The Participants by Brian Blose Read Free Book Online Page A

she had
believed possible. It was happening and she had no control over it.
She didn’t even have enough air for a second scream. Every touch of
the brutes inspired fresh revulsion. Her every sense became raw,
highlighting the experience.
    And then the weight was gone from her. Elza
rolled into a ball, covering as much of herself as possible and
hiding from them. The volume of the jeers dropped. “Touch her again
and I kill you!” Elza flinched at the hands on her, then recognized
the gentle touch of compassion and latched onto them. Her chest
heaved rapidly and she couldn’t see through her tears.
    “You can’t take her,” one of the brutes
said. “You didn’t go to fight.”
    “I will kill you, coward, ” Kallig
roared.
    The voice that responded
snapped with an authority beyond the bravado of the others. “Don’t
you dare touch me. When I die, I come back angry. If I decide to
kill you, no one can stop me. Not your whole tribe together.”
    “Fight him, Kallig!”
    “He can’t take a second woman! He didn’t
fight!”
    “Quiet,” shouted Kallig, silencing the other
men. His tone was milder when he spoke again. “You know the rules.
You only get one woman. That one is ugly and fat. Go see
Dalana.”
    Elza squeezed his arm tighter. Hess sighed.
“I will give up Dalana.”
    “You trade Dalana for this one? No. You will
take Dalana back and have two women.”
    “Yes. I give up Dalana forever and you let
me have this woman.”
    “Do you trick me, Hess?”
    “I give up Dalana. I promise.”
    “Take the ugly one, then! You are a stupid
one, coward!”
    Hess squatted and transferred Elza onto his
shoulders in a rapid movement. They were away from the brutes in
twenty steps. Hess paused to tell Dalana she had to go see Kallig,
which sent the beauty into a panic. Elza rode passively on his
shoulder until they reached his rock, where Hess dropped her to the
ground.
    She took a moment to compose herself. “I
told you not to interfere.”
    “You’re lucky I don’t follow your
orders.”
    “You ruined my observations.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    “This isn’t a game! I have a sacred
duty!”
    Hess pointed to the gruesome scene. “I will
let the Creator know all He needs to about what happens here. Those
men don’t have to touch you.”
    “I could have endured it without your
interference.”
    Hess spun to face her. “Stop it! I don’t
care what you can or can’t endure! The purpose of an Observer is
not to endure torments. You think my participation interferes with
my observations, but what value does the viewpoint of a victim hold
for the Creator?”
    “You are a horrible Observer.”
    “Stop talking to me, woman.”
    “I don’t follow the orders of a coward.”
    “In this tribe, a woman obeys her man.”
    “You are not my man.”
    “I just traded Dalana for you. The least you
can do is shut your mouth.”
    Elza glared at him. “I don’t like you.”
    “I never asked you to like me. I just want
you to stop making noise.”
    “You are going to regret interfering.”
    Hess stood up. “I hope you’re quiet when you
eat.”
    “Where are you going?” She scrambled to his
side before he made five paces.
    “Someone was interfering with my
observations on the rock, so I’m done watching for the night. I’m
going to eat and sleep and pretend you’re not beside
me.”
    Elza ignored the screams as she shadowed him
to the cooking fires. “I really don’t like you.”
    “I miss Dalana already.”

Chapter 10 – Zack / Iteration 144
    Zack struggled as he was forced face-first into
the tub of water. His hands were cuffed behind his back and rope
bound and lifted his feet into the air. There was no way to prevent
the inevitable, but Zack struggled with instinctive passion to
avoid inhaling the water.
    The woman named Erik pressed her knee onto
his shoulder blades, forcing his nose beneath the water. With a
herculean effort, Zack managed to arch his back and neck enough to
pant through his