her head and didn’t let
the woman get a grip on any of her body-parts. She started dragging her
backwards as Gayle kicked and flailed, forced to hold Magali’s wrist with both
fists to avoid losing her scalp.
Mercilessly, knowing that it was
the only way she was going to keep the both of them alive, Magali kept a grip
on the woman and kept moving. Her studded egger’s boots slid uncomfortably
with the combined slippery nature of the tunnels and Gayle’s struggles, but she
got them to the mouth of the chamber before Gayle managed to grab hold of the
wall and halt her progress.
“Let go of me!” Gayle screamed.
In its corner, the Shrieker’s fleshy body flinched in a spasm.
Magali dropped to her knees and
slapped a slimy hand over Gayle’s mouth. With her other hand, she punched the
woman in the temple as hard as she could.
Gayle’s eyes went even wider and
took on a dazed look. Magali punched her again three more times, just to be
sure. Then, getting shakily to her feet, she grabbed Gayle’s shirt and dragged
the unresisting woman from the room. The Shrieker watched her go, its tail
still thrashing the mucus.
Magali struggled for almost an
hour to drag the woman through the low tunnels of the Shrieker mound and back
to the big metal door that she had left open in her panic. Anna was struggling
in the doorway, the tall, lanky foreman squatting in front of her and holding
her squirming body in place with both hands.
“Dude. Kid. They’re not gonna
Shriek,” Joel was telling her. “You can’t come in here. Get back in there
with the other eggers.” Joel let go of Anna and stood when he caught sight of
Magali and her burden. He blinked. “What happened?”
Magali dropped Gayle at his
feet. “She’s got the Wide,” she panted, wiping slime from her face with her
forearm. The action brushed the bite-wound and she grimaced at it, realizing
she had probably spread as much blood across her face as slime. “I hit her a
couple times to stop her yelling.”
Wordlessly, Joel handed her a
rag. After she’d spent a few moments cleaning crimson from her face, he said
softly, “That’s Gayle Hunter. You sure she’s got the Wide?” The way he
said it, Magali was accusing God himself of mental illness.
Magali let the rag fall away from
her face, glaring. “She was trying to pet a Shrieker. Named the damned thing David .
Yeah, I’m sure.”
Joel’s eyes were fixed on the
unconscious woman with anxiety. “Gayle’s the chief foreman. It’s not gonna go
over very well with the Director.”
“She was going to start up a
Shriek!” Magali cried. “Anna, tell him.”
“Look, I believe you,” Joel
said, giving Anna a strange glance before returning his gaze to Magali. “No
need to get the kid involved. I’m just saying that this gal played poker with
the Director every Thursday night. Renewed her contract willingly when her
five years was up. That sort, if you know what I mean. It’s gonna look bad
you beat the crap out of her on your first day. You’ll probably wind up in the
stocks by midnight.”
“Then tell them you did
it,” Anna interrupted.
Joel grimaced down at the girl.
“Not sure that’ll fly.”
“Magali just saved your life,”
Anna said. “You make it fly.”
Joel cocked his head in the same
manner as the Director earlier that morning, the hawk-in-the-henhouse type look
that Magali had come to know so well. Instead of arguing, though, he only
said, “Okay.” He glanced down at Gayle. “I’ll have to come up with a good
reason for being in the women’s side, though.”
“You were having sex with my
sister,” Anna said.
Joel blinked at her.
“Don’t worry,” Anna said.
“They’ll just slap your wrist. Everybody does it.”
“Anna!”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Not has
sex with you. Goes to the opposite side to have sex. Nobody has sex with
you. You’re as sexually
the woman get a grip on any of her body-parts. She started dragging her
backwards as Gayle kicked and flailed, forced to hold Magali’s wrist with both
fists to avoid losing her scalp.
Mercilessly, knowing that it was
the only way she was going to keep the both of them alive, Magali kept a grip
on the woman and kept moving. Her studded egger’s boots slid uncomfortably
with the combined slippery nature of the tunnels and Gayle’s struggles, but she
got them to the mouth of the chamber before Gayle managed to grab hold of the
wall and halt her progress.
“Let go of me!” Gayle screamed.
In its corner, the Shrieker’s fleshy body flinched in a spasm.
Magali dropped to her knees and
slapped a slimy hand over Gayle’s mouth. With her other hand, she punched the
woman in the temple as hard as she could.
Gayle’s eyes went even wider and
took on a dazed look. Magali punched her again three more times, just to be
sure. Then, getting shakily to her feet, she grabbed Gayle’s shirt and dragged
the unresisting woman from the room. The Shrieker watched her go, its tail
still thrashing the mucus.
Magali struggled for almost an
hour to drag the woman through the low tunnels of the Shrieker mound and back
to the big metal door that she had left open in her panic. Anna was struggling
in the doorway, the tall, lanky foreman squatting in front of her and holding
her squirming body in place with both hands.
“Dude. Kid. They’re not gonna
Shriek,” Joel was telling her. “You can’t come in here. Get back in there
with the other eggers.” Joel let go of Anna and stood when he caught sight of
Magali and her burden. He blinked. “What happened?”
Magali dropped Gayle at his
feet. “She’s got the Wide,” she panted, wiping slime from her face with her
forearm. The action brushed the bite-wound and she grimaced at it, realizing
she had probably spread as much blood across her face as slime. “I hit her a
couple times to stop her yelling.”
Wordlessly, Joel handed her a
rag. After she’d spent a few moments cleaning crimson from her face, he said
softly, “That’s Gayle Hunter. You sure she’s got the Wide?” The way he
said it, Magali was accusing God himself of mental illness.
Magali let the rag fall away from
her face, glaring. “She was trying to pet a Shrieker. Named the damned thing David .
Yeah, I’m sure.”
Joel’s eyes were fixed on the
unconscious woman with anxiety. “Gayle’s the chief foreman. It’s not gonna go
over very well with the Director.”
“She was going to start up a
Shriek!” Magali cried. “Anna, tell him.”
“Look, I believe you,” Joel
said, giving Anna a strange glance before returning his gaze to Magali. “No
need to get the kid involved. I’m just saying that this gal played poker with
the Director every Thursday night. Renewed her contract willingly when her
five years was up. That sort, if you know what I mean. It’s gonna look bad
you beat the crap out of her on your first day. You’ll probably wind up in the
stocks by midnight.”
“Then tell them you did
it,” Anna interrupted.
Joel grimaced down at the girl.
“Not sure that’ll fly.”
“Magali just saved your life,”
Anna said. “You make it fly.”
Joel cocked his head in the same
manner as the Director earlier that morning, the hawk-in-the-henhouse type look
that Magali had come to know so well. Instead of arguing, though, he only
said, “Okay.” He glanced down at Gayle. “I’ll have to come up with a good
reason for being in the women’s side, though.”
“You were having sex with my
sister,” Anna said.
Joel blinked at her.
“Don’t worry,” Anna said.
“They’ll just slap your wrist. Everybody does it.”
“Anna!”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Not has
sex with you. Goes to the opposite side to have sex. Nobody has sex with
you. You’re as sexually