THE HUNTERS

Tso Shi looked longingly at the passing caravan. What must it be like to travel from place to place, always seeing new things, meeting new people? Fascinating, exciting. At least to a teenage girl who had never been more than ten kilometers from home.

Her father would not even take her to the city, to the market, even though it was only five kilometers away. "No place for a young girl." And what of the young girls who lived there? Why was it a place for them and not for her?

Her mother might possibly have explained it, but she had died giving birth to Tso Shi; her father refused to discuss it. One of her aunts explained it to her one evening while visiting. "Your mother was beautiful and kind, and your father loved her very much. He has never recovered from her loss. He protects you because he loves you; you remind him of her, and he does not want to lose you as well."

That was the only thing stopping her, actually. The thought of her father, looking at her empty cot with tears in his eyes. She shook her head and went back to work.

The men stopped to talk to her father. Two of them, rough looking. They asked directions to the city; her father told them, pointing down the road toward it. They thanked him, nodded to her, then walked off. Interesting; not like the locals. Mysterious.

"Who were they?"
"Travelers, looking for the city."
"Not merchants; they had no wares."
"True; probably laborers, looking for work." He smiled at her. "Time to get back to ours."

"Yes, father."

She woke with a start; a hand pressed over her mouth. A shot; then something struck her on the head and she remembered no more.

She awoke again. Bouncing up and down; she was being carried over the shoulder of another. Her hands and feet were bound, her mouth stuffed with cloth, a sack pulled over her head. How long she was unconscious, who was carrying her, where they were; all unknown. Her captor did not speak or vary his pace.

Eventually they stopped . "How many?"
"She makes six. That should be enough, right?"
"Definitely. Bring her to the warehouse. We'll leave tomorrow night; the delivery is four days from now, and I don't want to be late."
"Sounds good." Her captor tossed her back over his shoulder and resumed his pace.

A door opened on one side of her. Her captor walked forward, then the door shut again. He dumped her on the floor, then strode off. A new voice. "Good. Another female; that will make them happy."
The voice moved closer. "Tell me, little one; are you a virgin?" She froze; this couldn't be happening. "Let's find out." Hands began removing her clothing, exposing her body. She tried to resist, to plead, to scream; her bonds prevented movement; the cloth in her mouth reduced her cries to pitiful moans and squeaks.

To her horror, he probed her. "So, still a virgin. We'll fix that." No, please, no …
Her protests and struggles were useless; he forced himself on her.
Eventually he finished, leaving her sobbing on the floor. He adjusted her clothing, restoring it to its original position. Then he walked off, leaving her despairing form lying on the floor of the warehouse.

"Time to go." She was picked up and carried out of the building, then tossed onto the back of a pack animal and secured. Another bouncing ride.

After a few hours they stopped. She was hauled off and dumped on the ground, then her bonds were cut. Her hands were manacled in front of her; she pulled off the sack and spit out the cloth.
A dozen more like her, two thirds male, one third female, all teenagers. Their wrists were all manacled; a single chain connected them all in a long line. Their captors fed them; gruel, dry bread, and water. She ate rapidly; it had been nearly two days since she last ate.
They were jerked to their feet and led off. Four guards; one leading, one each to left, right, and behind. They were headed north, as far as she could tell. A quick look around; plains, woods, no buildings.

"Where are they taking us?"
"North, to the mines."
"And when we get there?"
"The boys will be worked to death. The girls will serve in a different manner."
"You mean …"
"Yes. And if you refuse, you join the boys in the mines. And might wind up having to do it anyway, seeing as the boys don't get a chance otherwise."

She straightened as a whip lashed her back. "Keep moving! We have a schedule to meet."
Another stroke sent her trotting after the others.

Eventually they stopped for the night. She and her fellow captives dropped to the ground, exhausted; none of them were used to marching all day, especially not without food or water. Their captors did feed them again; dried vegetables and water this time.

After that they were given thin blankets. They rolled up in them and went to sleep on the ground without ceremony. Tso Shi had never been so miserable; cold, alone, helpless, hopeless. Eventually exhaustion took hold and she drifted off to sleep.

A kick in the ribs woke her. The guard tossed her a waterskin and a chunk of bread. "Hurry up and eat. We have a long way to go today." She ate and drank quickly.

"On your feet. Come on!" She winced as the whip lashed her thigh, then stumbled into line with the blanket wrapped around her. Off they went.

The terrain was getting rougher now. More woods and hills, less plains. They were following a stream which led roughly north. At noon they crossed the stream which marked the border; they were in Siberia now. The guards did not slacken their pace, but used their whips liberally to keep their captives moving. By sundown they were exhausted again; more gruel, bread, and water, then sleep.

The next day was more of the same. They trudged north through the woods away from the border, even when it began to rain. The guards used the whip liberally now, as their captives' strength waned. Even so, they were behind schedule when they camped for the night.

The guards awakened them before dawn; more lashes got them moving again. Cold rain all day, trudging along muddy paths, exhausted, with the whips striking every time they slowed; unending misery. At sunset the mining settlement came into view.

"About time you got here. What have you got this time?"
"Thirteen; five females, eight males."
"Hmm." The overseer looked them over. "Scrawny. They won't last a week."
"Maybe if you actually fed them they would."
"Shut up. Inferior product; half price."
"Full price or we take them elsewhere."
"Hmph. Take them then."
"Fine." He signaled to the other guards, who began to haul the captives away.

"All right, all right. Full price. The boss will skin me if I don't keep up production. Bring them in."
"No. Payment first, then we deliver."
The overseer signaled to another, who tossed a sack of coin to their captor. He nodded to the others, who herded the captives into the enclosure. Other guards approached; two had enormous dogs on leashes.
Their captors removed the manacles and left, marching away into the forest. The overseer's guards herded them toward a building. "Strip. Hurry up; everything. Now." Their whips encouraged the few who were overly modest or reluctant. Once inside they were doused with cold water and scrubbed with brushes by fellow slaves.

Fresh clothes awaited them outside; their own would be issued to others in time. Then they were brought over to a forge. Two guards held each of them in turn while a third branded them on the side of the neck with the owner's mark. The screams and moans of the others were almost as bad as the searing pain of the branding.

Another slave applied a salve, then they were led into a barracks and assigned a bunk. Wood, with a straw mat and two thin blankets. The girls were in one barracks, the boys in two others. All were surrounded by tall barbed wire fences, with the dogs patrolling outside.

Each day was the same. Awakened at dawn; bread and water. Then cleaning, laundry, cooking, and minor chores until noon. Soup, bread, and tea; then servicing the guards and other camp personnel, including those slaves who had distinguished themselves in some way. Any who did not perform as required were locked in the guards' barracks for the night; few repeated the offense. At night, another shower and bed.

At first Tso Shi thought she would go insane or kill herself; only the thought of her father and other kin searching for her kept her from harming herself. In time she learned to turn off her feelings, to go through the motions and make the proper responses at the proper times. In truth it became routine; the same males, responding in the same ways each time.

The oldest girl was, by default, in charge. She kept the others going as best she could, by coaching and counseling. Without her half of them would have been dead by now; even so, every few weeks, one would turn up dead. Better than the boys, who died at the rate of one every day, but still horrible. How long before her body was tossed in the ditch?

"Tso Chi!"
"Yes sir?"
"Overseer wants you in his quarters, one hour from now. Don't be late, unless you want to be whipped bloody."
"Yes sir. I have time for a shower?"
"Yes; get some clean clothes and something to eat while you're at it."
"Yes sir."

She dreaded these sessions; the overseer was a pig, in all ways. Perpetually annoyed at something or other, and he always took it out on her, or one of the other girls. If he was drunk enough, though, it wasn't too bad.

Tonight was one of the bad ones. He was mad about something, and determined to take it out on her. Eventually he knocked her down, straddled her, and began to choke her. She tried to pry his hands off, but he was too strong. She couldn't breathe. Her hand brushed something; a knife.

He suddenly straightened up, blood pouring out of his neck. She pulled it out and stabbed him again and again. His grip loosened; she gasped for breath. He relaxed and collapsed on top of her. She rolled out from under him and got to her hands and knees, breathing heavily.

Her heart was racing, just like her mind. When the other guards found him, as they eventually would, she would die horribly. She had to escape somehow. But how? And how long did she have?

First, she stripped off the bloody clothes and washed herself off. Then she went through his closet. His clothes were several sizes too large, but they would have to do. A pistol; she stuck it into her belt. She washed off the knife, found the scabbard, and stuck that into her belt as well. The keys; she took those as well.

Now for the hard part. Dressed as she was, could she fool the guards? Not if they were alert, but she had reason to believe they would not be. Most of the time the gate guards were lolling about, drinking vodka, smoking their mahorka, or snoozing. After all, when was the last time one of the workers tried to escape?

Tonight she was in luck. Only one guard, and he was asleep. She walked up to the gate, hunted till she found the right key, unlocked it, opened it, walked out, and closed and locked it behind her. She was out.

But not free. No sooner had she locked the gate than she was staring into the eyes of the guard; she immediately turned and ran up the road while he shouted after her. Nothing for it now; she had to get away before they got organized and started after her. She picked up her pace, running full speed away from the settlement.

Tso Shi leaned against a tree, panting for breath. She was never the athlete, and months as a slave had not improved matters. She was several kilometers away now, but she knew they would follow her. Especially after they found his body. But she had to rest.

Suddenly she straightened. Movement, from the direction of the settlement. A dog barked. Damn. She began to run again, further into the woods.

A man stepped out from behind a tree right into her path; she screamed and nearly fell. He grabbed her arm and pushed her into the bushes. "Stay there and shut up." She lay there, gasping, wide eyed. He disappeared from sight.

She could hear them approaching; several men, and at least one dog, following her trail. In a couple of minutes they would be on top of her. She pulled out the pistol.

Shots; shouts. The barking stopped. The man reappeared. "On your feet." She got to her feet. "That way. Move." He pointed down the trail. She set off down the trail as he followed.

A camp. Another man, cleaning his knife. "Time to go?"
"Yes. We ready?"
"Just waiting for you."
"Let's go."

They shouldered packs, kicked out the fire, and set off into the woods. One led, then Tso Shi, then the other. They set a good pace; soon she was stumbling with exhaustion. They did not slacken their pace. "Keep up or we leave you for them." She kept up.

They detoured to follow a stream for a couple of klicks. When they left the stream they brushed out their tracks. A couple of klicks later they stopped. In a few minutes two more appeared; one man and one woman. All four carried rifles and knives; their clothes and equipment were worn but well cared for. "Another one, huh?"

"Yeah. Damn near ran over me. Fool almost led them straight to us."
"Relax. You were no different, remember?"
"I was smart enough to hide my tracks, at least."
"Enough. You have a name, little one?"

"Tso Shi. Who are you people?"
"We're hunters. And you're an escaped slave. Don't bother to deny it; that brand on your neck tells us everything we need to know. I wonder how much they'd pay to get you back?"
Tso Shi shrank from her. "Relax. We won't sell you. But you have a lot to learn if you want to survive out here."
"Please take me with you."

The woman nodded approvingly. "First lesson learned. Nobody can go it alone. Not out here. Only as part of a group can you survive."
Her rescuer spoke. "If you're going to come with us you'll have to carry your share of the load." He pointed to a small pack. "That's yours, as of this moment. Dong Zhu?"
"Yes?"
"Spare her some clothes?"
"Not for free. What have you got to trade, little one?"

She offered the knife, but the woman pointed at her pistol. With a shrug Tso Chi handed it over. Dong Zhu checked it; loaded, safety on. She stuck it into her belt, then rummaged around in her pack, producing coarse linen shirt and pants, quilted undergarments, a leather belt and shoes, and heavy cotton socks. "Change clothes. Yes, here and now. Put the others in that pack. And hang the knife scabbard on your belt properly."

It took her a couple of minutes. When she was finished they started off again, heading roughly north. A couple of hours later they struck a trail leading west, which they followed to a small settlement in the woods. Half a dozen cabins surrounded a clearing centered on a well. She could see, through gaps in the trees, that there were other clearings, in which men and women tended crops.

Her bunch led her into one of the cabins. Dong Zhu looked at her. "Next lesson. Nothing is free; if you want something you have to pay for it. Not with coin, necessarily; barter is perfectly acceptable. And, yes, your favors can be bartered." She tossed Tso a piece of dried meat. "There's a water bottle in your pack. Make sure you fill it whenever you leave and whenever you come back."

"Now, if you intend to stay here you will be expected to pair up with one of the men. Your choice which one, as long as he isn't already taken. You can take your time about it, get to know them first. Once you do pick one, you'll be expected to stick with him, no bouncing around. He's expected to do the same."

"Time to put you to work." Zhu tossed her a hoe. "Follow me."

At first it was not much different than working in the mines. Gardening, cleaning, laundry, cooking; these she knew well already. But she did not have to sleep with anyone she did not wish to. And the food; what a change. Fresh vegetables, meat, kasha, even tea on occasion. She began to fill out; as her health improved she found the work easier. Life might not be easy here, but it was definitely better.

The bartering was … interesting, to say the least. It seemed that anything and everything had a price. She did occasionally exchange her favors for certain items which she could not obtain otherwise, but generally paid in other services or items. Gradually she accumulated necessary items and a few others as well.

She accompanied the others when they went hunting, as well. She learned to track, stalk, and trap animals. How to tell which ones were which, what they were doing, how old they were, how big they were. How to skin them, dress them, preserve their hides and meat. How and when and where to make camp.

"Good. Very good. But you are not a hunter yet. When you have your own rifle, then you will be a hunter."
"And how do I get a rifle?"
"The same way you get everything else."
"Hmm. The only person who has a spare is …"
Vasili looked at her. "The price will be very high."
"I believe I can meet that price."

"So you have come to bargain for my rifle. Can you meet my price?"
She met his gaze. "That depends on what that price is."
He smiled. "It is quite simple. I am not yet taken. That is my price."
"You ask a great deal for a simple rifle."

He grew serious. "I am offering more than just a rifle. If you agree I and all that I have will be yours as well."
"And the reverse will also be true."
"Yes."
"I will consider it."
"I will wait for your decision."

She shared a mug of tea with Zhu. "He would be a good choice. He is honest and hard working. Not exciting in bed, perhaps, but adequate, or so I'm told."
"That is not a concern. Would he be kind? Generous? Would he treat me well? Those questions are of greater import."
"Kind, generous; probably. He is honest and fair in his dealings, and willing to help others in return for future payment. As for how he will treat you, there is only one way to find that out." Zhu smiled at her. "In any case you are young and there is plenty of time. You do not need to rush into this."

"Perhaps. But he will not wait forever. I am not the only female here; if I keep him waiting too long he will be taken by another."
"From the sound of that you have already decided."
"After considering your advice, yes."
Zhu nodded. "The best of luck to you."
"Thank you."

He smiled at her. "Do you still wish to bargain for my rifle?"
"Yes."
"And are you willing to meet my price?" He waited expectantly.
She let him wait. Then she smiled. "Yes."
He relaxed and smiled. "Then the rifle is yours, along with everything else I promised." He swept her up in his arms and kissed her; she responded appropriately. "Come inside; it is time you held it in your own hands." He carried her into the cabin.

"Slower this time; wait until the sights are centered on the target, then squeeze gently, so you do not pull it off target." Boom; a little to the left. He reached out and adjusted the sights a tiny amount. "Good; try it again." Boom; dead center. "Excellent. Again." Boom.

They kept at it for a while. She had already learned how to carry it, load it, unload it, and clean it; learning to shoot was the last step. "Good. You'll make a fine hunter. Now let us have some dinner."
She smiled. "As long as you cook it."
"What! You trust my cooking?"
"On second thought, never mind. Better to do extra work than be poisoned."
"Poisoned! Why, you … you …"
She laughed, then kissed him. "You could make some tea while it's cooking."
"Of course."

Late spring; the snow was almost gone. She stood at the edge of the village looking south into the woods; he stood beside her. "You still wish to go?"
"Yes; I must see that my father is taken care of and that the farm is given to those who will keep it going."
"Then I will go with you."
"You do not have to."
"I did not give up a good rifle and other possessions just to have you walk off and leave me." He smiled. "Have you forgotten everything you learned here? Even the first lesson?"
"That no one can survive alone; only as part of a group can we survive. No, I have not forgotten. And yes, you will come with me. I would not have it otherwise." She reached out and took his hand, then led him back into the cabin.

They stood at the door. Her brother and his wife were there. "We thought you surely dead. It has been almost two years since they took you. The rest of us pooled our money and bought the farm to keep it in the family; we take turns working it."
"And Father?"
"This way."

They led her to the burial plot. "We put him beside your mother, as he would have wished."
She knelt by the grave. "How did he die?"
"The ones who took you killed him. It was quick; he did not suffer."
"Unlike me."
"Unlike you. I am sorry, Tso Shi."

They withdrew, respecting her silence. Her husband knelt beside her and held her as she cried.

Over dinner they settled matters. "The farm is in good hands, and I have a husband and a home far from here. There are others there who need me as well. We will return."
Her brother smiled at her. "I would that matters had gone differently, but the fates have decreed otherwise. Nevertheless, we will go on. Good fortune to both of you."
"And to you and your wife. May you prosper in all that you do."
"Thank you, Tso Shi. May the fates watch over you."

The next morning they stood by the door. The weather was cool and clear, the ground dry. "Ready?"
"Yes; let us go." They started off.
"If we meet slavers on the way?"
"Then we will be the hunters and they the prey." They walked on toward the town.

NOTE:

Mahorka: Unfiltered cigarettes made from uncured tobacco. A smoker's equivalent of rotgut liquor.

Kasha: Russian cream of wheat. Often incorporates other grains in addition to or in place of wheat.