Page 54 of Harmless
An answer came to me that was too horrific to fully comprehend. I shoved it away, dismissing it despite the ample evidence of what had been done to me and all the other men I shared space with in this hellhole.
I was brought before a set of stairs leading up to a platform with a slanted roof, held up by four support beams. Four women stood at the edge of the platform, shoulder-to-shoulder. They were all older, in their fifties or sixties, and dressed far better than everyone else.
My escorts with guns and everyone who’d watched us had been in simple, clearly re-used clothes. Not everything fit right or went together, like they’d just grabbed things from a secondhand store.
These women had on long coats that were tailored and looked brand-new, a clear sign of their elevated status, as if being ten feet higher than everyone wasn’t enough. The youngest of the group also liked her jewelry, with a gold medallion hanging from her neck and no less than three rings on each hand.
I was shoved to my knees on the ground at the base of the stairs and kept my gaze on the first concrete step in front of me.
“Look at us, male,” one of them snapped.
I looked up, blinking at a sky that was overcast but still too bright.
The oldest of the women smiled down at me, sinister and pure evil. “You’ve done us a great service. So much so that the Dark Mother requested you herself. She is impressed by you.” The woman brought her hands behind her back. “And we are not easily impressed bymen.”
She spat out that last word while a tittering laugh rose up from all around. Whatever this was, it seemed that quite the audience had gathered.
“We’ve canceled the blood sacrifice for this full moon to celebrate instead,” said another woman on the stage. “Ten daughters from one source is such a blessing. Praise the Dark Mother!”
My nausea returned while everyone else cheered. Ten…ten fucking kids that I never wanted or consented to. Children I had no rights to. And that was just girls.
While my gut churned like an angry sea, my eyes darted around for something to focus on so I could just fucking breathe. To my right, I saw another woman lifting a baby high in the air as she cheered. Oh God, I was going to be sick…
“The Dark Mother wishes to remind you all,” said the bejeweled woman, “that our work is far from done. In order to turn the tide against the men who have taken everything from us, we need more daughters. More sisters in arms. Thanks to our benevolent goddess, our power grows. But we cannot stop here. Not until,” she looked down and extended a hand in my direction, “every man is on his knees before us.”
More cheering. More bile in my throat.
The two center women on the platform stepped away from each other, and I was forced to my feet. “Come and meet our goddess,” said the older one coolly. “Men don’t usually get the privilege until right before they are sacrificed.”
I resisted going up the steps, but the guns against my back and ass ensured I went up there regardless. Once on the same level as the four elder women, I saw the dark red and brown stains in the gray concrete, all creating pathways toward strategically-placed drains.
Screams filled my head. Memories of waking up to blood dripping on my forehead crashed to the forefront of my mind. Oh God, they did ithere. Right above where they kept us all prisoner. Every new and full moon, they sacrificed men to their so-called goddess. Spilling as much blood and causing as much pain as possible in retribution for millennia of the subjugation of women.
Only when the guns braced against my back did I realize that I had backed away. I wanted off this platform, off this ride, out of this body that was just a tool for them.
The bejeweled woman extended a palm to me, her smile deceptively warm. “Don’t be afraid, male. You will not be sacrificed this moon cycle or the next. The goddess still has much use for you.”
“Please, I don’t…”
I didn’t even know what I was begging for. They would never stop. Never put me out of my misery. Never let me go.
Was this goddess even real? Or was everyone just brainwashed by these cult leaders?
“Don’t waste this privilege,” the bejeweled woman warned. “The goddess may even let you live long after your service is fulfilled. You could watch your daughters grow up.” Her voice grew low. “As long as you understand your place,male.”
Yeah, right. Watch my daughters grow up to hate and hunt down men? I didn’t want to be around for any of that.
A breeze picked up, and the cool air felt like fingers moving along my neck. A comforting touch and a reminder that I wasn’t alone.
Hold on, my son.I remembered the voice from days ago, when the wind howled angrily outside my prison.I have not forsaken you. I am everything their goddess wishes she could be.
Maybe I was losing it and this sense of calm was just my brain disassociating to protect myself. But I wasn’t ready to die yet.
“I understand,” I said, lowering my gaze humbly. “I am, uh, honored by the privilege.”
The woman looked pleased and turned toward the far side of the stage. “Follow me.”
When I went after her, my armed escorts and the others stayed back. There was a shade tent at the far end of the covered platform, even though it wasn’t sunny.
