“It’s ok. They won’t be able to hurt you again,” he said, moving still closer to Ari. “They won’t be able to hurt anyone else, ever again....�� This close, Ari could make out the stubble that lined her rescuer’s face. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the damp smell of the room. Suddenly, new memories from last night came flooding back. Ari pictured the four boys slowly closing in on her. What had happened next? She tried desperately to remember how she had ended up here. “Why did they attack. When boys below the age of about 20 woke up, women discovered that they had become idiots. They had lost their command of language and abstract thought. Gone were their social skills, and they came to resemble the autistic in many ways, showing no sign of affection or attachment to others in their family. They could often be found staring off into space or examining the pattern in wood grain. Anything requiring as much discipline and skill as washing dishes or opening a can to feed themselves. ‘I think that you better start calling me Esther and stop the Ma’am stuff, Sergeant.’ In the dim star light she could see the genuine smile that spread across his face. ‘Yes, Ma’am. I mean Esther. But I think you should call me Michael.’ ‘Now that we have the introductions out of the way, shut up and kiss me, Michael.’ ‘Yes, Ma’am,’ he started to say. ‘Shit,’ he cursed. ‘Yes, Esther,’ he corrected as his lips curled into a grin. *** Esther stood in the walkway. Dressed in the black flowing. Just this one fine morning, my sister had to go to an extra class for 3 hours. I told her to give her teacher an excuse to stay home because as a brother I kinda worried letting her walk by herself on the streets. "Come on, find something fun to do. I know you'll have your fun when I'm gone. You love it when I'm gone," she said. We quarrel all the time. But she was damn right about the fun I had when she was gone. After having my breakfast, I went out to the curb to check the mailbox and said.