Author's Note: So, here is the second, of three, chapters! You are now going to get a VERY BIG WARNING.
WARNING: In this chapter, there is going to be a LOT of unpleasantness, such as rape, physical abuse, and forced abortion (AKA Baby death). If you are uncomfortable with things such as this, please do not read. If you read, and then complain, we take no responsibility. You have been warned.
Disclaimer: We own none of the stuff that is copy righted.
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Freedom for Safety
Marie was getting better, slowly. Her legs were still messed up, but the medic said that, with a LOT of work, she may be able to walk again. Secretly, Marie swore she'd be back to full battle mode before these guys knew what hit them. Being laid up was not her style.
Evie had been having a pretty good time, for the most part. In the few weeks since they'd joined the small Army detachment, Evie had made friends with almost every person, and knew every man's name. Marie could barely remember the medic's name. But, she'd always been bad with names.
Marie was alone in the back of the van, legs dangling off the side. Evie had left her to chat with someone, Chad or some such. Marie sighed, bored beyond relief. No books, no games, no one to talk to, nothing to look at but the scenery and her own wrecked legs.
Wincing, she lifted up her right foot and unwound some of the bandages. She knew she shouldn't. Blake, the medic, would be mad she'd fiddled with the wrappings. But, she couldn't stop herself. Again and again, day after day, she unwound her wrappings to stare at herself.
She'd always prided herself on her legs. She had beautiful legs. Maybe not the standard beautiful, but to her, they were her pride and joy, right up there with her hair and eyes. Her legs had been massively muscled. Nothing but strength, from dancing, and walking, and martial arts. They were lovely.
Now, staring at them, she didn't recognize her own legs. They were scabbed and scarred, some wounds still oozing. Chunks were flat out missing from her calves. And her feet… They'd always been big, for a girl. But, they'd been good, sturdy feet. They had taken her many places. Now, they were ruined. She almost cried seeing her right foot.
It was red and angry looking, covered in scabs and scars. But the missing toe threw her off every time. She wiggled her toes, wincing a bit at the pain, grossly fascinated by trying to move a part of her that wasn't there anymore.
"Maybe I'll get a phantom toe. That would be kinda cool. That, or I want to have a cyborg toe. I will be the first human to have a robot toe. Everyone will be terribly jealous. It will shoot lasers."
"What's going to be shooting lasers?"
Marie started, looking up fast, hand darting for something she could use as a weapon. She sighed when it was only Evie. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that. I find I'm even more jumpy than I used to be."
Evie just grinned, but it quickly left her face when she spotted what Marie had been doing. A stricken look passed over her features, but it was replaced with a frown. "Marie. You know you're not supposed to be fiddling with it. What if you get infected again?"
Marie just stared down again at her missing toe, wiggling her remaining appendages slowly. Evie was distracted for a moment, watching the four toes moving about, before shaking her head and kneeling down to rewrap the bandages. "It's better if you don't keep looking at it, Marie."
With her work finished, Evie sat next to Marie, cross legged on the edge of the trunk. The group had stopped to make camp for the night. The fire was burning brightly in the ring of vehicles. There were men on guard, but that was to be expected. One had to be careful of the monsters that went screech in the night.
Soon, Blake would come to help her to the fire. They'd sit, her and Evie, in with a group of almost thirty guys, eating dinner, talking, laughing, as if the world around them hadn't gone down the shithole. Marie hated it. She hated them.
She didn't mean to. She figured she shouldn't. They had healed her. Were helping her and Evie. Kept them safe. Kept them fed. What more could a person ask for now? That was all that mattered. But Marie hated them. All of them, except Evie. Hated their looks of pity, the whispers, the looks, and she knew. No one did anything out of the goodness of their heart. No one.
Evie either hadn't seen it or, more likely, was refusing to acknowledge it. She was happy. The men found her little things to do, to keep her busy. They talked with her, laughed with her, commiserated with her about her losses. Marie had refused to open up, and so she saw them for what they were, because they forgot that she was there. Listening.
Staring around the campfire, the men singing, laughing, joking, Evie playing along with the charade, Marie wondered when the other foot would fall. Would she be ready when it did?
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"I'm telling you, we need to leave. They've been great and fabulous, but I'd really feel better on our own. I mean, we can scavenge. We can be careful. We don't need them anymore."
Evie shook her head. "I can't believe you're saying this! They've done nothing but be kind and generous!"
Marie limped along, leaning heavily on a thick wooden staff that she'd carved herself, since she had nothing better to do. "I'm telling you, this isn't going to end well. I KNOW you've felt it, Evie. The way things are different."
Evie was silent, looking down at her feet. She had noticed. The men she'd been treating as friends had been acting strangely. But, they could have done anything before now. Why hadn't they? Or, did that mean they wouldn't do anything?
Marie stopped walking, wincing. She was getting better, walking farther, but it still hurt a lot, and her balance felt strange. It would take a long time before she got it back. She sighed, looking at Evie, with nothing but pain and fear in her eyes. "Evie. Please. Let's leave. Tonight. Now. Let's just go. If you trust me at all, if you love me as much as I know you do, listen to me. Listen to me as your friend and your sister and your soul match. We must leave here. Now. No matter what happens."
Evie looked at her friend. Marie was her leader, no matter what anyone thought or said. Marie knew what to do. And, in situations like this, Marie was very rarely wrong. Evie simply nodded. "I'll get our things together. We can go in the morning."
Marie frowned, but didn't push. Evie needed time to say goodbye, to gather what they needed, to rest. Sighing, they both began walking back to the van they slept in.
That night, Marie lay awake, unable to sleep. She tried not to toss and turn too much, since it rocked the van a little bit and might wake Evie. All Marie wanted to do was leave. Run, flee. She wished she understood what sort of internal warning system was giving her this information. But, her gut usually led her well.
Suddenly, there were shadows outside the van. A lot of them. Was there a fight? Marie grabbed her staff, sitting up, trying to get her feet under her, biting down on her cheek to keep from whimpering at the pain in her ruined legs. She tried to think, tried to remember. Had she locked the van? Where were the keys? She couldn't remember.
Then, the trunk door opened. The captain was there, smiling. Evie woke up and was looking around, confused and sleep muddling her thoughts further. Marie shifted, moving between the captain and Evie. He began to speak.
"Good evening, ladies. I'm sorry to wake you up, but we've got a bit of a situation. Would you both come with us? We just need to keep you a bit closer until it blows over."
Marie knew it was a lie, but played along. Maybe Evie would find the keys. "What is the situation? I want to know what to be prepared for. Xenos?"
The captain clearly hadn't been expecting a response, since Marie didn't talk hardly at all, and Evie wasn't one to really question. He had thought they were fairly docile, and very thankful. He stumbled a bit on how to answer the question. "Well, uh, that is… We saw another… another group of people! A group of people nearby. Need to see if they're friend or foe. Just want to keep you ladies safe!"
Marie's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I find that it can sometimes be difficult to tell who is going to help you and who is going to hurt you. Perhaps we'll be better in here, since they won't see you moving us around."
His patience worn thin, the captain leaned in, trying to grab Marie. "Just come on! We don't have time for this!"
Captain Renauld was not prepared for what happened next. Marie's stick darted through the air, hitting his arm hard, pinning it to the floor, while she darted her right hand forward in a palm strike, slamming it into his nose.
There was a distinct crunching noise and the Captain stumbled back, dazed, tears running from his eyes and blood from his nose. He waved men forward. "GODAMB! Dad libble bid brod ba node! Geddum!"
Marie tried. She fought with all the desperation, fear, and rage she could, and that was a lot to be contained in her small body. She didn't move from her spot in between the men and Evie. Evie grabbed the back of her shirt.
Marie, her face grim, spoke softly. "I'll do what I can, Evie. I will keep my oath to you."
The battle was on. Marie's staff darted about as best as it could in the small space, breaking fingers and hands and bruising. Her fists were also getting a good workout. The men were eyeing her, much more wary of the quiet girl they'd assumed was harmless.
Then, the doors opened. Marie cursed, hating herself for forgetting that the van had two side doors, that Evie was right near. Evie shrieked as someone grabbed her, starting to drag her from the vehicle.
Marie swore, turning trying to reach Evie in time. But, her legs gave out. They hurt too much. They were still too weak. Someone grabbed her leg, began dragging her, pulling her from the trunk, farther away from Evie.
Evie flailed and fought, biting, scratching, screaming, kicking. One guy got hit right in the nuts and he fell to the ground, groaning in pain. She kept fighting, but Marie saw it wasn't enough. They were dragging Evie away. They were going to hurt Evie.
Marie screamed, and it made the blood of some of the soldiers there go cold. Marie went wild, reinvigorated, attacking with all the ferocity of a rabid dog. One man went down, stunned by a hit to his head. Another stumbled back, chocking after Marie had slammed her hand into his windpipe, almost, but not quite, crushing it.
Breaking free, Marie made a mad dash for Evie, who was being taken to one of the larger trucks nearby. With a snarl, Marie tackled one of the men holding Evie, easily bearing him to the ground. Hands scrambling, Marie fastened her grip around the man's neck.
He began to panic, flailing. Other men were pulling at her. But, her mad loyalty kept her grip strong. Before they could pry her loose, Marie had choked the attacker to death. The first thing, human or animal, that she had ever killed on her own.
As she was dragged away from the truck, Marie could hear Evie screaming, then crying in pain. The weeping haunted her, made her fight harder, until she was struck on the head, enough to daze her, ending her deranged rampage.
As she was thrown to the ground, Marie could hear Evie crying. She had failed. She hadn't been able to protect Evie. The bodies closed around her, Evie's cries become muffled to her ears, but still ringing in her head, blocking out the grunts of the men on top of her. Over and over again, she heard the cries, and could only think one thing as the night wore on.
"I have failed."
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Marie and Evie sat huddled in the back of the van, completely silent. It had been a few months, as far as they could tell. Winter had come and gone. Summer was getting closer. Marie stared off into space, paying no attention whatsoever to anyone or anything around her.
Evie huddled near her friend, wishing for the comfort that Marie couldn't give anymore. For the first few months, Marie had tried to free them. She had fought every fight, killed more men, and had taken a lot of pain for it. She'd only stopped fighting when they'd taken their anger out on Evie instead of her.
The caravan stopped for the night, the man driving their van parked in the middle of the group of vehicles. It made the girls easier to watch. They were let out of the back of the van and were given chores to do. Dishes, cooking, mending, cleaning.
Marie glared at anyone who came near. She was bitter and angry and hated them all, and they knew it. But, for some of them, that made it more exciting to have control over her. She could see it in their eyes, and it sickened her.
Evie was worse off. She'd made friends with many of these men. She couldn't look them in the face anymore. And they didn't want her to. They were ashamed and horrified at themselves, but they didn't stop. Their own shame wasn't enough to keep them from going to Evie night after night, using her.
Finally, there was a hand on Marie's shoulder. One on Evie's. They looked at each other, in pain, wishing there was something they could do. But, they hung their heads. Fighting did nothing. They were led off to different trucks, the same ones they were in every night, and waited for it all to be over.
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Evie whimpered in the back of the van, using her long hair to hide her face and tears. They had taken Marie away. For awhile she'd heard Marie screaming. Now, it was quiet, and that was far more disturbing.
Evie choked back a sob. What if Marie was dead? What if they'd killed her? She could believe it. She put nothing past these men anymore.
It had only been a matter of time. She and Marie had tried to hide it as best they could. They'd kept it hidden for a few months. But, eventually they had noticed. The bulge couldn't have stayed hidden forever.
When they'd found out, they had reacted badly. They came for Marie in the night, dragged her out of the van, screaming and fighting. They had taken her past the fire, into the shadowy trees beyond. The screaming had started shortly after that.
Even more time passed. Evie tried to comfort herself by thinking of happier days with Marie. With her sweet and dorky and sometimes whiny boyfriend, Kyle. Thinking of her family and friends and the world that she'd desperately looked forward to before everything went wrong.
Eventually, the trunk opened and they tossed Marie in. Evie waited until they shut the door and posted the guards before sobbing and diving to her friend's side. Rolling Marie over gently, Evie almost puked at the sight in front of her.
Marie was covered in horrible bruises. Her face had mostly been left alone, but her arms and torso and upper legs looked like someone had painted them black and purple as a joke. Evie didn't want to look closer at the hideous stains on Marie's pants and some of her overly long shirt.
After a little while, Evie gathered herself together and began to undress Marie, cleaning as she went. The towel was hideously red as Evie cleaned between Marie's legs, sobbing at the knowledge that these men cared so little for life anymore. The life of her friend. Her life. The life of what would have been Marie's first child, now nothing but a bloody mess left in the woods.
Evie's hands shook as she redressed Marie. What if Marie didn't wake up? Brain damage wasn't a problem, but what about internal bleeding? Hemorrhaging? Evie couldn't bear to think about it.
The men left her alone that night. And Evie spent the whole night sobbing, cradling Marie's head on her lap, wishing that it hadn't been like this. Wishing they'd gotten the marriages and husbands and families they'd planned on, and now would never have.
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Marie had healed, slowly. The men had left her alone for awhile, but went right back to it after a few weeks. Only now, they tried to be more careful.
It hadn't been enough. Marie found Evie curled up in a ball, trying to keep her sobs silent. Marie slid next to her, a watchful eye and ear on the driver. "Evie. Evie what is it?"
Evie shook her head, terrified. Marie scooched her farther back into the trunk, farther away from the driver. Whispering again, Marie leaned in close, her voice so low and quiet that Evie barely heard her. "Evie. Please."
Evie mumbled something into her knees. Marie frowned, leaning closer, keeping her back to the driver, so he couldn't see what was going on. Evie looked up, eye horrified, voice low. "Marie… I- I think I'm pregnant."
Marie was quiet and sat back, thinking back to what was possibly the worst night of her life. Her hand drifted to her stomach, wondering if she'd ever be able to have kids again, if she ever wanted to. Marie shook herself and looked at Evie. "How far along?"
Evie shook her head. "I dunno. A few weeks? Maybe a few months? I'm not showing too much yet."
Marie nodded, a sickening fear filling her. There was no way Evie would survive a beating like she had. Marie was sturdy. Stocky. She could take a hit. Evie? She had enough health problems before all this, and a beating might kill her.
Marie held Evie's hand as Evie cried, gently petting her comrade's long hair. "Don't worry Evie. We'll escape. I promise. They won't do that to you. I'll die before I let it happen."
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It had been a few weeks since Evie had told Marie about her… Condition. She'd been farther along than she'd thought. She was beginning to show. A lot. It would only be a bit longer before someone found out.
Marie had been waiting for an opportunity to escape. Gathering her supplies. Planning. Her chance came sooner than she'd thought, and was horribly inopportune.
Their opening came in the form of a Xenomorph attack. The monsters hit during the day, during a break for lunch. The only warning they had was some men screaming their final screams. The driver and guard in the girls' van, jolted, wondering what to do.
The guard opened his door, ready to join the fight, when a face raper launched off of a nearby tree branch and onto his face. He barely had time to scream before he dropped, his gun still inside the car.
The driver shrieked and scrambled to close the door and drive off, following the few other vehicles that had decided to make a run, rather than fight. He watched the battle fade into the distance, shaking, glad to have come out safely.
He looked into the rearview mirror to check on the girls, wondering why they weren't panicking. He could see one of them, Evie.
"But, where's the other one?"
It was the last thought he would ever have. Marie had used the death of the guard to slip up behind his seat. She'd managed to take a knife from dinner while she was cleaning it. She grabbed the man's hair, yanking his head up, which made the car jerk around wildly.
A coldness in her eyes that no one could see, Marie quickly ripped the knife across the man's throat, cutting as much and as deeply as she could. The man didn't even have time to scream. He just gurgled, feeling his life slip from him, and he fell into darkness.
The car was veering wildly, making Evie sick. Marie wiggled into the front, steering the wheel with one hand, trying to shift around the body to try and deal with the van. Eventually, she shoved the dead man's foot off the accelerator, and the car slowed down marginally.
When they finally stopped, the other cars having left them in the dust, Marie opened the driver door and shoved the body out, only keeping the man's weapons and some clothing. She used the clothes to mop up some of the blood on the steering wheel and seat, before tossing the ruined clothes out the door and settling in.
Evie clambered into the front, grabbing the dead guard's gun from the floor where it had fallen. The two fastened their seatbelts and Marie shifted the car into gear, driving them still further west, searching for some place they could scavenge supplies. Autumn was ending, and they would need as much as they could get.
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End Author's Note: No, we don't hate men. Nor do we hate the military. But, we thought it made sense for a post apocalyptic world for this to go down. If we grossed you out/made you cry/made you angry with the injustice of it all/etc., then we're doing something right.
Also, Ally did nothing but watch silly baby videos and cat videos on youtube, instead of being a good coauthor. She abandoned Annie to her fate to write all the angst by herself. Annie is a bit miffed. Ally is apologetic. Kind of. But not really.
Also, we would like to tell people that we don't want any discussion of whether abortion, in the current political/moral arena, is good or bad. We are simply saying that, what happens in this story is BAD. End of story. We're certain you can all agree on this. So, let's leave the politics elsewhere. Please?