The Feral Sentence - Part One Read Free

was up? I didn’t have a calendar. I didn’t have my iPhone
to keep track. I just wanted to go home. I wanted to slip into my
favorite satin pajamas and spend the night lazing on my leather
sofa watching reality television.
    “ Let’s have a look,” Rocket said, standing me up straight. She
eyed me from top to bottom. “Ain’t Prada, but it’ll do.”
    “ All right, enough already. This ain’t no fashion show. Murk
isn’t gonna wait around. You know the rules,” Biggie said. Her
muscular dark brown arms were crossed over her chest and her lips
formed a flat line. She was the darkest skinned of all the women,
and she was built like an ox—her shoulders wide and her chest
robust.
    “ What rules?” I asked.
    I knew I was pushing my luck asking so many questions, but I
wanted answers. How was I supposed to be calm in such a situation?
I’d just been dropped on an island to rot for three years. How
would I even know when my sentence was up?
    “ You ever read Harry Potter?” Eagle asked.
    I
nodded, not quite understanding the relevancy.
    “ Think of Murk as the island’s sorting h—”
    “ Shut up!” Fisher hissed. “We were all forced to face the
island blindly. Brone isn’t any different.”
    Eagle looked away, not daring to challenge Fisher. I didn’t
blame her. Fisher was the toughest-looking woman I’d ever seen,
aside from Trim. She was definitely a mixed race, with dark hair
pulled back and round black eyes. She was short, with broad
shoulders that gave her the appearance of a professional wrestler.
I could tell she was Trim’s right hand by the way she hovered
nearby, constantly glancing her way like a pit bull on guard, as if
ready to pounce on anyone who posed a threat.
    Trim glanced back at us, at Fisher, and then said, “Fisher’s
right. Let’s go.”
    She turned toward the sun and led us through an array of
trees, plants, and flowers. I could hear birds chirping from above,
followed by other sounds I was unfamiliar with. I flinched when I
heard a monkey—or a chimp—scream ahead of us. The women didn’t seem
bothered by this at all.
    I watched my every step, careful not to step on any
hard-shelled critters or giant spiders. I’d seen jungles in movies
before, so I knew what I was up against—sort of.
    Trim led us farther and farther away from shore, and I
couldn’t help but feel that the deeper we ventured, the more we
became vulnerable to Mother Nature.
    It was just like I’d seen in the movies. Everything was green
or brown, with the exclusion of colorful flowers routed at the base
of overly large trees. Even the water flowing through a narrow
stream nearby had a greenish tint, most likely due to
reflection.
    I breathed in the scent of wild flowers, which masked the
subtle scent of moist dirt and widespread mildew. I wouldn’t get
used to this. I’d always been disgusted by the smell of my cat’s
litter box; I used to remedy the problem by spraying excessive
amounts of air freshener throughout my apartment. And I wasn’t the
outdoorsy type. I’d never survive.
    Trim suddenly crouched, and the others followed. Rocket tugged
on the back of my shirt to bring me down. What was going on? I
parted my lips to speak, but Rocket nudged me in the ribs. I
noticed Fisher’s nostrils flare and her muscles bulge. She wanted
to fight. But who? Or what?
    I heard
the cracking of forest vegetation in the distance, and my heart
began to race. I suddenly realized that aside from these women
surrounding me, I was entirely unprotected. The others had blades
and spears and even arrows, yet I had nothing. How was I supposed
to defend myself in the event of an attack?
    Eagle slowly slid a wooden arrow from its quiver on her back.
She placed it against the bowstring and drew it back, her gaze
fixed intently on her target up ahead. I held my breath, fearful to
lure in the unseen predator.
    Eagle’s eyes narrowed, and she suddenly released the arrow.
Her bowstring made a snap-like sound, and her arrow