Amongst the Dead (15 page)

“I need to pee before we begin,” she said. As much as Riley knew she wasn’t to be harmed, she couldn’t trust this man. He was clearly a bomb waiting to detonate. He was most likely used to beating his women, raping and cutting them. “Is this your first time with a Sister?” she asked, regretting the change of subject quickly.
 

Renny looked taken aback, his face wide eyed. With a grimace of anger coming over his face, he drew back his arm and slapped her on the same cheek as before.
 

She’d seen this one coming and closed her eyes. Stars, like bits of static, bloomed in front of her. Her body flew sideways, her face winding up against a pillow. She gritted her teeth, remaining still, allowing herself to calm down. Attacking the man now in an animalistic response could prove the undoing of her plan. Tears crept from her tightly closed eyes. She wiped at them quickly and sat up.
 

Renny’s eyes were closed and his body was shuddering as if a demon had taken possession of him. “Damn, that felt good,” he said. Riley placed a hand to her burning cheek. Renny opened his eyes and looked at her. “Sorry about that and to answer your question, yes. This is my first time with a Sister. The boss man felt I deserved you in account of me doing such a fine job bringing all yous in.” He smiled, apparently happy with himself. Riley wanted to jump up and strangle the man at the mention of what he did to the Milners. “I don’t like willing partners, they bore me. I prefer to soften them up.” He took a step toward Riley, his fists clenched.
 

She could’ve screamed and the Sisters would’ve come rushing in to protect her. But again, that would ruin her chances at escape. She needed to get to the door and leave without anyone the wiser. With bruises on her body, if she killed him and failed in her escape, she could claim self defense and possibly avoid punishment.
 

“Sir,” she began. “I would really like to please you and the Sisterhood, but if you continue to hurt me, the guards will come.”
 

“Not if I slit your throat, bitch.” He reached for his knife, but grabbed at empty air, apparently forgetting he’d placed it on the table. He brought his hand up to his face and began massaging his chin as if in deep thought. The air was thick with dread as his eyes bore in on Riley’s. She readied herself for another attack, her muscles tensing, but he laughed, the tension dissipating from his face immediately.
 

“Take your clothes off and lay back.”
 

“Sir, I have to use the bathroom.”

“I don’t give a shit. Hold it in or let it out.”
 

“Please, sir. It’s important to the birthing process that I relieve myself before the act.”
 

The man stutter-stepped as if struck. “Oh shit, don’t start that talk about babies again or I’ll lose my wood.” He moved aside and gestured for her to go ahead. She hesitated. “Well, get going already, I ain’t got all day.”
 

Riley hopped off the bed and walked toward the bathroom. She glanced back to see the man removing his clothes. “I’m going to tear you open, split you like a log.” She turned back around and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
 

She’d wanted to grab the knife as she walked past the table, but it wasn’t the right time. She was going to have to take it and hide it on her person when Renny wasn’t watching. Then when he tried to take her, she’d stab him in the privates and keep him from defiling any more women.
 

Riley truly did have to use the bathroom. With no running water, the building used old-fashioned outhouse-like technology. A box-like seat, made from sanded wood, was sat upon—the inside an aluminum basin—and people did their business. To keep the odor down and the chance of disease to a minimum, the basins were emptied and cleaned daily. Riley’s commode had no odor and was apparently fresh.
 

After relieving herself, her chest began to thump louder. The time had come for her to make her move. Hopefully Renny was—she couldn’t believe she was thinking this—naked on the bed. Maybe the lack of clothing would help diminish the man’s power, causing him to feel weak and exposed once she brandished the weapon. She closed her eyes, picturing how the events would unfold. She repeated the images over and over in her mind until she was certain the man on the other side of the door would die, allowing her to escape.
 

Riley opened the door and stepped out. The man lay on his side naked; his flaccid, lobster-colored penis exposed like some lifeless worm. It protruded from an overabundant area of curly dark hair with two sagging testicles that could’ve been dried prunes. She had never looked upon an adult male’s genitals. Renny’s reproductive area was truly ugly, something that should be kept hidden behind a zipper and cloth. She had no idea what typical penises looked like or if they were all the same, but his was hideous in appearance. Her stomach roiled as a feeling of nausea set in. She knew that any man wanting to lay with a Sister had to be checked for disease and sickness, the Hag personally taking up the task. She wondered how such a task could be performed by a blind woman, but after seeing the things the woman was capable of, she guessed anything was possible.
 

“Get over here,” Renny demanded.
 

Riley hesitated. From the corner of her eye she could see light gleaming off the knife’s blade as if signaling her. “I want to please you,” she said.
 

“Then get over here. You being a virgin and all, I think I’ll have to steer you in the right direction.”
 

“They teach us things here,” Riley said, winking. She walked toward the table where the knife lay, tracing her index finger along the blade. “How to please a man. Give him what he enjoys.” She wrapped her small fingers around the hilt.
 

“Hey,” the man said, his voice wary. “Wait.”
 

Riley turned around, facing her enemy. She held the knife loosely in her right hand, staring at it as if memorized. “I’ll let you use this… Well, not use, but play with this as long as you promise not to cut me.” She glanced up, keeping the blade just below her eyes.
 

Renny’s eyes went wide before becoming devious-looking slits. His member began to stiffen. He was clearly becoming aroused. Riley took a few steps forward.
 

“I don’t know if I could control myself,” he told her, his eyes transfixed on the weapon.
 

Riley had gotten what she so desperately needed—power. She was now, however temporarily, in control. She felt a plethora of emotions: odd, wrong, dirty, wonderful. She realized then that she possessed another tool to use against her enemies. It was too difficult to stop the smirk from growing on her face, so she let it happen. “I know you’d like to place this,” she said, holding out the knife, “to my throat while you have your way with me.” She brought the blade to her neck, just under the chin.
 

“They never said anything about you Sisters acting like this.” The man was practically drooling, his mouth agape, body trembling.
 

Riley kept her approach slow, dragging the knife down her chest, between where the slightest hint of breasts were beginning to show.
 

The man was fully erect and reached out with his hand. “Give me that before you cut yourself,” he told her.
 

Still out of the man’s grasp, she said, “Like this,” and drew a thin line of red across her forearm. She glanced up after drawing blood to see the man’s tongue lolling out of his mouth like a dog. “You better take this before I really hurt myself.”
 

The man reached further to take the knife. Riley ducked under his arm, swatting it aside, and lunged forward. Renny’s surprised face was almost comical, his eyes crossing as they followed the knife’s path. He tried to teeter backward, but his other arm was stuck under his body, holding him up. He was defenseless. The blade struck its mark just below his larynx, sinking deep into the supple flesh.
 

He rolled over, the knife going with him. Riley stumbled backward and watched as the man pulled the blade from his neck. A geyser of blood spurted up and outward. He sat up and stared at Riley with absolute hatred in his eyes.
 

She cringed at the demonic sight and couldn’t believe he was still able to move. He began coughing, trying to draw in breath. The wound began bubbling and his chest was a field of crimson syrup. He tried speaking, but was only able to mouth the word
bitch
.
 

Rising to his feet, coming off the bed, he began to stagger forward. He held the knife out, its cold steel now warm with his life fluid. He walked like a drunk after a late-night binge. Riley saw the hate in his eyes become duller with each dying step he took. She had backed against the wall, watching the grisly scene in dismay. She needed him to die quicker, fearing the Sisters would be alerted and enter the room.
 

The vision before her was nightmarish. She hated the man and wanted him dead. She’d seen so many horrible deaths, each one adding to her mind’s filing cabinet. How many would it take before she became numb to them? Before the area of her mind that dealt with such atrocities became full? Would she one day crack? Join the insane? Would killing become as easy as breathing? None of that mattered. She was a good person. A caring person. She hadn’t enjoyed any of the kills she had to perform. They were a necessity to her survival. Like eating and sleeping, killing had become an ordinary tool for living in this world and she would be damned if she would let that change her.
 

The man fell to the ground, leaving a river of blood behind. He writhed and shuddered, the gurgling sounds becoming less frequent until he finally lay still.
 

Riley had to move. She couldn’t worry about him rising up and joining the undead. Maybe he would aid her in his undead life, becoming a distraction or a danger to those in pursuit of her. She searched the body and found keys. She’d hoped he’d had some kind of weapon besides the knife, but he didn’t. She snatched up the knife, wiping the blood off on Renny’s back, and walked over to the door he had entered through.
 

Holding the set of keys, she tried a few before finding the correct one. She unlocked the door and opened it a crack. Lining up one eye with the small crevice, she looked through. She didn’t know how much time she had before the procreating period was supposed to be over, but she guessed awhile from what she’d heard.
 

Unable to see much through the small crack, she pushed the door open further. Riley winced as the hinges creaked, squealing like frightened pigs. She froze, glancing over her shoulder, but no one came in. She was being paranoid and continued opening the door, stopping when she saw a guard patrolling the road. His back was to her and he was walking away. He must have just finished his check of the exterior of the Sisters’ apartment building and was on his way back to wherever he came from.
 

Riley waited until the guard disappeared around a bend in the road. Throwing on her hood, she exited the room, locking the door behind her. Glancing around, she saw her way was clear of life. She’d read about ghost towns in books and the scene before her reminded her of such. The Sisters barely left the complex, and she wouldn’t have to worry about them spotting her through the building’s windows.
 

She stayed close to the building anyway, not wanting to be out in the open, and worked her way to the wall along the road. Rusted, crushed automobiles lay stacked upon each other like metal pancakes with coiled barbed wire along the top.
 

She began scurrying along the road, keeping an ear and an eye out for guards. Most of the buildings lining the streets were boarded up and appeared empty. The garage she’d been in when she first entered the city was still a ways off and she wouldn’t have to worry about that for now.
 

The farther away she got from the Sisters’ building, the more a sense of freedom welled in her heart. She studied the wall for breaks or holes where she could climb through. She’d seen them on her way in, small places a young girl could get through with a little struggle.
 

Forgetting about her surroundings, caught up in the escape, she heard a shot ring out followed by a dull clunk where the bullet pierced the metal of a crushed automobile. Down the road, a guard, different than the one she’d seen earlier, stood about thirty feet away and was pointing a rifle in her direction. “Don’t move,” he said.
 

Riley froze, shutting her eyes. “Shit,” she whispered. She held the knife in her right hand, hoping the guard hadn’t seen it, and tucked it up her sleeve.
 

The man began walking toward her, keeping the rifle pointed at her, but using only one arm as the other held up a walkie-talkie. He brought the device to his mouth and spoke something into it before returning the thing to his belt. “What are you doing out here?” he asked.
 

“I was attacked,” she answered, thinking quickly. “The man sent to impregnate me had a knife. I was running to get help.” The man stopped directly in front of her, his weapon resting on his hip now. Riley kept her head down. The man grabbed her hood and pulled it back to see her face.
 

“Hey,” he said, surprised. “You’ve still got your eyes, and you’re so young. You must be that new
special
one everybody keeps talking about.” He went to grab his walkie again, probably to report his find, when Riley took action.