The Feral Sentence - Part One (2 page)

“
You hungry?” Trim asked.

She must
have caught me eying the piece of dangling meat, because she stood
up, pulled a dagger from her side, and moved in. She cut the animal
loose and propped it up onto a flat rock beside Flander. She tore
into it without a second thought and ripped off one of its legs.
Although disgusted by the sound of bones cracking and muscle
tendons tearing, I’d never been more excited to eat
meat.

“
Welcome to Kormace,” Trim said, tossing me a crispy
leg.

CHAPTER
2

I heard
a throat-like growl and flinched at the thought of a wild beast
lingering nearby. But the sound hadn’t come from an animal—at least
not a four-legged one. Trim hovered above me with her arms crossed
tightly over her chest.

I rubbed
my crusted eyes and sat upright. The sun was still up, although for
a moment I’d thought it to be night time because of Trim’s overly
frizzy hair casting a shadow around me. I must have fallen asleep
after eating. I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept in days due to the
reality of my new life.

“
On your feet, Brone,” she ordered.

I crawled onto my knees and then onto my feet.
I didn’t have the time to appreciate the melodic
chirping that came from the trees or the warmth of the sun
penetrating the thousands of leaves overhead.

“
Change,” Trim said.

Warm leather hit me in the face before landing on my lap. It
appeared to be a shirt and a pair of poorly sewn pants.

“
What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I asked.

This had
obviously been a stupid question. Trim leaned in and cocked an
eyebrow.

“
You look new. You smell new. You’ll be treated like
new.”

“
Since when is new is bad?” I asked.

Rocket was suddenly standing beside Trim. “Since now,” she
said. “Being new makes you more vulnerable to attacks.”

“
Attacks?”

Rocket smiled, seemingly amused. “Yeah, that’s what I
said.”

I stared
at her, but she offered no consolation.

“
Welcome to the wild, Brone.” She pointed at my new attire,
raised both eyebrows, then walked away.

Trim simply waited, arms still crossed over her chest. So I
slowly slid off my chalk-blue T-shirt, something I’d bought at a
thrift shop a few months ago, and replaced it with the leather. It
hung loosely over one shoulder, leaving the other shoulder
completely bare. I couldn’t quite tell whether this was the actual
design or poor craftsmanship.

“
Appreciate that while you have it,” I heard.

I followed the voice. It had come from Eagle. She was slouched
against a slanted birch tree, sharpening a blade.

“
Sorry?” I said.

She smirked, her turquoise eyes gazing into me to the point of
discomfort. “Your bra.”

I suddenly realized that everyone was looking at me. Had they
all been watching me change? I became fully aware of my red bra
straps, which were clearly visible at both my shoulders. Had they
expected me to remove it? I noticed most of them weren’t even
wearing bras; those who were had made them using tight leather,
which offered no support, but rather, a flattening
functionality.

“
Just sayin’,” Eagle said, now striking harder with her rock,
“that’s a luxury most us islanders don’t have.”

I couldn’t tell whether she’d simply stated a fact or had
blatantly threatened me. Her eyes remained glued to me for a
moment, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. She
struck harder, and I noticed a few sparks spit in all
directions.

“
Ignore the bird,” Rocket said, flicking her wrist out at
Eagle. “Come on, put the pants on.”

So I slid off my jeans and replaced them with the rugged,
uneven pants Trim had so graciously given me. I wiped a line of
sweat off my forehead. It was so humid. Hadn’t they thought of
sewing shorts instead?

Rocket must’ve read my mind, because she laughed and said,
“Yeah, it’s hot. Can’t be wearin’ skanky shorts with all them
poisonous snakes around here.”

My eyes
widened. Snakes? Poisonous?

The others laughed. I didn’t understand how any of this was
funny. Had I seriously been dropped on an island, surrounded by
dangerous creatures and poorly civilized women? When would the
government come back for me? How would I know when my three-year
sentence was up? I didn’t have a calendar. I didn’t have my iPhone
to keep track. I just wanted to go home. I wanted to slip into my
favorite satin pajamas and spend the night lazing on my leather
sofa watching reality television.

“
Let’s have a look,” Rocket said, standing me up straight. She
eyed me from top to bottom. “Ain’t Prada, but it’ll do.”

“
All right, enough already. This ain’t no fashion show. Murk
isn’t gonna wait around. You know the rules,” Biggie said. Her
muscular dark brown arms were crossed over her chest and her lips
formed a flat line. She was the darkest skinned of all the women,
and she was built like an ox—her shoulders wide and her chest
robust.

“
What rules?” I asked.

I knew I was pushing my luck asking so many questions, but I
wanted answers. How was I supposed to be calm in such a situation?
I’d just been dropped on an island to rot for three years. How
would I even know when my sentence was up?

“
You ever read Harry Potter?” Eagle asked.

I
nodded, not quite understanding the relevancy.

“
Think of Murk as the island’s sorting h—”

“
Shut up!” Fisher hissed. “We were all forced to face the
island blindly. Brone isn’t any different.”

Eagle looked away, not daring to challenge Fisher. I didn’t
blame her. Fisher was the toughest-looking woman I’d ever seen,
aside from Trim. She was definitely a mixed race, with dark hair
pulled back and round black eyes. She was short, with broad
shoulders that gave her the appearance of a professional wrestler.
I could tell she was Trim’s right hand by the way she hovered
nearby, constantly glancing her way like a pit bull on guard, as if
ready to pounce on anyone who posed a threat.

Trim glanced back at us, at Fisher, and then said, “Fisher’s
right. Let’s go.”

She turned toward the sun and led us through an array of
trees, plants, and flowers. I could hear birds chirping from above,
followed by other sounds I was unfamiliar with. I flinched when I
heard a monkey—or a chimp—scream ahead of us. The women didn’t seem
bothered by this at all.

I watched my every step, careful not to step on any
hard-shelled critters or giant spiders. I’d seen jungles in movies
before, so I knew what I was up against—sort of.

Trim led us farther and farther away from shore, and I
couldn’t help but feel that the deeper we ventured, the more we
became vulnerable to Mother Nature.

It was just like I’d seen in the movies. Everything was green
or brown, with the exclusion of colorful flowers routed at the base
of overly large trees. Even the water flowing through a narrow
stream nearby had a greenish tint, most likely due to
reflection.

I breathed in the scent of wild flowers, which masked the
subtle scent of moist dirt and widespread mildew. I wouldn’t get
used to this. I’d always been disgusted by the smell of my cat’s
litter box; I used to remedy the problem by spraying excessive
amounts of air freshener throughout my apartment. And I wasn’t the
outdoorsy type. I’d never survive.

Trim suddenly crouched, and the others followed. Rocket tugged
on the back of my shirt to bring me down. What was going on? I
parted my lips to speak, but Rocket nudged me in the ribs. I
noticed Fisher’s nostrils flare and her muscles bulge. She wanted
to fight. But who? Or what?

I heard
the cracking of forest vegetation in the distance, and my heart
began to race. I suddenly realized that aside from these women
surrounding me, I was entirely unprotected. The others had blades
and spears and even arrows, yet I had nothing. How was I supposed
to defend myself in the event of an attack?

Eagle slowly slid a wooden arrow from its quiver on her back.
She placed it against the bowstring and drew it back, her gaze
fixed intently on her target up ahead. I held my breath, fearful to
lure in the unseen predator.

Eagle’s eyes narrowed, and she suddenly released the arrow.
Her bowstring made a snap-like sound, and her arrow whistled
through dangling vines and past several tree trunks. There was a
squeal in the distance followed by rapid footsteps and the stirring
of leaves. Eagle bolted forward, and the others followed, leaving
me at the back. I hurried to follow, but the moment I arrived at
the site of her wounded target, I cringed.

Across the root of a tree lay a dying boar, its eyes wide and
its head swaying desperately from side to side. Eagle pulled a
rusted hatchet from her holster, grabbed the pig by one of its
tusks, and raised the weapon over her head.

Rocket barely had time to warn me to look away when Eagle
swung downward at the boar’s neck. The sound of impact nauseated
me. There was a violent squeal, followed by another blow and
another and another until the boar stopped moving entirely. Eagle
stepped onto the boar’s body, and with a hand on each one of its
tusks, pulled upward. I nearly threw up at the sound of flesh and
soft tissue tearing.

“
Nice shot,” Trim said, staring down at the arrow that
protruded from the animal’s chest.

“
Thanks.” Eagle raised the boar’s head to eye level, analyzing
its face, tusks, and teeth. “Better than my last,” she
said.

I threw my hand over my mouth at the sight of blood dripping
from the wild pig’s severed head. Rocket laughed and squeezed my
shoulder.

“
You get used to it,” she said.

Eagle wiped her bloody blade against several vines to clean
it, then quickly sliced through one of them before placing her
blade back into its holster. The thick, green rope-like plant fell
to the ground with a thump. Eagle wrapped the vine around the boar
and secured it by tugging hard. She then bent over and tore her
arrow out of the boar’s chest. She inspected it quickly, then wiped
it and tossed it back into her quiver.

“
Need help?” Fisher asked.

Eagle shook her head and began dragging her kill through the
forest’s bed.

“
That looks really heavy,” I whispered.

“
That’s nothing,” Rocket said. “Maybe two hundred pounds, at
most. A while back, Eagle killed one that was at least five hundred
pounds. Had to cut it up to bring it back to the
Village.”

I
grimaced.

“
The Village?” I asked, suddenly enthused by the prospect of a
civilized society.

“
What were you expecting?” Flander said, her wrinkled face
suddenly near mine. “You were dropped off on an island with over a
thousand square miles of land, along with hundreds of criminals.
You really think it’s a free-for-all? Humans are social creatures.
We wouldn’t survive without each other.”

I noticed Rocket roll her eyes, as if to say, ‘Old woman. Here
she goes again…’

“
How do you know all of this?” I asked.

“
I do my research,” Flander said.

“
Let’s keep moving,” Trim interrupted.

She
continued her lead through the jungle, hacking away at the
overpopulation of tree branches and vines.

“
Hundreds of criminals?” I whispered, leaning in toward
Fisher.

She nodded all knowingly.

“
Are they all in the Village?” I asked.

She smiled, as if this had been the dumbest question she’d
ever heard.

“
Like any society, Kormace has its outlaws and its rebels. And
like any prison, women fight to hold a position of power,” Flander
said. She wiped several beads of sweat away from her shiny forehead
and gazed around, as if paranoid of being heard. “A few years ago,
someone challenged Murk. Didn’t agree with the way she was running
things. Long story short, she and her loyal followers were removed
from the Village. Rumors say they moved to the north of the island
and created their own society. They’re dangerous—merciless. They
attacked a while back, killing a dozen women in their
sleep.”

I swallowed hard. Flander paused, and I knew she was vividly
reliving that terrible night. I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d
lost anyone she truly cared about.

She
cleared her throat. “The Northers all deserve to be
killed.”

“
Fucking right,” Rocket interjected.

Fisher joined in on the conversation, shaking a clenched fist
in the air. “I’ll be the first to rip off Rainer’s fucking head!”
Her muscles bulged out from underneath her tanned skin, and I could
tell she’d been born to fight.

“
Rainer?” I asked.

Trim
stopped walking. She slowly turned around, as if insulted by the
very name.

“
Their leader,” she said scornfully.

“
Whatever you do,” Rocket warned, “don’t mention that name in
front of Murk.”