Rupert_137
Governor
A Test of Courage
A story set against the backdrop of a dystrophic and post-apocalyptic world
Written by Rupert based on some drawings and many ideas from Extr200
IntroductionA story set against the backdrop of a dystrophic and post-apocalyptic world
Written by Rupert based on some drawings and many ideas from Extr200
This story is obviously pure fantasy; it is divided into two largely independent sections.
It begins with a rather painful test of courage that our heroine Joana has to pass in order to be accepted into a group that offers her protection. But despite a dystopian background there is a quite hopeful perspective. The narrative only covers a few days and focuses on a few hours.
The second part gives an outlook on a possible future for our heroine, which is rather dark and gloomy in her post-apocalyptic world. This covers more than 20 years and focuses on some highlighted events.
All the characters in this story are of legal age, even if girls and boys are mentioned repeatedly, simply because it can be assumed that these terms are common in the given background, even though they are actually young men and women.
I. The Will to survive
1) The Sandstorm, a Beginning
1) The Sandstorm, a Beginning
Returning from the mountains where she found more protection, Joana trudged back to the wasteland where many useful things could be found to ensure her survival. She was always looking for something useful, for something to eat, for fresh water, for a sheltered place to spend the night...
Almost a beautiful morning…
Joana is leaving the mountains, where she finds protection but cannot survive alone
But dangers lurked everywhere, she was always in fear of an ambush. Vagrants, bandits, gangs of robbers and slave hunters roamed around the wasteland. As a young woman she was particularly vulnerable. Even guys who seemed friendly and harmless could suddenly grab, rape and kidnap her. Here in the Wasteland, as everywhere else at that time, it was the rule of the strongest, and left to her own devices, Joana was the weakest.
The robber gangs were the worst because they even attacked settlements. In addition to fuel, food and tools, these gangs particularly targeted young women, whom they could sell to brothels at a good price after extensively abusing them. They called it trivializing “riding a wild girl” when a newly captured young woman was raped by a group of men. But slave hunters were even more dangerous for Joana as a single woman.
How long could she persevere this alone? Her parents and all her friends had died or been kidnapped in a brutal attack on their 'fortified village' by a strong band of raiders. There were simply too many attackers. Joana was the only one in her community who managed to escape. She hid well and was miraculously not found. The attack happened early in the morning, she waited until the evening and only sneaked away secretly at night. Until then she had witnessed terrible things, but at least she had escaped a terrible fate.
But now she was on her own and that had to end soon. The wastelands and the ruined fields of ancient settlements were no place for wandering girls and women, especially not when they were traveling alone, even if they were skilled and brave.
A week ago Joana almost fell into the hands of three dirty guys who had waylaid her. Suddenly she found herself face to face with her abusers, three men who blocked her escape route. "What kind of sweetheart do we have here, sneaking through the wasteland alone?" They didn't hesitate for long, the leader brutally tore her shirt and exposed her breasts. The robbers looked at their prey excitedly.
"You have great boobs, girl, if you also have a plump ass, you'll give us a big catch." Joana knew immediately what was in store for her, she had seen it up close in her village.
But it could even get worse, she had heard terrible things...
Beautiful young women like her, who were too valuable to be used for slave labor in the rubble, were sold or leased for a lot of money (a high exchange value) to heavily guarded brothels, of which more and more were founded. These were generally respected safe zones called ‘Oases’. There all the men of the Wasteland could find some peace and distraction if they craved it.
But the luxuries and conveniences to be found there, along with significant profits, were built on the shoulders of the women imprisoned there, for whom life in these 'Oases' was hell. They did almost all of the work, they lured the men, lured money out of their pockets, but received no wages whatsoever. On the contrary, they had no rights at all and had to submit to everyone's wishes whenever someone asked for them. Any disobedience or complaint from a guest was severely punished, usually in front of the visitors. And many visitors had very specific requests, which were often humiliating and painful for the ‘girls’ working there.
Unfortunately for Joana, these oases' hunger for beautiful, fresh ‘girls’ was great. This caused prices to rise and more and more gangs of robbers started hunting, especially in small groups that could be lurking anywhere. The robber gangs kept some of abducted victims for themselves, but most were auctioned off at special 'girls' markets', of course the young women were completely naked.
Her heart was pounding wildly, fear was making her bladder squeeze... Joana was trapped, she almost froze in terror. The leader grabbed her tits and she instinctively backed away. Two strong hands grabbed her from behind and pushed her forward. “nice to stay here, sweetie!”
She smelled the musty clothes and bad breath of the man who was now standing right in front of her. He pinched her left breast and played with her nipple, it hurt, it was really embarrassing.
"Nicely rounded boobs, very sensitive... I bet you're a horny slut and you’re very proud of your naughty tits," he remarked snidely. But he demanded more. “Let’s see what else you have to offer… Take off your clothes, get naked!”
She stood there as if petrified. A sharp slap in the face made her cringe. “Obey!”
“Ow… Oh, no… Please not!”
"Are you still a virgin?" She nodded, frightened. In fact, the people in her village were strict about ensuring that girls did not become pregnant unintentionally.
"God damn, who would have thought... It's going to be a great day for you, girl." The guys laughed dirtily. "Now take off your clothes, but slowly!" When she still hesitated, the man hit her forehand backhand across both her cheeks. "We don't like waiting."
Her cheeks burned, filled with shame and fear, she slowly pulled her torn dress off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
The leader pulled up her petticoat. “The panties too,” he shouted, “take them off!” Joana was desperate, but she pulled up her skirt and obeyed. Suddenly the man pushed her onto the hard ground. “Now open your legs,” he ordered with greedy eyes.
It was as if he flipped a switch on her. She saw her fate clearly in her mind: Next, the smelly guy would tear her petticoat and the other two would hold her arms and legs - that's what she had seen during the attack on her village. Then she would be raped one by one by these disgusting men. As a virgin she didn't really know what it meant, but she suspected it because she had heard the women of her village screaming and crying.
Suddenly she conquered her fear, kept her mind clear and reacted with lightning speed. She ignored the pain in her back and reached into the ground with both hands. As the leader leaned over her to pull her thighs further apart, she had the presence of mind to throw coarse sand into his face, momentarily incapacitating him.
Before the other two realized what was happening, she was back on her feet and pushing past the leader, who knelt, rubbing his eyes and cursing. “Get away, just get away, don’t look back,” Joana thought to herself.
The two other robbers tried to run after her, but she was as quick as a weasel, already had a small lead, and in the end she had more endurance than these men. She was only wearing shoes and her torn undershirt, but she ignored that.
The wind suddenly picked up and, miraculously, she disappeared into the gloom of an approaching sandstorm that barely allowed more than two dozen meters of visibility. But that could also have meant her death. Then another miracle happened, the sandstorm was barely howling when it changed direction and left. That's how she escaped the cursing guys. Later she found spare clothes in her hiding place.
Joana had been lucky, lucky again. But how long would their happiness last? She was so happy when she came across the small group around Andrew three days ago, who were mastering their life in the wasteland together and called themselves 'The Sandstorm'. It was a name with a special meaning to her. These young people didn't have enough to be of interest to the big raider gangs, but they were strong enough to protect themselves against bandits and slave hunters.
And yet, there was one big problem that worried her. Each additional person joining the group meant they needed a larger camp, more food, and more fresh water. This made the group more vulnerable and immobile. That's why there was a strict entrance exam. A sandstorm has already saved me once, that's a good omen, she hoped. And she would pass the test.