DISCLAIMERS: GROSS (as in disgusting) part coming up! You’ve been warned so no complaints. Additionally, expect the main characters to suffer miserable climate conditions, high starch intake, verbal and physical abuse, maybe sexual assaults, and the like.

FEEDBACK: Please direct all feedback to p.phair@comcast.net. You can check out more of my writing at http://www.phair1.com

## COWARD

## by Phair

Part 8

Rory snuggled a little closer to the slumbering Rabbit in a futile effort to starve off the chill clutching at her heart. She swallowed for the hundredth time trying to dislodge the lump which settled in her throat when she passed by the ranting but doomed Web. Guilt. It was guilt causing her distress. The guilt over another death at her hands was almost suffocating. Trying to block out the memory, she closed her eyes and a tear escaped. Others were desperate to follow.

"No sleepy?" Rabbit yawned and blinked her own eyes open from a brief nap. "Cry? Rory, you cry? Why?"

Rory sniffed, "It’s nothing. Must of got something stuck in my eye. Go back to sleep. I’m fine."

Rabbit reached up and wiped the stray tear from Rory’s face with her thumb. The blonde head bent to study the drop in the weak light of the berth. Slowly, the head turned from side to side. A small tisking sound rose from Rabbit’s pursed lips.

"No ‘something in eye.’ No fine. Sad. You be sad. These be bitter tears, Rory. Why? Why you cry? Why you cry such bitter tears?" Rabbit asked in a soft, caring voice.

Her lips were within inches of Rory’s cheek. Her warm breath sent goose bumps across Rory’s skin. Involuntary shivers raced down Rory’s spine. Rory’s feelings of general anxiety were quickly shifting to wanton desire. She believed in that moment, there truly was no peace for a wicked heart such as her own.

"I need you to back off, Rabbit," Rory tried to warn the young woman away from her.

"You need something but not be alone time. Rory feel bad. Rory wants something. Want forgetting time?" Rabbit risked meeting Rory’s gaze directly. "Hard on?"

Rory took Rabbit by the shoulders and gently but firmly pushed her to arms length, "Where did you get such a dirty mouth? Don’t say filthy things like that. And no, I don’t have a hard on. Rabbit, women don’t get ‘hard on’ or anything like that. Let’s just leave it that I got dust in my eye and now it’s out. Okay?"

"Cheeks red. Breath fast. I smell something. You smell wet. Nope, nothin’ in eye. You need screwin’ to forget." Rabbit smiled in a reassuring manner, "It okay, Rory. Rabbit do lots of times for rest of ‘em. Everyone gets sad. Fucking helps. Fucking forgets. Me fuck you. You see, you forgets when Rabbit fuck you. Not bad like you think. Not bad fuckin’ like a dyke, you see."

Rabbit tried to get closer. Rory moved her hand forward and connected with Rabbit’s bare breast. She quickly tried to pull her hand away but Rabbit captured her wrist and returned it to her breast.

"Nice, yes? Soft and hard. Sweet, yes? Rabbit tender, yes?" Rabbit asked innocently.

Rory squeezed her eyes shut but that only increased the sensations her palm was receiving, "Oh, God!"

"You feel too bad?" Rory nodded yes as a response. "About Web?" Another yes nod. "Don’t. He bastard. Dick too small. Fist too big. Make me bleed every time. Make me cry every time. Me no like havin’ to cry. He just laugh at Rabbit. He laugh every time Rabbit cry. But, he no laughin’ tonight." Rabbit gave a chuckle.

"Please Rabbit, don’t joke about killing him," Rory begged with fresh tears in her eyes. "Killing is bad. Killing is always bad even if the person dying is no good. It hurts everybody. It makes us animals. You’re too innocent to be cruel."

"Hurts everybody? Hurts Rory here?" Rabbit’s grin faded and she whispered as she touched the tender skin over Rory’s heart.

"Yes."

Rory’s resistance weakened with the admission. She allowed Rabbit to roll her on her back. She let Rabbit snuggle under her chin. Rory gasped when she felt Rabbit’s lips kiss a nipple and hand cradle her sex.

"Rory, please let me. Please. Me want to make you warm inside too. Me want you forgetting. Rabbit make you feel good. Inside and outside good. Promise."

"It’s wrong between women," Rory shook her head from side to side but did nothing to stop Rabbit’s soft touches.

Rabbit giggled, "Not when me do. You see. Rabbit the best. Make you forget. Make you cream."

Rory wept. She didn’t want Rabbit to stop but her mind raced with unspoken accusations.

"Please," she finally begged. "Make it stop, Rabbit. If just for a little while. Make it all stop."

Rabbit kissed Rory’s cheek and then traced small kisses to Rory’s lips. She captured the trembling lips in a tentative embrace. When the lips parted, Rabbit set her tongue and fingers to action to sooth Rory’s pain. Ecstasy came in a whimper. But, it came none the less.

Rory woke sometime later feeling better than she could ever remember. Her body hummed with a warmth that surrounded her. Her limbs were pleasantly tired but not aching. The taste lingering on her lips reminded her of being loved.

Rabbit remained fast asleep. Her head was nestled against Rory’s chest. A light snore rose from time to time.

"Thank you," Rory mumbled as she kissed the tangled blonde hair huddled beneath her chin.

* * *

Rory and Rabbit staggered out of the tent for breakfast together the next morning. They walked hand in hand to get in line. It was a first for both of them but neither was ready to let go of the other just yet.

Rory could not suppress the grin on her lips. Sure, her brain told her she was damned. Sex outside of marriage was a sin by her training. Sex with the same gender was an abomination. Hell was the only fitting punishment for such barbaric acts. But, her body told her it was rested, relaxed, and relieved by Rabbit’s sweet attention. And, she was already condemned to a living Hell. Eternal damnation would just have to wait its turn to torment her.

"I’ll worry about that in another three hundred years," Rory thought to herself.

A low moaning dragged Rory’s attention away from thoughts of her ultimate fate. She scanned the area trying to find the source of the painful cry. Much to her surprise, the frozen remains of Web were melting less than a hundred yards from their cooking fire. She was amazed he got so close to safety before freezing to death.

Web’s body was crouching on all fours. He was covered in a casing of ice which was now sweating under the morning heat. His legs were melting with the ice into pools of gooey liquid which drained into the cracks of the parched ground beneath him.

Rory was about to look away from the disturbing seen when she saw a puff of air filter out through cracks in the ice surrounding Web’s face. Another low moan followed.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Rory backed off two steps and clutched her stomach. "He’s still alive!"

Bearses laughed so hard he went into a coughing fit. "Alive in only the most minimal way, girl."

"What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" Rory screamed over the laughter of the rest of the inmates.

"His body froze but the part of his mind that suffers lives still. Saved by the cold. Or so the guards tell us. It’s science or magic or some nonsense men weren’t meant to understand. In the heat of the day, the ice will melt and so will he. Oh, the fussin’ he’ll be making as he turns into a puddle can hardly be called livin’ now, can it?" Bearses gave a wink and a smirk. "Rabbit, give us all a peaceful breakfast and knock old Web over like a good girl. Let him shatter into a million pieces so we don’t have to listen to him melt and moan and groan and such."

"No Rabbit, don’t do it," Rory shouted before a smiling Rabbit could see to the task.

When Rory reached for Rabbit’s hand Bearses hit the controls for Rory’s arm bands. The pain was intense and the magnetic pull to the ground was unstoppable.

"Bearses, no. Don’t hurt Rory," Rabbit pleaded as she went to Rory’s side.

"I’ll let her go as soon as you put Web out of his misery, like a good girl," Bearses advised with a hint of anger in his voice.

Rory caught her breath and croaked, "No Rabbit, don’t. Don’t kill. Killing is bad for everybody, remember? Makes us animals…,"

Instantly, the pain increased. Rory could say nothing more. Her breath and strength was gone. She curled into a ball and huddled against the pain. Rabbit stayed by her side.

"Bearses, please. Rory good to Rabbit. Please no hurt her. No more hurt her. Please don’t. Rabbit can’t kill. Rory said no kill," Rabbit cried. "Me no kill, no more. Rory said so."

Bearses walked over to where Rory cringed on the ground. He kicked her hard in the gut. "Rabbit, I said knock the ice cube over! Now do it, you stinking Bitch!"

"Don’t," Rory ground out in a short gasp.

"Bearses, please no make me," Rabbit sobbed as she held Rory. "She treat me good. No make me disobey. You gave me to her. Rory own Rabbit now. Me behavin’ for her."

Another low, long pitiful moan went up from the still frozen but melting man.

"Oh for the love of Pete! If you want something done," Web’s bitch cursed as she broke from the group. "then you gotta do it yourself. Die, you mother fucker!"

With a solid shove from the woman, Web fell over. His ice encased body shattered into thousands of pieces. A small cheer went up from the inmates but not from Bearses.

"I won’t forget your defiance, Rabbit," he gave a snort as he released Rory’s arm bands, "or your stupidity, Coward."

Rabbit ignored the remarks. She held tight to Rory as the woman gasped trying to gather her strength.

* * *

Two tense days had passed since the shattering of Web. Rory was well aware of Bearses’ simmering anger at her challenge to his authority. She knew he wasn’t above drastic measures to achieve some measure of petty retribution. She also knew she could be convincing with the humble routine and the time to do so was at hand.

"Can’t let this fester too long. He’ll find a way to take it out on Rabbit if I’m not proactive," Rory thought to herself as she approached Bearses at the morning cooking fire. As she had done previously, she sank to her knees and crossed her wrists when he made eye contact with her. "Can we talk?"

"Talk ‘bout what?" Bearses glared as he answered.

"I want to apologize. It was wrong of me to countermand your direct order. You’re in command. I should know the penalties for insubordination better than anybody here. Still, I did the wrong thing. I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again," she kept her tone even.

Bearses straightened his stance before asking, "How’d you know I was military?"

"Because," Rory thought to herself without a smirk, "even the wicked get lucky sometimes?"

She had no idea Bearses wore a uniform once. Rory was trying to be figurative in her language. It was an effort to appeal to Bearses’ power driven ego. Instead, without realizing it, she was being quite literal which was a direct hit to Bearses’ ego.

He was still waiting at attention for an answer, "It was your posture, sir. You stand like an officer."

Bearses gave her a full and genuine smile for the first time since they met. "I was a Captain. An enlisted man who made good and rose in the ranks over ten years. Honorable discharge. Wounded four times during heavy enemy resistance at Northwest Boarder Zero Base."

"Wounded or dead to the man," Rory agreed.

"They sent me home with tin medals in my pocket but no real money to speak of. Money to could keep my kids fed and educated." Bearses snarled, "I never stole ‘cept to feed those kids. Never would’ve got caught if I didn’t let them catch me. My kids gets more money with me here than back home on disability. The old wife gets bennies too. Ahh, the lot of them are better off without me." The man was silent for a moment before shame reddened his cheeks, "So you can tell, I’m not like you. I didn’t cause no disgrace to the flag, to my homeland. I didn’t run away like you, Coward."

"No sir, you didn’t. You’re nothing like me. You’re a hero and deserve respect. Again, I’m sorry I interfered with a direct order." Rory paused a moment to let her words sink in, "I spoke with Rabbit and she knows now you have the final say in all matters."

He smirked, it was a sickening, broken tooth look, "Risky of you. I could order her to my bed."

"You won’t. You’re honor bound as a soldier to protect people like Rabbit," Rory easily replied even though her heartbeat skipped

"People like Rabbit? What’ju talkin’ ‘bout, woman? You be straight with me," Bearses’ cool was shattered with the question of honor in connection with his treatment of Rabbit.

Rory shrugged, "The girl is simple. You know, worse off than just slow. The polite word is challenged."

"RETARD? She’s a fuckin’ retard?" Bearses’ face went purple, "DAMN IT! I thought she was just stupid. Are you sure she’s ‘tarded?

"I’m no doctor but at college…," Rory hoped for the best as she passed off the line.

"SHIT!"

"It only matters from here forward. You know she has problems so now you’ve got to protect her," Rory suggested.

Bearses shook his head, "No more talkin’. Rory, you take care of the girl. Keep her fed and rested and away from the guards’ whip and I’ll keep the inmates off her. We gots a deal?"

Rory nodded yes. "Bearses, one more thing," she hoped the glare she got was the go ahead to continue. "I’d like to make dinner tonight. Special recipe from home. You’ll like it."

Bearses looked at her with narrow eyes but agreed with a snort before he turned his back on her and returned his full attention to breakfast.

Rory gratefully got to her feet. The conversation went much better than she had hoped. That was until she saw Rabbit several feet behind her. The woman’s shoulders slumped and her eyes burned with unshed tears. Before Rory could ask what the problem was, Rabbit launched herself at Rory with pounding fists.

"Why? Why say that? Why lie? Why? You no my friend. No friend, no more. You lie. I not ‘tarded. I not." Rabbit muttered over and over as she struck out at Rory.

Rory wrapped her arms around Rabbit and held firm while Rabbit spent her rage striking Rory any place she could reach. Hitting and crying and kicking, Rabbit let Rory know the depths of her anger.

"It’s okay. I got you. Be as mad as you want. I don’t care," that got her a hard knee to the crotch. Rory didn’t loosen her hold in spite of the pain. "It’s safer this way, Rabbit. They’ll leave you alone now."

Rabbit, exhausted for her futile efforts, finally stopped fighting and sobbed, "I not ‘tarded. I stupid. It different. Just dumb, not sick."

"Call it whatever you want," Rory mumbled as she held the woman close to her, "I still call it safe."

TBC

Return to the Academy