Little Lost Leon: Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Ruby did not hear the loud creaking of wagon wheels the next time she awoke.  What she did hear was some people whispering.  Ruby could not quite make out what they were saying, but at least she was able to lift her eyelids to see what was going on around her this time.

Ruby was in a dimly-lit room that held several cots like the one she had been sleeping on, with most being occupied by girls of various ages.  All of the other girls appeared to be still asleep from what Ruby could see.

The whispering was coming from three middle-aged women and an older man standing around ten feet away.  The women had their heads down, and the man sounded like he was not in a very good mood at all.

One of the women lifted her head and started looking around the room.  Ruby failed to close her eyelids in time, and the woman saw Ruby looking at the huddle she was standing in.

Ruby felt a knot growing in her stomach as the woman approached, but the big smile on the woman's face made her feel a little better.  Ruby's stomach cut lose with a loud growl just as the woman reached the side of Ruby's cot.

The woman giggled when she heard the growl, and Ruby managed a slight smile.  For she had never heard a giggle like that before, and she liked it.  Ruby was still very afraid.

"Good morning.  My name is Sister Evangeline, and I have no doubt that you are very hungry.  For it has been at least three days since you last ate something.  Thank God you are still with us.  We were beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up.  Would you like for me to bring you some soup?"

Ruby went to start asking the first of the million questions bouncing around in her brain, but it felt like her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth.  It also felt like her lips were glued together.  However, Ruby was able to nod her head ever so slightly up and down in an affirmative motion to indicate that she did indeed want something to eat.

The woman immediately turned and started out of the room without saying another word to Ruby.  Although, she did call out to the other adults, "Rosie is awake!"

"DID I JUST HEAR HER CALL YOU ROSIE?"  It sounded like there were a hundred voices shouting in Ruby's head.

The other adults came over to stand around Ruby's cot.  The women were smiling, but the older man's face held no expression.  Ruby was grateful that he at least did not look as angry as he had sounded while whispering with the women.

One of the women dipped a cloth into a glass of water and gently wiped Ruby's face.  It was enough to part her lips, and a sip of the water loosened her tongue.

"I think I heard Sister Evangeline call me Rosie, but my name is Ruby."

"Oh no, dear one.  That was your name in the evil world.  We rescued you from it and have been given the righteous name of Rosie for now.  When you are judged worthy of receiving your eternal name, you will become Sister Rosalee, but that is a few years off.  My name is Sister Louise.  This is Sister Ruth, Sister Jasmine and Master Mark.  You have already met Sister Evangeline, of course."

"Where am I?  Is Alfred here?"

"You are safe in my compound, and that is all you need to know for now."

Ruby’s mind was reeling, and she flinched at the terse way Master Mark had answered her.  She decided to ask Sister Evangeline about Alfred later on.

Sister Evangeline soon came back with a bowl of what tasted like watered-down vegetable soup.  Ruby did not like it nearly as much as the soups Alfred had made, but she conceded that it was better than nothing.

“Thank you for bringing me the soup, Sister Evangeline.”

“Oh, you are most welcome!”

"Is Alfred here?"

Sister Evangeline's brow furrowed before she answered.  "No, Rosie. There is no one by that name here."

They both returned to silence after that brief exchange.  For Ruby remembered what Alfred had cautioned her about not speaking until she was spoken to when not confident about the intentions of another, and Sister Evangeline had acted somewhat disturbed over her asking about Alfred.  Oh how Ruby wished her big brother was there.

Ruby noisily sucked down the last drop of the soup and gave Sister Evangeline her bowl.  Sister Evangeline quickly turned around and left the room with it.

Ruby heard the girl stirring in the cot next to her on the left.  The girl sat up, and Ruby saw that she was a little older than her.  The girl looked over at Ruby and managed a slight smile, but the otherwise concerned look on her face took precedence.

"My name is Ruby.  I just became aware of being here.  What is your name, and how long have you been here?"

"You have been already told that your name is now Rosie.   Using unrighteous names is strictly forbidden.  I tell you this because I do not want what happened to them to happen to you, and I will not warn you again.  Here is a list of the rules you need to know for now."

Ruby looked behind her to see that Sister Evangeline had returned without making a sound.  She was holding a piece of paper, and Ruby took it from her.  The text read as follows.

BE SWEET

IT IS FORBIDDEN TO USE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS NAMES.

IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT FIRST RECEIVING PERMISSION.  THIS INCLUDES TALKING AND WALKING AROUND.

BEING SWEET WILL BE REWARDED.

BROKEN RULES WILL RESULT IN BROKEN BODIES.

BE SWEET

The dawn was breaking, and Ruby could count twenty cots in the room.  The other girls were now sitting up, and it appeared that Ruby was the youngest one there.

Ruby did not hear any of the girls make a sound until an older girl started frantically waving her arms over her head and making a weird noise.  It sounded like she was trying to speak but could not.

Sister Evangeline rushed back into the room a few seconds later accompanied by Sister Ruth and two men Ruby had not seen before.  All four headed for the girl making the weird noise, and one of the men slapped her hard on her face.  The blow sent the girl flying out of the cot.  The other man grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the room.  Ruby never saw her again.

Ruby went numb like she had around her father, and the other girls acted like nothing had happened.  They just turned to put their feet on the floor and sat quietly on the edge of their cots.

Sisters Evangeline and Ruth left the room again, and the remaining man stood beside the door.  Ruby noticed that none of the other girls looked over at him, and she promptly looked away.

Sister Ruth soon returned pushing a large kettle on a cart.  Sister Evangeline followed behind carrying a stack of bowls and a large ladle.

The kettle contained the same vegetable soup Ruby had eaten earlier, and Sister Evangeline ladled out a bowl for each of the other girls.  They all ate in silence, and when one girl was finished, she raised her hand above her head.  The sisters would then go over to her.  Sister Evangeline would take back the empty bowl, and Sister Ruth would follow the girl out of the room.  They came back into the room a few minutes later, and this sequence was repeated until all of the other girls were taken care of.

Ruby assumed that the girls had been taken to use the outhouse, and since she did not have to go, she did not raise her hand.  She just sat there and listened to Alfred tell her things.

Ruby believed that she was simply remembering some things Alfred had told her, but there were a couple of times when she wondered if there was more going on.  The first time had been when Ruby remembered what Alfred had told her about not speaking until spoken to in certain situations just exactly when she believed it was in her best interest to keep quiet.  The second time happened when she remembered Alfred telling her that she would probably lose her ability to speak if their father made her drink a lye soap solution while she was wondered what was wrong with the girl who made the weird noise.

The uncanniness of the thought about the lye soap solution was confirmed as far as Ruby was concerned when she saw the face of another girl being dragged by the hair out of the room.  For her lips looked like two huge water blisters.

As if Ruby had not already received enough confirmation, another man dragged another girl by the hair into the room an hour or so later.  Sister Evangeline followed close behind, and after the man roughly deposited the girl on a cot, Sister Evangeline placed a wet cloth over her face.  The girl made that same weird noise and went limp.

Sister Evangeline then went over to where Ruby was sitting and told her, "As a reward for being sweet this morning, you are being allowed to leave this room, Rosie.  As long as you remain sweet, you will not have to return to it like these other girls have."

Sister Evangeline led Ruby out of the room, and Ruby followed in terror.  For she had become more and more convinced that she had probably only succeed in jumping out of the proverbial frying pan by escaping her father’s sadistic clutches into the proverbial fire here.

A few days before, Ruby could not have imagined how life could be worse than being subjected to all of Manfred's cruelties, but as her indoctrination progressed, she would discover just how much it could be.  What made it even worse for Ruby was not having her beloved big brother actually around to lean on.  Her memories of him helped so very much, but they were not the same as really having him with her.

As Ruby followed Sister Evangeline down a long hallway, she saw several men obviously on guard duty outside of closed doors.  Ruby wondered if they were there to keep people out or in the rooms, but she dared not ask Sister Evangeline about it.  For after seeing Sister Evangeline not acting the least bit concerned about how badly those other three girls were hurting in the room with the cots, Ruby no longer trusted that her intentions were good.

Sister Evangeline led Ruby into a large chamber, where over a hundred people were sitting quietly in pews before an elevated stage with an altar.  In front of the altar was what Ruby remembered Alfred describing as a pulpit like the one their mother had told him about.  Their mother had also described to Alfred what an altar looked like, and Ruby drifted off into a much better place with her beloved brother in her mind.

The people sitting in the pews were both male and female of various ages from very young to very old.  Although, the vast majority were girls from a little older than Ruby to women around Sister Evangeline's age.

Sister Evangeline led Ruby to the pew closest to the stage, but before they could sit down, everyone else in the room stood up.  Then they all bowed deeply and lay prostrate on the floor in front of where they had been sitting.  Sister Evangeline and Ruby did the same.

"ALL RISE!"

Ruby had been fighting against falling back to sleep as she lay prostrate on the floor, but she was wide awake now.  Rigid with fear, Ruby stood at attention like everyone else in the pews were.

Standing before the congregation was a man wearing a flowing red robe and holding a long spear with a double-edged ax under a foot-long blade that narrowed to the tip.  Needless to say, it was indeed a very formidable weapon.

Master Mark came out from behind the altar and faced the congregation from behind the pulpit.  He stood motionless for a few minutes seeming to bask in the glory of his appearance, and Rugby could not help but marvel at what a glorious appearance he was making.  For Master Mark was now dressed in a flowing robe made out of golden thread that glistened in the sunlight streaming into the long chamber from stained-glass windows on both sides of the elevated stage.

Then Master Mark began to speak in a thundering voice.  "All evil must be purged from this world before the glory of my kingdom can fully shine.  I grow weary of waiting and may soon leave for another world more worthy."

A gasp rose from the congregation, and the man in the red robe shouted, "MAY IT NEVER BE!  PRESENT THE WICKED FOR EXECUTION!"

All of the other girls in the room Ruby had been before were marched in front of the stage and forced to kneel.  Large wooden blocks were carried out and placed in front of each girl, and their heads were pushed forward to where they lay on top of the wooden blocks.

Then the man in the red robe went down the line chopping off the heads of the condemned girls with his spear-ax.  Blood splattered on Ruby and several others sitting in the first row, and no one in the chamber uttered a sound.

Ruby's indoctrination began in earnest immediately after the executions.  It mostly consisted of Sister Evangeline going over and over how to be sweet, which was basically about doing what was expected without question or hesitation.

Ruby was also assigned to work in a nursery for babies up to a year old.  She helped feed them mashed up meat and vegetables, along with changing their diapers and bedding.

The babies were also given milk in glass bottles from women still lactating.  I will refrain from revealing too many details.  For this is another unspeakable thing, but what I can disclose is that the lactating women were milked in much the same way as some domesticated animals are.  Certain male subjects of Master Mark were given the duty as a reward for good performance.

Ruby worked in the nursery for a year before being assigned to care for older children.  This duty largely consisted of being in the room and keeping the children from becoming too rambunctious.  Since they generally acted more like little zombies than normal children, there was not a whole lot of rambunctiousness to keep under control.

Ruby had cared for the older children for around six months when Sister Evangeline informed her of being called to duty as a comfortess, which Sister Evangeline said was the highest duty a woman can perform in service of Master Mark's kingdom.  Ruby was not quite twelve years-old and had never really thought about becoming a woman.  For Ruby had been too focused on simply surviving her childhood.

Ever since Sister Evangeline had informed Ruby of her name now being Rosie until she proved herself worthy of being called Sister Rosalee, Ruby had wondered what would be required of her.  Not that Ruby wanted the name change, mind you.  For she only responded to being called Rosie to stay out of trouble while clinging to being Ruby in her heart.  For she believed that just giving up and accepting the name change would be a great betrayal of Alfred after he had given so much thought to her name.

What Ruby had not been told was that an associate of Master Mark had offered a great deal of money for a special girl.  I will not disclose just exactly what he specified, but what he basically wanted was a prepubescent girl to deflower.  Furthermore, she had to act like she had gone most of the way with others while waiting to go all of the way with the right kind of man.

Sister Evangeline and Brother Joseph conducted Ruby's training.  It mostly involved the two adults demonstrating different sexual positions and techniques in the beginning, with Ruby becoming more and more involved in everything but what she was supposed to be saving for the one who needed comforting.  No, she was not told that the man was paying for it.

Ruby was conflicted.  For she knew deep down that what she was being trained for was very wrong, but she loved the look of ecstasy on Sister Evangeline's face during the demonstrations with Brother Joseph—not to mention the look she imagined was on her own face while she was participating, which was not at all faked.

Ruby was obviously quite successful with providing comfort to her first.  For he told a bunch of other men, and Ruby was soon providing comfort for up to three men a night.

Ruby was really conflicted now.  For she loved all of the attention she was receiving, and thoroughly enjoyed providing the comfort.  Moreover, the more comfort she provided, the more comfortable her life became.

Despite being rather gaunt, Ruby had a very lovely face, but she needed some more meat on her bones to truly whet the appetites of most men.  For very few were really into the skin and bones look.  Moreover, a comfortess with a very appealing body could command a much higher price for Master Mark's coffers.  So, Ruby started receiving a much greater quality and quantity of food, and her figure blossomed quite nicely.

There was a downside to the great increase in food, though.  For puberty was delayed while Ruby was being fed the barest of minimums, but that changed dramatically just before her fourteenth birthday.

Ruby was not nearly as dim-witted as she often appeared to be.  In comparison to Alfred's brilliance, of course, almost everyone else would appear to be dim-witted.  Nonetheless, she also had her times to shine.

One of those shining times for Ruby came when she connected the proverbial dots she had observed while under Master Mark's control.  Granted, there was no way to really know for sure until it was too late since no unauthorized talking was allowed, but it seemed obvious to her that the babies and older children she had helped care for were from comfortesses being impregnated by men they had been with.

Despite genuinely enjoying the relatively comfortable life she was now living, Ruby was not about to give up her baby in the event she came to be with child.  So, she started looking for a way to escape with her vocal chords still intact.

A way soon presented itself after Ruby became convinced that she was indeed pregnant.  For she was picked to go with Sister Evangeline to act out a mother-daughter fantasy with a man and his wife in a cave a few miles away from Master Mark's compound.  Yes, it was indeed the same cave the underground cabal Ruby's father had been a member of met in.  Ruby would later learn that Master Mark was also a member of that cabal.

Ruby was able to slip away while the others were still basking in a glow of ecstasy.  She traveled down one of the escape tunnels and eventually made it outside.  Ruby took off at a dead run in a direction she hoped would take her far away from Master Mark's clutches.

Ruby had no idea just where she was, but it felt so good to be free for a change.  She was in much better shape now than she had been in when she ran away from her father, and she ran and ran.

Ruby kept to the woods and only stopped to rest a couple of times over the next two days.  Ruby stopped running when she spotted a cabin and a few out-buildings in a clearing.

Ruby first thought that she might have stumbled onto her father's place, and she held her breath while searching intently for any sign of Alfred.  All Ruby saw was an older woman working in the garden, and it soon became clearly apparent that she had not found her old home.

Then Ruby's heart really sank.  For on the other side of the cabin was a large opening to a cave at the bottom of a hillside.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  COULD ALL OF YOUR RUNNING OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS HAVE ONLY RESULTED IN YOU CIRCLING AROUND TO THE FRONT ENTRANCE OF THAT CAVE YOU WERE IN BEFORE?"  The voices in Ruby's head were shouting again.

"Hello!  My name is Wayne, and that is my wife working in our garden.  Her name is Bonnie, and this our place.  I have been out hunting for some squirrels to fix for supper.  Are you hungry?"

Ruby spun her head around to see an older man she had not heard approaching holding a rifle and some squirrels by the tail.  Even though he had a big smile on his face, Ruby froze in terror, but she was indeed very hungry.

Ruby and Wayne remained as they were just looking at each other for a few moments until Ruby's stomach erupted with a loud grumble.  Wayne let out a big laugh and started walking toward the cabin.  Ruby stood up and followed him without either one saying another word.

Bonnie looked up from tending to a row of tomatoes to see Wayne coming back from his hunt with more than a few squirrels.  It was a very welcome sight.  For she rarely had an opportunity to entertain guests.

Wayne and Bonnie did not consider themselves to be recluses, but they had enthusiastically embraced a reclusive lifestyle.  Nonetheless, they still enjoyed entertaining guests from time to time.

Bonnie met up with Wayne and Ruby just as they sat down on a swinging bench hanging from the rafters of the cabin's covered front porch.  Bonnie had been absolutely thrilled when Wayne added a covered front porch to their cabin, and even more thrilled with the swinging bench they often sat on together just listening to the call of whip-poor-wills in the early evening and watching the fireflies performing their aerial dance.  Now Bonnie was thrilled with seeing such a lovely young lass sitting on it with her husband.

"Welcome to our home!  My name is Bonnie, and you have obviously already met my husband, Wayne.  What is your name, child?"

Ruby could not recall ever being referred to as such before.  Even though she was still very nervous, it delighted her, and she quickly offered, "My name is Ruby."

I am sure glad to make your acquaintance, Ruby.  I am about to fix supper.  Are you hungry?"

"Yes, mam.  For it has been almost three days since I last ate anything."

Bonnie rushed into the cabin, and Wayne sprang up to go dress the squirrels.  Neither one said anything, but the thought of Ruby not eating for that long was disturbing to them.  Of course, they were both very anxious to hear Ruby's story, but they would patiently wait until she was ready to tell it.

Not much else was said while Bonnie prepared a big pot of squirrel and dumplings.  Wayne came back to sit on the swing next to Ruby, and they sat in silence until Bonnie called for them to come to the table inside.

The meal was not as refined as Ruby had grown accustomed to eating the last year or so at Master Mark's, but she ate like there would be no tomorrow.  Both Wayne and Bonnie were delighted to see Ruby appear to enjoy it so much.  Wayne had no doubt that his Bonnie made the best squirrel and dumplings to be found in the region.  For she even had some fair ribbons to prove it!

No, Wayne and Bonnie had not always been so reclusive.  For when they first moved down south, they made a point to go to county fairs and mingle with people, but whenever they tried to talk to someone, it quickly became quite clear that they were not all that welcome around there in Dixie.

Wayne and Bonnie both felt rather stupid for failing to take into account the Civil War and all of the bitterness it had wrought—especially down around where they were moving, and their northern accents marked them as more than likely being on the wrong side in the eyes of their new neighbors.  Therefore, the best course of action was to simply avoid being around people as much as possible.

After the empty dishes were cleared from the table and washed clean, they all settled in front of the fireplace to talk some before heading off to bed.  Wayne and Bonnie were not much to stay up too late, and they expected Ruby to at least spend the night with them.

Ruby was reluctant to say too much at first out of fear of them being associated with Master Mark in some way, but hearing their story put her right at ease.  For it quickly became obvious to Ruby that neither one would have any use for the likes of Master Mark.

Wayne and Bonnie had been both born and raised way up north, and they had migrated south to their place before they became too old to enjoy it.  Wayne had made good money as a brewmaster, and he came to learn of their current area from a Shire representative.

Wayne and Bonnie had two married daughters and a still single son.  Helping to produce beer appeared to run in the family's blood, and intoxicating love was a side effect.  For Bonnie's father was the brewmaster when he told her about a promising young man working his way up to the top from the bottom at the brewery.

Wayne and Bonnie had fell head over heels in love at first sight, and the very same thing happened with both of their daughters after Wayne became the brewmaster.  Their daughters had spit out a couple of grandkids apiece for Wayne and Bonnie to cherish, but their son cared more about hunting and fishing for game on his time off from work at the brewery than pursuing romance with the ladies.

All of Wayne and Bonnie's children chose to remain up north when their parents made the move down south, and it was obvious to Ruby that they were sorely missed.  With the distance between being just too far for the older couple to realistically travel on a regular basis, it had been several years since Wayne and Bonnie had seen their children and their families.  Plans had been made to hold an annual reunion of sorts, but one thing or another kept it from happening.

Ruby eventually opened up to tell Wayne and Bonnie some of her story.  She left out that she had been one of Master Mark's prized comfortesses, but she disclosed enough about the abuse she and Alfred had suffered under their father's roof to have them all in tears.

It was late in the evening by the time they all drifted into silence.  Ruby accepted their invitation to spend the night, and she had the first truly decent night's sleep she could remember ever having.

Ruby was still rather groggy when she awoke, and it startled her to not be quite sure where she was.  Then she heard Bonnie puttering around in the kitchen, and it all came rushing back to her.

Ruby stayed in bed for a little while longer simply enjoying not having to be afraid of what may be required of her for at least the time being.  Ruby then went to go see if she could help Bonnie in some way.

Wayne had been up for a couple of hours tending to his outside chores, and Bonnie was finishing up with fixing a very good breakfast of cured ham, fried eggs and fried potatoes.  There was also toasted bread, butter and jelly on the table. Ruby's mouth watered for it reminded her of the breakfasts Alfred had prepared what now seemed like ages ago.

Bonnie smiled broadly when Ruby went to place dishes on the table.  Wayne came back inside carrying a crock jug of cold cow's milk, and they all sat down at the table to eat.

Ruby spent most of the day following Bonnie around and lending a helping hand when she could.  Neither one could help but daydream a little about it being like a beloved granddaughter spending the day with her beloved grandmother.  For Bonnie missed her children and grandchildren terribly, and Ruby had often fantasized about what it would be like being around a loving mother or grandmother.

Ruby also helped Wayne some with his outside chores.  She loved throwing a handful of chicken scratch and seeing the hens scramble to where she had threw it and then scramble to where she threw the next handful.

Ruby did not like helping to milk the Jersey cow.  For it reminded her of what she had witnessed at Master Mark's compound, which had not aroused her sexually in the least.

Neither did Ruby like slopping the hogs.  For they frightened her, and getting too big of a sniff of their manure made Ruby want to vomit.

There was also a matched set of Shire draft horses to care for.  They were used to pull Wayne and Bonnie's wagon, and Ruby marveled at just how much the horses and wagon looked just like what she remembered her father having.

Before heading to the house for the night, there was a trip to the storehouse to make.  This is when Ruby was relieved to learn that the cave was not the same one she had been in with Sister Evangeline and the others.  For Wayne had constructed a stone storehouse around a hundred feet inside the mouth, and this is where they stored more-perishable foodstuffs.  Ruby could hear water running deeper inside of the cave, and this is where milk was kept chilled in crock jugs.

Ruby quickly integrated herself into the daily routine, and it soon felt like she was a member of the family to them all.  Day after wonderful day passed without nary a word being said about when Ruby might be moving on.

Although, interaction between Ruby, Wayne and Bonnie became more and more awkward, the more and more it became obvious that Ruby was with child.  Wayne and Bonnie did not ask about how this came to be, and Ruby did not volunteer any information.

Wayne and Bonnie strongly suspected that Ruby had been forcibly raped by the way she seemed to always have at least one of them in sight, and it surprised them when the first time they invited her to accompany them on their monthly trip into town to buy supplies.  For Ruby practically begged Wayne and Bonnie to at least let her stay behind.

Nonetheless, it made sense to Wayne and Bonnie after they gave it some thought. For Ruby probably did not want to ever see the father of her baby again, and there might be a great risk of that happening if she went into town too soon.

It was decided that Bonnie would stay behind with Ruby.  Wayne pushed the team much more than usual in order to get back as soon as possible, and they obviously responded with great enthusiasm.  For it usually took over three hours to travel into Blue Valley, and that time was cut by a full hour on this trip.  Wayne also made very short work gathering all of the needed supplies, and left town in record time.

The trip back would take longer.  For the horses would be pulling against an uphill grade almost the entire way.  Although, the added weight of the supplies was not that big of a problem for the two really stout steeds, who could easily pull ten times more.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the reason why the trip back took as long as it did had more to do with what Wayne did than the horses.  For Wayne spotted a fruit cart full of apples on the way out of town, and he thought Ruby would have a lot of fun giving them to the horses.

Wayne had planted some apple trees soon after moving onto their place, but a late spring killer frost combined with no significant rainfall for several weeks during the summer had nipped this year's crop in the bud.  Be assured that the horses noticed that he had just purchased a bushel, and he had to give them each one before they would take another step in the right direction.

The trip back was further delayed when two men on horseback waved for Wayne to stop at a crossroads around the halfway point.  One of the men asked if he had seen a girl by the name of Rosie, and Wayne had an uneasy feeling.  A chill made its way down his spine when the man gave an exact description of Ruby.

Wayne told the man that he had not seen a girl by the name of Rosie, and he did not consider it to be a lie.  For the man had not asked if Wayne had seen a girl by the description he gave, and it was true that he had not seen a girl by the name of Rosie.

The man thanked Wayne for his trouble, and the two men headed north at a easy canter.  Wayne stayed where he was at until they were out of sight for a good ten minutes before resuming his westward direction of travel.

Wayne told Ruby and Bonnie about the two men, and Ruby did not react.  For she had become quite adept at maintaining a blank expression when it was necessary, but her brain felt like it was on fire.

The more Ruby had thought about it, the more it seemed imperative for her to get as far away from Master Mark's clutches as possible.  For if they were ever able to drag her back to the compound, the first thing they would do to her would be to pour a lye soap solution down her throat to prevent her from telling any of the other girls anything.  Ruby also believed that they would keep her alive long enough for her to have her baby before chopping her head off.

Her soon to arrive baby really complicated things.  For living on the run would not be a good life for a child, and having a newborn in tow could prevent her from simply disappearing over the horizon.

There were no more supply runs made for the next two months.  Then their stock of salt, sugar and flour started to run very low.  Wayne and Bonnie insisted that it would be just fine, but Ruby did not want them to do without on her account.

Ruby still did not want to go into town, but she was adamant about at least Wayne going.  She did not think Bonnie would go with her being so close to giving birth, and she did not put up much of a fight when it was Bonnie's turn to become adamant over her staying home with her.

Wayne had only been gone around thirty minutes when Bonnie started struggling to keep her eyes open while sitting in her chair in front of the fireplace.  Bonnie told Ruby that she sure hated taking a nap while Wayne was gone in case she went into labor, but Ruby promised to wait until she woke up.

Ruby obviously did not keep her promise.  For she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy while Bonnie appeared to be fast asleep and Wayne still gone.