Them

Baertopia

A few weeks go by where nothing really happens. Threats were made, but not a lot of people got involved. Those who did were either already involved with the wanderers or just didn't care. There are fewer and fewer places are available for me to stay safe during the nights since the wanderers seem to be following me around everywhere. They show up wherever I am and the urge to run gets stronger every single night.
I'm too scared to run because I know I'll never be able to return to the area. On the other hand, leaving will probably put me in a safer position.

I lean back in my chair, looking around in the small coffee shop on the outskirts of town. My phone is plugged in and connected to the cave network. A map of the area is displayed on the tiny bright screen. Carl holds up the coffee pot and I shake my head. I've had enough. I look at the map. The areas marked red are ones that have been taken over by the wanderers. The areas marked purple are the ones that seem to be safe. The orange ones are towns and cities where my relatives live.
All of the more safe places seem to be a long way from here, which means I need to either pay money to get there or travel by foot for a few days. Travelling by foot is what I'd prefer, but even after almost a year of doing it I still don't like to travel that far by foot. The blisters and the pain of carrying so much weight - literally and figuratively - make me cringe. But the cost of taking two buses and a train... Is it really worth it?

"Can I get you something, Robyn?" Carl shows up next to me, scaring the living shit out of me. "What the- Eh, no I'm good Carl. Thank you." The man smiles at me creepily. "You know, if you need a place to stay, you can stay at mine. For a price of course."
"Yeahh... no thanks," I say, a little freaked out by the looks he is giving me. I grab my bag, toss my phone in it and jump off the high chair I'd been sitting on for the past hour or so. "I gotta run, sorry!"
Before I can bolt out the door Carl grabs me by the arm. "Don't be like that, I can give you a good time. I won't be too rough on you." His eyes shine with a sort of dominance that I've seen before. In him. Them. I shudder and try to pull away from the tall blond, but his grip only tightens. "Please leave me alone?" I squeak. My bag has fallen on the ground and tears are welling up in my eyes. He only laughs as he pulls me closer. "Oh, you cute little deer. You can cry, but it won't stop me. You look ravishing." Carl licks his lips and grins. For a moment it looks like his teeth are getting longer, but that must be the fear kicking in. Frozen in panic, I stare into his murderous eyes. As the tall man leans in further, I hear the door opening behind me and then quick footsteps.

"MISTER BRIGGER. Are you completely out of your mind?" Mrs Feluurs shrill voice sounds through the coffee shop. With a gasp, Carl lets go of me and I take that opportunity to grab my backpack to race through the door and make my escape. I run across the street, not looking where I'm going. I feel my skin brush against other people, hear their yells and laughs, but I ignore them as best as I can. Tears are flowing freely from my eyes as I feel his breath on my skin again and again. Images flash before my eyes, feel their hands over every inch of my skin, feel their hair against my back. The pain from their nails in my skin, the marks, the injuries. The heat of the flames...

I snap out of it when I hit the asphalt with a loud smack, my head bumping into the ground hard enough to make me dizzy. Stunned and hurt I keep laying there, on the cold hard ground, crying. I barely notice the bike going past me, or the group of girls making fun of me. What I do notice is five pairs of sneakers walking my way. I try to scramble away, but one of them places his foot on my back. "Now you stay where you are, little girl," a deep male voice chuckles. The other men laugh, a bit too loud. "Guys, it seems like we have found ourselves a little plaything!"
Slurred cheers sound through the street and only now I notice that it's getting darker already. I cry out, but a foot on my head stops me. "No no, little bird. You're not going to be saved tonight."

~

Rolling over in my sleep was probably the worst thing I could have done. A pain in my abdomen tells me that it's a very bad thing. I didn't dare to move for a while after. My ribs, my butt, my back, they hurt. I lift my hands to my face to wipe away the tears streaming from my eyes only to pull away right after. Not only is my face ice cold, but it also stings like I've been slapped repeatedly. Which could very well have happened. 

I try to remember what happened last night, but the only thing that is clear to me is being on the ground with a heavy brunet on my back. Then flashes of naked bodies, my jeans ripping. I gasp in horror and try to sit up, patting down my body. I don't want to look. I close my eyes but that only makes it worse. Again I hear silent whispers in my ears."Birdy, shhh don't move."
"It won't hurt too badly if you stay still, little one."
"She's struggling too much" "Shove it in her mouth, she'll learn the hard way" 

Silent tears stream over my face as I slowly relive the whole event. It feels like history repeating itself. Over and over again. My chest hurts, and it's not because it's bruised.  

I stay like that for a while, but then I have to move. I look around and take in my surroundings. I'm in an alley, close to where I fell down last night. My bag is next to me. How? Why? I shake my head. If only they had been out for my bag. My bag carrying all of my belongings, fine, but this. This is my body. How dare they? I don't dare to look down to my body. Even though I'm bruised, nothing hurts too much that I can't move. I take my bag and sit down against the alley wall. Softly sniffing, I go through the bag to look for a new shirt. A clean shirt.