented itself. She also performed exercises daily, pushups and stretching, to keep her muscles as strong and durable as possible.
 

Jen was taken away during the second week of Riley’s stay and returned eyeless. She had gauze over her empty sockets and was only in the room to sleep at night. Riley had no idea where she was taken during the daytime, but Jen had completely changed since she first met her. She no longer grew upset or angry when speaking with Riley, only talking about the Sisterhood and how glorious it was to be a part of them and the new world that was to come.
 

As the weeks passed, Jen’s stomach grew with child. She had become a devout worshiper of the Sisterhood and Riley no longer recognized her. Whenever the two spoke, it was always Jen doing the talking. Riley had learned that responding to the woman was pointless. Jen never replied to Riley’s comments or questions, as if Riley wasn’t even there.
 

During the day, Riley was taught the teachings of the Sisterhood. Each and every word uttered during lessons was repeated by Jen at night before bed. She tried not to listen, to block her annoying roommate out with thoughts of her old life and ways to escape, but Jen’s constant preaching was too much.
 

Riley understood the psychological tactics the Sisters were using—a barrage of preaching, hearing the same words over and over again. They wanted her to accept the teachings as truth. To become one of them and if that didn’t work, they would break her, driving her to crack, to go insane until she truly did believe. Either way, the Sisters got what they wanted.
 

She would have none of it, but recognized the need to deceive the Sisters. She had to act, pretending to believe their words, which is why she paid careful attention during lessons, learning the rules and the ways of the Sisterhood.
 

Riley dressed in a white, hooded robe like the other Sisters, but wore a red sash around her waist indicating that she was not yet at the age of womanhood and that no man could lay with her. She had no idea how the women kept track of color, but they managed without mistake.
 

She was inspected every day for her period. A Sister would feel her pubis area for moisture before bringing her fingers to her nose to smell for blood. The task was embarrassing and Riley had struggled at first, but soon the physical intrusion became as routine as eating.
 

Because she still had the use of her eyes, Riley was given a bible to read. Many of the pages had been torn out, leaving certain passages which she was to memorize. Blind Sisters were taught verbally.
 

She was hardly ever permitted to leave her room, the only occasions being for lessons—another psychological torture ploy. It was a good thing she had many memories and a strong mind to keep her sane.
 

As the weeks became months, Jen was removed from the room and taken somewhere else to live. Riley never saw her again.
 

Needing something to pass the time, she dove into the literature. She was more alone than she’d ever been and felt as if her spirit was fading. It was all part of the Sisters’ way to get one to break. She knew this and understood the need to remain focused, strong willed, but still she felt herself crumbling at times. The need to give up was strong.
 

Using her father’s words and all that he had taught her, along with the need to find Eric and Joanne and reunite with them, Riley was able to stay sane and focused.
 

She had come close to falling apart, crying for days, wishing she could die. But she had to endure whatever the Sisters did to her. Use the time to find a way out as impossible as the idea seemed. At times, when she felt the room spinning and her body aching with despair, she would bite down on her tongue, letting the pain ground her to the world she knew and realizing she wanted to stay a part of it. The coppery taste of her own blood reminded her how human she was and that she needed to not only escape this place, but to destroy it. Burn it to the ground and make sure no more women were brought here.