Apocalypsis 03 - Exodus

“Wake up, girls. It’s time to change the way the game is played.”
    The warriors around her were all nodding. It looked like a party of bobble heads.
    “Soooo, you’re all, like, girl-power, is that it?” asked Winky.
    “Girl power on steroids is more like it,” said Rob, sounding freaked out. “I guess it’s a good thing you still need sperm for your plan to work out.”
    Rainbow glared at him. “For the time being. But that could change.”
    Rob gulped.
    She looked back at me. “The moon is full and up. Our festival is starting.”
    “What festival?” I was trying to stall, trying to come up with a plan.
    “The fertility festival.” She looked over her shoulder and yelled, “Bring them out!”
    A couple girls left the fire circle and ran up the stairs.
    “Who are you bringing out?” I asked.
    “Our Eves.”
    “Eves … as in Adam and Eve?”
    She nodded, waiting for me to say something.
    “Let me guess … this is your Garden of Eden.”
    She shrugged. “We do our best.”
    Reason is not going to work with this girl . I panicked, not knowing what else to do. The warrior girls were coming out of the front of the house now, followed by three girls in white, see-through dresses. As they descended the stairs and reached the fire, we could plainly see they were naked underneath.
    “Please!” I begged, resorting to Plan C. “Don’t do this! I love him! I really do! I can’t let you force him into this!” I took a step forward and the nearest girl reached out her arm to stop me.
    I reacted automatically, grabbing it and twisting it around so hard and so quickly, it popped at the elbow, causing her to scream and drop her weapon. She bent over, cradling her wounded limb to her.
    Rob dove to the ground, coming up with the big knife in his hand, waving it in front of himself, threatening anyone who came near with a beheading.
    “Don’t even think about it!” he yelled at a girl who looked like she wanted to give him a go.
    I kicked the girl I’d just injured in the side of the face while she was bent over, sending her into the weeds, and then spun to face the Rainbow Girl, my fists up by my face and elbows in at my stomach, protecting myself as best I could from whatever assault I was about to suffer.
    No one moved a muscle. The heavy breathing of the girl in pain disappeared and a slight breeze blew through our group, moving the white dresses of the vestal virgins standing by the fire. Time stood still, and every muscle in my body was tense and ready to get to the work of survival against very bad odds. My eyes flicked up to Bodo, and I wondered if I’d ever get the chance to tell him I loved him before we both died.
    The wail of the canner baby broke the silence, and I saw its little hands waving outside of the blanket from the corner of my eye. I didn’t dare look over, knowing there were threats on every side of me just waiting for me to be distracted.
    A shriek came from the top of the stairs. “No! Wait! Stop!” came a young girl’s voice. The slap, slap, slapping of bare feet on marble reached my ears before the vision of another girl in white appeared at the top of the stairs.
    She was young, maybe fourteen or fifteen, her long blonde hair flowing out behind her as she ran down from the entrance to where we were all gathered. Her dress was longer than the others and she was wearing underclothes beneath it, making her look a lot less hedonistic than her sisters-at-arms.
    “I heard a baby!” she yelled. “I know I heard a baby! Don’t try and lie and tell me I didn’t, Kiersten!”
    Rainbow Girl sighed heavily, gesturing to the young, demanding girl who’d just arrived at her shoulder and was now peeking over at us.
    “Strangers? Meet my sister, Melody. Melody? Meet the strangers, who yes, have a baby with them. You can’t have it.”
    Melody stepped out from behind her sister’s back and approached, holding out her hand demurely. She looked like an English princess with the way she did it - so formally and graciously. I stood up straight, allowing myself to fall out of fighting stance, taking her hand numbly to shake it, not sure if I were dealing with another lunatic or just a young girl who was a little lost. She was no threat to me, that was for sure, so I allowed myself to feel a measure of security in front of her.
    “So nice to meet you,” she said, smiling and revealing a perfectly straight set of large, white, toothpaste commercial teeth. “Welcome to our