The Story of Maudlin

Chapter I - Unedited

  

   My name was Mathew Garb. The year is 2023, it's late summer and I'm looking down the barrel of some sort of assault rifle. I have no idea what it is seeing as I'm not a gun guy but it doesn't really matter what kind of gun it is when it's pointed at your head. The woman on the other end of the gun looked Russian or possibly Nordic. Her brown hair, high, full cheek bones and relatively fair skin tone aside from the reddish bronze hue from the sun, suggests she could be Slavic. She looked dressed for the rebellion. A medium colored camo on her pants which were tucked into tan waterproof boots that were covered in dust and dried clay. On her belt was a sheathed large knife and a handgun.
She had wide hips compared to her waist and she looked like she would be very beautiful when she was relaxed. However, right now she looked like a tiger ready to kill the prey she'd been stalking for months.
Her sunglasses hid her eyes. Aviators. And a faded green baseball hat with her pony tail pulled through the back.

Now I was on my knees just like the fifteen other people being held at gun point by this woman and 7 others. We were unarmed and at a major disadvantage. I'd heard the rebels were using gorilla warfare. I never really paid attention to the rumor mill of the civil war. I had no stake in the war and simply wanted to live my quiet, boring life of writing. But maybe that wasn't so true. I wrote stories about people. Autobiographies. I wrote the stories of the individual person. I didn't aim to write about anyone famous or powerful. I thought small people deserved to be written about too. Each story completely unique. My editor disagreed. Now I work independently.
But I did come to this county of Mendocino where there was known to be extreme conflict with the rebellion. Maybe subconsciously I wanted to write about someone in the war. It was of course a civil war on American soil. A pretty massive event. I see now it was a mistake to leave my city apartment.

Either way this is where I am. Lost in my thoughts with a gun to my face.
She moved the barrel, snapping me out of my glazed expression. She looked amused as she tapped my cheek with the barrel. "You're awfully quiet." She said, a smirk painting her lips.
I looked to my side and saw others crying and begging for mercy. I never thought myself brave. More likely stupid. I looked back at her and said nothing, not really sure how to respond.

"Hmmm... are you mute?" She asked with a tilt of her head. She was being sarcastic.
I pursed my lips and shook my head. "I uh-" I coughed to clear my throat, "no I'm not mute."
"Well then maybe I should cut out your tongue. You don't seem to use it much and it's very rich in vitamins." I think She was referencing cannibalism which made me scrunch my nose.
"Uh- I-I really would prefer if you didn't. I have no stake in this war. I pay no attention to politics or battles. I'm really no threat." I stammered out, trying to sound a little more composed. I tried not to sound demanding or too defensive. Three wasted years in college studying criminal psychology told me that rarely worked. A rise in emotion would raise their emotional response which would only make the situation more dangerous.
To that she scoffed, throwing her head to the side. "You're no threat to my life in this moment but who's to say where your alliance lies? How would you prove to be an impartial party?"
To that I had no answer. But I didn't want to die. So I bowed my head. "Please, I would really appreciate you letting me live. I cannot prove anything to you but you cannot disprove what I'm saying. I am no one. A complete nobody. What use would it be to kill me?"
"Well what use would it be to let you live? This is not a gentle war with rules and guidelines. This war is fought brutally and with no mercy. It doesn't matter if you claim neutrality. Leaving you alive serves us no purpose. What could you do for us? What kind of skills do you have to offer?"

She made me think. I truly had nothing to offer this group of people. With my head still bowed I admit this. "I-I have nothing to offer. I'm a writer. I really don't know much else."