Releasing my hand, Eagle took both the bag and the snake from him, and handed the snake to me. I mumbled my thanks but couldn’t manage more than that. I was staring at the meat, entranced by how good it smelled. I bit into it, grateful for it, even more excited that it was fully cooked.
As I chewed, Eagle grabbed my arm and started walking again, headed toward a different door on the opposite side of the structure. Turning down another fire-lit hallway, we descended a flight of stairs and reemerged into the daylight. I squinted against the brightness, but didn’t pause in eating, even as he pulled me to another stop.
A beautiful dark-skinned woman with a heavy Afro of tight curls stood in a doorway, smiling lazily at Eagle. “Joe,” she called out over her shoulder, a soft lilt to her voice. “E’s here.”
Moments passed while the woman continued to smile at Eagle, the look on her face growing more mischievous by the second. Why was she looking at him like that?
“So you brought me a gift, eh?”
A large man appeared behind the woman, shoving her out of his way and stepping forward. He was big, but not as big as Eagle, and less scruffy looking. His beard was shorter, trimmed, and well maintained, and his hair—long on top—was swept back in an interesting style. Wearing jeans and a white T-shirt coupled with a pair of thick black suspenders, he reminded me of the old movies my father used to watch.
“Not her, this. Shit you’ve been waiting for.” Eagle handed over the bag.
Without checking it, Joe handed it to the black woman. Looking down at me, he ran his tongue slowly over his top teeth. “Not her, huh? Fucking shame. Aside from that hair, she’s a pretty one.” The woman started to giggle.
Frowning, I looked down at the tangled ends of my hair.
“Joe,” Eagle growled.
“Yeah, yeah.” Grinning, Joe shook his head and turned away, and the woman trailed after him.
I looked up at Eagle, wondering what was going on, who these people were, and what was in that bag. But instead of asking, I took another large bite of my snake.
Moments ticked by, and then another woman appeared, an Asian woman with long glossy black hair hanging to her waist. In her hand was a large dead bird, possibly a vulture. She gave me a quick glance, her features twisted in disgust.
Ignoring her, I widened my eyes. A vulture! I swallowed quickly, finishing off the last of the snake, the meat now tasting bland as I imagined what the bird would taste like.
“Is that—?”
“Yeah.” Gripping the dead bird by its neck, Eagle pulled me away from the door.
We took a different route this time, passing through what looked like the center of this place. Stalls lined the walkways between buildings, all selling something different—food, clothing, soap, or jewelry, and even alcohol. It reminded me of the flea markets my mother would go to every weekend morning. We’d browse for hours, but rarely would she buy anything. She used to say she loved the smell of long-lived and well-loved items.
“You need a haircut, honey?”
I glanced up at an older woman with wrinkles and long gray hair. Smiling, she waved a pair of rusty scissors in my direction. Thinking of Joe and his comment about my appearance, of those women and their beautiful hair, I dug my heels in and forced Eagle to stop.
He frowned down at me, and I flicked my gaze toward the woman. Glancing from me to her, he blew out a heavy breath.
“How much?” he asked her.
The woman grinned, revealing a set of either missing or broken teeth. “I’ll take that bird off your hands.”
“Not a chance in hell,” he shot back.
The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she tapped her scissors against her hip. “A favor then?”
Eagle snorted. “A favor within fucking reason.”
The woman grinned again. “Come ’ere, honey,” she called, and patted a small brown stool beside her.
Letting go of my hand, Eagle shoved me in her direction, and as I stumbled forward, I balled my empty hand into a fist. Just keep walking, I told myself. You don’t need him, or his hand. You were strong before; you can be strong again.
I made it to her without incident, swallowing hard as I climbed up on the stool and gave her my back. I felt vulnerable like this, sitting here without a weapon, and her looming over me with a pair of scissors. My mind raced, frantically trying to figure out how I would escape if she attacked me. I could quickly slip off my stool and fall to the ground, grabbing her ankles and knocking her down. Then I would steal her scissors and run as fast as I could.
“I’ll make her look real pretty for you, E. Don’t you worry ’bout that,” the woman said as she ran her hands through my hair, snapping me out of my thoughts. Her fingertips caught in the snarls and knots, making me flinch and hiss in pain. A shiver trailed up and down my spine and I gritted my teeth, fighting to remain still in my seat. I didn’t understand why it was suddenly so important to me what people thought about me, but it was.
Anxious, I looked up to Eagle and shifted in my seat again.
