What Remains: A Young Adult Coming of Age Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller: The Kim and Kaya Chronicles by Scott W Kimak

Author:Scott W Kimak [Kimak, Scott W]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

The Mother

As Kim’s weary legs pushed forward, every step up the slight incline felt like an explosion, threatening to tear her arm and shoulder apart. The trail wound its way ahead, a treacherous path etched into the unforgiving terrain. She could barely endure the excruciating pain radiating from her limb, but a small respite came when the men handed her a container of water. Its brown hue hinted at impurities, and a bitter taste assaulted her tongue, yet without a single complaint, Kim gulped it down, desperate to quench her thirst.

“My shoulder is dislocated,” Kim said to her captors after she finished drinking. “Let me pop it back into place.”

No response came from any of the men.

Okay, maybe I can work on your ego.

“You on the horse. Are you the leader of your tribe?”

Still no response.

“I heard these two call you, “Sir,” so I thought you might be someone important.”

“I am elder to them,” the man replied.

There we go, big guy.

“Does that mean you’re bigger and stronger than them or older?”

“It can mean both,”

“And who decides that?”

“The Mother.”

“Will the Mother be happy if my shoulder is hurt?”

This brought the horse to an immediate stop, and the rider turned his horse around to face Kim. He looked at the skinny man and said, “Do it.”

The lasso was tied from the horse to both of Kim’s hands, but there was enough slack for the man to pull and twist Kim’s arm. The young woman winced in agony as the skinny man made one hard yank and popped the shoulder back into place.

“Argh!” Kim screamed as she dropped to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Hmph, are you happy?” the leader asked. “Get her up, and no more questions.”

They traveled for another ten minutes without any communication. The terrain became steeper, causing the trail to zig and zag from left to right. Dead trees littered the landscape, so it was difficult for Kim to determine her whereabouts, but at one point, they reached a clearing, and she could see they were climbing a large hill.

I need to find out more about these people if I’m going to have a chance to escape.

“The Mother is the leader of your tribe?” Kim asked.

“Yes,” the rider responded with an annoying sigh.

“And who is the Father?”

“I don’t understand that word. What is Father?”

What the----.

“The Mother is a woman, and the Father is a man.”

“Why would you need the Father? The Mother allows pleasure and brings life.”

What kind of messed up society do these people have?

“What do you mean --- the Mother allows pleasure?”

“She will allow you to give us pleasure like the other women, and she will breathe life into your body. You should feel honored.”

Oh my God.

In stunned silence, Kim continued walking until a few shelters appeared on the horizon. These crude structures, comprising of tents and meager coverings fashioned from tree branches and tarps, dotted the landscape. Men poked their heads through the flaps, eying her with hungry looks.

The makeshift village stretched for approximately one hundred yards, and Kim determined at least fifty people populated this isolated corner of the world.

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