Page 91 of Redemption
“Ah, ah, ah. Language, my good sir,” David admonishes me. “We are in the presence of the more delicate sex, after all. We need to remain gentle with them.” He turns to the women, shackled and caged, wall to wall, filling the entire back half of the room. “Ladies, it’s your lucky night. Allow me to introduce you to someone.” He indicates to me. “This lovely, handsome, virile, young gentleman will be attending the Ascension ceremony this evening.”
Their pale faces peek out from behind the metal bars, sunken eyes and gaunt collarbones shaded in the soft lighting. They’re clothed but just barely, with many only wearing a nightgown or a dress that has seen better days, torn and tattered from overuse and filth.
David walks over to a cabinet, the women’s eyes all tracking him as he makes his way across the room. His polished shoes click on the concrete flooring with each step, echoing in the otherwise empty and cavernous room. Opening the door, he gathers a few loaves of bread before throwing them in each cage as he passes by. The women leap at the food, pawing at the inadequate loaves as they hit the ground before devouring them in seconds.
Starving.
These women are starving.
“Ascension is a day of rejoicing. A day of community. A day of... fertility.” He turns to face the restless eyes at the center.“If we are worthy, some of you may bring the hope of a coming future, to rekindle the fire this tainted world almost vanquished entirely, and bring about a new beginning. This... is Phoenix Rising. This... is our purpose. Eat well, ladies, for tonight, your purpose comes to its fruition.” He smiles down at them, huddled on the floor of their wretched lives, hidden from all the world to see... except for those inducted into the sacred inner sanctum.
Where I’m about to be inducted into...
“Right then.” He turns away from the women and sets his gaze upon mine. “Let’s get you prepared for this evening’s festivities. I guarantee, it'll be a night to remember. And, hopefully, one of great reward for all.”
∞∞∞
After his... presentation, I’m taken to a dimly lit back room in the same building and given a locker. Inside, it contained a set of clothing I was instructed to change into—all of the same color—including a full-face ski mask. I take a moment to look around at the others gathered in the small room with me. Each of them has a similar set of clothes, only of a different color.
Unique yet similar in our burden.
Still perplexed by the entire turn of events, I say nothing and just do as I was told, putting the items on one piece at a time. After David’s speech, I had a theory as to what was about to occur beyond these four walls but dreaded saying it. The thought of such a thing existing disgusted me enough that I was on the verge of vomiting.
And to have it happening right under my nose.
Under everyone’s noses....
Disgusting. Despicable. Deplorable.
It all happens so quickly. Once we finish getting dressed, our group is immediately ushered out to a main viewing hall. At least a dozen others are present, cloaked in heavy, black robes, and lurking amidst the dark shadows of the building’s inner perimeter. The only places illuminated are...
My breath catches at the scene laid out before me: several low-rise tables draped in black linens form a line with women on their hands and knees positioned on the tops of each—not a stitch of clothing on any one of them—their backsides elevated for all those hiding in the shadows to see.
My vision turns red, fists clenched at my sides. I can’t believe I broke bread with these bastards.
My gasp, however, is taken for excitement, as David turns a gleeful look in my direction and then towards the rest of those gathered around me. “Gentlemen, take your positions.” He looks to the man in front of me, dressed in nothing but army green sweats and a matching ski mask. “Mr. Green, if you would be so kind as to take the place in front of this altar.” He moves to a marked space in front of a red-headed woman, already quietly crying. “Yes, perfect. The rest of you, please fall in line with your designated areas. Once everyone’s situated, we can begin.”
Stunned, we walk as a unit. The designated spaces are obvious as I find a matching square painted on the floor directly in front of one of the tables. In front of a woman who’s obviously scared out of her mind... on the... on the...
I refuse to call it an altar. These women are not sacrifices, and this place is the farthest thing from a house of religion.
Cult? Yes.
Religion? No.
The woman before me is trembling, visibly shaking on the table. She turns her head back over her shoulder to look at me, a single tear trailing down her face as I see the silent plea in her eyes. Unable to hold myself back, my hand reaches out to catch it, to try and soothe her pain and misery as much as I’m able to during this fucked-up ceremony I refuse to be a part of.
“These will be your wards for the evening. Ladies of Ascension, open yourselves to your Keepers and allow them to gift you the purpose you were born to fulfill. You are the Creators! The blessed ones chosen to craft a new generation! Our new meaning of life! Without you, our existence as a species will perish. It is unto you that we bestow our blessings and our gratitude.” He pauses, turning back to the line of men standing on their painted jail cells. “Gentlemen, you are the Keepers of Life! Without you, procreation is impossible. Especially in this day and age when the contagion has robbed so many of us the ability to do so. You have each passed your first test, and have been recognized as upstanding members of this community. Dependable. Honest. Trustworthy. It is through your gifts that we shall embark on a new nation, conceived right here under the direction of Phoenix Rising. For it is through the rising of the ashes that we shall prevail! Gentlemen of Ascension, it is your duty to lead the charge and provide the means to do so.”
My heart practically beats out of my chest as I look at the women lined up in front of us. An offering. He expects us to have sex with these women in order to regain what was lost.
I’m going to fucking kill that man if it’s the last thing I do.
A new man enters the room wearing nothing but an orange ski mask. Tall, muscular, exceedingly intimidating. Completely naked, he walks around the space as if he doesn’thave a care in the world. As if he’s done this before. As if this is a regular occurrence and he’s just here to get in and out as fast as possible. He takes the space marked with the coordinating color and places his hands upon the woman’s hips in front of him. She startles at the abrupt contact but settles when she sees who’s behind her, silently consenting by tilting her hips slightly for him. Without a word, he thrusts into her, fucking her for all to see. She moans as he drives his cock into her, while the men at the back of the room—clad in robes—begin to adjust their clothing, making room for their hands underneath as they watch on.
I’m stunned speechless at the sight, at their mutual groans echoing around the room, surrounding us as they pick up speed and race as one towards the finish line. The man next to me, however, scoffs and shakes his head at the spectacle. “You’ve gotta be barking mad if you think I’m going to be pressured into having sex with this woman.”
“Oh really, Mr. Green?” David takes an amused step towards him, crossing his arms over his chest nonchalantly. “We might be a little unorthodox, but we’re not crazy. The world needs to be repopulated. There are only so many women left in the world, and as men, it is our duty to help them create lives to replace those lost.”
