Zomblog 05: Snoe's War Read Free Page B

turned a shade of pink which really surprised me. This is not the sort of girl you imagine would blush.
    “Name is Betty, but everybody calls me Ugg.”
    I realized that I would probably regret it, but I had to ask. “Ugg?”
    “On account of me being so damn ugly,” she said as if it were a normal and natural thing to blurt out. I started to say something, but she cut me off. “We got plenty of mirrors here at Warehouse, so don’t try to give me some line of garbage.”
    I shut my mouth and thought about what I would say. When it came to me, I smiled. “Well I am calling you Betty.”
    The big girl looked at me like I was growing an extra arm. I just stared back. When she smiled, it sure did her no favors. She lacked the front bottom teeth and it squeezes her eyes into the folds of flesh that surround them. Also, it did not look like her face was accustomed to such expressions and there was a war going on with the muscles that were responsible for her frowns, grimaces, and scowls and those that helped her smile.
    “And I am gonna call you Princess,” Betty said with a braying laugh that was as unnatural as her smile, but certainly did not lack enthusiasm.
    “I rather wish you wouldn’t,” I said once I felt that she had calmed down enough to actually hear me speak.
    “All the more reason,” she said, her face returning to that sterner countenance that I imagine she felt more at ease with.
    Grabbing my arm, she hauled me around the dorm and introduced me to everybody. I could tell as we approached that everybody, even the boys, had either fear or a healthy respect for Betty. By the time we had made the circuit, I had a bruise about the size and shape of her hand on my upper arm.
    When introductions were over—I could not recall one person’s name that I had met and have the associated face pop up in my mind—Betty stopped beside my bunk.
    “Now listen careful, Princess,” she said in a rough whisper, “you keep your name to yourself. And if anybody asks, you ain’t from Sunset, you from one of the tribes, don’t matter which one. Make up a name you can remember and stick to that story.”
    I wanted to ask why, but at that moment, the double doors on the landing above the dorm area opened and s whole bunch of soldiers in all black with helmets and shields and stuff strapped to their arms and legs barged in.
    “Everybody on your feet, assemble in two lines at the base of the stairs!” a male voice barked.
    Everybody started to scramble. Betty grabbed my arm, causing me to wince as the bruise seemed to act as a magnet for her hand. She looked to be counting and then jammed me between a guy and girl who said nothing at all and simply made room. Then she got in the line across from me.
    “What fresh hell is this?” I muttered.
    Nobody answered or chuckled.
     
    ***
     
    We marched up the stairs and outside. I desperately wanted to look around, but I noticed that everybody—including Betty—stared straight ahead. I locked my eyes on the back of the head of the boy in front of me and followed.
    We came to a halt in front of a long building that had huge roll-up doors all down the side. Every one of them was up revealing a vast structure that had large cages that were probably about twenty feet by twenty spaced all the way down the center of the building. Once inside I was able to count nine such structures.
    “Count off in nines!” a woman ordered.
    I listened as the numbers were ticked off from one to five and then starting over, by the time it got to me, I shouted out, “Three!” just as Betty did the same.
    One of the soldiers yelled for us to go to one of the arena-like cages based on our number. Since Betty and I were both threes, I just fell in behind her. I noticed that she was never first or last. That was something I filed away in case I was ever without her. Funny, but in just this short time, I already feel like I can trust her and consider her a friend.
    Once we were all at the appropriate