the Experiments of Adem part 4

Fear and anxiety shook Etah’s heart as she and Rahan watched the next set of newly shaven girls come down the tiers of the pit. This would be their final moments in the pits, but questions still lingered as to what was on the other side of the hidden door.

The bellowing horn had never resonated or scared Etah until now. Rahan grabbed her hand as they turned to their right and followed the other girls through the secret door. She watched the pit disappear as the door came to a close behind them.
“Get in a line,” A Goab shouted. It had been five years, but Etah almost enjoyed seeing the slick white scales of a Goab in the red dirt. Both Etah and Rahan struggled not to laugh at the sterile garment coverning the Goab’s snake like frame. She had almost forgotten the Goab’s fear of disease.

“To your knees,” the Goab shouted and the women knelt in the dirt confused and fearful of what was to happen next. Once on the ground, a group of Gouti guards, with the same anger as Pneu in their eyes, stepped forward and put a razor to the hair each of them had grown in the last five years. Etah struggled to hold back her tears. Memories from before filled her mind as the matted, dirt caked hair fell to the ground. What had been her beauty was gone again, and who knew if she would have the chance to regain what she had grown.

“To your feet,” the Goab once everyone’s’ hair was gone. Etah blinked back her tears and hatred as she watched the Goab slither toward a white door.
“We are returning to Terranova” Rehan whispered in Etah’s ear. Her excitement didn’t give Etah any hope. There was something strange about this door. The Goab entered a code at the door and with a loud release of air the white door opened to the inside.

“Remove your close as you go in,” the Goab instructed. Every one of them froze at the command.
“Why? Where are we going?” Etah asked surprised at her own tenacity to ask a question of a Goab. The black eyes of the Goab scrutinized her from head to toe before looking to one of the Gouti. Etah didn’t have the time to look behind her before a rod was snapped across her back. The pain and the cold feeling of blood made Etah go to her knees.

Not another person said a word as they took off the clothes they had been given five years ago and stepped through the door. Rahan helped Etah to her feet, and in the throbbing pain of her lashing struggled to pull the dirt caked clothing from her body.
Etah and Rahan stepped cautiously into the white stone room and with the door closed behind them everyone trying to hide behind bashful glances.

“What will happen now?” Rahan said with her usual tone of fear.
“I don’t think we are returning to Terranova.” Etah said looking up to the noise that was sputtering around nozzles in the ceiling. And if she knew the Goab’s fear of disease what was going to come out of those spouts would not make the wound on her back feel any better.