Free Zomblog 05: Snoe's War by T. W. Brown Page B

suspicion about this weasel of a man—whose name I still did not know.
    “Absolutely not,” the man made a sound that I had to assume was a laugh. “However, if I deliver you to her, then it will secure a place for me in her hierarchy. The tribes are finished. They have no ability to stand up to the force that the NAA wields. Most of these people are little more than farmers and scavengers. They have managed to survive as long as they have by running and hiding. How would you think even for a minute that they could make a stand against a real army?”
    “So you snatch me, turn me over, and then become some sort of pet, able to torture freely without worrying about judgment, without having to pull yourself in before somebody sees that you enjoy what you do?”
    I was really hoping that somebody would show up right about now. I could see the look in this man’s eyes, and something told me that he had already been in contact with Dominique…and that she might have already told him who his first victim would be.
    “If you scream, I will simply kill you here and now,” the man said. To emphasize his point, he let his hand come out from under his fur cloak to reveal the pistol-sized crossbow. He must have noticed me looking past him while I was hoping for help. “It won’t be nearly as much fun, but the results will be basically the same.”
    I wouldn’t have to scream. I saw a shadow moving behind him. What I needed to do was keep my eyes on him and try to keep my face calm. Ever since Mary had pointed it out to me, I had practiced, but I didn’t really know if I was making progress or not; now would be a good time to discover that I was.
    The tent flap parted and in stepped Greg Carrick. He looked at me and then shot a curious glance at my would-be captor.
    “For crying out loud, Spujt (it sounded like ‘spewt’), are you gonna grab her or not, that stupid meeting won’t go on forever.”
    When Greg started to chuckle, I realized that my mouth was open. So much for keeping things off my face.
    “You thought that I was somebody who was going to rescue you or keep Spujter (that sounded like ‘spewter’) here from hauling your skinny butt to Dominique,” Greg said.
    I would have no chance if I didn’t act right away. The odds were already against me, but if I did nothing, I was a goner.
    My mind went through the possibilities. I knew that the moment I reached for a weapon, I would take a bolt, and by the looks of it, there was something coating the tip. It was either poison, or something to knock me out. Either way, that was bad.
    I decided that I had one option. I was pretty certain that they had already underestimated me because of my size. I would need to make this count.
    Bringing up my knee, I caught Spujt in the groin. He scowled, but the effect was not nearly what I had hoped. When he came back with a backhand across my face, I ended up being the one stunned.
    “You screwed up, girlie,” Greg snorted. “Old Spujter hates being reminded of what he lost.”
    I didn’t understand what he was saying. Apparently I was doomed to a life of not being able to hide my thoughts or feelings because Greg chuckled.
    “Spujt is a eunuch.”
    I had no idea what that was, and I would not be having any time to think on it because Spujt the Eunuch fired his crossbow. The bolt caught me in the shoulder and whatever was in the tip worked fast. There was a terrible burning sensation, and then everything went wobbly. I tried to scream because I figured that, if I was going to die, I wanted these jerks to go with me. Unfortunately, the only thing that came out was a pathetic squeak…or at least that is what it sounded like in my ears. The very last thing that I remember is Greg stepping over to me. Looking up at him, he suddenly seemed much bigger. Then, almost like in slow motion, his fist was coming at my face. Slow or fast, there was no way that I could move to avoid it. There was a bright