She Thrives In Hell Chapter 3: Violence Before Silence

It’s been two days since T265 opened up to EmCee in the Octagon. The gravity of what she shared remained a shock. Something felt different though, nothing definite, but definitely something…

The brutal August sun bore down upon the boundary of the Califax Ranch as the chunk of limestone burned through the callouses in T265’s hands. Beads of sweat cut between the hundreds of follicles of her beard like razors dancing along her skin. The weight of the stone pulled at her muscles while she hobbled towards the gaping hole in the stone wall facing the two-lane highway.

Apparently, a drunk driver lost control a couple of weeks ago. Behind her, T1405 grumbled about the heat for the hundredth time since they were shuttled to the boundary.

T265 couldn’t fault her too much for her attitude. One of the Ts in K barracks hung herself from the top bunk night before last, and the warden ordered everyone to stand in the Strand last night until two hours before sunrise. Still, T1405 should know better by now what mouthing off gets her.

If she kept it up, the Daxtons were very excited to educate her. T265 set the stone on the pile by the wall, and she could feel the energy of freedom caress her skin. It was a mirage though, where the thought of escape forced itself upon her. She knew better.

The oldest Daxton loomed over her from atop his muddy-brown horse. His rugged sensibility glared at her with both hands ready on his rifle. While the more rational of the two brothers, he wasn’t above breaking her nose over damaging a rock.

The trudge back to the remaining limestone on the truck was somehow bleaker. The younger Daxton lounged on top of the cab with a red cooler of beer to his side. Bottles littered the dry grass surrounding the truck. Thankfully, his aim got worse the more he drank. Word was the Is were his preferred target for sadistic release, but he did delight in humiliating the trans women, which was why he demanded they work topless.

“Working nice today missy,” he said when T265 was a few feet away from the truck.

The glimmer of his mirrored sunglasses beneath the shadow of his cowboy hat unsettled her. The sensation of his lingering gaze left her feeling exposed and dirty. Even though they were gone, she crossed her arms to shield her breasts.

“This is some bullshit,” T1405 said under her breath with a scowl. The soft peach fuzz on her face caught the sunlight. In time, her face would be full like the other Ts as the Warden forbid them from shaving. There were no scars on her chest, which, meant someone must have turned her in.

T265 didn’t acknowledge the statement, but locked eyes with her and they both softened. The moment passed when she was out of sight. It reminded her of that moment with EmCee in the Octagon.

Perhaps the work would become bearable with commiseration and jokes. The thought added a slight bounce to her step as she approached the truck. She avoided looking at the younger Daxton whose hands clutched the rifle when his brother cried out.

“The fuck—”

The older Daxton’s cry cut short. The crash of hooves pummeling the ground grew faint in a matter of moments.

Reckless, T265 whipped around, and the tremor of fear ripped through her body at the sight of the older Daxton motionless on the ground.

T1405 sprinted outside the wall towards the highway.

The explosion of broken bottles crashed behind her, but the boom of the rifle pierced her ears.

The ringing continued until the younger Daxton stood next to her.

“Gotta move faster pervert,” he said with a chuckle. He turned his attention to T265 and cackled. “Pick up my beers freak.”

He ran across the field to his brother while T1405 lay among the wildflowers, halfway to the road. The stupidity of her escape stung T265 deeper than she expected, and that surprised her. It wasn’t the first time she saw someone attempt escape; it was always the new ones who thought they could make it.

Sometimes, survival wasn’t of the fittest. She disconnected herself from the world beyond the wall and focused on sifting through the broken bottles. Maybe if she salvaged enough of them, it would appease the Daxtons for the rest of the day.