My best friend, Isabelle, and I were unexpectedly transported to a post-apocalyptic world where women were incredibly scarce. Here, the men gave us the best food and protected us with all their might. Slowly, Isabelle grew reluctant to return to our original world. “This,” she’d say, “is paradise.” But watching the men who constantly guarded us, I felt a chilling fear instead. I knew there was no such thing as kindness without reason. The primal instinct of males, above all else, is reproduction. By the time I realized this, the security officers had already silently entered the quarters Isabelle and I shared. There were eight of them. Dressed in black uniforms, they stood in the dim light. Young, lethal, and cold. They stood in silence for a moment, then two of them headed towards Isabelle’s room and mine, respectively. I nervously pretended to be asleep, hoping they were just on a routine patrol. But a nagging feeling told me they were here for Isabelle and me to get pregnant. This morning, during my medical examination, I’d overheard the doctors talking: “Their physical conditions are exceptional. The base hasn’t seen bodies this good in twenty years. “We’ve also screened eight men with high genetic compatibility. “If all goes well, there will be new lives this time next year. “Heaven, after all, has finally shown us mercy.” There were a few other women undergoing examinations with me that day, so I didn’t immediately realize they were talking about Isabelle and and me. After the check-up, we were sent to this high tower—the only place in the base with a view of the outside world. On the table, besides our daily beef, milk, and bread, there were two rare apples. These were luxuries reserved for the base’s upper echelons. Commoners struggled to survive on meager grains like corn and sweet potatoes. Isabelle and I, though classified as commoners after our arrival, frequently received these precious foods. I knew the base strictly enforced its post-apocalyptic distribution system: you got what you put in. If we received something precious, we would surely have to give something precious in return. Isabelle and I had nothing. Only our bodies. Isabelle, as usual, picked up her milk, standing by the window, gazing at the vast, desolate landscape outside. She stood in the sunlight, her skin fair, gentle, and lovely, as pure as an angel. I, meanwhile, stared at the food, my stomach churning with unease. Isabelle looked at me, puzzled. “What’s wrong?” I told her what the doctors had said. “This place is too strange. We need to find a way back to our original world, fast.” She fell silent. After a long moment, she softly asked, “Chloe, isn’t this place good?” I was baffled. What was good about it? The apocalypse had lasted for a century, the ecology was imbalanced, the climate extreme, food was scarce, and the walking dead roamed everywhere… This place was a living hell. But she continued, “Here, we don’t worry about food or clothes, we don’t worry about finding work, no mortgages to pay, no one bullies us, everyone cares for us and looks after us. “For me, this place… is paradise.” I shook my head. “There’s no kindness without a root or a price. “Women are scarce here. Our price might be our bodies, our fertility.” Isabelle gathered her wind-blown hair. “But Chloe, in our old world, we still had to dedicate our bodies and fertility, didn’t we?”
The man entered my room and stopped at the foot of my bed. I knew him. His name was Caleb. Son of the former base commander. The most cold-blooded and ruthless security officer. Rumor had it, he’d personally killed his parents when he was just ten. The first time I saw him, I was struck by his appearance. But the next second, his gun was aimed straight at my head. Isabelle and I had been transported here while at an amusement park. The ground had suddenly caved in, and we’d fallen. I was still wearing grey-blue contact lenses then. Grey-blue eyes were the mark of the infected. Caleb had mistaken me for one. Though the misunderstanding was later cleared, he had always loathed me. He hated that I, a human, would adorn my eyes with the color of the infected. Yet, the base had assigned him to oversee Isabelle’s and my safety. He was an absolute enforcer; even with his disgust, he had to follow orders. But I didn’t like him either. Many people at the base disliked him. They said the security officers were the lapdogs of the elite, and Caleb was the most loyal and vicious among them. Caleb stood still by my bed. I heard the metallic buckle of his belt unfasten. I’d guessed right. He was indeed here to carry out the breeding assignment. I stopped pretending to sleep, sat up, and pressed a small knife I’d prepared against my throat, speaking each word slowly: “Get out, or I’ll die right here in front of you.” I’d sharpened the knife considerably. My hand trembled slightly, and the blade cut into my skin. Warm blood trickled down my neck. I was gambling. Gambling that he wouldn’t dare, couldn’t allow me to die. Sure enough, Caleb froze. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. It seemed I wasn’t supposed to be awake. I immediately thought of the milk from today. I hadn’t drunk it. Isabelle, not wanting to waste it, had drunk mine. That’s why she’d fallen asleep so early. They had drugged the milk. Now, another man had already entered Isabelle’s room. I continued to threaten Caleb with death. “I said get out, and take those men with you.” But the next second, he snatched the knife away, and his hand clamped tightly over my mouth. I tried to struggle, but I couldn’t move at all. For the first time, I clearly and desperately realized the massive strength disparity between women and men. Especially when I was facing the strongest man in the base. My tears fell uncontrollably. I didn’t want to be forced into breeding. So I bit down hard on Caleb’s hand, and my mouth was soon filled with the taste of blood. Caleb remained unmoved. But he didn’t make any further moves either. A voice came through his comms unit: “Major Caleb, what’s your situation over there?” Caleb glanced at me. “She’s awake, uncooperative, and self-harming.” The voice simply said, “Oh.” Then, “Then terminate the mission for now. Don’t let her harm herself.” Caleb responded, “Understood.” He released me. I pushed him away and jumped off the bed. I had to go save Isabelle. But Caleb threw me back onto the bed. I thought he was going to continue and sneered, “What, is a lapdog like you going to defy your master’s orders?” He lowered his gaze, said nothing, then unbuckled his belt, tied my hands to the headboard, and gagged my mouth with a piece of cloth. Then, he sat down on a chair, facing me.
In the silent darkness, the creaking of Isabelle’s iron bed in the next room was painfully distinct. And her soft moans. She should have been deep in sleep. But now, she was immersed in physical pleasure. It seemed the milk contained more than just a sedative. And there were six other men outside. The doctors had said these were our compatible matches. I didn’t know if all of them were meant to participate. I blamed myself for not preparing Isabelle for this. After a long, agonizing time, the sounds from Isabelle’s room finally ceased. Someone said something to the man, and he led Isabelle away. Panic seized me. When Caleb finally unbound me, I asked him, “Where are you taking Isabelle?” Caleb didn’t answer directly, only saying, “Your current state will affect her. You’ll meet again when the time is right.” I asked others, but no one answered me either. Two months after we’d been transported here, Isabelle and I lost contact for the first time. I was isolated. Caleb, who had always been glued to my side, didn’t appear. The door was locked. I picked up a chair and smashed it against the window, only to discover that the window was made of specialized glass, impenetrable to my strength.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297199”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance
Leave a Reply