False Prophets - Things Are Not Quite What They Seem

Another Sleepless Night

Continuing on with her tirade of hysterics, Beth lashed out at the animals who were beginning to doubt her lofty status. The work ethic of the animals had obviously gone out the window as they all silently questioned what was happening to this human that claimed to be a god. They had spent a couple days dealing with her antics and Oxbow was looking more civilized than it ever had. As night settled in they cautiously presented the now cleaned out cabin to Beth. She was less than grateful as she tip toed over to inspect the progress. The roof was still on the verge of collapse, but they had cleared it out of all the debris. The floor was spongy with rot and smelled of mildew. She tried to accept that this was better than sleeping under the stars, but had a hard to believing this herself.

The squirrels and weasels had retreated into their small groups as they began lighting their small camp fires. The curiosity of Beth and where she came from had left these creatures, they now only worried about which thing would cause another outburst. Silently conversing around the fires, conversations turned to abandoning Oxbow and seeing what else was out there for them. Blackfoot had captivated them by fear, but Beth just did not bring that same concern. A few still held onto fleeting thoughts that this was still better than the tenure they endured from their past leader, but this was not a popular opinion amount the animals.

Beth dragged some bedding materials that she had been using as a mattress and set them up against the wall of the cabin. Shadows danced against the walls as the light from the fire trickled in. Still not completely accustomed to living such a primitive lifestyle, Beth jumped at every little sound. Constantly peering out to make sure that nothing was being plotted against her. After undoing her diaper and disposing of the evidence, Beth replenished her homemade pad. The underwear she had fabricated had done the best job it could, but the absorbent qualities of the materials she chose just did not compare to the real thing. A dark red stain had formed around her crotch area, and there was no hiding what was going.

Curling up in a ball on the bedding of leaves and sticks, Beth sobbed into her arms. She just wanted to be home in her own bed. She wanted power and running water. It had been over a week since she was back on Earth and had a shower. The pungent stench of her armpits caused her eyes too water even further. She could care less at this point, she was defeated and did not want any part of what was going on.

It was at this moment she finally remembered that Brian might still be out there.

"Maybe I should just sneak away, I am no longer a prisoner here." she thought to herself.

She was right, Beth was no longer a prisoner and was free to leave. There was no doubt that the squirrel's and weasel's would not stop her from going. Beth had no idea if Brian was even alive, but she was sure that he would be trying to find her if he was. The thought of Brian attempting to save her brought her a small piece of mind as her tears stopped for a moment.

Laying there as sticks poked through her robe and into her skin, Beth tried to get comfortable but no matter which way she tried to adjust herself, she could not sleep. The distant mumbles from the animals outside became less and less as they began dispersing to their own tents. The fires continued to burn and their silhouettes continued to play tricks on Beth's mind. She thought about her life back on Earth, even though it was nothing to be envious about, she wished that she could have it back. She never asked for any of this, but decisions were made that brought her to this point.

It was another sleepless night as Beth reflected on her choices and hoped someday to wake up from this nightmare. No matter how heavy her eye lids felt, even a crackling stick in the fire would jolt her into alertness. Soon the fires dwindled out and Beth was left with only her thoughts and darkness, and an army that was forming in the night to take back Oxbow.