“Shai, we need wood. Stop all this playing and go retrieve a few bundles,” Ezekiel stated sternly.

A’shai nodded and tapped Liberty’s arm. “Come on, let’s go!” he shouted.

“Go alone. She has chores to do,” Ezekiel said.

“But I’m going to need help carrying…”

Before A’shai could get the sentence out of his mouth Ezekiel shot him a cold stare that silenced him instantly.

“Go get the wood,” Ezekiel demanded. He walked over to Liberty and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder and then led her back into the hut.

Liberty craned her neck as she watched A’shai kick a rock in frustration as he headed out to the woods. She wanted to call out to him or to even run after him, but the hold Ezekiel had on her fragile neck was so strong that she was afraid he might snap it if she disobeyed.

Ezekiel had waited long enough for Liberty to become accustomed to her new life. He hadn’t needed her to cook or to clean or to wash or to sweep. She was one of the spoils of war, a sexual conquest. She was too beautiful to kill like the others of her village. He wanted her, and as he closed the door, he unbuckled his army fatigue pants as his manhood grew in sickening anticipation. Ezekiel approached Liberty. Shirtless, his hairy chest trapped the scent of his funk as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her down onto the floor forcefully.

His hands roamed her body, and she pushed them off repeatedly. “No, stop,” she cried as his fingers penetrated her, hurting the space between her legs. “Stop!” she screamed.

A’shai got halfway into the woods when he realized that he had forgotten to take an axe. Knowing that this was going to set him back and keep him away from Liberty even longer he took off as his youthful speed brought him back to the village in less than ten minutes. A’shai trudged to the back of the hut to retrieve his axe when Liberty’s shrill screams cut through the air and pierced his young heart. A’shai ran into the house and when he saw his father struggling to subdue Liberty on the ground he snapped. He had seen his father do horrendous acts, but the sight before him made his stomach hollow in utter disappointment.