"He ain't gonna like it." Billy stood staring down at Roberta as she buried the sacrifice from the night before.
"He ain't gonna like it one bit."
Roberta glared at him. "Shut up, Billy! If you ain't gonna help me, git!"
Billy was usually able to talk Roberta out of her usual nonsense but this time she seemed intent on incurring the wrath of Moses, the leader of their tight-knit group. The sacrificial remnants were supposed to be left on display in view of all living in the confines of the walled compound. They symbolized Moses' power, the group's submission, and their unity as a family. Burying them was an affront to the group.
Billy saw Moses approaching too late to alert Roberta. "What are you doing? Roberta, come here, NOW."
Roberta cringed. She knew Moses was infuriated. She knew he wouldn't ask her why and that Moses would execute judgement swiftly. He barked orders at a wide-eyed Billy who tried hard to concentrate on the words Moses' mouth formed. As Billy led Roberta away to one of the deep, covered wells that were scattered sporadically around the edge of the compound, she began to plead her case. Roberta told Billy that she'd never do anything so blasphemous but he looked away. "But, Billy- they'll be here tonight! I was just trying to protect the family, Billy- PLEASE! You must bury the sacrifices; it's the smell what attracts them! Tell Moses, Billy. Tell him they're coming tonight. Tell him they'll come because of the sacrifices but they'll stay because of the family!"
Roberta knew Billy hadn't heard a word because he could not hear anything. They stopped beside a well. Roberta took Billy's face in her hands to be sure he saw her anguish and so he could read her lips. "Billy, please?" Billy shut his eyes tightly as he pushed Roberta into the well so he wouldn't see her scream. As he started back toward the dormitories, he called back, "I told you he wouldn't like it!"
Roberta lay slumped in the bottom of the well, bruised, sore, and sobbing. She knew it would only be a few hours before they would make their way into the compound, drawn by the rotted smell of the remnants and the ample supply of food. She covered herself with the dead, moldy leaves thickly caked onto the floor of the well to try to mask her smell and her existence. Roberta waited for the sacrificers to become the sacrificed.
