Escape From This
Tension In The Ranks
“Scarlett, no!”
Randy, the black girl, stepped forward very quickly and pulled Scarlett firmly back by the arm. “We don’t know anything about this girl. For all we know she might be from somewhere else. It might be alright. Back down.” Scarlett did not move. Randy took a small breath. “I am telling you to back down this second. I shall do the talking here.”
After a small pause, Scarlett, not before bumping into Lottie hard, backed down. She joined the tall boy called Frank and watched as Randy turned to face Lottie.
“Are you with them?” asked Randy, calmly. “We’ll know if you are, so don’t bother to lie.”
Lottie blinked and looked at the group in desperation. “With who? I don’t know what you’re talking about, I swear!”
Randy pushed the strands of hair that had escaped from her long, black ponytail. “The Daymen. Are you working on behalf of the Daymen.”
“I don’t know who the Daymen are, I swear to you!” promised Lottie, tears welling up in her eyes as she clocked the knives and pointy objects dangling from their belts. “Can I go home, please?”
“Send her home, Miranda!” called out Scarlett, heartlessly ignoring Lottie’s terrified voice.
“Did I tell you to give me your opinion?” replied Randy coldly. “I don’t want to hear another sound leave your mouth.”
“Please, miss, I didn’t mean to wreck anything for any of you! I was just at my boyfriend Russell’s house – at a party – and I slipped on mud in the garden - ”
The lie helped make Lottie feel a little braver. At least in this world, Russell could belong to her quite happily, blissfully unaware of the commitment he was involved with. From behind Randy, Lottie saw Scarlett starting to cry and the boy Frank enveloping her in a tight embrace. Lottie could not hear what was said between them.
“Randy,” the Asian boy looked nervously at her, “we...what are we doing?”
Randy looked down, considering the question and then replied, “We’re going away now, Ragnar. The girl’s coming with us.”
Scarlett’s sobs grew louder, physically shaking in Frank’s arms, groaning ‘no’ over and over.
Ragnar looked outraged. “We can’t just leave! What about Scarlett? We can’t just let this happen – it’s a fucking disgrace,” he added, jerking a thumb in Lottie’s direction.
“But I want to go home,” whimpered Lottie.
But no one was listening.
“How can you do this to Scarlett?" demanded Ragnar, furiously. "And we’ve wasted months, for nothing, just waiting. And you’re telling me that’s all for nothing?”
Randy replied quietly after a short pause, “Perhaps it hasn’t all been for nothing.” She too nodded towards Lottie. “I think...in the long run, it’s good that certain things have come to light.”
Ragnar exploded then. “What does that mean? What a heartless thing to say!”
“Rag!” growled Frank from the side, still clutching Scarlett tightly to him.
“So, you’re saying that out of this has come some good?” Ragnar snorted rudely, giving Randy a rough push in the shoulder. “I mean, if you believe that then...”
At that moment, the short boy who had up until now been crouched on the ground jumped to his feet and gave Ragnar a very forceful shove in the chest, with a surprising amount of strength considering his size, causing him to almost topple over.
“Fuck off! You ever touch her again and - and I’ll kick your head in!”
Ragnar immediately squared up to Randy’s protector with a slight sneer, “Whatever, Jack. Even with your manly demonstration, she’s still not going to sleep with you.”
“Resort to whatever cheap shot you like, Rag!” replied Jack, now shaking in anger, “But this is what we signed up for. We all did,” he added, turning to Scarlett and Frank significantly. “We had a plan - ”
“Which was all for nothing now,” spluttered Ragnar but Jack continued.
“Nevertheless, all is not lost. And we put Randy in charge because we recognised she could lead us.”
“I know,” said Ragnar, suddenly sounding regretful. “I know. Randy...what can I say? I promise you, your leadership is something I believe in with all my being. I know you can lead us out of this. I won’t question your authority again.”
“I accept your words.” Randy sounded satisfied. “But you know what I’ll do if you do it again.”
Ragnar nodded, looking genuinely very sorry.
Lottie had watched this exchange from behind her hands, her back pressed up against a stone wall. The backdrop to this terrible row was taking all her attention now as the five in front of her began to pick up their belongings. There were a few rugs that Jack was fervently rolling up on the floor and the remains of a medium sized fire.
Beyond the tiny camp, there were five, possibly even six fields the size of football stadiums, and behind that, Lottie could see the outside of a gigantic city. The fields surrounding it were all bare, devoid of grass, trees and human life.
“What’s your name again?” she heard Randy asking her. She sniffed pathetically as she repeated her name. “Stay close to Jack. You’re coming with us now. Do as you’re told at all times. Cross me or jeopardise our escape in ANY way and we’ll leave you to the mercy of the Daymen. Understand?”
“But, please, can’t I just go home?” begged Lottie. “If you could just tell me how to get back there...?”
But Randy was shaking her head. “Don’t ask to go home. It’s out of the question for now. You won’t be able to handle it. Got that?”
And, because there was no alternative for the time being, Lottie nodded.
“Good. Away we go then.”
Randy, the black girl, stepped forward very quickly and pulled Scarlett firmly back by the arm. “We don’t know anything about this girl. For all we know she might be from somewhere else. It might be alright. Back down.” Scarlett did not move. Randy took a small breath. “I am telling you to back down this second. I shall do the talking here.”
After a small pause, Scarlett, not before bumping into Lottie hard, backed down. She joined the tall boy called Frank and watched as Randy turned to face Lottie.
“Are you with them?” asked Randy, calmly. “We’ll know if you are, so don’t bother to lie.”
Lottie blinked and looked at the group in desperation. “With who? I don’t know what you’re talking about, I swear!”
Randy pushed the strands of hair that had escaped from her long, black ponytail. “The Daymen. Are you working on behalf of the Daymen.”
“I don’t know who the Daymen are, I swear to you!” promised Lottie, tears welling up in her eyes as she clocked the knives and pointy objects dangling from their belts. “Can I go home, please?”
“Send her home, Miranda!” called out Scarlett, heartlessly ignoring Lottie’s terrified voice.
“Did I tell you to give me your opinion?” replied Randy coldly. “I don’t want to hear another sound leave your mouth.”
“Please, miss, I didn’t mean to wreck anything for any of you! I was just at my boyfriend Russell’s house – at a party – and I slipped on mud in the garden - ”
The lie helped make Lottie feel a little braver. At least in this world, Russell could belong to her quite happily, blissfully unaware of the commitment he was involved with. From behind Randy, Lottie saw Scarlett starting to cry and the boy Frank enveloping her in a tight embrace. Lottie could not hear what was said between them.
“Randy,” the Asian boy looked nervously at her, “we...what are we doing?”
Randy looked down, considering the question and then replied, “We’re going away now, Ragnar. The girl’s coming with us.”
Scarlett’s sobs grew louder, physically shaking in Frank’s arms, groaning ‘no’ over and over.
Ragnar looked outraged. “We can’t just leave! What about Scarlett? We can’t just let this happen – it’s a fucking disgrace,” he added, jerking a thumb in Lottie’s direction.
“But I want to go home,” whimpered Lottie.
But no one was listening.
“How can you do this to Scarlett?" demanded Ragnar, furiously. "And we’ve wasted months, for nothing, just waiting. And you’re telling me that’s all for nothing?”
Randy replied quietly after a short pause, “Perhaps it hasn’t all been for nothing.” She too nodded towards Lottie. “I think...in the long run, it’s good that certain things have come to light.”
Ragnar exploded then. “What does that mean? What a heartless thing to say!”
“Rag!” growled Frank from the side, still clutching Scarlett tightly to him.
“So, you’re saying that out of this has come some good?” Ragnar snorted rudely, giving Randy a rough push in the shoulder. “I mean, if you believe that then...”
At that moment, the short boy who had up until now been crouched on the ground jumped to his feet and gave Ragnar a very forceful shove in the chest, with a surprising amount of strength considering his size, causing him to almost topple over.
“Fuck off! You ever touch her again and - and I’ll kick your head in!”
Ragnar immediately squared up to Randy’s protector with a slight sneer, “Whatever, Jack. Even with your manly demonstration, she’s still not going to sleep with you.”
“Resort to whatever cheap shot you like, Rag!” replied Jack, now shaking in anger, “But this is what we signed up for. We all did,” he added, turning to Scarlett and Frank significantly. “We had a plan - ”
“Which was all for nothing now,” spluttered Ragnar but Jack continued.
“Nevertheless, all is not lost. And we put Randy in charge because we recognised she could lead us.”
“I know,” said Ragnar, suddenly sounding regretful. “I know. Randy...what can I say? I promise you, your leadership is something I believe in with all my being. I know you can lead us out of this. I won’t question your authority again.”
“I accept your words.” Randy sounded satisfied. “But you know what I’ll do if you do it again.”
Ragnar nodded, looking genuinely very sorry.
Lottie had watched this exchange from behind her hands, her back pressed up against a stone wall. The backdrop to this terrible row was taking all her attention now as the five in front of her began to pick up their belongings. There were a few rugs that Jack was fervently rolling up on the floor and the remains of a medium sized fire.
Beyond the tiny camp, there were five, possibly even six fields the size of football stadiums, and behind that, Lottie could see the outside of a gigantic city. The fields surrounding it were all bare, devoid of grass, trees and human life.
“What’s your name again?” she heard Randy asking her. She sniffed pathetically as she repeated her name. “Stay close to Jack. You’re coming with us now. Do as you’re told at all times. Cross me or jeopardise our escape in ANY way and we’ll leave you to the mercy of the Daymen. Understand?”
“But, please, can’t I just go home?” begged Lottie. “If you could just tell me how to get back there...?”
But Randy was shaking her head. “Don’t ask to go home. It’s out of the question for now. You won’t be able to handle it. Got that?”
And, because there was no alternative for the time being, Lottie nodded.
“Good. Away we go then.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Jack describes Randy as the battle flag to his vaccuum bag. He heralds her as a Goddess, their leader and, most importantly, his best friend.Thanks for reading!