Fury
Chapter Three
They are terrified when they hear the roar of the engines around them. Java is shouting for Siva to hide, but it's too late. Her sister wonders aloud if it might be adults, but Java doesn't care. Whoever they are, they are advancing on them fast and aggressively. Peace is nowhere on their minds.
She has their backs against a mountain. There are two off-road vehicles doing half circles around them. She can't imagine how many resources they are wasting with this maneuver. It's been a month since they have seen people, but these ones could have access to the necessities they need. Three kids dressed in dorky spandex outfits come out and try to corner them. They all have their wrists pointed at them, with these weird black metal devices. Java assumes they are weapons and makes a fist. One of them goes for Siva and she panics and screams. Java uses the distraction to sucker punch the kid to her left. She wrestles with him for the device on his wrist. He's taller but younger and untrained. She feels something hot go pass her shoulder before she brute forces the device from the kid. She punches him again and knocks him out cold. Siva has stopped screaming and she has knocked over the kid in the middle and kicks his device away. Java points the weird device at the last kid standing. He aims his right back and taunts her about using it. She feels around desperately for a trigger.
"Enough!"
Everyone stops their current squabble. There's someone in the passenger seat of one of the cars, someone with dark spiked hair and who looks way too jolly to be a part of this. The remaining two kids take Java and Siva to him. He can only be about sixteen or so, dorky hair and even dorkier outfit. Pretty eyes though, of you could notice them under all the makeup and shrapnel. He is oblivious to any of that and smiles wide at them.
"That was spectacular, ladies!" He tells them. "What tribe are you with?"
Java scoffs at him. "We don't do tribes." She tells him. She pretends she isn't caked with dirt and hasn't eaten well in a week. She stands so tall and regally even Ma would be impressed. She does everything in her power to show she isn't afraid.
It proved to be a very effect move. Before she knew it, the kid had her and her sister driven to his little military compound. She had access to food, water, and even electricity. For the first time since the virus she is able to apply makeup and fake nails and all the things she gave up to survive. She's never felt prettier or more attractive. The kid never demands anything physical from them; in fact, he was completely germaphobic, which suited her and her sister just fine. All he asked was their loyalty. They agreed and he went around and began introducing them as his wives. She now spent most of her days lounging, exercising, and giving her child groom the occasional compliment.
There were worse ways to live.
When Java awakes, it is dark. She doesn't remember falling asleep and she's not sure where she is. The last thing she remembers is a ladder and how bad it hurt to grip it. She is laying on a bed in a small room, most likely an attic based on the angular ceiling. There is a single candle burning by her on a small desk. Her hands are covered in cloth. She tests her right hand, trying to flex her fingers. Her knuckles sting with the effort but she can form a fist. She notices water near the candle and sits up to drink. Her stomach feels terrible, but her mouth is so dry she downs it regardless. The pain in her chest has dulled considerably. There is a lone circular window opposite the bed where she can see the tops of trees and stars. She wraps the thin blanket on the bed around herself and walks over to the window. She guesses she is three stories up and can't see anything but trees. The isolation is both comforting and foreboding.
As she is taking in her surroundings, she hears noise from below. A small hatch in the floor lifts up and one of the girls from earlier pops in. "Hey, I thought I heard you up here. How do you feel?" She asks brightly. It's the older one who had the bloody nose and had helped her make her way down the road. Big eyed and baby cheeked. Barely a slip of a thing.
It takes Java a moment to find her voice. "I'm fine. Where am I?"
The girl smiles. "This is our house. You're safe here. It's just me and my sisters." The girl climbs up. "Are you hungry? We have food in the kitchen down stairs. Or I can bring you up something if you're still tired?"
She should be suspicious but the innocence in her tone puts her at ease. She nods "I could eat."
The girl smiles. "I'll bring some soup and tea up. Go ahead and get comfortable." She turns to go back down, and then turns back. "I didn't get to say it yesterday, but thank you for helping me and my sister. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come."
Java shrugs. "It's not a big deal." She had needed something to hurt anyway. She returns to the bed and huddles to one side. The girl scurries off. Java stares at the night sky. There is a dull, hollow feeling throughout her being. She clenches her fists until she can't stand the pain. She hears clamoring from below and sits up, wiping away at her face. The girl leaves her soup and strong smelling tea. The girl attempts to keep her company, but Java feigns fatigue and reluctantly promises the girl to come down after she rests.
The soup is bland but palatable. The tea smells spicy and is unpleasant, but it does seem to settle her stomach. She paces for a while before she decides to quit her stalling and to go down for some information so she can get her bearings.
She climbs down the ladder to a hallway, slower than usual with her hands banged up. The place looks old and the floor creaks with her every step. So much for trying to be stealthy. She finds a staircase at the end of the hall and descends. The front door has heavy planks blocking entry and the windows all have heavy shutters. Its pitch dark.
"Hello?" She calls out.
Someone holding a lantern comes into view. A young woman with blonde hair who Java presumes to be the older sister nods at her. "Must have been tired. You've been asleep for almost a whole day." The woman motions to a passage on her right and Java follows. The woman has a noticeable limp.
She leads her to a kitchen. There's an old antique stove with a fire burning within. Java sits on a stool close to it.
"Are you still hungry?" The woman asks.
Java shakes her head. "No, but I wouldn't mind more of that tea your sister brought me."
The woman nods and places a kettle on top of the stove. She turns to Java. "My name is Sara. My sisters are Amaya and Syd. Amaya is the one who checked on you. They're busy fixing you up a bath."
"Thanks." Java says simply, wondering what constitutes a bath in a house like this.
"Amaya didn't get your name."
"It's Eve." She lies.
"Well, Eve, I am seriously in your debt." Sara tells her.
Java shakes her head. "It's nothing."
"No, we owe you. The Fire Jaguars would have gotten all our product and would have assaulted my sisters for fun."
Java chuckles. "Fire Jaguars?"
Sara nods. "I think they're trying to be scary." She motions to Java's forehead. "Not any worse than calling yourself a Techno."
"Former." Java corrects.
"Long way from the city." She mentions casually, though Java can feel her eyes trained on her.
"Really? I'm not even sure where I am right now."
"About three miles from a place called Liberty, which is about ten miles from the edge of the city. Not that I've been over there since they gated the whole place off."
Java squirms slightly in her seat. She points to her forehead. "Is this gonna be a problem?"
Sara shakes her head. "I don't care who you're with or who you're running from. I am just relieved you found the girls when you did."
"Why were they even out there by themselves?" She asks, not knowing why. It's not like it's any of her business.
Sara sighs. "I got injured on the last run. Our product has been running late because of it. My sisters decided they were big enough to do the run to Liberty by themselves." She shakes her head. "They didn't even bother to take weapons. Do you have siblings?"
Java turns to the side to avoid her gaze. "I did."
"Sorry." The kettle begins to sound. Not a moment too soon. Sara busies herself fixing up a cup of tea. She hands her a mug. Java drinks in silence for a moment. Before she can ask anything else, both girls come in, Amaya bouncing excitedly as she lets Java know her bath is ready. She nods at them as warmly as she can manage before escaping into the bathroom.
The bathroom looks old. There's a small standing sink that has rusted with age and then an old school bath tub the girls have painstakingly filled with warm water somehow. She snoops around a small cupboard across from the sink. She finds random bottles of cleaning product, some scissors, and a small bottle of acetone gone yellow. She takes the scissors and acetone and puts them by the bathtub. Then she slips out of her techno lycra and gets in the water before it gets any colder. It's decently warm and she is grateful for it. She cuts off her hand wrappings before they get wet. She tips her head back until her mass of hair is wet.
Then she sits back up and goes to work.
It takes an awful long time to cut off her braids. Her hair is thick and the scissors are old, but she manages it one bunch at a time. She tosses her hair in a pile on top of her clothes. Then she scrubs herself clean of everything: her eye makeup, her war paint, all the glitter, completely gone. Lastly, she slowly dips her remaining fingers with fake nails into the acetone until they pop off. Her nails look beaten and short, but she finally has full mobility of her fingers in lord knows how long. She lays in the water until its cold.
She pulls herself out and gets dressed. Her hosts have left her some loose pants and a long sleeve shirt that is huge on her, but she manages. She stares at herself in the old mirror above the sink. She can't remember the last time she hasn't had something painted on. To her, she has tired eyes that look small and plain. Her hair is a frizzy, uneven nightmare. Her pores look huge and unappealing and she makes a fist to smash the mirror. This isn't who she is. The pain in her hand makes her wince and she thinks better of it. She solaces herself that if she can't recognize herself, no one else will recognize her either.
She leaves her towel hanging in the bathroom and almost runs into Sara exiting. She does a double take at her new appearance before she nods at Java. "Feel better?"
She nods. "Getting there."
"Do you want me to even out your hair?"
Java nods and Sara motions for her to follow. They return to the kitchen and Java sits on the stool by the stove to dry as Sara grabs a much sturdier looking pair of scissors and gets to work. She pulls out any hair still braided up and evens out her hair to about an inch and some change. Java can't remember the last time her scalp felt so relaxed. She puts her hand up to her hair and feels around. "Not bad." She hadn't cut her hair since she was thirteen, and that was mostly to provoke Ma. Her head felt soft and fuzzy and it reminded her of her Father and his sisters. She notices Sara staring at her and shakes the sentiment off. "Is there somewhere I can burn my old things?"
Sara looks at her curiously for a second before answering. "There's a fire pit in the backyard. There's some wood out there already." She grabs an object from a shelf and hands it to Java. She recognizes it as a flint. "Just make sure the fire is out when you're done."
Sara points her towards a dining room that has a door that leads outside. Java returns to the bathroom and gathers her clothes and hair. She books it outside and looks around. They have a small, enclosed backyard. There's a tire swing hanging from one of the trees and a small fire pit with a few logs for seating. She gets to work on the fire and it isn't long before she has flames at her fingertips. Java carefully tosses everything in. There's a plastic smell that lingers for a few minutes, but soon all that remains is ash. She stares at the fire for a long time. Her sorrow surrounds her. She is going to need time before she can move on. She hears twigs break and her head snaps up.
One of the girls emerges from behind the tree. The smaller, quieter one. "It's just me, Eve. Sara said to check on you."
"I'm fine."
She eyes the fire. "Why did you burn your stuff?" She asks bluntly.
"It needed to be done." Is the only answer Java gives her.
Her vagueness doesn't stop the questions. "How did you manage to beat the Fire Jaguars?"
Java chuckles at the stupid name. "You saw last night. I got them to separate and took them out one by one. Tire iron to the head works wonders."
"Where did you learn that?" She asks earnestly.
Java leans forward and looks at her. "You ask a lot of questions."
The girl shrugs. "We don't meet a lot of people. I've never seen anyone move like you." Syd moves closer to Java cautiously and sits on the log opposite her. "Could you show me how to fight?"
Java shakes her head. "No. I'm not a very good teacher anyway."
"I need to learn to do what you do." Syd tells her very seriously.
"What? Why?"
"I want to know how to beat up those jerks that hurt my sisters." She answers, her hand in a fist. Her eyes are steely and determined. "I want to make sure they never try to hurt us ever again."
Java eyes Syd, her young face scrunched up as she tried to look serious. It reminded Java of another skinny blonde kid who asked her how to fight. She sighs. "I suppose, if your sister lets me stay here for a few days and get my strength, I could show you a few things." Java puts her hand out. "If your sister is okay with it." She doesn't mention that her sister agreeing seems unlikely.
Syd nods and gives her a whisper of a smile before motioning to the flames. "Are you gonna put the fire out?"
"I suppose I can now." Java picks up a bucket near the fire, fills it with dirt, and proceeds to quell the flames. Java follows the girl back inside. Sara insists on re-bandaging her hands. To her horror, Sara agrees to some survival and fighting training. Worse, she asks her to teach Amaya as well. The girls are jumping about until Sara sends them to bed. Java wants to take it back immediately, but she also doesn't want to lose a roof over her head. And if she really wants to get away, she will need help and supplies. She supposes she can trade some survival training for what she needs. As she goes back to the attic to sleep, she contends she has been in worse situations.
And there are worse ways to live.
Notes: Thank you for reading. Also working on a follow up to what the others are up to. Seems like everyone will be training soon.
