Sunset Rising

“You’re new in the laundry room. You didn’t know what she’s like.”

We walked together in silence until we came to my apartment and I said good night. As soon as the door was shut, I took my hat off, whipped my t-shirt over my head, and almost ripped the vest off my body. With the weight off my chest, I sucked in a huge breath and let it out before I ran to the faucet. I stuck my head under the stream and started gulping. I heard the apartment door open and knew Jack was home. Somewhere in the back of my mind I realized I had stripped down to my bra, but I didn’t care at that moment.

“Su

He picked me up and sat me in a chair, then returned to the kitchen and soaked a towel. After wringing out the excess water, he wrapped the wet towel around my shoulders. It immediately started bringing down my body temperature.

“Put your head down between your legs.”

He went back to the sink to get me a glass of water. I drank it all.

“Feeling better?” He squatted down in front of me and brushed my hair away from my face. “Not again,” he said, touching the bruise under my eye. “You have to get out of there.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. Madi isn’t the type of supervisor to let her workers walk away. Besides, I’m not exactly in the position to go looking for another job.”

“I’m afraid she’s going to kill you if you stay. Maybe you need a few Liberty guards in the laundry room.”

I almost laughed. “What’s that going to do?” Was Jack really that naive about the way things worked down here? “A guard would never interfere with a supervisor disciplining her workers. And if a guard ever did, Madi would have him transferred out of there.”

Jack raised my face and made a closer inspection of my bruise. I could only imagine how awful I must look. I still had the bruise over my other eye from the day before.

“I don’t want you to work there anymore,” he said in a tight voice. I could tell by the determined set to his jaw that he thought his statement brooked no argument.

“Maybe it’s time for you to grow up, Jack. This is life in the Pit. You think this is the first time I’ve been beaten? Do you know what it did to my parents every time I came home with a new bruise or a cracked rib? Or how I felt when I saw them beaten and broken? We live with that threat every day.” Jack dropped his hand away from my face and stood up. I could tell he didn’t want to hear what I was saying. “At least I know what to expect from Madi. She gets mad and she hits. It could be worse. My last supervisor sent me upstairs to be a sex toy at your bachelor party. I’d rather take what Madi’s doling out.”

Jack blinked quickly a few times before he turned his back on me. He raked a hand through his hair before he picked up his hat and put it back on. “Are you okay now?” His voice was strained.

“Yes.”

Without another word, he left the apartment. I didn’t expect that reaction from him. Perhaps I had been too honest. He didn’t need to know that I had been beaten before. It wasn’t really something we talked about down here anyway. Being beaten was always a humiliating experience. Everyone walked around with bruises, but no one ever said anything about them.

I raised my head upright, checking to see if I was still dizzy. Thankfully, the world stayed in balance. A canvas bag sitting just inside the door caught my attention, and tentatively I stood up. There was a slight rush to my head, but then it was gone. I retrieved the bag and sat back down. It was full of clean clothes, and a razor and a communicator. Bron had come through for Jack.

The sink was still filled with cool water, and I decided not to waste it. I stripped naked and bathed right there in the kitchen. I was taking a huge risk—Jack could return any minute—but given how mad he was when he left, I figured it would take him a while to calm down. I dried off and rummaged through the canvas bag for a clean outfit. The clothes were a lot better quality than I was used to. In fact, they were a lot better quality than anyone in the Pit was used to. I hoped they wouldn’t make us stand out.

I hung up my wet towel and was about to drain the water when I thought better of it. I could wash my hair tonight before bed. Maybe Jack’s habits were wearing off on me.

I was putting the soap away when I heard the door open. I turned to see Jack looking at me from the doorway. He had a strange look on his face.

“I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I didn’t mean to be cruel,” I said.

“Where did you get those clothes?”

“Bron must have brought them. She brought you a razor and a communicator, too,” I pointed to the bag. “There’s some water here if you want to wash.”

“They’re really…” he stammered. “They fit you a lot better than my clothes did.”

“These are my size. Your clothes weren’t.”

“Are you going to be able to fit your vest under that t-shirt?”

I moaned. “Oh, that stupid vest! I forgot to put it back on. Do you think anyone would really notice?” I wanted to stop wearing it. It was going to be the death of me in that laundry room.

“Yes, people will definitely notice. Go put it on, and we’ll go for di

“Tonight for sure?” I asked, a little shocked. He nodded as he took his dirty t-shirt off and walked to the sink. It struck me that we were getting pretty comfortable around each other. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

I went into the bedroom and closed the door, glad for the opportunity to lie down for a few minutes. The heat exhaustion I’d suffered that day had really made me tired. And I had forgotten about tonight. A nervous flutter began in the pit of my stomach. How were we going to broach the subject of a rebellion with everyone? Would they laugh at us? Run us out of the Pit?

I was starting to drift asleep when Jack knocked on the bedroom door. “Ready,” he said.

I got up, put the offensive vest on and went out into the other room. He was dressed in snug-fitting jeans and a black t-shirt. He looked good. Really good. I was suddenly conscious of how stupid I looked in my vest.

My stomach started making noises, and I quickly put my hand across my abdomen to stifle it. It sounded so loud in the quiet of the apartment.

“Let me guess. You weren’t allowed to eat today either,” Jack said wryly.

“It happens.” I put my hat on and headed out the door before we got into another argument.

The common room was already bustling with the di

“Who is that woman with them?” Jack whispered as we made our way to their table.

“That’s Raine’s wife.”

“I didn’t know he was married.”

“It’s good to see you, Flo,” I said to Raine’s wife as I sat down. Her real name was Flower, but like me she preferred the shortened form. She gave me a weak smile and went back to vacantly staring around the room. Jack secretly gave me a curious look, and I subtly gave him my best “tell you later” look.

“Everything is set?” Raine asked as we sat down.

“I’m told it is,” Jack said. He looked up at the broken camera and sca

I felt a nervous flutter again, but ignored it and concentrated on my food. I didn’t join the conversation until my container was empty. My thoughts were preoccupied with how I was going to appease Madi tomorrow to ensure I received at least water for lunch.