“She’ll be the first person we track down.”
He sighs heavily. “I don’t even remember her name.”
He sounds so lost, and my heart aches for him. I can’t imagine what it felt like as a child to be dragged here. And shemust have been out of her mind with worry. “I won’t give up until we’ve found her.”
“Are you ready to face the village?” he asks.
The truth is, I’m so nervous, I feel nauseous. “I owe it to them to explain everything before we leave.”
“What about the families of the forefathers?”
“Without them leading, they’re nothing. I’m not afraid of them.”
He sits up. “I’ll be by your side.”
“Always,” I reply, smiling.
The villagers gather, everyone speculating and voicing their confusion. When the families show, they’re more than surprised to see me at the lectern. The warriors are all behind me with their hands behind their backs. No one suspects they’re free as I didn’t want to scare anyone.
Martha instructs the families to join the villagers, much to their disgust. I tap the microphone, wincing when it makes a squealing sound that pierces my ear drums. “Good morning,” I say clearly, and everyone starts to quiet down. “For anyone who doesn’t remember me, I’m Wynter Sanchez, and I want to explain a few changes to this place.” I take a calming breath. The pressure of having everyone stare at me is too much, but I can’t crumble now.
“Behind me are the four warriors,” I continue. “Ares, though you know him as Wrath, Abraham is Michael, and Maximus and Zeus, who no longer recall their real names.” The crowd becomes unsettled, whispering to each other. “They were taken when they were just boys, ripped away from their own families on the outside and forced to come here to serve the forefathers.”More unsettled chatter continues. “Today, they are free to leave.” There’s an audible silence, followed by some outbursts of shouting about them being monsters. I hold a hand up, waiting for them to settle down.
“They’re not monsters. They’re not warriors. They were trained to fight, force-fed medication to make them bigger and stronger. We were lied to,” I add. “We’ve all been lied to, especially the women.” I scan the crowd until I find Summer, and when my racing heart calms a little, I ask, “How many of you were on the outside?” Lots of people raise their hands. “How many of you are women who were being hurt outside this village by the man who convinced you to come here?” No one raises their hand, and I smile. “You’re safe. I promise they won’t hurt you from this day forward.” After a few seconds, hands begin to raise. “Those men brought you here to keep you tied to them forever. They were promised a life with you where divorce wasn’t possible. They took away your freedom, your money, your families, so they could keep you to themselves and make you fully dependent on them.”
A man approaches the front, and Wrath steps forward, stopping him in his tracks. The crowd becomes hysterical. “Calm down,” I yell. “He won’t hurt you. He isn’t a monster.”
“Where are the forefathers?” someone yells from the crowd.
“They aren’t coming back,” I reply. “They’ve been found out and they’ve ran.”
“They wouldn’t leave,” another yells.
“The gates are open,” I inform them. “Only they have the keys.”
I hear sirens in the background and my heart rate spikes. Martha told me she’d make the call from my father’s office and explain things.
“I need you all to be calm,” I say. “The authorities are coming, and anyone who doesn’t want to stay here should speak to themand get help. I have been assured they’ll help anyone who needs it, but you have to step forward. They will keep you safe.” I scan the crowd, picking out the men in particular. “And for those who have held their wives here, shame on you. You no longer hold the power.”
Wrath
The noise of the sirens is too much, especially with the blue lights flashing. I glance at the other three warriors, who are all squeezing their eyes shut. Wynter notices too. “Can they turn the lights and noise off?” she asks the woman who introduced herself as Officer Jayne Smith. She talks into the radio attached to her vest, and one by one, they begin to turn off. There are so many, it’s almost a comfort. The fact they listened to Martha and actually came is another hurdle crossed.
A man wraps a foil blanket around my shoulders, and I flinch, hating the feeling of being touched by someone I don’t know. He apologises immediately, and I give a stiff nod. “Have you got a name?” he asks.
Wynter turns from her conversation with Jayne. “It’s Ares,” she says. “He doesn’t like to talk.”
“And the others?” he asks.
“They can talk, but I don’t know if they want to.”
Abe clears his throat. “Michael,” he mutters.
“Zeus,” says Zeus.
“Max,” adds Max.
“We’re going to move you all to a nearby temporary hospital to be checked over by medics,” he says, and I immediately look to Wynter, who gives me a reassuring smile. “It’s just on the field next door,” he adds. “We’ve set it up especially for you guys.”
