Marked by the orc king

The world wasn't always so bad. Let me correct myself-people- weren't always so bad. I mean, yeah we had shitheads but they were kept in check. Now shitheads get to roam free like they own everything. The government collapsed, and then the economy crashed. After that people didn't seem to care about the state of the world anymore. Or the fact that we were getting invaded by aliens. Or whatever they refer to themselves as.

These days, people don't ask. They take. Food, resources—whatever they can grab. And for some, even women are treated like spoils.

Nothing or no one is safe.

For the first couple months, surviving alone was easy. I never stayed in one place too long. I never travelled in a group, and I covered my breast with bandages and patched my hair with dirt to throw off my looks. It was simple.

But then, things got worse. Huge aliens came from ships destroying, stealing, killing. They came with a fury, and a plan. Eradicate humans. At that moment, it became clear that no one was safe. It was every man for themselves when they attacked earth.

Literal monsters from the books I remember reading under the blanket in college. Though in my books, the orcs were more-uh-loving. Peaceful is the word. But in my reality they were here to conquer. And not just women. They came to conquer everything.

Sometimes I wondered if they ever considered coming in peace. If they gave us a chance, would our relationship with them have been different? And how much of a difference would it have made? Would our government have welcomed them with open arms?

Our president was a sick bastard launching wars with countries at every turn. If it wasn't for the post war, maybe we could have banned together and took on the aliens.

Maybe the government wouldn't have collapsed and left us to scramble for the pieces.

The distant echo of a branch drags me from my thoughts. Quickly moving, I crouch low behind a bush, After a breath of silence, a girl just a bit older than me enters the clearing. Her golden hair flashes in the sunlight, startlingly bright against the dark woods. It trails down her back like flowing silk, rippling with every step. Freckles dust her cheeks like scattered stardust, softening the sharpness of those vivid green eyes that scan the forest like she's searching for something- or someone.

Inching closer, I don't realize that I'm leaning into the bushes until I'm falling over, my black hair spilling over my face as I fall onto my knees.

At the sound, she stops moving, her eyes piercing mine, watching me. "Are you okay?" She asks, sincerely though she doesn't move closer. If anything, I swear she inches back.

Sighing in embarrassment, I go to stand, brushing whatever dirt and branches are still clinging to my pants. "Yes, I'm fine."

I don't blame her for being cautious, if anything, she needed to be. The world isn't exactly safe for women anymore. I've heard about other women luring women to camps in order to get themselves in the clear. The thought of doing that to someone made me sick to my stomach. Plus she's just as stuck as I am right now. Probably got nabbed while hiding or trying to find some food, whichever it is doesn't really matter. She and I in the the same predicament.

Totally fucked.

"I'm fine. I was just-"

"Watching me from behind a bush," She finishes for me, with a light laugh. She's trying to ease the tension and weirdly she does.

Turning my back to her, I grab my book bag hidden within the bush, palming my knife as I get myself settled again. Her gaze falls down to my knife and this time I notice the step she takes back away from me. Reaching back. I slide the knife into its holster and hide it with my shirt again.

"So, I'm guessing the orcs got you too" I ask, though the answer was as obvious as ever.

Her shoulders sag and she looks away from me. "Yeah, I was camping in a convenience store when those bastards caught up to me. They knocked me out with some gas and when I woke up, I was here in the forest." She looks around, before returning her gaze to me. "How'd they get you?

"Honestly? I was hungry. My boots were soaked through, I hadn't eaten in three days, and I heard something-maybe a rabbit. I thought I could get it, roast it quick, and move on. I lit a fire. A damn fire. Like I'd forgotten I was in the middle of Orc territory. It took them less than five minutes to swarm on me."

She laughs, palming her stomach again. "Sounds like something I'd do so, I can't blame you. Do you know why we're here?"

I'd heard the stories—women being captured, dragged off by orcs, forced into arenas like they were part of some sick game. I'd managed to avoid them for months, staying hidden, staying quiet. But luck never lasts forever. And now here I am... being hunted like a deer by creatures worse than men.

I adjust my bag on my shoulders. "You haven't heard of the games?"

She shrugs her shoulder up, then down.

I take a breath before I answer Reyna's question. She deserves the truth, even if it's an ugly one.

"The arenas," I say quietly, "aren't battles. They're games to the orcs. Twisted ones." I watch her face carefully. "They throw captives inside and set up challenges—traps, obstacles, whatever will force people to scramble. The orcs cheer like it's some sort of show."

Reyna's eyes widen, and I hate that I'm the one putting that fear there.

"But you needed to know," I add softly. "We can't survive this if we don't understand what we're up against."

She nods in agreement, but her gaze doesn't lose the fear trapped in them. "My name is Reyna by the way." She smiles.

I watch as she leans forward sliding a small knife into her boot. "And you are?"

It's been long since I've talked with another girl like this so just for this moment, I enjoy it. I enjoy this simple conversation, even if I know it won't last. "Zyrah," I reach my had out to her. "But you can call me Z"

*********

Reyna and I had talked about our lives before the economy crash and everything hit the fan as we walked and surveyed the area. It turns out that she and I are the same age. I'm only a couple of months older than her with my birthday being in August and hers being in October. I'll be turning 19 soon. I never used to celebrate my birthday before, my dad was always drunk and my mom never came around unless it was for money. I guess you could say, their bad parenting prepared me for the end of the world more than I thought.

Reyna on the other hand, grew up with suburban parents. She had a brother before all of this. I could tell from the tears in her eyes when she talked about him that they were close. During the first attack, they got separated and she's been trying to find him. Sadly, I know that the orcs would have never let a man into the arenas. They hated the male human species, even hung their bodies up on displays as warnings.

Seeing them scared me more than dying itself. It showed just far and heartless these creatures were.

"They're out there you know, watching us. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike." Reyna says.

"They're in for one hell of a fight." I gloat while pulling my hair into a high ponytail. "We need to find shelter. I've only been here for a day but things get pretty active around here at night. It's a little weird that we haven't ran into any of them, but I'm not mad about it. " I stop in my tracks, surveying the area around us.

We've been walking for an hour, and we still haven't run into any other women. Either they're really good at avoiding us or we are really far out from each other. Either way, we need to get higher ground. I look up at the sky, tall trees crowding around us.

"Would you say you're a good climber?" I ask her.

Without responding Reyna rolls her shirt sleeves up her arms. She bolts toward the tree without a word, legs moving like she's racing gravity itself. I don't even flinch. Gymnastics has made her limbs liquid and stubborn-she scales the tree like routine. Her hands grip the bark, her legs swinging up then she's gone in seconds, crouching in the branches.

"I'm coming up,'" I say before joining her in the tree. I use the trunk of the tree as a step stool, pushing my foot off of its base, jumping slightly to catch the branch with my hands. I swing myself slowly, until I'm able to raise my lower half, wrapping my legs around the branch. Reyna slides down, pulling me up until I'm safely secure in the tree, perched against the bark.

Adjusting myself some more, I look over at her. "Do you think we'll make it through the night?"

Reyna leans her head back onto the tree, tired. "Through the night, no. For a couple of hours, maybe."