Immortan Joe's soldiers-I mean- war boys, took us to a place called the vault. There we were kept for Immortan to observe. I shudder still every time I think about it. He exploited us, inspected us like we were a pretty piece of jewelry that he was looking to purchase. He did unspeakable things to us that were beyond my comprehension of evil. I felt humiliated, used, like I would never be able to look at my own body the same again. We were branded with Joe's symbol at the back of our necks. I remember the searing, terrible pain that ripped through my tender flesh. I hated Immortan Joe with every fiber of my being. I could see that the other girls hated him too, by the fiery rage that laced their eyes when they looked at him. Immortan referred to us as "Breeders". The word made me feel sick to my stomach as he spoke it. I knew now that he wanted a handful of healthy breeders for himself, to give him a strong male ere. The entire time I was there, I wanted to escape, or die, whichever came first. The one-armed girl was taken away only a few days after we arrived, and I don't know what happened to her. I guess Immortan did not want a damaged wife. Watching her go was like watching the last piece of my homeland be ripped away from me. I cried for her that night, thinking that she would be murdered like the others.
Meanwhile, I was getting sicker. My fevers came more frequently, and my breaths rattled into my lungs like they didn't want the air I gave them. Immortan noticed this, no matter how much I tried to hide my struggles. I pleaded with them to let me go, I promised I would never come back, I would not even stay any where near the Citadel. Neither Immortan nor his soldiers listened to me as I was dragged out of the vault, The last group of still-healthy women called for me, even though they didn't know my name, tears streaming down their cheeks. They knew I was the last girl to be taken, and now they only had each other. I echoed their cries, thinking that this would be the end of me.
"Do what you wish with that one." Immortan growled towards us as I the vault's door closed. The sound echoed in my ears like a gunshot.
I was taken to a set of winding tunnels. People eyed me as we passed them, but didn't say a word. Did they oppose what was happening to me? I was, after all, a child. A child with tattered clothes and dried tears staining her dirty face. Did they even care? What kind of sick world to I live in?
Everything got dimmer and dimmer with every step. I had stopped struggling long ago, just went limp, all my hope had been taken from me. I was going to die, and I had finally accepted it. Maybe, I had thought, I would see my mother again.
I heard a group of voices, all sounding male. Accompanying it was the clomping of boots and the clang of metal on metal. I was dropped to the cold hard floor, but hardly cared. I slumped against the nearest wall, awaiting my death.
But it did not come.
The war boy who brought me here melted into a crowd if other war boys, who were laughing and pushing each other around. Some where tinkering with engines or welding together slabs of metal. Confusion filled my body, why haven't they killed me? Where was I?
One of the oldest war boy I have seen so far, around thirty, approached me. Despite my will to die, a burst of fear sent me scrambling backwards to get away. The war boy did not have sympathy in his eyes, just stared down at me with indifference and mild disgust, "Immortan Joe is going to let ya live," he began, looking as if he would not have made the same decision, "but on one condition, you are going to work for us." he made a gesture to the crowd of boys behind him, "You will do things like washing cars, or setting up blood bags, or cleaning weapons and loading them with bullets for us."
I was going to live. I was counting on being killed, on being reunited with mother and yet they had taken that from me as well. Then they tell me I was going to act as a servant to these war boys. I was only but a thing to them, a reject of Immortan Joe. This was what I was going to do for the rest of my days. I hung my head again, too sick and weak to fight anymore. If I had the strength I would have attempted to claw this war boy's eyes out.
He nodded, as if I had agreed to the sentence, then went back into the crowd. I didn't bother getting up, I just laid down on my side, and let my eyes flutter closed. Why couldn't they have just killed me? The chill of the stone floor soaked into my bones, and I briefly wondered if the fever would kill me in my sleep. Death would be a relief, anything but this enslavement. I missed the green grass of my homeland, the clean air that didn't scorch down my throat. I missed the melodic voices of my many mothers, as opposed to the rough voices of the war boys. I wanted nothing more than to be back home.
~~~
After drifting into a deep and dreamless sleep, I awoke to my body burning with fever. I let out a groan of annoyance and discomfort. I struggled shakily into a sitting position, my palms slick with cold sweat. At first, my eyes darted around wildly, not knowing where I was.Bluish lights poured into the dark caverns, making everything look like it came straight from a nightmare. Blow torches, boots, and screws littered the floor. Where was my mother? My shelter?
Then, I remembered, I was in the Citadel. My chest swirled with emotion that matched the color of the light, my home was gone. My brain conjured up the image of the village going up in bright licks of flame, and the sight of women strewn about the once green grass, their blood staining everything. I curled my knees to my chest, nuzzling into my legs, then I let the tears fall. The only sound that I made were soft gasps between sobs, I was all alone, forever.
I heard movement, a sound of someone stirring from slumber. I stopped crying, and my eyes scanned the premises hesitantly. I didn't see anyone, but I felt like someone was watching me. I curled into a tighter ball, my emerald eyes flicking back an forth suspiciously.
"Who are you?"
I let out a squeak of surprise, scrambling away from the source of the voice. My eyes fell upon a young boy, of about my age, maybe a little older. He was sitting cross-legged next to me. These war boys were quicker that I thought. He looked like a curious puppy, with wide blue eyes framed with black smudges. He was painted white just like the rest of the boys, making his skin glow up in the faint light. He tipped his head to one side, seemingly confused at my silence, "Never seen ya around before, what's your name?"
I stared at him with questions whirling around in my brain. This boy didn't look at me with the same expression as everyone else, like I was a thing. He was the first person since I was taken to even address me as an equal. I couldn't find the words as if my name had slipped from my tongue. Did my name even matter here? I knew no one was going to call me by my name now. I just shook my head, as if to say I wasn't sure anymore. I wasn't the same person I was when I left my homeland, so why should I be called by the same name?
The boy didn't seem to be fazed by me not knowing my name, he just shrugged, "Don't gotta name, huh? That's how most of us start out. You'll get a name eventually." he assured me, rocking back and forth in his sitting position restlessly.
A smile tugged at my lips a little, "Wh-what's your name?" I asked meekly, sitting up straight again.
The boy's electric blue eyes brightened when I finally spoke, "I'm Nux!" he got on all fours and crawled closer to me, until we were almost nose to nose. He poked at my arms, then picked up a strand of my hair, examining it closely. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I didn't move away. This boy was strange, but in a nice way, "I guess I'll have t'know more about ya before we can give ya a name, see what you're good at." he concluded, nodding to himself and sitting back down, "So you're training like the rest of the pups?"
My smile faded, and I looked away from him, "No..." I said softly, my voice cracking, "Just stuck here, I'm just here to help with chores and stuff..."
Nux frowned as well, but I could tell he did not understand the gravity of the situation, "That's not very shine.."
I felt a small spark of confusion at his words, but didn't say anything, "What d'ya get trained for?" I asked, desperately wanting to change the subject.
"Driving! All things shiny and chrome!" He piped up excitedly, pretending to have a steering wheel in his small hands. Then he brought his fingers up over his head and locked them together, beaming at me.
I wasn't sure what 'all things shiny and chrome' meant, but the word 'driving' caught my attention. A kid as young as me is being taught how to operate of of those huge machines? I rolled the thought around in my head. If he is able to do it, why couldn't I? If I could drive, I might be able to take one of Immortan's cars to escape. I knew for a fact that I wouldn't be trained with the other war boys, so how else could I learn?
An idea drifted into my head, "Can you train me? I want to learn about driving too!" Real interest flared up in my chest. I imagined bolting through the desert in one of them, the wind whipping past my face and into my hair. My eyes met Nux's, "Please?"
He smiled, a broad, enthusiastic smile, "Okay! This will be fun! I'm the best war pup of them all, so you'll be taught well." He puffed his chest out proudly.
I giggled at him, I suppose not everyone in this place is bad. For the first time in weeks, I felt like a normal kid again.
Before I could speak again, a wave of chills crashed down on me, and I felt dizziness make my world sway. I leaned up against the nearest wall, trying to get my head to stop spinning.
Nux gave me a quizzical look, then upon seeing my face flush red from the heat, sighed, "I get fevers too, keeps me from driving sometimes..." he admitted sheepishly, as if the fact embarrassed him.
I didn't respond at first, just closed my eyes tiredly. The vertigo subsided, and then I blinked my eyes open into slits, "See you later, Nux..." I mumbled weakly. I hated that he had to see me like this, it made me uncomfortable to show weakness.
Nux nodded, patting me on the shoulder a bit too hard, but I knew he meant it to be friendly, "See ya!" he got to his feet and walked back into another tunnel.
I smiled as I drifted into slumber, a friend, I've made a friend.