Dangerous Game

The Handmaid's Tale

“My name is Wilhemina Venable,” she introduced. “I am in charge of Outpost Three. You will follow the rules which are very simple. Leave and you will not be allowed back inside due to the risk of radiation contamination and there will be no copulation.”
“Copulation?” asked Lucy.
“No sexual contact.”
“Lovely,” muttered Jazmin.
“End of the world and I still can’t have sex,” joked Lucy causing Jaz to cover her mouth with her hand. Venable narrowed her eyes at them both but turned and walked through the victorian-like fallout shelter.

“This is your suite, Ms. Williams. Evening wear is on the left side of the armoire. We dress for dinner, cocktails in the music room at 6:30. Be prompt. There’s no excuse for tardiness when there’s nothing else to do,” she said. “Ms. Cartwright, follow me to the dorms.”
“Excuse me?” asked Jazmin.
“Why does she have to go to dorms when I get a suite?”
“You are a Purple, she will be a Gray. A worker ant,” explained Ms.Venable.

Lucy raised her eyebrow at the woman dressed in black. Clearly not a Purple or a Gray.
“What is this? The Handmaid’s Tale?” asked Lucy.
“This is not The Handmaid’s Tale, Miss WIlliams,” she Venable. “But the Grays here are grateful for the opportunity to survive.”
“Well, why can’t she be Purple? She has a ticket that I gave her. This woman saved my life and I want her to be a Purple.” Ms. Venable glanced at Jaz and looked back at Lucy. Lucy lifted her chin a bit higher and rested a hand on her hip.
“Then she will be a Purple,” she said reluctantly.

Walking into her suite, Lucy sighed. Spotting the armoire in the candlelight, she pulled open the doors and stared at the clothing. The clothing would have been beautiful, Victorian-inspired dresses if it weren’t for the colours. Everything was in various shades of purple. Lavender, lilac, violet, magenta.
“This isn’t like the Handmaid’s Tale at all,” she muttered to herself. “World’s gone to shit, colour coded clothing to determine rank, radioactivity. No, nothing like it.”

Pulling out a dress which was a lighter shade of purple, Lucy held it against her side and looked in the mirror. It could be worse. Lucy gentle pulled her necklace over her head and put it on the dressed before changing into the provided dress.

With nothing else to do, Lucy and Jaz sat next to each other on one of the leather couches. Jaz chatted away, complaining about how Venable wanted to make her a Gray but Lucy was too distracted.
“There’s so many books in here,” she said.
“Huh?” asked Jaz. “Books? That’s what you’re bothered about?”

They were silenced by the noise of a walking stick hitting the ground.
“More people should be arriving soon,” said the stern looking woman as she narrowed her eyes at them. The two women, now dressed in purple, sat on the couches and stared at her.
“How many more people?” asked Jazmin.
“Four, possibly less, possibly more.” Lucy saw her new friend roll her eyes at the figure of authority in front of them. “But you will look presentable for the newcomers, it would not do well to give them a bad impression of you.”

When Ms. Venable left to greet the new people and show them around the Outpost, Jaz groaned and slouched on the couch.
“She’s weird,” said Jaz. “I don’t like her.”
“I don’t think I like her much either,” said Lucy. “Let’s just hope she doesn’t get a God Complex from being in charge of the survivors.”

The first of the new people arrived, a woman dressed in purple. She had an air of intelligence and poise as she walked over to them.
“Hello,” she greeted.
“Hey,” said Lucy. “I’m Lucy, Lucy Williams.”
“Jazmin Cartwright, but I prefer Jaz.”
“Dinah Stevens.” She sat on the empty couch, sitting up straight with perfect posture unlike the other two women. “My son Andre is also with me, if you were wondering. With his boyfriend Stu.”

The two men joined them later on, holding hands but looking pretty bitter about something.
“Why is there a rule about not having sex?” Stu grumbled.
“It is a bit strange,” agreed Lucy. “But at least we get to survive the apocalypse.”

A woman called Ms. Mead introduced herself to the group of five and announced that there would be more people joining them shortly. Within a few minutes, said people appeared. A man dress in purple with short hair, an older woman also dressed in purple and in the lead was a blonde woman who strutted towards the couches followed by a new Gray. The older woman looked as though she hated the blonde woman as she glared at her almost constantly.

“I am not enjoying this apocalypse.”