Each of my family members were present in the living quarters when I entered, tipped off, no doubt, by the superiors that had already sent out the word of my transfer.

"Oh, honey." My mother said, seeing my tears. "It won't be so bad. You get to start a family!" I wasn't imagining things; she was honestly happy. My father, to my horror, was also beaming like a mad-person.

What about the fact that they're forcing me into it? What about the fact of never seeing your only daughter again? What about the fact that I won't be able to keep a single one of my children? I wanted to ask them, but I just couldn't. I bit my tongue and hugged them each in turn, knowing that their behavior wasn't a fault of their own, but a product of living the compound life for so long. They were brain-washed.

I looked at my brother, who seemed angry. "At least you're getting out of here. You won't have to give them your blood anymore." He grumbled.

No, I thought, only my newborn children. Again, I bit my tongue. I nodded and gave him a swift, one armed hug.

Finally, I went to Grandma in her rocking chair, who was the only one with sense enough to be sad. I embraced her as though she were my lifeline. "I love you, Gramma." I told her between sobs.

"And I love you, my darling girl." She said aloud, then she whispered, "I worried about this, but you'll be fine. I'll tell him all you need to know."

Her words were caught by ears only, and I kissed her soft cheek before whispering my acknowledgement and gushing some more about how much she meant to me.

Then the superiors came, practically dragging me away. I barely had time to grab the green blanket Gramma had knitted for me. I didn't bring anything else, because they said there were clothes and anything else I may need already there.

•••

I was being escorted by two nameless superiors, both male, both as cold and indifferent as Starsky had been to my plight. They were on either side of me, each of my triceps wrapped within the grasp of their firm, cold, evil hands. They didn't care that they were dragging me, powerlessly, to be forced to mate with a stranger.

Anxiety built as soon as we neared the compound's exit. I'd never in my life been outside, and since I'd calmed down from my initial shock and failed attempt at escaping, I was starting to feel pretty darn scared. I was like a caged mouse being snatched up by someone, knowing her fate was to be thrown to a hungry snake.

The door slid upward and the night air rushed upon me. It wasn't like the breeze I felt from my window. This air was surrounding me, rather than blowing lightly through the small spaces of the bars. The moans of the deaders carried with the wind, low and menacing. They could probably smell me, wherever they were. If I could have, I'd have ran back inside in an instant, be glad to be safely locked in with my family, but those days were over. I knew that as sure as I knew my nose was on my face. There was a great possibility that I would never see them again.

The wind chilled my face where moist tears had fallen. The vehicle was waiting there to take me to my doom. I can't describe it in any greater detail than to merely say it had wheels and it was black - I don't know much about vehicles. The superiors tossed me in it, like I was a child's discarded toy, and I bumped against someone inside with a loud, "oof!"

"Hey, easy." A voice I didn't recognize said.

One of the superiors shut the door and I skittered to the side, leaning against it, to face my companion on this fateful journey. It took me a moment to recognize him, and another moment to remember his name.

"Dusty?" I guessed.

"Harper? Wow! What luck." He brightened.

"We have to get out of here." I whispered, hoping the glass or whatever was in front of us, keeping the drivers separate, was sound proof, since I now knew exactly how well the superiors could hear.

"Are you kidding? We get to be together." He declared, clearly ecstatic at the idea.

"You're the one they want me to . . ." I sputtered, unable to finish.

"Er... is that a bad thing?"

What could I say? Was he too dense to see the messed up-ness of the situation? I just stared at him, and apparently he took it as an insult.

"Hey, I know I don't have fangs or stupid superior good looks, but I'm sure I can give you what you need." He spat.

"What I need?"

To my disgust he grabbed his crotch.

"I bet that superior didn't have what I got. Don't worry. You'll forget about him in no time." He vowed.

I didn't know what was worse, the fact that he made the foul gesture, that he assumed I'd been intimate with Hector, that he assumed I was actually going to be intimate with him, or that he was entirely different than the timid boy who'd given me a birthday gift only the night before.

I chose to not reply to his foul comment at all, and instead focus on getting out.

There were two ways in which doors opened. One way was a switch, the other way was by voice.

"Door open." I tried.

Nothing happened.

"Rear driver side door open." I tried again.

Still nothing.

I ran my hands along the smooth side looking for a button with no luck, and realized I had no idea what I would do if I found one anyway. I couldn't hope to escape alone and get very far, and Dusty didn't seem very interested in escaping. He seemed to be growing angrier by the moment as I made attempts.

"Door, please, open." I said, short on hope, and to my surprise, it finally did.

My heart sank as the superiors came into view again on the other side. It had taken only a few short minutes to reach our destination. They snatched me out roughly.

"Hey, don't ruin the merchandise." I heard Dusty order behind me.

One of the superiors turned to him and snarled. They never take orders or even requests from firsties. Clearly Dusty was a moron. While the superior made his displeasure apparent to Dusty, I let his words fade out as I looked around me.

The building in front of us appeared to be constructed of the same boring metal material they seemed to favor so often, much as my old compound had been. I didn't get a chance to look back at it, but I had seen them on programs so many times - they all looked the same. This one, however, would be somewhat different on the inside. There would be no dining area; the meals would be prepared and taken to the rooms. The only reason that came back to me from the program I'd watched months before, was because I was thinking of all possibilities, and I knew I would have no chance to get close to an exit once locked in there. Between the two guards on either side of me, I had no chance outside either. My only shot was in the vehicle, and I was too ignorant to get the door open. I was angry with myself, but more than anything I was dreading being locked in a strange room with a vulgar jerk.

The superior finished telling Dusty off, and we were moving again. Then something odd occurred to me: they weren't escorting Dusty, they were merely leading him, yet they felt I needed two escorts? What had I done that could possibly warrant two? One superior had more than enough strength to handle a female firsty. It was possible they'd overheard Hector's promise to help me, and were expecting him to make good on it. They were leaving no open windows. Would they go as far as to do something to him to keep him from coming?

The superiors stopped in front of the thick metal door, so I stopped as well. A moment passed, then the door slid upward and they walked me inside. I was feeling more trapped than ever as I listened to the door settle back into place. I struggled, instinctively, but the superiors held tight. For all they knew, I hadn't even twitched. My mind was playing my doom on repeat in my head: rape, pregnancy, labor, my child stolen away. I blinked and realized we'd started going up stairs. We may have walked up three, four, or even five flights. I should have paid attention, should have been counting them so I would know exactly where I had to go if, by chance, I ever got the chance to get out of there, but I couldn't. My mind was clouded.

Finally, we stopped at a door and they tossed me inside, Dusty following proudly. As the door locked us in and the superiors out, Dusty grinned at me. It was a sinister grin, even more cold than the superiors fighting on the programs. When I didn't return his smile, it faded, leaving a grimace in its wake.

"You'll just have to get used to the idea of being with a living man." He spat.

I started to ignore him again, especially since he was still assuming things he had no proof of, but curiosity got the better of me.

"What happened to you?" I asked. "You were nothing like this-"

"What happened? The tables have turned. You, flaunting around in those skimpy clothes, fancying yourself untouchable, except obviously for that filthy superior. But now, I don't have to try to get your attention, I don't have to go through all the boring, embarrassing stages. I don't have to just stare at you anymore while you ignore me. Now, you're mine."

Dusty advanced on me like a starving deader, wrapped his arm around my waist, and tried his best to lay his lips on mine. His free hand groped at me roughly as I struggled to push him away. He was strong, not as strong as Hector, not even close, but he was doubtlessly stronger than me. I knew what was about to happen.