Continued from Part Ten

Snyder sat in his cell. His beaten back felt raw even with healing balm applied so Hewitt would have a fresh skin to stripe next time.

The cell block door slid up and admitted a female guard.

I’ve not seen her before. But wait, I have.

Mama Borden stopped in front of his cell, wearing the guards’ uniform and heavy make-up to hide the wrinkles.

Snyder gasped. “Mama?”

She put a key in the cell door and turned it. “That’s Private Cyanne Jones-Walker.”

“I’m a Specialist. Are you going to salute?”

“Boy, drop the smart talk and come on. Cerulean’s got a car waiting.”

“That’s great, but, how did you get in?”

“I had a calculator in my coat and copied Dread’s passcode when he entered it. While I was wailing and screaming, I was looking for a way into the jail.”

“You disassociated.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You weren’t Mama watching your baby get beaten, you were ol’ Harriet, tryin’ to figure out how to break into jail and putting on so that nobody would suspect you.”

“It worked, didn’t it? Now come.”

“Mama, I can’t.”

“What do you mean? You got a car parked down the street and forty thousand American that Cerulean and I got by selling everything we couldn’t pack. You can.”

“Somebody told me nobody would die for a harem girl. If I leave, I’ll be sentenced while absent, there’d be no appeal, and really bad law would take root.”

“But you got to come. This world can go to Hell. No cracker’s gonna beat my baby.” Tears, real ones began to trickle down Mama Borden’s face. “God forgive me. I almost killed them.”

 “You couldn’t have killed them.”

“The guard was too intent on watching the ‘fun.’ I could have grabbed his gun.”

“Do you know how to turn off the safety?”

Mama Borden raised an eyebrow. “What’s a safety?”

“A reason not to feel guilty. You would’ve just embarrassed yourself. But let me see the gun in your holster.”

Mama Borden pulled it out. Snyder eyed it. “Safety’s on, good. So how’d you take care of the usual guard?”

“We had ourselves a friendly conversation over cider. I drugged his second cup.”

“You better get out before he comes to.”

Mama Borden gave Snyder a hug. Snyder winced. She started to cry again, but wiped the tears away. “I’ll drop the keys with our friend. But if you convicted, I’ll be back.”

Snyder watched Mama Borden leave and laid down and closed his eyes.

Continued Next Thursday

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