Alexis watched as William, Ryan and Miguel stepped away, disappearing into the flickering shadows, heading to intercept the incoming patrol. “Let’s get to it.” she addressed her two remaining companions and turned towards the two houses up the road which housed the captives. As she walked she quickly checked her Character Sheet to see if she had levelled up, but no dice. The experience penalty for killing sapients was stiff and even the numerous decently levelled opponents they had taken down wasn’t enough to gain her more strength. In a way she was glad that she hadn’t levelled from the fight, she already felt guilty that they had killed these people, despicable as their behaviour was. Levelling up as a result would probably only have reinforced that feeling she contemplated.
Alexis realised that these thoughts were her procrastinating, trying to calm her welling sense of unease. Alexis wasn’t looking forward to experiencing the conditions in the two houses. She suspected, or rather feared, that it would leave her with deeply troubling memories and for a moment cowardly contemplated leaving Celeste and Mike to deal with the situation. As they reached the first house Kira growled softly beside her, so, steeling herself as if for an unpleasant task, Alexis lifted the locking bar and stepped inside the dark entrance.
The stench that assaulted Alexis left her eyes watering within fractions of a second. She gagged and then immediately started breathing through her mouth. Indistinct shapes were cowering away from her, pressed against the walls and one another. It was dark inside, so she was spared the unpleasantness of actually seeing how bad the conditions were. The overpowering smell of unwashed bodies, faeces, pus, sickness and blood told her enough. Her Identify told her that all the prisoners within her field of view were male, malnourished and low levelled. With a soft voice she started calling out, crooning that it was alright, that they were safe now. Like coaxing a young animal, she thought in despair. Hesitantly the first man approached, carefully moving closer step by agonising step. Alexis shied back from his rancid stench before he could reach her, stepping back and out through the door.
As soon as the way was open the man darted past her, then past Celeste and past Mike who only got out a short “Hey, wait up…” before the man disappeared into the shadows around the edge of the property. Alexis continued calling out to the others. Several rushed away and the three of them didn’t have the heart to stop these, others gathered around them. Eventually someone dared a question. “What do you plan to do with us?” The question near broke Alexis’ heart. These people had been abused to such an extent that they couldn’t even fathom that they might have been granted their freedom. What had been upstanding citizens a mere three weeks ago now more closely resembled beaten and abused dogs, shying away in fright from anyone that might have the power to hurt them.
“Nothing, actually. We actually came to free you. But we cannot support your entire group, at least not beyond an immediate helping hand. I suggest that you gather the weapons of your dead captors and head east along the road to Kapp’s Hotel. There is shelter, food and water available there. At least enough to last you a few days. We’ll probably send more people your way soon. Either to find shelter or to help out a bit.” In her mind she thanked John and Lizzy for suggesting that they deposit some resources at Kapp’s for the freed captives. The others should already have enacted that part of the plan. As they couldn’t afford to be burdened with more hungry mouths to feed and didn’t want to risk exposing the fortress to people that might be able to sell them out or even directly attack them in future it was a good approach to help them. Helping these people get started at Kapp’s would also create goodwill and they wouldn’t remain a burden on the group.
“Why’re there only men here?” Alexis regretted the question the second it had been voiced. The group in front of her visibly flinched and the brave questioner murmured “The girls are in the other house,” and then even quitter added “those that are left at least.” Alexis could imagine what had happened to the girls, especially the prettier ones. Rushing over to the other house she left Mike with the men, his presence wouldn’t be conducive to the situation they would face. Celeste, furiously grinding her teeth, marched right beside her. Some of the revellers they had killed earlier were women, who clearly had been willing participants in the matter. She angrily remembered that some of the people still on patrol were women too.
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The sight that greeted her when she entered the women’s abode would leave her with nightmares for the foreseeable future. The house was more or less clean, barely any stench was present. But the haunted eyes of the empty shells staring her way were infinitely more traumatising than the deplorable hygienic conditions of the prior prison. She made her way deeper, all the ghosts shying away from her, regardless of the fact that she was a women. When she couldn’t bear the vacant stares any longer she turned around and with a soft “Follow me.” fled the house.
Several men were now gathered outside, waiting. Alexis surmised that their spouses, or God beware, their daughters, were among the surviving women. The anger on their faces was palpable, but they didn’t dare enter the dwelling that housed so much pain for fear of exacerbating the agony. A minute later a matronly women was the first to emerge, sobbing when she recognised one of the young men outside.
“Mom!” the heartrending exclamation broke the last of Alexis’ resolve and with tears running down her face she moved away and to the group at the first house to provide what healing she could, limited as it may have been to physical ailments. She couldn’t deal with the emotional trauma any longer and so, sitting on the dead lawn outside, she only healed the occasional liberated captive that approached her. Unable to muster the will to move from her position until Ryan approached her, a bound and gagged women in tow, it was all she felt capable of. The anger that ignited within her at the sight of the female abuser finally roused her from her stupor and she dragged the women, which was one she had previously requested William to capture, around the corner by the scruff of her neck.
Once they were deep into the night she cut through the rag binding the gag in place and incoherently shrieked at the wicked witch. It took a long moment before she reigned in her anger enough to enunciate a question: “Why? How could you?” When the answer that came was “Because they were weak.” she lost herself. The only thing she could see through the haze of anger where her fists pounding into the face of the bound woman. Alexis couldn’t necessarily recollect why she was hitting the face in front of her while Kira whining next to her. The twang of a bowstring and the jerk of the body before her startled her out of her mindless rage.
“Why?” she hissed at Ryan, fuming.
“Because you don’t want to go down that road.”
“She deserved it.” Alexis ground out between her teeth.
“Yes, but you don’t deserve to become this. You deserve better.”
“I don’t…”
“You don’t want to go down that hole” Ryan interrupted her.
Suddenly finding herself sobbing Alexis collapsed on the corpse in front of her. “I hate this world.”
“No, you don’t. You can do great things now. Humans will remain humans. This world is not at fault. The System is not at fault. It didn’t force them to become the scum they were. It didn’t make them who they were. It doesn’t force you to become someone you’re not. It may enable you to become someone you were meant to be.” Ryan’s voice was insistent, but the words fell on deaf ears. She didn’t want to entertain a reality where she had to deal with such atrocities.
She continued sobbing for some time, the reassuring presence of Kira nuzzling her and Ryan standing guard allowing her to wallow in the grief of her lost innocence. Eventually, she managed to gather what was left of her psyche. A new determination rising within her caused her to speak words she would have never expected to hear out of her own mouth: “Okay, let’s deal with the other group. I want every single one of the fuckers dead and their captives freed before the sun rises. We’re finishing this tonight!”