Operation by Tony Ruggiero Page A

anymore—we are not the same anymore. You remember what Papa used to say about the scary stories that grandmother told him; the ones about the creatures that lived by the old ruins?
    “Yes. I remember.”
    “So you know how the other people felt.”
    “They hated them,” she said, as tears filled her eyes. “But Papa would be there and he loves us. He could take us to the special place in the mountains where we could take a picnic lunch. It was so pretty there.”
    “Yes, it was,” she agreed.
    Ishma remembered the clean mountain air in the spring, all the flowers blooming and the scent in the air heavy. The bright sunlight and the warm feeling on her face…then she abruptly shut out the memory. “I don’t think we can go there anymore.”
    “But why? I don’t understand all of this.”
    “I know, Crema, I know.”
    The sound of the door unlocking took their attention from each other. A voice came from a speaker somewhere above their heads.
    “Let’s go, ladies. It’s time to eat,” the deep voice said.
    Both girls rose immediately, their hunger making them eager.
    “The door is unlocked,” the voice said. “Step out into the corridor and follow the yellow arrows on the floor. They will lead you to the area where you can get your food. There will be two guards to escort you. Remember—you are not to make any harmful gestures of any kind—you will be punished if you should do so.”
    “Ahhh…” Both girls screamed in pain. Their hands clutching at the metallic collars they wore around their necks.
    “That was a reminder of the control we have over you. Any sudden movements will be punished severely. Do you understand?”
    Both girls nodded.
    “Good. Now step out into the corridor.”
     Ishma and Crema moved toward the door.
    When the two girls stepped out into the corridor, two heavily armed guards stood there, maintaining a safe distance of about six feet from where the door was. Both were dressed in dark military clothing and wearing full body armor. Their hands, necks and faces were covered with Kevlar. Only their eyes were visible.
    “That way,” one of them said as he pointed in the direction the girls were to go.
    Ishma and Crema lead the way; their guards remaining several feet behind them as they walked. After several minutes, they exited one part of the building and entered another. Both girls reacted simultaneously to the change.
    “Do you smell it?” Crema asked.
    “Yes. They have cattle here.”
    “Stop,” one of the guards announced. He pointed to a door. “You go through there. You enter into a small enclosure that leads to the next room. I will open that door after this one locks. In thirty minutes, the door will open again; when it does, you will have fifteen seconds to come back in. If you do not, you will be punished. Is that understood?”
    Both girls nodded.
    “Then go.”
    *****
     
    The guards locked the second door as the two girls went through the first. Without speaking, the guards stepped back into the hall and stood next to the video display showing the girls entering the room on the other side. One guard pressed the button opening the outer door, allowing the girls to enter the main room. The guard that had spoken earlier to the girls pressed a button starting a timer.
    The image on the monitor revealed a large room, perhaps the size of a small house, converted into a barn-like environment with stalls and a bullpen area. Two cows were milling about eating hay from a bale placed in the center of the room.
    The guards watched as the girls moved toward the cows slowly and calmly, each choosing one. Reaching out, the girls stroked their cow gently, soothing the animals to their presence. The cows continued to munch the hay, ignoring the girls’ presence.  Gentle noises of the cattle as they munched and shuffled the hay with their feet were the only sounds in the room.
    The girls looked around, their eyes turning red and their canine teeth extending into long fangs.