Fall 2263

Another day in this damp basement. It’s always the same. The guards come down, we try to keep everyone together. We only have each other after all.

“Don’t touch her,” Mama bear yelled as she jumped in front of the little girl. “Leave them alone!” She lunged at the guards to protect us all. I stood behind her, trying to be another wall between the guards and the girls.

“Why can’t you just shut up and stay out of our way?” The guards get their weapons ready. She already has so many wounds, even then, she is still our protector. “You know what is going to happen.” He smiles and his eyes gleam as the memory surfaces. “Guess it’s the hard way again.” His sneer sent a chill down my spine. They like it too much when we fight back.

Mama sighs, “I will not give up!” The guards attack her together and she falls to the ground. They tie her up, stuff an old rag in her mouth and shove me out of the way. I’m not much of a wall, but one day, I’ll be able to stand tall like mama. They start gathering the girls together. There must be another transport leaving today. After being here for so long, I realize what these transports mean for the girls leaving here.

“Oh, here.” One of the guards throws us some bread. Then turns to leave, laughing and joking about what transpired today with the other guards. They go up the rickety stairs, slam the door, it locks with a click. I sigh a breath of relief, it’s over for today. I shuffle over towards the girls that are left. I give them hugs and try to calm them down. I leave them huddled together, they’re sobbing and holding on tight to each other. Some of them have already cried so much they’re asleep.

I go over to mama and kneel next to her. It doesn’t look like they hurt her too much this time. Sometimes they just hit the right spot at the back of the neck and she goes down quickly. It’s probably better honestly. Less pain for all involved.

I gently untie her and take the rag out of her mouth. I move her so she will be a little more comfortable as she wakes up. Sitting down, I look up at the crack in the door. Listening to the guards shuffle around above us. Trying to eavesdrop on their conversations to learn more about what we might expect soon.

“Okay that’s it this time.” They don’t even bothering trying to keep it down. “The rest will go together, including those two.” They mean me and mama. It takes several men and sometimes even weapons to bring her down. I think that was part of her job at one time. I tried to ask her about it once, the light in her eyes dimmed, and she just gave me a pat on the head and said maybe one day.

I’m the only other one who has stayed in this damp place. So the other has to be me. I’m never wanted by anyone but her. I never get sold off. I wonder if it’s because of my birthmark and my scar. Could be my personality I guess, they always get creeped out when I refuse to lose eye contact. At this point, I think we’re just here to help take care of the girls cause they’re too lazy.

They’re quite chatty today. I can hear them arguing and shuffling about again. “I think they are done with this place for awhile. A few more trucks have been hit. They can’t seem to figure out who is behind it.” We continue to listen to their conversations, them roaming around. They’re anxious. Good.

After awhile mama starts to shift. I move my hand to her shoulder and give it a squeeze. Her bright blue eyes open, she gives me a soft smile when she sees I am right here. “They gave us some stale bread and water this morning. We saved some extra for you.” We made a pile of pieces torn from our bread. We don’t get much these days, and she needs her strength. She just smiles as she hugs us all. Then turns back to me to listen intently about what I learned from eavesdropping.

“They said we will all be transported together this next time. That some transports have been hit and they can’t seem to figure out how. We’re going to be the last ones to leave for now.” I looked at her and she was deep in thought, nodding. “They haven’t said much about it since. The guards haven’t really talked at all.” She continues to ponder all I told her.

BANG!

Well that’s new. “For fuck’s sake. What is it…” BANG. “…now…” Those noises are getting louder and louder. I look wide eyed at mama. I don’t know what this noise is, she seems to know exactly what it is. The color drains from her face as her eyes grow wide. The men upstairs are grumbling and yelling and scrambling for supplies as they run out the door.

The girls are scared out of their minds. “Come here girls. Let’s all sit together.” We all huddle in behind mama. She’s comforting them all as best she can. I try to do the same, trying to ease the burden on mama.

The stairwell door crashes open, slamming against the wall with a sharp bang that cuts through the still, damp air like a whip. “Let’s go!” the guard bellows at us. His boots pounding down the first few steps. The sudden brightness behind him floods down the stairs like fire. Raw, white light that blinds us after so long in the basement shadows. We shield our eyes with grimy hands, blinking through tears. My eyes burn and I can barely see what’s in front of me.

He grabs Jennie, yanking her so hard that her feet barely touch the ground. She cries out, stumbling, then is shoved up the creaking stairs. Her bare toes trip on splintered wood, the warped planks groaning under sudden movement. “Right into the truck! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

The rest of us scramble after her, herded like animals. The stairs shudder beneath us, will these stairs hold all of our weight? It’s thick with the stink of mold and rot and the grease of unwashed bodies. Someone’s hand brushes the sticky wall. The wood is soft in places, swollen from years of damp, the railing slick with something. I guess it could be mildew, maybe worse.

We reach the top of the stairs without them giving out. The first floor hits us in the face like a slap. The air is thick, humid, and soured with the stench of sweat, old food, bleach, urine, smoke. It’s a chaotic storm of smells that turns the stomach. The noise here is even worse. Guards barking orders at each other, boots thudding, radios crackling. Someone’s crying. Someone’s puking. Something shatters behind another closed door not too far from us.

My eyes are still burning, watering from the sudden light, we cling to Mama’s voice. “It’s okay, everyone. It’ll all be okay,” she says, guiding us with steady hands. Her voice is calm, but her jaw is set. Her vision has to be as bad as mine at the moment. We’ve been down there for so long.

We’re pushed toward the front door. It groans open on rusty hinges and suddenly, we’re outside. And it’s too much. It’s way too much to process.

The sky is too blue, too open. The sun burns into our skulls. The air smells like dust and diesel and freedom. After living down there for so long our lungs aren’t ready for it. Someone behind me gasps. Another starts crying. The ground is too big. The world too loud.

Wind rushes past our ears for the first time in years. It smells like the city, sharp and smoky, but underneath it there’s a whisper of green, of trees, of life. My throat tightens. The fear means nothing at the moment. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of and more out here.

Mama stumbles in the brightness, blinking fast. She brings me back to the reality. We’re not free just yet. She hasn’t seen the sky in almost a decade either. We want to savor this moment, but then we see it.

The truck. It looks like a monster.

An old cargo hauler, matte black and armored, the kind with thick tires made to crush potholes and fences alike. Its sides are dented, scratched with old graffiti and rust. The back has two large doors, swung open revealing a shadowy, metal cavern. The inside smells of old sweat, rubber, and the ghosts of girls before us.

The guards don’t waste any time. We’re shoved in without any thought. Legs tangle, backs scrape metal. There’s no space. Just knees, feet, arms pressed into ribs. It’s hot. The kind of heat that clings and smothers. We jostle and sway as the truck roars to life. No windows. No air.

We are back in the darkness once more.

The metal rattles as we pull away. Someone throws up in the corner, not used to the motions.

“Get down low, everyone!” Mama hisses. “That noise? That’s gunfire. Guns!” We duck instinctively as a crack-crack-crack splits the air outside. Some scream. Others freeze. “I don’t know if this thing is bulletproof, so stay down!” Mama’s voice shakes—but only a little.

There’s something next to me. I touch it, explore it with my hands. It’s a lantern. I fumble around, but I finally get it to turn on. It doesn’t burn our eyes like the sunlight did.

I see mama. She crawls to each of the girls, a hand on a shoulder, a whispered name, a brush of hair.

And then she starts to hum. I join her. Trying to drown out the noises around us. It’s a lullaby, soft and broken, threading through the chaos. The gunfire roars louder, and she starts to sing. Her voice trembles at first, but then steadies. Like a heartbeat in the dark.

There are dents forming in the sides. So far none have made it through the walls, which is good. I reach out and touch one. It still feels hot to the touch. Mama smacks my hand down and points to the floor. She needs us all to stay down. The young girls have stopped crying since the first few bullets hit the truck. It was scary, but we got used to the noise after awhile. We are all just hot and tired, squeezed together in the back of this transport.

We all get slammed forward. The guards slamming on the breaks. We stopped moving after some of the gunfire, but we don’t know what is going on. There’s no way to see outside, we can barely hear anything outside of the sound of gunfire. Talking is muffled through the thick walls. There is still rapid firings and lots of yelling.

“Hopefully we will be out soon everyone. Just hang in there.” She is still comforting us from the commotion. It gets louder then quieter, louder than quieter, then there’s silence. I can tell how worried she is from the expression on her face. She typically keeps a cool, calm look about her, but this time I know she’s afraid. Guns are not something to mess around with. She’s worried about being able to keep us all alive. She moves to the door, trying to see if she can pry it open. She tries a few times, then comes back to us.

The silence is deafening. It feels like years went by before anyone heard a thing. Mama bear had us stay silent too, most of the younger girls cried so much they went to sleep. We finally started to hear muffled sounds all around us. Branches, footsteps, talking, and eventually knocking. They sounded excited about something. Banging and knocking on the truck. They must be in the front, it sounds like the doors. We stay dead silent, trying to make out words, to understand what will happen to us next.

Mama shifted to the front again. Following the muffled voices to the doors. She shifted, ready to fight if she needs too. It’s too cramped back here for her to get into her usual stance, but I have a feeling she could still do damage like this. I listen intently. I can hear them again, “lock…need…break…supplies…back…truck…lock…look…” That’s all we could hear. Is the door locked like the basement door? Is that why Mama bear couldn’t open the door when she tried? I wonder who they are and what they want. Are we the supplies? Are they trying to scare us with these bangs and knocks?

“CUTTERS! FOUND EM!” It was so loud and close to us some of the girls started crying again. “Do…hear… that?” Just broken sentences. Mama crouches by the door. I am the next line of defense. They will not hurt the girls behind me. Maybe with both of us we can make an escape and all find a better place to live.

The truck is shaking as they pull and push on the door. Trying to pry open the lock and these large metal doors. The noises scare the younger girls again. “what…noise… sure?” Again broken sentences is all we can make out. I try to quiet them down again, but his time I can’t contain their loud sobs. I have them hold onto each other tightly before I get back into position.

There is a pause at the door and then all the sudden it was blinding again. The sun. All of us blinking through the burn to see what we are now faced with. The girls in the back still sobbing and holding onto each other.

Mama bear and I ready to pounce. To defend these girls with our lives if we need too.

“Oh, shit.” We hear things dropping to the ground. Once our eyes fully adjust I can see what made those noises. I can see that they dropped all their weapons. Mama bear was poised to fight, but since they had their hands up she didn’t pounce.

They were just blankly staring at us. They were surprised by us, but why? We are shocked, we don’t know what to do, what to think in this situation. We don’t know what is going to happen to us now. The littles are screaming and sobbing together in the back.

“Now what do we do?!” One turns to another. Mama bear just quietly watches and listens for now. Staying crouched and ready in case she needs to be.

“We needed supplies not women and children!” They look at each other, nod, and sigh.

“Well, lets figure out how to get everyone home.” This man turns to us and smiles. “It’s all okay ladies, you’re free now.” Mama bear collapses and I can see tears streaming down her face. They just let her take it all in as they give her a piece of fabric to dry her tears.

“Really? Are we really free now? ” She slides over closer to them. Sitting at the end of the truck. She takes the piece of fabric and dries her eyes with it, then takes a moment to look at each of them. Relief washes over me as well but we should stay aware. Stay a little tense and wary. Hopefully I’m right about this, but I think it means we don’t have to stay in a damp dark basement anymore.

“Think of us like…“ he paused for a moment. Hand on his chin as he pondered what to call themselves. “We’re sort of like Robin Hood’s Band.” All of them chuckle. One pats him on the shoulder and squeezes it as he laughs.

“We have been raiding their trucks and giving the reservations back some supplies.” Another offers up his hand to help mama out of the truck. All of the men back away and give Mama her space. We all stay in the back of the transport. I have the other girls sitting behind me, I’m still that wall, just in case. I’m watching them carefully. Listening to the conversation, afraid to move just yet.