Alice was gone now. It was not in her heart to be a slave.

"I think that, while the men are out there hunting, we should keep her safe. And I think she knows that."

She nodded in silent agreement, feeling the weight of their leader's body behind her. "We will protect and keep her safe. We won't let anything happen to her." she told them, her face going very serious. "Not now, not ever."

"We won't," the others agreed.

And as Alice and Alice's eyes closed to sleep, they knew it was true.

Alice awoke when she heard movement outside the room. There were voices and she remembered everything. The smell of blood. The sound of feet. The pain of being beaten. The taste of tears and dirt and mud. Everything. She remembered.

Slowly the memory came back to her. She recalled everything that had been said. That she had said. That she was going to give in.

"I said, yes," she told herself. "I can do it. Please, don't let me kill again. Please."

She listened and heard soft voices. She felt her head being held. She watched the light grow dim as her head was lowered and her body was lifted. She looked up at