Jaynie’s father had been gone for two days now. Game was getting harder to find. They’d slaughtered virtually every creature that walked on four legs within a twenty mile radius except for the occasional straggler. Their only hope in recent days had been the occasional bird… that is, if they could kill it without attracting attention to themselves.

Going back to civilization was unthinkable. First, there was hardly any civilization to go back to, at least not in these parts. Food was scarce no matter where one went. Besides, it had been reported that people were being reduced to cannibalism.

Secondly, her family had refused to take the Mark. It was a tattoo imprinted upon the back of the hand or upon the forehead, a sign of loyalty to the Emperor resulting in worshipping him as the Supreme Savior during these troubled times. No one could buy or sell without the Mark.

The Emperor resided in Rome. Yet he was sending out hit squads to the four corners of the earth. It seems he’d become obsessed with tracking down each and every human being who did not have the Mark.

When the time had come, her family had escaped into the desert Southwest to go into hiding. Those who refused the Mark were summarily executed. It was rumored those bodies after execution were often used to feed the living in some remote areas.

Before her father had left on his recent expedition for food, they had actually discussed the possibility of her and her mother becoming pregnant. If they both conceived, they could consider eating the babies if no other food could be obtained. It was a horrible decision to contemplate.

Their meager rations were almost gone. Nobody wanted to bring another mouth into the world to feed. The idea of eating a newborn was abhorrent to them all. But they were rapidly running out of options.

Was turning to cannibalism better than starving? Jaynie did not think so. Besides, she’d already grown accustomed to her stomach rumbling all the time. She was losing weight… but then again, they all were.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Jaynie believed killing babies for food was wrong. But they had to eat something or they were slowly going to starve to death.

There was another issue to consider. Father had sexual needs. They had put it off for as long as possible. But mother was starting to become scrawny to the point where it was painful for her to copulate.

Not too long ago she’d suggested her husband have sex with their daughter just to satisfy his physical needs. Jaynie knew this was also wrong. But was there anything that was right anymore?

They heard it again, the sound of a helicopter flying somewhere nearby. It panicked both her and her mother. Being found would mean a death sentence unless they both took the Mark. Would unbearable hunger drive them to make that fateful decision?

Jaynie’s stomach rumbled again. Her mother looked at her and shook her head. “I’m sorry, honey.”

“It’s ok, mother. I’m used to it by now.”

“But I’m not.”

Indeed, she was not. But she was helpless to bring relief to her daughter. They were forced to ration their meager supplies while hoping her husband would return with some sort of meat to put on the table.

The helicopter flew back an hour later, sounding much closer. Mother and daughter looked up at the roof of their makeshift cabin in growing alarm. Would they be found before her father returned? Wasn’t it only a matter of time?

How much longer did they have to wait? And what were they waiting for? Was it deliverance? Or was it death?

“Mother, I’m going to go down to the stream to get some water. Maybe I’ll find something to eat down there.”

“Honey, no. Not now. Not until the activity outside settles down. It’s a long hike and you might be spotted.”

“Mother, should we turn ourselves in?”

“Honey we’d be killed unless we took the Mark immediately. You know that.”

“Maybe I can find something to eat… a snake or a lizard… something! I can go out and be right back before father returns.”

“No, Jaynie. I’ll go.”

“No, mother; I’m stronger. I should go…”

“Hush!”

Her mother put up a hand, silencing the conversation. They both froze when they heard it. It sounded like vehicles coming up the game trail. If they had made it this far, surely they had to be using four wheel drives.

Panic swelled within them. Suddenly a shot rang out. Mother and daughter hit the floor.

They heard a voice on a megaphone. “Come out with your hands up and nobody will get hurt!”

Jaynie looked at her mother in resignation. At last, the waiting was over. Soon they would be facing death. Jaynie had no illusions any other option would be offered to them.

They exchanged a fearful glance at their situation. What choice did they have? They could wait inside for the cabin to be stormed. More than likely they would both be killed. But it was just as likely they would be shot once they stepped outside the cabin door.

Mother nodded as she and Jaynie rose up. They walked to the door and carefully opened it up. Then they hesitantly stepped outside in their tattered shirts and cutoffs, their arms raised in surrender. Neither wore a bra or panties. It was a luxury that no longer seemed necessary in their present living conditions.

Armed men in fatigues crouched in an arc in front of them. Two vehicles were a few paces farther back. Seeing them would have been a relief – some welcoming semblance of civilization – were the circumstances not so dire.

“On the ground… NOW!” Mother and daughter obediently dropped face down onto the dusty earth.

“Anyone else inside?”

Mother shook her head as she cried out, “NO ONE!”

Two men with submachine guns rushed forward. They burst violently into the cabin. There was a sound of rustling inside.

A minute later they came out in a relaxed atmosphere. “There’s no one inside!” one reported loudly. “There’s no one but these women!”

The armed men relaxed. Two scrawny looking females posed no threat. Then one of them stepped forward with insignia on his shirt. He was obviously in charge… probably an officer.

“On your feet,” he demanded. Mother and daughter obediently arose. Then he checked their hands and foreheads.

“I see no Mark. The penalty for being caught without one is death. You’re well aware of that, aren’t you?”

“Please!” Mother pleaded. “We’re hungry! Give us something to eat!”

“Inside,” he motioned. And with that the two women were escorted back inside the cabin.

There were three rough, wooden chairs. The officer took one. He motioned for the women to take the other two that were facing him. Two men stood right inside the doorway, unnecessarily acting as guards.

“Anybody else live here?”

“Just us,” Mother told the officer, her head lowered in defeat.

“No one else has been living here?”

“No one.”

Mother hoped the lie would hold. With any luck, her husband would escape without being captured. But for what purpose?

How much longer would he be able to live by himself with little to no food, all the while knowing his wife and daughter had been murdered? A few more days? A week? What would he do once he returned and found then gone?

The officer grimly looked them over. “Neither of you are wearing the Mark. By law I have every right to have you executed right here on the spot.”

He paused for a moment, letting that sink in. Mother and daughter did not react. He studied them closely. Were they resigned to their fate?

“However,” he added carefully, “the Emperor is merciful. He wants to give every separatist a chance to renounce their false beliefs and return to human civilization, small though it may be in these troubled times. If it were up to me I would not make this offer. But I must abide by the Emperor’s wishes.”

He snapped his fingers. One of the guards left the cabin. He was gone only a couple minutes before he returned with a basket.

The smell instantly hit both mother and daughter, causing their stomachs to rumble. The officer reached inside and pulled out a drumstick. It looked like it came from some sort of large fowl… a wild turkey perhaps?

He took a bite out of it, munching with deliberateness as though savoring the flavor. There was another snap of his fingers. The other guard slipped out of the cabin door.

He returned a couple minutes later. In his hand was the branding gear. The officer didn’t even look in his direction once the man arrived. He knew the necessary equipment was there.

“Whoever renounces their false beliefs and takes the Mark may eat what’s inside.” Then he smiled as he waited for their decision.

Mother and daughter looked at the basket. Their stomachs rumbled loudly. Jaynie licked her lips as her mouth watered.

Her mother spoke first, the wonderful smell having penetrated through her resolve. “Jaynie, we have to. We’ve gone as far as we can go.”

Jaynie looked at her in astonishment. “But mother, you said–”

“I know what I said! I was wrong, ok? We have to eat… YOU have to eat!”

The daughter sadly shook her head. “Mother, you were not wrong then. You are not wrong now.”

She felt strangely calm. Had she already prepared herself for this moment? Oddly, her fear was not nearly as strong as it had been earlier when the men had first shown up.

“Janie, take the Mark! You have to eat!”

She lowered her head, shaking it slowly. “Mother, I… I can’t.”

“You stupid girl!”

Jaynie looked up at her mother in surprise. But the woman was now looking hopefully at the officer. “If I take the Mark, will you spare my daughter? Will you feed my daughter?”

“Mother, you can’t–“

“Honey, I’m trying to spare your life!”

“Mother, no!”

The officer looked at the daughter. Then he told the guards, “One of you take her out to the truck. Let me talk to the mother alone.”

“NO! Not my daughter??”

The guard who’d brought in the basket took Jaynie and roughly escorted her out the door. The other with the branding gear stayed behind. Mother stood up to intervene, but the officer rose up and got in her way.

“We’ll start with you, then. Have a seat.”

The mother paused for a long moment before she sat back down. She felt panicked… defeated… hopeless. She did not want to believe this was the end of the line.

Was this all they’d earned for themselves simply for not taking the Mark? Was this the end result? Why had they even bothered in the first place??

He smiled at her before taking another bite. Her stomach rumbled as she looked at him carefully. He didn’t seem so bad.

“What about you?” he asked, motioning at her with the drumstick. “Will you take the Mark? Will you do it for your daughter? You can have this if you do.” That’s when he took yet another bite. There was still some meat left on it.

She thought about it long and hard. What did it matter if she changed allegiances now and chose to worship the Emperor? At least she would not starve. And she would be sparing her daughter, wouldn’t she? Surely that would make all the difference in the world, right?

She nodded her head in defeat. She quietly told him, “I’ll take the Mark.” Then she timidly offered up the back of her hand.

The officer snapped his fingers. The guard with the equipment formally stepped forward. He took the branding device and applied it to the back of her hand.

She heard the hiss of the machine as it imprinted the Mark. At that same moment she felt something die inside her. Strangely she now felt truly lost.

He handed her the remainder of the drumstick. She snatched it out of his hand and ravenously wolfed it down, bone and all. Then he pulled out another piece of meat and handed it over to her.

She snatched that up as well and devoured it. She couldn’t believe how hungry she was. For the moment she forgot all about her daughter.

The meat tasted wonderful. It had been quite a while since they’d last cooked animal flesh. Then she heard a shriek from outside. It was clearly Jaynie. It sounded like she was screaming for her mother.

Instinctively she got up and rushed outside. It was amazing what her scrawny body could do with her daughter’s terrified voice ringing in her ears. It was astounding how fast she could make her feet fly.

Her daughter was standing at the back of some vehicle. It looked like a modified tow truck. There was some sort of T extending out of the bed in an elevated position.

Jaynie kept screaming in despair… “IT’S FATHER – IT’S FATHER!!”  But that’s not what bothered her mother.

She noticed with alarm that her daughter had been stripped naked. Two men were tying her arms behind her back. When she drew closer she saw twin nooses dangling from each end of the elevated T coming out of the back of the vehicle.

She let out a cry as she rushed forward to stop them from noosing her daughter. That’s when she got a look into the back of the truck. Her husband lay sprawled and bloodied, his eyes open in vacant horror from the lethal shot through the tattered clothes covering his chest.

The mother let out a cry of horror. “Hang her, too,” the officer declared emotionlessly, motioning at the older woman. “The settlement can use the meat.”

“NO; NOT MY DAUGHTER??”

They grabbed her and forced her over underneath the second noose. Jaynie looked over with conflicting emotions. She did not want to watch her mother hang. But she was strangely relieved it was all about to come to an end.

…and then she saw the Mark on the back of her mother’s hand as they began stripping the tattered clothes off the frantic woman…

Jaynie was horrified… “Mother, you didn’t!”

“NO – NO; DON’T HANG MY DAUGHTER!”

Jaynie had tears in her eyes as she shook her head. “Mother… all those things you told me… how could you??”

“NOOOO! YOU CAN’T HANG HER! YOU PROMISED!”

It was at that point her mother started raining down obscenities upon their captor’ heads. The men were unmoved. But it was the first time Jaynie had ever heard such words emerge past her mother’s lips. Had taking the Mark broken her spirit? Had it changed her that much??

“YOU PROMISED, YOU BASTARDS! YOU FILTHY ANIMALS! YOU PROMISED TO LET HER LIVE!”

“We need not keep promises with separatists. Your bodies will serve the settlement well.”

“What about us?” one of the others called out. “When can we fuck ‘em, Brock?”

“You can fuck the mother any time you want after she’s dead. She’s received the Mark and is now clean. The daughter is off-limits.”

“C’mon, Brock!” another complained. “Just give her the Mark after she’s dead and be done with it! She looks healthier than her mother!”

Jaynie was horrified. She watched her mother struggle as they looped the noose around her neck. The officer smiled at the two women before nodding with understanding.

“That’s a good point, boys. We’ll wait until the young one is dead before marking her. Then you can enjoy both carcasses before we take ‘em back to the settlement.”

The mother found voice enough to scream in utter panic and despair. The officer made a motion with his hand. The end of the T was lifted up to the sound of hydraulics as though lifting a vehicle to be towed away. That’s when mother and daughter were hoisted naked into the air.

Almost immediately they began to kick and struggle as they strangled to death. Jaynie could not believe how much it hurt. She didn’t weigh as much as she did six months ago. That meant it was going to take her a long time to strangle to death in the noose.

Her mother was even worse. She’d lost even more weight. It resulted in her jerking around at the end of the rope like a fish on a line.

The guys all gathered around to laugh and jeer. Several pulled their cocks out to masturbate. Jaynie felt ashamed at the knowledge she and her mother had no value to these men except as sexual amusement. They were nothing more than objects now… to be used and abused before their dead bodies would be taken back to some settlement to be eaten.

Jaynie rasped and gurgled as she struggled in the noose. It hurt like hell. Yet she felt a strange peace she could not fathom.

She kicked and danced in agony, putting on a show for the stroking males jeering at their torment. Her mother looked like she was really suffering. It broke her heart, seeing her in agony while knowing she’d been marked.

One of the men motioned at the mother. “What’s wrong with taking her down and giving her a flying fuck?”

The officer smiled as he shook his head. “Nothing wrong with it at all, I suppose.” That’s when the man wasted no time walking up to the struggling mother while pulling his pants down and hollering, “Lower the bar!”

The mother was brought down until her toes barely caressed the ground. Jaynie remained a couple inches from solid footing. Then the sadistic male grabbed her mother and shoved his dick inside her.

She let out a painful cry that was choked off. Then she was brutally raped as she dangled in the noose. It felt like hell had literally come to claim her body and soul.

Panic and humiliation swelled within her. What they were doing to her was shameful. So why wasn’t her daughter receiving the same treatment?? After all, she deserved it more for refusing the Mark, the stupid bitch!

Another male stepped behind the mother, wanting to take advantage of the other hole. So he rammed his cock hard up her ass. The mother jerked and shuddered from the painful intrusion.

She saw her daughter fighting her noose, kicking her life away. But she could feel her motherly compassion melting away. The more she was fucked, the more rage and bitterness swelled within her as though her soul had become blackened.

It was her daughter’s fault; it was all Jaynie’s fault! This was all her doing! They would never have come to such an undignified ending if they hadn’t been trying to protect her!

She saw Jaynie shamefully displayed as the young woman danced in the noose. She saw the wet, winking vagina and the reddened facial features. She felt it served her daughter right.

The mother experienced a feeling of sadistic cruelty swell within her as the men stroked and jeered to her daughter’s suffering. She found herself mentally taunting Jaynie right along with them… ‘Hang, you bitch! You did this to us on purpose; this is all your fault! Show them what a whore you are as you dance in the noose! They’re going to eat you anyway!’

Jaynie gurgled as the noose took its time closing off her throat. She could see her mother being shamefully raped in her noose, and it broke her heart. If only their suffering would soon come to an end.

Two more cocks came up and painfully violated the mother. She mentally cursed her child, cheering the way she seemed to be kicking and suffering. Her mind cried out, “Piss yourself and die, bitch! Piss yourself and die!”

All motherly compassion had fled away. Something had happened to her internally after receiving the Mark. She didn’t understand, nor did she care. All she knew was her daughter was responsible and was now suffering the way she rightfully deserved.

There were tears in Jaynie’s eyes as she fought her noose. She could hear the enthusiastic males as they watched and stroked to her torment. How much longer could this go on??

Her labia flared as she experienced a flush of shameful pleasure. Her cunt gushed from a humiliating orgasm. Somehow it had the effect of numbing her agony.

She needed air; she really needed another breath! Her chest was on fire, her lungs heaving. Her body reacted in panic as she began jerking and kicking harder.

There was a faint *crick*. Jaynie’s agony abruptly ceased as her naked body swung back and forth. She could no longer feel anything below her neck.

Her bladder released, although she was not aware of it. The men all laughed at her, at least those who were focusing on her. Strangely it didn’t hurt anymore.

She saw her mother suffering in the noose and felt a certain pity for her. She mentally asked if she had to watch anymore. It was as though some voice told her “No”. A moment later her vision failed. Her heart stopped beating a short time later as her bowels voided.

The mother witnessed it all. Her daughter was no longer putting up a fight. Her naked body was gently swinging back and forth, piss and shit running down her legs.

At first she became indignant. It was not fair: her daughter escaping further humiliation while she still suffered on. Then she truly became aware of her agony as two more cocks roughly violated her clenched, shriveled holes.

She tried to scream in agony. But she could not get enough air past her vocal cords. She was certainly conscious enough to feel her body being painfully violated.

What the hell was wrong; why wasn’t she losing consciousness?? To her horror she realized she was getting just enough air to keep her alive. She was frozen in agonizing torment, hanging right on the edge of the precipice of death.

She rasped and gurgled as the men took turns giving her one flying fuck after another. Both of her holes were cruelly violated. They seemed to take great delight in tormenting her.

The noose was wrong; it was all wrong. She needed it loose so she could breathe a little more. No; she needed it tighter so she could be strangled into merciful oblivion. Instead she hung balanced between heaven and hell, enduring excruciating agony.

Her daughter’s naked corpse gently swung back and forth. She was checked for a pulse, but none was found. Then she was taken down, her suffering at an end.

A mark was branded onto the top of her left hand. Then the men started raping the carcass. The mother was horrified, yet she could not stop sadistically cheering the violation of her daughter’s corpse.

Her bladder released shamefully, coating the man in front of her. But he did not seem to care. Then she farted around the cock up her ass, causing the men to laugh and jeer.

In her mind she cried; she screamed; she spewed obscenities. She understood much too late this was the ending they had always planned for her and her daughter. They would be taken back to this so-called settlement, wherever the hell it was. Then they would be cooked and eaten, their flesh consumed only to be shit back out in some humiliating manner after having been digested.

Her windpipe finally closed off. She could not breathe at all. Her lungs heaved as she struggled in vain to pull a decent breath of air down her throat. Yet somehow she felt each and every sadistic thrust into her holes as though receiving the punishment she’d earned in this life… the punishment for taking the Mark perhaps?

In her mind she began to scream anew. It was a horrific cry, a shriek as painful as the sound of nails on a chalkboard. That’s when she felt herself plunging over the edge into the abyss.

It was not a welcome death. Strangely she could still feel the rope strangling the life out of her… could still feel two cocks brutally violating her holes during her journey. Her screams reverberated in her ears, frightening her even more as she plunged into a terrifying oblivion…

2019 (written Sep 14 ’19 by riwa)