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After eating, some of the fourteen- to fifteen-year-olds clear up the leftovers and head out to get the dishes and pans cleaned while the sixteen- to nineteen-year-olds join me in our meeting.
I stand toward the front of the tent, up at the podium and I project my voice. “Thanks for being here and being committed to the fight. I believe that no matter where you go next, no one will ever be able to take you against your will again. You have the power to protect yourself against several attackers if necessary and that’s pretty awesome already. But it’s about that time again where I need to ask the question if anyone feels like this is too much for them to handle and want to leave this camp and opt out of this mission? With everything you’ve seen so far, how lethal it can be and what our aims are, do you still want to be a part of this fight? If not, say something now. I promise you’ll be able to walk away and never look back. I just ask that you keep what you’ve seen and heard so far to yourself.”
I wait to see if anyone will stand and take me up on the offer. No one raises their hands, no one stands. “Great. No one wants to leave?” I ask again just to be sure. Still nothing. “Awesome, well, let’s begin our meeting. Over the next few months, I will be tasking each of you with your new assignments. This assignment will be to prove your loyalty to the cause but first I want to know; Are you willing to die during this takedown?!”
The crowd of teenagers join in a chorus-like, “YES!”
“Are you ready to knock down doors to trafficking rings and traffickers, free victims and victimize the attackers?!” I shout.
“Yes!” they respond.
“Are you willing to do anything and I mean absolutely ANYTHING to accomplish this goal?!” I ask.
“Yes!!” they yell.
“You’re willing to obey my commands and keep my location from whoever may ask regardless of who they are, what their threats are or how much money they’re offering you?!” I ask for confirmation.
“Yes!!” They reassure me.
“Do you promise to protect our secret society?!” I say.
They agree. “I want you to remember why you’re doing this. Why are you doing this?” I point at Selena.
“I’m doing this for all the helpless kids who can’t fight back! Babies who have no clue what’s happening, whose first introduction to the world is a life of abuse and violence.” Her voice cracks. “All the babies I couldn’t save before, all the babies who died by the hands of perverts! I’m doing this to prevent hospital staff from getting away with their nasty fuckery!” she screams.
The group of recruits holler and hoot, clapping aloud and stomping their feet in agreement, in sorrow and in passion for justice. I smile and point at Jaya. “And why are you doing this?”
“I’m doing this for my youth that I can’t get back, that creeps stole from me. I’m doing this to get back at not just the pimps but the buyers who were willing to pay to sleep with underage girls! I want to step in their faces, tear them apart, spit on them and light them on fire as they burn before my eyes!” she shouts with tears she manages to keep from falling, tightening the muscles in her face so that she appears cold and deadly. My heart leaps for her.
“And you!” I point at another recruit. “Why are you doing this?”
“I’m doing this for my sister. We were trafficked together, but she was a lot more rebellious and she was murdered by our pimp for it. I’m doing this for a friend who was picked up by a john who didn’t want to pay for it so instead he slit her throat and dumped her body in a river. My pimp recovered her body and buried it so that authorities wouldn’t find it and didn’t give a shit about sending us back out there without protection when you would fucking imagine that since they beat the fuck out of us when we don’t meet our quota, they wouldn’t want us to turn up dead without their fucking money. You’d think they’d want to protect their fucking “cargo!” We knew the john who did it, all he got was a beating and a warning but girls were still sold to him. I was even sold to him once. I had to lay there while he fucked me, hoping that would be as bad as the nightmare got and I’d at least be able to leave with my fucking life. I want the pimps and johns to burn in fucking hell! That’s why I’m fucking doing it!” she yells.
I point out several recruits asking them their reasons for doing it and once I am satisfied with their answers, I continue. “We all have dark pasts, came from dangerous backgrounds where we were the ones being controlled by people who saw us as nothing more than objects. Now we’re going to be the ones in control. The ones who use and abuse others for their own fucking pleasure? They’re going to see us in their nightmares. Our scents will be the ones they can’t run from, and will never forget. They’ll think of us and their skins will crawl. They’ll think of us and they’ll weep, begging for an escape from their thoughts. We’re gonna flip the script. Are you fucking ready, girls?!” I say with a big old grin.
They hoot.
“We’ll start at the top!” I continue. “We’ll take down the enablers first. I want us to send a message but I don’t want them to know who it’s coming from yet. I want you guys to understand something. What I’m about to tell you to do, I’m more than capable of doing, myself. This is not a situation where I’m asking you to do my dirty work. I’ve been getting my hands dirty and I do this because it thrills me. I’d do this just for fun. So I want you to understand that the reason I’m asking you to do this is for loyalty. I want you to prove that you stand by everything you agreed to today. I want you to stick to your word! And I want to know who I’m working with! I don’t want to work with pussies! And once this is done, if we can pull this off, we’ll be closer to leaving this mountain and joining society in disguise. If you’re unable to pull this off, you will not be harmed, but you will be imprisoned until the war is over, then should there be any of us who survives, you will be released once we’ve accomplished what we’re setting out to do! We can’t have recruits who are liabilities, so again, this is your last and only chance to walk out of here, without any consequences.” I wait for a response.
Nothing. Huh. Okay. “Well then, recruits. Over the next few months, I will select at random one of you. You will be assigned to a government official or head officer. You will bring me their heads. And this is not just a form of expression.” I stare at each and every one of them, causing a pause in the room. “You will cut off their heads and bring them to me.” I can see the shock register on their faces. Disgust even. That’s fine as long as they can get through their own disgust to do what must be done. I get disgusted, myself. It’s only human.
I finish. “If you can do that, I’ll know you’re loyal. And I’ll know we can return to society as soon as you’ve advanced to a level of combat that is nothing short of perfection.”
Chapter 1
Julissa | Now
I’msittingintheliving room of the home I bought from one of the luxury real estate agencies here in Las Vegas. I specifically chose this agency because of its corrupt connections. After receiving a list from the agent who sold me this house with all the names of people he’s sold to, I killed him before he could file my information away somewhere. I haven’t completed my investigation of everyone on the list yet but I know that I’m sure to find quite a number of human traffickers on it, especially those who benefit the most from this whole organized crime shindig.
Jaya stops by to hang out, she likes coming over here. We try to pretend we’re normal, talking about things teenagers should have to worry about. She also loses her mind over the high ceilings and chandeliers and all that jazz.
The doorbell rings and we both look at each other. We reach for our weapons and she follows me to the door. I look through the peephole and I only see a jacket. Jaya stands behind the door, her weapon cocked, as I open it to see Ren.
“Hey!” I beam and throw my arms around his neck before looking around him to see if he was followed and ushering him inside. Jaya puts her weapon away and relaxes.
“Mmm.” He squeezes me and rubs his hand over my short blond hair. I cut it short when we were in the mountains because I didn’t want to have to worry about caring for it out there. I got used to the ease of wearing it like this so when I left the mountains and came here, I realized that I actually pull it off quite well, especially when it’s taken care of. “I got something for you,” he says, handing me the briefcase he was holding in his hands.
“Is it what I think it is?” I ask while running over to the clear glass table in the corner of the room in front of shelves of liquor over a bar.
