Chapter 10: Trouble

Some days were good, and some were bad. Once Karl came back at midday in the foulest of moods and spoke to nobody. When Paula ventured a comment on his mood, he looked daggers at her, but didn't reply. Helen guessed that Paula had been close to another punishment then.

Later that day, Frank explained that he had heard that Karl was angry at the loss of a miner and a woman he had bought, and had hoped to keep for a while.

"What do you mean, loss?" asked Helen.

"She is to be executed in public this afternoon, and he will die."

Helen wondered how that came about, but asked, "Why is she to be executed? Do you often have public executions? And do we have to go?"

"To answer the last question first, it is supposed to be compulsory for all the women, because it is a woman to be executed. It is an example to you, but Karl has exempted all the privately owned women; only the dormitory women will have to go this time. No we don't have many executions; the last one was two years ago and it was a man who had stolen food."

Paula was now crying and obviously panicked.

"Shut up," said Frank, "It isn't you. It's some new woman who evidently didn't want to be a whore and really preferred death. She bit half way through the prick of the first man who was tried to use her mouth, and he will die for sure soon because we don't have any doctors here who can treat things like that. It will turn septic and he will get blood poisoning."

Helen wondered if it was Maria, the woman who had been so rude to her when they first arrived, and had then refused to parade naked for the auction. She had said she would rather die than fuck for food.

"How will she be executed?" asked Helen, fascinated in spite of herself.

Frank said the traditional punishment was flogging to death for such a crime, but that the injury was so serious that flogging didn't seem enough, so suggestions had been invited. There were people who had suggested hanging her out in the street for anyone to fuck, or whip, or anything, until she died of something. Others suggested she be fastened in the bottom of the mine in a sort of race to see if she would die of radiation or of starvation. A sort of gladiator contest between this woman and some other women who did mud-wrestling at Martha's night-club, but with the winning girls allowed to drown the loser in the mud had been suggested. Others had what Frank only described as more bizarre ideas still.

Helen wondered what kind of justice this was, when anyone could make any suggestion they liked; wasn't it enough that the woman was to die?