Rotter Nation (7 page)

Turning the key back to the on position, Emily pressed the start button again. The twin engines turned over, this time catching and roaring to life.

Ari whooped and patted Emily on the back. “You did it!”

“Of course I did, honey.” Emily smiled. “Now cut us loose.”

Ari and Sarah ran down to the main deck, rushing past Josephine who had brought the inflatable boat around to the transom landing and had climbed on board. The two women made their way to the fore and aft dock lines anchoring the port side of the yacht to the wharf. Using their machete and hunting knife, respectively, they cut the lines. When both women yelled up to Emily that they were clear, she pushed the throttles forward. The water behind the yacht churned as the twin propellers began spinning and the yacht moved away from the pier. Once two hundred feet into the bay, Emily throttled back to neutral. She removed her night vision goggles and told the others to do the same.

“What are you doing?” asked Ari.

“Making sure the others find us.” Flipping another switch, the exterior lights on the yacht came on, the glare slicing through the dark.

* * *

“Over there,” said Doreen. Not that anyone needed her to point it out. The yacht was the only thing lit up in the entire Portland area. The Angels paddled in its direction.

* * *

Dravko leaned out the window of his Humvee and waved until he attracted Robson’s attention. Robson rolled down the school bus window.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you think we should get out of here?” The vampire pointed toward the fence opposite the school bus where a horde of rotters yanked against the links. “That fence is not going to hold much longer.”

“Give it a few more minutes. We need to make sure the girls get away.”

“You’re the boss. But if that fence collapses, we’re the ones who aren’t going to be making it out of here.”

* * *

The first of the inflatable boats reached the yacht. Sarah stood by, waiting to help the Angels on board. Doreen grabbed the mooring cleat and held the boat in place against the transom’s boarding platform. Tiara jumped off first, spun around, and reached out to assist Bethany, who struggled with the broken arm she had received on the journey down to Site R. Tiara had helped Bethany onto the platform when the women heard a moan from behind them. They turned to see the rotter that had been lurking in the stateroom exit the hatch to the main cabin and lumber toward them. It fell off the deck onto the boarding platform. Tiara dodged out of the way. Bethany, being off balance, could not move fast enough, and the rotter landed on top of her, clutching her leather jacket by the collar. The two toppled backward into the inflatable boat, bounced off the surface, and landed in the bay.

Bethany had the presence of mind to take a deep breath before they hit, not that it would be of much help. The dead mass weighed her down, and the pair sank into the bay. With only one hand free, she could not break away. The rotter lunged for her neck, its movement slowed by the water. Bethany slapped at its mouth. Rather than her neck, it bit her on the right side of her face. She felt its teeth slice through the skin and scrape against her gums. Bethany grabbed the rotter by the hair and held its head in place so it could not tear away a chunk of flesh. The pain overwhelmed her. For a moment, her senses went numb. She didn’t even realize that she had gasped, sucking sea water into her lungs.

Sarah saw a cloud of blood turning the water crimson, so she dived into the bay after her friend. As she swam after the two, she withdrew her hunting knife. When Sarah reached the pair, she grabbed the rotter by the back of its shirt and plunged the knife into the base of its skull, twisting the blade and severing its spinal column. The rotter went limp and released its grip on Bethany, who continued to descend into the darkness. Sarah pushed away the rotter, grabbed Bethany by the jacket, and swam for the surface. She couldn’t see where Bethany had been bitten, but judging by the amount of blood, she assumed it was bad.

Sarah breached the surface and gasped for breath. Tiara and Doreen knelt on the boarding platform waiting for her. They reached out, took Bethany under the arms, and dragged her onto the main deck. While Sarah climbed onto the boarding platform, the second inflatable boat came into view.

“What’s all the commotion?” asked Natalie.

Sarah took a deep breath. “A rotter bit Bethany.”

“Oh, God. How is she?”

“We don’t know yet.” Sarah scrambled up onto the main deck.

Bethany lay prone, blood flowing from the bite wound and pooling around her head. Tiara had her head on Bethany’s chest. “She’s not breathing.”

“Give her CPR,” ordered Natalie.

Tiara hesitated. “She’s infected.”

“No she’s not.” Natalie knelt on the opposite side of Bethany. “We’ve all taken the vaccine. Remember?”

Bending over, she administered CPR, alternating between breathing into Bethany’s mouth and compressing her chest. On the fifth attempt, Bethany sat up and hacked, spewing sea water from her lungs. She drew in several deep gasps, desperately sucking in air, and each time coughed up more water. The choking stopped and Bethany lay back on the deck, trying to calm her nerves. She reached up to touch her face, but Natalie grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

Bethany’s eyes went wide. “How bad is it?”

“Pretty bad. But you’ll live.”

It didn’t help that when the rest of the Angels climbed onto the main deck, Katie saw Bethany and gasped. Natalie slid off her leather jacket and pulled her t-shirt over her head. Folding the shirt several times, Natalie placed one surface against Bethany’s ravaged cheek and pressed. Bethany winced from the pain. Placing her other hand on the opposite cheek, Natalie held her friend’s head in place.

Ari’s head appeared over the railing of the flying bridge. “Is everyone on board?”

“Yes!” Doreen yelled.

“Good. I’ll tell Em…. Jesus, what happened?”

“A rotter attacked Bethany,” said Natalie. “We need to do something for her. Now.”

“Okay. I’ll get some medical supplies.” Ari yelled something the other girls couldn’t hear. A second later, the engines came to life and the yacht sailed forward. Ari made her way down to the main deck and headed inside. She waved for the others to follow. “Come on. We’ll put her in one of the cabins and take a look at her wound.”

Natalie and Tiara picked up Bethany and carried her inside. Sandy, who held the briefcase with the vials of vaccine, entered behind them. The others milled around for a few seconds, uncertain what to do, before finally following their friends.

* * *

DeWitt’s voice crackled over Robson’s radio. “I think the Angels are safe.”

“Can you see them?” Robson asked.

“No, but the yacht is on the move and it’s heading out to sea.”

“Roger that. We’ll be there in a few.” Opening the door to the school bus, Robson jumped out and rushed over to the Humvee. Upon seeing him, the rotters along both fences broke into a frenzy, moaning and snarling as they tried to reach him through the links.

Dravko motioned to the bus. “Are you leaving it here?”

“Without the Angels we don’t need it anymore. Right now it’s more of a burden than anything else.” Robson opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. “Let’s get out of here before these things break through.”

“No argument here.” Dravko pushed his foot down on the accelerator.

A minute later, they left Portland behind them and raced over the Casco Bay Bridge. The rest of the group waited at the top of the span. When Robson and Dravko joined them, they stared over the rail and out into the bay.

“What’s up?” Robson asked.

DeWitt pointed to the horizon. “That set of lights is the Angels’ yacht. It looks like they made it out okay.”

Although glad the Angels were safe, it devastated Robson to see them go. He had never intended to fall in love with anyone after the apocalypse, but it had happened between him and Natalie. Just as he began to harbor a vague hope of maybe rebuilding his life, he had to send the woman he loved on a suicide mission to get Compton’s vaccine for the Zombie Virus to the government-in-exile in Omaha. He knew the Angels had a slim chance of succeeding. Even worse, he knew the chances of his ever seeing Natalie again bordered on non-existent. Things like personal happiness were no longer luxuries anyone could hope for in this terrifying new world.

Robson watched the lights of the yacht recede into the night. He closed his eyes and mentally said goodbye to Natalie, hoping somehow she would sense him.

Turning from the bay, Robson faced the others. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” asked DeWitt.

“To get Windows from that rape gang.”

Windows lay curled in a fetal position in the corner of the storage container, as much to ward off the damp and cold as to hide her shame.

Last night, Price threw the victory party he had promised, and she had fulfilled her role as the ”entertainment”. It had started as soon as they got back to camp. Price and the rest of the hunting party brought her to one of the larger storage units that contained only a large, sturdy table. He forced her to strip and then raped her on top of the table while two others held her down. When Price finished, he let the rest of the party have their turn. One by one, other gang members filtered in to get in line. Windows mentally distanced herself from the assault, losing track of how many men violated her. She vaguely recalled two and sometimes three men taking her at once. Of course, she remembered her last assailant, Meat. He had gotten his revenge by sexually brutalizing her so badly she passed out. When she came to later, her attackers had left her alone on top of the table in the same condition as when they had finished, naked and covered in semen and blood. Gathering her clothes, she had dressed and crossed over to the corner, hoping to catch some sleep.

Of course, that never happened. Every time Windows began to doze off, the images of her gang rape replayed in her mind.

Dealing with the self-recrimination proved worse than constantly reliving the nightmare. Rationally, she knew she could have done nothing to prevent last night, but her subconscious argued otherwise. Maybe she shouldn’t have willingly undressed for them. Maybe she should have fought back, not that it would have prevented what had happened. In fact, it more than likely would have made her situation worse. She would still have been raped, and probably have been beaten senseless as well. At least she would have some dignity in knowing that she had fought back and didn’t willingly submit. This internal argument had gone on all night. Every time Windows convinced herself that she had done the right thing by not resisting, or determined that in the future she would fight back, self-doubt set in and the internal argument began all over again.

Windows had been curled up for God knew how long when she heard voices outside the unit, followed by the clanking of the sliding metal door being raised. She bolted upright and pushed herself into the corner, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and the intruder. Her heart pounded, her skin flushed, her stomach went nauseous. The door slid open and a woman stepped into the unit. Windows recognized her as the same woman who had brought her dinner and the sleeping bag on her first night. Windows finally had a chance to get a close look at her. At one time, she probably would have been considered attractive, but not now. Her five-and-a-half-foot frame was gaunt, and she walked with her shoulders hunched forward. She wore shabby, filthy clothes. Scraggly red hair flowed over her shoulders, and appeared as though it had not been washed in weeks. Several strands covered her face. When the woman ran a hand through them and pushed the hair behind her ear, Windows saw that the woman’s beauty had been beaten out of her. Hollow eyes stared vacantly from sockets blackened by lack of sleep, remnants of bruises darkened her cheeks, and a scar ran across her upper and lower lips. She carried a tray with a plate of food, a bowl of water, and a towel and facecloth.

A young girl about eight years old followed behind the woman. She had long brunette hair pulled into a ponytail that hung past her shoulders. The girl wore overalls, a sweatshirt, and sneakers that had seen better days. Like the older woman, she was dirty and haggard, although the girl looked more scared than abused. She held clothes in her arms.

The two stepped over to the table without saying a word. The older woman placed the tray on top, and then took the clothes from the young girl and set them alongside it. Only when the guard outside slid shut the metal door did the woman speak.

“I’m Debra Caslow. This is my daughter, Cindy.”

The young girl raised her hand and waved.

Debra regarded Windows and sighed under her breath, “Fucking animals.”

“Mom, it’s not nice to swear.”

“You’re right, dear.” Debra ran her hand across Cindy’s hair. The barest hint of a smile crossed her lips. She turned back to Windows. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Windows sat there, not sure what to do. Debra went over to the bowl of water and immersed the facecloth in it, soaking it for several seconds before wringing it out and returning to Windows.

“You have to keep going. Trust me, I know. Every woman here has spent time in the Clubhouse.”

“Is that what you call it?”

“No. The men call it the Clubhouse.
We
call it the Rape Room. You get used to it after a while. Every day in this hellhole is a struggle to maintain even a shred of self-respect.” Debra motioned with her head. “Come on.”

Windows stood up and walked over to the table. Debra began cleaning her face as if she was a child. Windows made no effort to do it herself, desperate for any gesture of kindness. Cindy passed behind her mother and stood by the opposite end of the table, playing with the towel.

“What’s your name?” asked Debra with the nonchalance of a hair stylist chatting with a customer.

“Windows.”

“Is that your last name?”

“That’s what they call me.”

“You mean the people back at the fort?”

Windows nodded, fighting back tears.

“I’m sorry about that.” Debra let the conversation lapse. When done cleaning Windows’ face, Cindy handed her the towel.

“Who are these people?” Windows asked as she dried herself.

Debra glanced over her shoulder to make certain no one could hear. “Most of them are criminals who broke out of a nearby federal penitentiary during the first weeks of the outbreak. They set up camp here and have been preying on anyone unfortunate enough to wander past, or anyone they come across on raiding missions. Most of the men are killed outright, unless they have a skill that can be put to use. Or if they fight back, in which case they’re brought back here and put on the Line. All the women are raped. The lucky ones are murdered afterwards. The unfortunate ones are brought back here to be sex slaves. When the men grow tired of them, they join the others on the Line.”

“What’s ‘the Line’?”

“That’s what they call the defense perimeter. Anyone who pisses off Price gets sent outside where they’re chained to the ground outside the wall surrounding this place. It’s his sick idea of an early warning system. If any of the deaders get close to the compound, they stop to feed off of someone on the Line first. The screaming warns the guards.”

“Has it happened before?”

“Only once since I’ve been here. Others said it happened a lot in the early days. You can hear the screaming all over the compound. It’s terrible.” Debra took the towel. “Take off your clothes.”

Windows wrapped her arms across her chest and squeezed tight. “Why?”

“I have clean clothing for you. You don’t want to wear those. Trust me, I know. They’re soiled with
them
.” Debra spoke the last word with bitterness.

Windows slid off her shoes.

“The Line is the reason most of us put up with what we do,” Debra continued. “It’s worse than being dead. At least death is quick. Out there, you slowly die of starvation, or you become a meal for a deader.”

“Don’t they feed those on the Line?”

“It’s a punishment detail. Everyone gets a cup of soup and water a day, plus a blanket to cover up at night. No one has lasted more than a few weeks. That’s why most of the people in here do as they’re told. It’s better than the alternative.”

“Is it?” Windows sneered as she slid off her jeans. Semen that had leaked from her vagina stained the crotch. Windows fought back the urge to vomit. “How often do you have to give yourself to them?”

Debra avoided her gaze. “Every night.”

“I’d rather take my chances out there with the rotters and the elements than submit to them.” She flung the soiled jeans at Debra.

The woman grabbed them in mid-air. For a moment she glared at Windows, then her expression softened into one of self-contempt. “So would I, but I have other considerations.”

Windows realized she meant Cindy and regretted her accusation. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I. I’m sorry for what I’ve done to keep her safe.” Debra knelt in front of Windows and began wiping down her pubis, trying to clean off the encrusted remnants of the assault. “It’s not as bad as you might think if you learn how to play the system. There’s a lot of girls around here who haven’t figured it out, and they get gang raped every night. Not me, though.”

“So, what’s the system?”

“Figure out which ones want a girlfriend and be nice to them.”

“You mean fuck them?’

“Yes, but also treat them well. Compliment them, do special things for them, make them feel special. If you become their girlfriend, they’ll be protective and won’t let the others have their way with you.” Debra stood up and handed Windows the towel. While Windows dried herself, Debra rinsed out the face cloth. “I have that relationship with Meat. That’s what he makes all the women here call him.”

Cindy glanced up. “He makes me call him Daddy.”

Debra’s face expressed the humiliation for both of them. “He won’t share me with others, and he keeps Cindy safe as long as I do what he wants. I’ll do anything to protect her.”

“I’m sure you have.” Windows meant it as a gesture of sympathy, not a condemnation.

“You have no idea.” Debra smiled, but the anguish in her eyes and the quivering around the mouth said it all. “Meat likes you. It’s why he wouldn’t let you be killed back at your camp.”

“I thought you were his girlfriend?”

“
I’m
expected to be monogamous, not him.” Debra held up the facecloth. “Take off your shirt.”

Windows unbuttoned it and let it slide to the floor. “I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this? Do you figure if he’s fucking me, then you get a break?”

“Stop being a cunt.” Debra threw the facecloth at Windows. It slapped across her chest. “I’m trying to help you. If you prefer to be gang banged every night, then that’s your choice.”

Visions of last night flashed through Windows’ mind. She would do anything not to have to repeat that. “Sorry. It’s just that… you know.”

“I do.” Debra motioned for Windows to clean herself. “And yes, I have an ulterior motive for arranging this.”

“What’s that?”

Debra glanced over at Cindy. Her face beamed, the first positive emotion Windows had seen from her. “I’m terrified for her safety if something happens to me. If I help you out, if I arrange it so you’re Meat’s girlfriend, you have to promise to take care of Cindy if something should happen to me.”

Windows nodded halfheartedly. “I promise.”

“No,” snapped Debra. “I mean this. You have to swear on your life that you’ll protect her.”

Cindy gazed up at the two women for just a moment before glancing back down at the table. Windows’ heart ached for the girl. Her world had been turned upside down in the past year, first by the rotter outbreak, and then by winding up in this place. All she could look forward to was growing up to be molested. It probably would have been better if she hadn’t survived the first few days. She had, however, and fate had dealt her the shittiest hand in the deck. Nothing Windows could do about that now. She could at least try and prevent the situation from getting worse, although deep down she knew she had about as much of a chance of that as stopping the rotter apocalypse by herself. Still, she had to try.

“I promise that if you help me, I’ll help you protect your daughter.”

“Thank you.” Debra rushed forward and threw her arms around Windows, hugging her tightly despite the awkwardness of Windows being naked. “Cindy, honey, bring the jumpsuit.”

Cindy did as her mother asked. When she approached, Debra kneeled down to her daughter’s level. “Miss Windows is going to be our friend and she’s going to help keep you safe.”

“Thank you.” Cindy’s expression remained unenthusiastic, though her eyes expressed gratitude.

Debra took the jumpsuit and handed it to Windows. “This is the only thing we have that will fit you. It used to belong to a female Air Force major who the raiding party stumbled across.”

“What happened to her?”

“After a week inside the compound, Price put her on the Line. By then she was so far gone she lasted only a few days. Now get dressed and eat. Afterwards, I’ll take you to see the doctor for a regimen of morning after pills, and then you’ll move into Meat’s quarters with us.”

Windows tried to conceal the fear that began to well up inside of her.