and sigh.
He unzips his coat and pulls aside the layers of clothing. “We all have these,” he says and points at one of his tattoos. Unlike the others, it’s crudely drawn, as though he didn’t have it done in a parlor with clean needles and sterile equipment. Post-apocalyptic, definitely.
“It shows our affiliation.” He adjusts his clothing and rezips his coat.
Not mafia. I’m thinking inner-city gang.
“For one thing, it’s a brotherhood. We’ve got each other’s backs. We do whatever it takes to defend our territory. Die for it if necessary.”
“How big is your territory?” If Sadie’s Bend is now a part of it, that’s at least twenty miles of…whatever they call themselves.
Axel shrugs. Again. That seems to be sign language for I’m not going to answer you.
“I know you think we’re violent,” he says. “I guess we are to a point, but we don’t kill unless we have to, and we never kill for pleasure. We never hurt the innocent ones—”
“Yeah, right.”
“—unless they won’t cooperate.” He flicks me a look. “You asked.”
I look to the sky. I’m looking for answers, but all I see is a mass of dark brownish gray. I cock my head. “You defend your world, you defend each other, and you try not to hurt the little people. Is that it?” Sounds pretty lame to me.
His lips twitch. “No stealing or lying to each other. No disrespecting other members of the gang. Don’t get in another guy’s business unless he’s breaking the code. You want more?”
“I want all of it.”
His eyes sparkle. “And I’ll give it to you. I promise.”
I throw my hands up. It still burns when I pee. “What is it with guys?”
He grins. “We don’t kill women or children. No torture, no rape, no roughing them up either.”
“Hey, wait a minute. That’s not true. Look what happened back at the house.”
He raises his eyebrows. “You asked me to.”
My chest burns. “I did not.”
“You begged. Twice, I remember.”
“Oh, now come on…” The guy is delusional.
“Please fuck me, Axel, fuck me hard,” he says in a falsetto voice.
“Shut up!”
He’s laughing, and I shove him. Hard.
“You blackmailed me.”
“You could have said no. I was prepared to leave.”
“Yeah, and tell the whole town I’m the slutty girl who wore a thong to the MTV music awards.”
He chuckles. “Like I said. You chose.”
I remember something else. “What about those twenty guys who were ready to gang bang me the second you left my house?”
He has the grace to look ashamed.
I choke on my own spit. The bastard. “You lied!”
“You don’t put the moves on another guy’s girl either,” he says as though he doesn’t notice that I’m seething. “You do and it’s a challenge. You’d better be real sure you want her and real sure you’ll win the fight. It’s a fight to the death.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. What happens to the girl if her…claimer…loses?”
“It’s up to her whether she accepts the new guy.”
“Oh, well, at least you’re democratic about it. This is barbaric. You realize that, right?”
He is all soberness now. “It’s necessary.”
“It is not.”
“You lived in that little town in the middle of nowhere. It was like the apocalypse completely skipped you guys. It’s not like that out here, Melody. It’s nothing like what you’re used to.”
“Just because you choose to—”
“There is no government. No police. No food, and nowhere to get it. You want to eat? You want protection? You get in with a gang. A good one.”
He’s right. I don’t know what the world is like. To me, the apocalypse is winter with no electricity. To the rest of the world, who knows what it is? “Are there any women gang members?”
“No.”
Nice. “Then what do the girls do? Hide in bunkers?”
“Girls are protected by their men. You get claimed by a member of the gang, the gang will protect you.” His face softens. “I’ll protect you.”
The
He unzips his coat and pulls aside the layers of clothing. “We all have these,” he says and points at one of his tattoos. Unlike the others, it’s crudely drawn, as though he didn’t have it done in a parlor with clean needles and sterile equipment. Post-apocalyptic, definitely.
“It shows our affiliation.” He adjusts his clothing and rezips his coat.
Not mafia. I’m thinking inner-city gang.
“For one thing, it’s a brotherhood. We’ve got each other’s backs. We do whatever it takes to defend our territory. Die for it if necessary.”
“How big is your territory?” If Sadie’s Bend is now a part of it, that’s at least twenty miles of…whatever they call themselves.
Axel shrugs. Again. That seems to be sign language for I’m not going to answer you.
“I know you think we’re violent,” he says. “I guess we are to a point, but we don’t kill unless we have to, and we never kill for pleasure. We never hurt the innocent ones—”
“Yeah, right.”
“—unless they won’t cooperate.” He flicks me a look. “You asked.”
I look to the sky. I’m looking for answers, but all I see is a mass of dark brownish gray. I cock my head. “You defend your world, you defend each other, and you try not to hurt the little people. Is that it?” Sounds pretty lame to me.
His lips twitch. “No stealing or lying to each other. No disrespecting other members of the gang. Don’t get in another guy’s business unless he’s breaking the code. You want more?”
“I want all of it.”
His eyes sparkle. “And I’ll give it to you. I promise.”
I throw my hands up. It still burns when I pee. “What is it with guys?”
He grins. “We don’t kill women or children. No torture, no rape, no roughing them up either.”
“Hey, wait a minute. That’s not true. Look what happened back at the house.”
He raises his eyebrows. “You asked me to.”
My chest burns. “I did not.”
“You begged. Twice, I remember.”
“Oh, now come on…” The guy is delusional.
“Please fuck me, Axel, fuck me hard,” he says in a falsetto voice.
“Shut up!”
He’s laughing, and I shove him. Hard.
“You blackmailed me.”
“You could have said no. I was prepared to leave.”
“Yeah, and tell the whole town I’m the slutty girl who wore a thong to the MTV music awards.”
He chuckles. “Like I said. You chose.”
I remember something else. “What about those twenty guys who were ready to gang bang me the second you left my house?”
He has the grace to look ashamed.
I choke on my own spit. The bastard. “You lied!”
“You don’t put the moves on another guy’s girl either,” he says as though he doesn’t notice that I’m seething. “You do and it’s a challenge. You’d better be real sure you want her and real sure you’ll win the fight. It’s a fight to the death.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. What happens to the girl if her…claimer…loses?”
“It’s up to her whether she accepts the new guy.”
“Oh, well, at least you’re democratic about it. This is barbaric. You realize that, right?”
He is all soberness now. “It’s necessary.”
“It is not.”
“You lived in that little town in the middle of nowhere. It was like the apocalypse completely skipped you guys. It’s not like that out here, Melody. It’s nothing like what you’re used to.”
“Just because you choose to—”
“There is no government. No police. No food, and nowhere to get it. You want to eat? You want protection? You get in with a gang. A good one.”
He’s right. I don’t know what the world is like. To me, the apocalypse is winter with no electricity. To the rest of the world, who knows what it is? “Are there any women gang members?”
“No.”
Nice. “Then what do the girls do? Hide in bunkers?”
“Girls are protected by their men. You get claimed by a member of the gang, the gang will protect you.” His face softens. “I’ll protect you.”
The
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