“Too bad, so many of them died, and not a single one seemed sad about it. Just like animals-heartless, inhuman things.” The woman slowly let her twisted grin fade, her gaze growing cold and distant again. That dead, emotionless expression once more settled on her face as she glanced at the natives outside and spoke coldly.
“Why are you here?” Despite feeling some pity, Echo hadn’t forgotten the seriousness of her own situation.
Echo kept her eyes on the woman in front of her. There was no way she came over just to chat. Judging by what Echo had seen from the natives’ brutal actions the night before, they definitely didn’t have good intentions.
The woman looked up at Echo, and for a brief moment, a flicker of pity crossed her otherwise lifeless eyes. But her voice remained as flat as ever. “They know both of us are from the outside. They sent me to explain what you’re supposed to do, the rules here, and what’s about to happen to you.”
Echo’s heart sank as she responded firmly, “Go ahead.”
While Echo listened, her hand instinctively reached for the earring she wore, discreetly activating a communication channel. She had no idea if Ryan was okay or if he was coming for her, but this was her only connection to the outside world right now.
“Whoever captured you is now your husband,” the woman said in that same indifferent tone, making Echo’s eyes widen. “Soon, they’ll take you to what they call their sacred water to cleanse your body, so you can bear their offspring as soon as possible.”
Her voice continued, and every word chilled Echo to the bone. “Your only role from now on is to give birth to their children. Nothing else will be required of you. But remember one thing-don’t try to escape. If you’re caught, they won’t just kill you. No, it’ll be worse than death. You won’t even be able to die if you want to. But don’t worry, you won’t have to endure the torment for long. The radiation here is too strong. None of us will live for much longer, so the suffering won’t last forever.”
The woman’s eyes reflected a twisted sense of relief mixed with her hopelessness. The look in her eyes was unbearable, and the coldness in her voice made it hard to believe she had been so hysterical just moments earlier.
Echo felt a chill run down her spine as she glanced outside. The natives moved around, occasionally casting wild, animalistic glances their way. Their apelike bodies and beastly stares sent a shiver through her.
Taking a deep breath, Echo muttered under her breath, “I have zero interest in playing out some ‘Beauty and the Beast’ story.”
“How many of them are there?” Echo asked, forcing herself to stay calm. All her fear had faded, replaced by cold determination. She knew now she had no one to rely on but herself.
The woman gave Echo a brief look and shook her head slightly. “About a few hundred,” she said, sounding as if she had lost all hope in everything. There was no more detail, no extra words-just cold, indifferent despair.
“Then…” Echo was about to ask more when the grass door suddenly swung open.
A native with a missing arm stormed in, shouting something in their incomprehensible language. Echo glanced at the woman, unsure of what was being said.
“I don’t understand their language,” the woman said, standing up quickly. “But I think they’re telling us to go outside.” Without sparing Echo a glance, she walked out ahead.
Echo was still trying to process everything when, suddenly, pain shot through her arm. She was yanked out by a burst of brute force.
Looking up, she saw it was the one-armed native. His sharp nails dug into her slender arm, dragging her like she was just a piece of cargo. Echo gritted her teeth, not resisting, and let him pull her outside.
She stumbled along, half-running to keep up with his steps. But after only a few paces, her body was suddenly lifted and then flung to the ground. She hit the dirt hard, instinctively curling up as she rolled. Gritting her teeth in pain, she looked up to see the crowd.
At least a hundred natives were sitting in circles, all coldly staring at her. Their eyes were filled with malice and a crazed excitement that made her blood run cold. They weren’t looking at her like a person, but like a piece of property-something that couldn’t escape them. The feeling of total control in their gazes made Echo’s face tighten in fear, and her body began trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing Echo shivering like a scared little rabbit under their gaze, the natives started laughing, a strange, eerie sound. Some even nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with her reaction. Her trembling only grew worse at this.
Though they didn’t speak the same language, body language was universal. Acting weak and frightened was a way of lowering their guard, making them underestimate her. It was a strategy-whether it would work or not was uncertain, but there was a big difference between doing something and doing nothing.
Amid the unsettling laughter, the one-armed native stepped forward, grabbed Echo by the shoulder, and hauled her up again. With a swift motion, he shoved her down next to him, pressing her into the dirt as he sat himself down without a care.
The rough treatment, coupled with her already injured body, left Echo pale with pain. But she clenched her jaw tightly, refusing to cry out. In a place filled with enemies, weakness wasn’t an option. Strength was the only thing that mattered here.
Once the one-armed man sat down, a group of native women entered the circle. After a bit of bustling, they built a fire in the center, tossing large chunks of meat onto the flames, and roasting it over the dry wood.
Echo huddled in a ball, glancing around cautiously. She spotted the woman who had spoken to her earlier, sitting not far away. There were no other human women nearby-only native ones. She figured the others must’ve died from the intense radiation in this place.
Taking a quick look at the crowd, Echo noticed that about seventy percent of the natives were men. No wonder they were so brutal toward outsiders but spared women-their survival depended on reproduction.
Smack.
A large, roasted piece of meat suddenly landed in front of Echo. She looked up, and what she saw made her stomach churn violently.
Her face turned ashen as she bit down hard, forcing back the nausea. The chunk of meat in front of her, now clear in the firelight, was a human leg. It was roasted all the way down to the foot, and everything from the thigh to the toes was still intact.
The charred yellow color of the roasted meat and its burnt, sickening smell made Echo’s face turn pale several times.
When she looked up, she saw that all the natives sitting around were happily devouring their own portions, biting into arms and legs with gusto. Echo had to dig her nails deep into her legs to stop herself from screaming.
When she tore her gaze away, she caught sight of the woman. She, too, was eating, her expression still blank, as if she were holding a piece of pork or beef. The sight sent a shiver down Echo’s spine. This woman had clearly given in to the overwhelming force here, her humanity completely snuffed out.