Light, Glorious Light

Sheltered

A ceiling lamp swung back and forth, blinding for an instant before passing by to shine its light in a shadowed corner.  It returned, and passed again to cast its light on the opposite wall.

The sound of metal scraping across metal seemed to synchronize with the light, loud then low only to become loud once more.

Together they caused a hypnotic rhythm.

Akiva wasn't sure how long she watched the light and listened to the scraping sound, but it took her some time to recover her wit.  With that came realization.  She was laying down on a hard surface.  She was cold.  She was naked.  She smelled earth, and a sharp tinge of iron.  Akiva attempted to sit up and found she was restrained.  Her wrist, her head, her feet, all securely fastened.  Pain lanced through the back of her head, and nausea muddled her already jumbled thoughts.

"Don't you puke, girl.  Ish and I just cleaned you up."  The woman's voice was unfamiliar, her accent held the twang of the southern waste.

"Where am I?"

"Oh, where are my manners?  This is The House of Saxon, and I am Sarai named after my mother and her mother before her."

"How did I get here?"

"Oh, Ish must have hit you too hard... that boy gets carried away sometimes."

"S... someone hit me?"

"Yeah, girl, and pretty hard from the sound of it."

"Whe-"

"It couldn't be helped.  Ish found you all late and the grabbers were out in force.  You probably woke em up, we don't usually get more than a handful in a given night."

The scraping noise stopped and Sarai stepped into view.  She was a large woman with oily gray hair and a large growth above her left eye.  Her lips were thin, her skin sallow.  She wore a filthy shirt and an apron covered in dubious stains.  In her right hand was a file, the other a rusty butcher knife.

"Your fiery-headed friend gave my boy a black eye before his brother, Zack, could get her under control."  The woman laughed and ran her blade across the file.  "The little one went down easy enough."

Akiva saw small glimpses of a dark tunnel, a man removing his goggles and smiling.  He said he was so glad to see them.  He said they hadn't had guest for dinner in weeks.

"Who are you people?  Why are you doing this?"

"My husband, Sebastian, was a Red Rocks seed boy.  My ma stole 'em for me as a parting gift before she kicked me out of the homestead.  Me and Sebastian found this old facility and set up shop."  Sarai returned to the shadows, sharpening her tool.  "He died a few years back of the purple pus, but he left me my three boys: Ish, Zack, and Sebby.  We and their wives live here comfortably.  We feed off the land and the razor horns, and anything else that wanders our way."

A door opened out of view, and someone entered the room.  He was large and breathed heavily.  Akiva could smell his rotten breath from across the room.  She tried to crane her neck to get a better glimpse of the room, but the restraints held fast.

"Ma, Tick says that red reaver piece of meat broke my nose!"

Akiva listened to the whistles of his nostril and had to agree with Tick.

"If your wife says it's broken, then it's broken."

"Damnit!  I hate reavers."

"Ish, do these women look like reavers to you?"

"They're dressed like reavers..."

"With armpads?"

"Maybe they stole em."