Journey Forward
#7 of Dragon Hunter Saga
*NOTE* This is a TRIGGER warning for anyone who has issues with the possibility of a person being beaten or whipped. If you have issues with these subjects be aware these appear in this "chapter".
In the morning people woke up and after a quick meal start their preparations to head back out onto the road. Jake approaches me asking where we were planning on getting onto the land bridge at, "well considering it's size the best location for us to venture out onto it is in Nova Scotia." Jake nods his head in agreement knowing it was just a mere 654 miles from our present area, which translates with children about a month of walking. We'll have the smallest children riding in the large carts for most of the time, though having them run off energy is something we will be having them do. The carts were actually something we had needed to make this journey much easier, in a sad way I was very glad we found them here. As we start moving out the members of the local group filter into our entourage, sadly due to the Headman's choices it was only ten not counting Harriet or Calliope. Those two were already mixed in with Harriet keeping an eye on the twins who were a lot more animated than we had seen them previously. I believe I heard Harriet suggest they have a contest to see who could walk the longest without complaining. Since I knew she had hidden away some candies we had quietly hid for special treats, (for the younger children) she was going to use it to attempt to make them return to being children. Calliope of course had positioned herself near Jake, I shook my head knowing she probably will fall behind at some point. I'll need to keep an eye on her position, wouldn't want that young lady to cause us trouble. We start off down the remains of a road heading to old interstate 95 which would take us easily into Canada. Granted, we had no plans on walking on the old highway itself; that would have no cover. Therefore very foolish, but you can generally find enough roadways close enough to see the old highways. Especially now that most "modern" buildings were just rubble, which is why the old community center these people had been in had been so strange to see. It only took half a day for Calliope to slow down enough to travel near the children and elderly of the group. She tired out fast the first day demanding everyone stop after just an hour because she was tired. She got annoyed when Jake asked me what I thought and I said that we needed to continue on, so we did. It was much nicer traveling in more spring like weather even if there was a lot of mud to contend with. Hearing birdsong and seeing the start of buds appearing on plants was a very welcome sign, and all the children talked about it as we travel. One of the former towns we passed through and sifted through the rubble of, Jessica the teen who was so interested in my "nightly tales" dug up some decent spiral notebooks and some pencils she could sharpen with her knife. She packed them away in her own bag so as to not interfere with the carry capacity of anyone else. Feeling a bit of pride for her for her thoughtfulness and knowing she desperately wanted to study the world I asked Brehea if we had any blank journals or leather bound blank books maybe some pens. We didn't so I silently vowed to keep an eye out next time we got near the remains of a larger town. After about a week of traveling Calliope was starting to get furious at Jake for deferring to me for any decisions that needed to be made. Especially since me and Shadow were traveling with the children and elderly. (side note the formation for traveling goes as follows: Jake and half the strongest fighters in the front. Families without children and single people, then children and the elderly followed by the carts. Then the remaining fighters, to ensure that the whole group is protected. With fighters randomly switching from front to back.) The girl was falling behind again and one of the 'guardsmen' came up to me. "Gwen, Jake is concerned that Calliope is either going to have us slow down more or get lost. What do you think we should do?" I look behind me seeing that the girl was back by the rear guard, I sigh and tilt my head towards Calliope while looking at Shadow. "I'll go keep an eye on her, I have the map depicting where we're going next to rest. Don't slow down for her." Before walking back to Calliope I let Harriet know what is going on and pat the twins on the head. As I reach the girl the guards quicken their pace and Calliope sits on the ground like a spoiled toddler and starts crying. "You need to stop and let me rest I am an IMPORTANT person!" I look at Shadow and give a glare at the guard who decided to look back at the outburst, she quickly returned to watching the group. Shadow shrugs his shoulders and starts watching the surroundings so I could deal with the whiny girl. I squat next to her and yell an inch from her ear, "get your lazy ass off the ground and act your Gods be damned age. They are not going to wait for you to decide to 'get with the program' girl. We have been taking this trek since January and everyone I brought with me has been walking for months. You out of all the people who came from that horrible enclave are acting this way. The rest are fully capable of keeping up." She jumps up and stomps over to a piece of concrete jutting out of the ground and sits on it crying again, I walk over angry and get in her face again. "I know you were the daughter of that Headman, Jake while named the Headman isn't actually in control of this group girl. Only you do not seem to understand this, I am; Jake is Headman because I don't want to be." Calliope then gets a snotty look on her face, "yeah right. You travel with the weak people of the group, that shows you aren't important. While Jake is surrounded by guards, it shows how important he is." I tilt my head toward the girl as if gesturing and Shadow slaps her hard across the face, "no it doesn't. Jake is a trained fighter like the rest in the front of the group as well as the rear of the group. I am with the children and elderly as protection. Anything attacks us and I protect them, if I can't kill it Shadow can. Children are important to this world now that so many people are dead, and the elderly are a treasure. They know what the world use to be like, so they can share stories with the young to teach what not to do. So that maybe we don't make the same mistakes again." Calliope holds her hand to her face and screams at me, "how DARE YOU let him strike me! I am the daughter of a..." Shadow slaps her again when I indicate, "I dare very well thank you. Notice I had him just slap you? I am also fully aware you are pregnant, early enough your father didn't know. If you don't act right I will let Harriet raise her grandchild instead of you." Calliope jumps up and runs off into the forest of rubble and trees. I sigh again frustrated at the girl's behavior and chase after her. She is surprisingly fast for someone complaining about the speed we were walking at. Shadow grabs me from behind as a spear lands in the ground in front of me, where I had just been about to put my foot down. "Eh brother nice breeder you got there, me and the boys just caught another one a moment ago. Hit that one over the head, that one you've got there seems a bit more feisty." A group of men come out from behind the trees, the chocolate colored one starts speaking, "come on to our camp brother and see the wonders we have." The men all point weapons at us the speaker holding a pistol, "oh. Brother it's a request, don't make me have to convince you." Shadow freezes as if calculating what to do, I nudge his hand and whisper. "We'll have to to get Calliope back, Jake won't worry unless we don't return by morning. Hopefully we can fix this by then." Shadow sets me down and grabs my wrists to 'play along' with the group, I am so going to kill that girl when we are done with this. The men surround Shadow and walk us through the trees and rubble to a sheltered area where the remains of what was probably an office building was. They left the basement intact and had covered over it, there was a ladder leading down into it. When we climbed down I noticed a few details, the ladder was in a large room where a group of women huddled in a corner looking scared. There were a few large banquet tables set out with random chairs around them. The 'head' of the best looking table had a decorated recliner, my guess is that it's for the 'leader'. I didn't see Calliope anywhere, but I could see a hallway with rooms. There was what appeared to be a kitchen at one end and I saw metal rings in the wall near it and chains attached to those. The man who spoke to us sits in the recliner and looks at Shadow, "I didn't have the boys kill you outright. As I think you have potential to help us keep our group safe, You can have any breeder you want any time you want as long as you protect our base. If a breeder is pregnant we put her in a quiet room where she is given a careful diet until the babies are weened. The disobedient breeders are given kitchen duty and if they mess up any food they are whipped. Right now the current disobedient ones are being bathed, we wouldn't want any injuries to become infected would we?" A scream echos through the building, "oh don't worry just one of my boys having a bit of fun with that one we just caught." I speak before I think, "that girl is pregnant you fool." A rough looking white man walks over and pulls out a riding crop with what appears to be glass in the ends and hits me across the cheek a fraction below my right eye. The 'leader' speaks, "I don't believe I gave you permission to speak BREEDER." He then looks over to another darker skinned male who runs off down the hallway as another scream echo's through the building. Shadow tenses and I reach over to touch his arm passively and the man with the crop hits me again on the thigh. "You are not allowed to touch a male unless ORDERED to BREEDER." I growl at the orders very pissed off at what was going on, the 'leader' smiles. "Oh I was right, this one is going to be fun. You sit down and watch the show, I need three girls to get refreshments NOW! Chain her and teach her a lesson. Take the clothes off her first, it's not like she'll get to use them till she's pregnant. The man who had hit me with the crop lead me over to one of the chain that was very short farther away from the kitchen than the rest. However in full view of the tables, oh; this is not going well. I could see Shadow seething with anger over my mistreatment, the male removed my clothes as if he wanted to ensure they were saved for another use later. He then chained me to the wall and steps away to get what ever device he was planning on using on me. I am facing the wall so I could not see who was watching nor what they are doing. "She has a lot of scars brother. What have you been doing with this Breeder?" I hear Shadow's voice, "why are you calling women Breeders?" The 'leader' chuckles, "because they are. That is the job they were meant for in this world. Now that civilization has been destroyed we are going to make sure they do the job they were meant to do. The children we have started getting will be raised knowing their place in this world. A Breeder will always be a Breeder." This was when my 'friend' returned and I could hear the wind whistle as the pieces of leather moved in the air. Then the sting on the tips with them embedded glass as they struck my skin. All I did was grunt at the pain, which was due to the fact that what I think are glass appears to be rock salt. So it cut and burns. "She's a strong one," came a voice from behind me. I guess my new 'friend' can talk, the next fifteen minutes are spent with the man striking me and commenting on the fact that I didn't scream. I could feel the blood spreading down my legs as the man continues. Then it stops and I hear some confused shouting, that I can't make out. Then quiet in the room aside from the women crying in the corner. I feel firm but gentle hands unchain me, and I see Shadow looking concerned at me. "Just get me some clothes, but I won't be able to wear a shirt right now." I slowly stand straight as once he had unchained me I sagged to the ground from the pain. After I put on pants and shoes and strap my weapons where they won't touch my raw skin I rush down the hallway opening doors to find Calliope. The third door I open has women with children I point back to the main room, "go and help those poor women out there find some clothes once we rescue the rest of the women we're getting away." I then continue on hoping they listened, based on the sounds I am hearing. I can guess there is only two more men here, they controlling the women through fear alone? The room at the end of the hallway I find Calliope hunched over herself naked and crying, one of the two men in the room slapping her repeatedly. "You stupid Breeder you need to tell us when you have a child." I feel Shadow behind me as I rush in and drag Calliope away from the men while Shadow dispatches them. Calliope stops crying when she sees me, "you saved me! Why? I wouldn't have saved you, and why aren't you wearing a." The girl then notices the blood dripping off my back and passes out. I shake my head and wave at Shadow to help me dress Calliope. We drape a couple of towels we find over my raw back and I pick up Calliope carrying her across my back. We needed to climb up the ladder with her unconscious and make sure the women get up it with any children they have. This was not going to be fun. There was one more male in the building hosing off a group of four severely battered women, one of which looked like she had been done being passive towards then men of this place. They avoided Shadow because he was male, but were very willing to help everyone else. "I'm Tammy and you is looking a bit green there girl. You keep your man back a bit and I will get the rest of these women up here. Do you know a safe place we can go to?" I chuckle at the question, "Tammy I am Hunter Gwen. I am leading a group of people to England to start a new life and build a city, that safe enough for you?" Tammy takes another look at me, looks at Shadow and back at me again. "Oh, you is that girl that killed that big nasty Dragon then. Good for you. Yes that sounds like exactly where we need to go to as well, that lump of a girl you carrying she yours?" I sigh deeply, "unfortunately. She joined our group a week ago and seeing as she's the daughter of a Headman thought she could boss the group around her desires." Tammy shakes her head, "girl ain't got no sense then. No way someone other than you is in charge. I'll straighten her out, before she had that baby she carrying. It's daddy alive?" I shake my head, "no but it's paternal grandmother is with us." Tammy nods her head, "we will probably need a few minutes to calm the girls down. Put her down I'll wake her up and get her moving right. Like an hour, that long enough?" I nod my head knowing she expected us to search through the remains of the place they were kept. Shadow looks at me and into the building. Shadow hold up his hand and points to a rock near the door, "oh all right I'll just sit there and bleed on everything while you sweep the place of useful items." Shadow nods and before going down helps me take the towels off my back. It was bothering me that they had stopped hurting, then we took the towels off. Well that made them hurt, so that was fun. I guess the towel had stopped the blood flow, now my back was dripping again. Shadow looks at me concerned and I wave him toward the building. He gets the point and hurries down the ladder. Before I sit down I hear a voice. Gwen. I look around, but the women are all occupied. Tammy obviously waiting till situating everyone else before getting to Calliope. {Gwen come here, I want to talk to you.} I get the sense that the voice is coming from inside the more wooded area south of the building we just vacated. I catch Tammy's eye and mime going to the bathroom and she nods, I know if Shadow wonders about me he'll just track me. I get up very slowly, and instantly feel dizzy; how much blood have I lost? I staggeringly walk toward the voice I hear, stumbling occasionally. I get to the tree line, {just a bit more and we can talk Gwen}. I stumble through the woods a bit not recalling which way I was going and stumble into a small clearing. I see standing in it a very large brown colored massive Unicorn, then my blood loss decides it's time for me to take a nap and I hear as I pass out. "Oh this isn't good at all."