The summer sky had just passed into twilight as I got off the bus, returning home from my daily arduous commute. Since men were no longer allowed to drive, what used to take me 30 minutes or so now took a full two hours, and today's trek had been particularly slow. Home was a short three blocks away, and I started walking in that direction as fast as I could.
I glanced at my watch. SHIT!! It was just after 9:00 PM, the designated curfew time for "unaccompanied" men. Although it was only a few minutes after the hour, the administrators of the curfew were well known not to give any grace period. I had to be careful to avoid the city's enforcement officers, otherwise I might face charges that could lead to incarceration and adversely impact what remained of my shitty life. I slithered between the well trimmed bushes landscaping one of the many Workerdrone male housing complexes and hugged the wall, taking small sidesteps until I could get around the corner and into my own modest unit.
That's when I saw them. Twelve athletic looking young women on bicycles, expensive decked out mountain bikes with tiny lights on the handlebars and small saddlebags toting various accessories attached to the seats. They were dressed in police style uniforms, dark blue and black with seasonal thigh high shorts and running shoes rather than boots. None appeared to be older than 25 years of age. I stopped moving in order to wait for the sky to get a bit darker, my heart pounding as I found myself close enough to overhear them talking amongst themselves.
"Okay, remember ladies," A slightly older African American woman began to speak. Her uniform was grey in color with a few additional markings on it, as though she were a sergeant or supervisor. "We are the first line of defense for the women of this community against men philandering who are out late by themselves. Remember that these men are breaking the law." The other women slouched on their bikes a bit, fidgeting, behaving as though this were a speech they heard every night.
"If you see a suspected male without an escort outside at this hour, follow him discreetly. Do not confront him alone unless you have an advantage. Call in your team members." She smirked. One of the women flicked her hair back and put it in a scrunchie as the leader spoke. "Men are both dull witted and potentially dangerous. It is our job to take them into custody both for our safety and for theirs. Your demeanor must be firm and aloof with an undercurrent of compassion. There are no bad boys, just boys who are crying for help." I listened closely, trying not to breathe. It was hard to look at all of those young women without being distracted, and I eventually slipped just a tiny bit, rustling the branches of the bush I was hiding behind. Shit.
"What was that?" One of them turned around, shining her flashlight in my direction. I did not move.
"A dog," said the supervisor. "Probably just a dog." She laughed as the other women giggled.
"A pit bull, you think?" The woman with the flashlight looked more carefully, but did not come any closer.
"More like a Dachsund or an ugly mutt." My heart pounded. The women turned their attention from me but began speaking in softer tones that I couldn't hear. Staying in that spot suddenly became a very bad idea. I moved slowly, careful to stay behind the bushes, slinking around the corner, watching the women high five and hug one another before pedaling away on separate patrols on their bicycles.
I continued to sneak around the side of the building, seeing my own housing complex on the other side of the street. I had to cross the street in the open without any cover, but the sky was getting sufficiently dark for me to attempt it without being detected. I looked around to make certain that the coast was clear, then scooted across the street, my dark clothing helping to hide my ghostly form against the deep, dark twilight. I made it to the wall of my building, crouching down behind the bushes, hugging the wall, moving slowly around until I could get close to the front door. If I got close enough I was home free, since men were still allowed to come outside if they didn't stray too far from their front door. I crept around the final bush, then felt a sharp jab in my ribcage from a handlebar that poked out just ever so slightly from behind the bush. I jerked back, just a little startled, then saw myself face to face with a beautiful, fit petite woman in the uniform of a curfew enforcer on a mountain bike. I recognized her as the officer who had pulled her hair back into a scrunchie as I watched. Her expression was stern, her auburn colored hair was long and wavy, and she immediately moved to block my way.
"What are you doing out here?" Her demeanor was one of no nonsense and her face expressionless. Her radio crackled in the background.
"I-I um..." I paused for an uncomfortable couple of seconds. She neither blinked nor reacted. "I live here and wish to go home." She pulled out what looked like a smart phone with a label on it that said "OFFICIAL TIME", then looked back at me.
"Well, it is commendable that a male wishes to get home prior to the onset of curfew." She looked at me, then showed me the official time displaying on her device. "Are you aware that it is now seven minutes past 9:00 PM?" she cocked her head, staring me down. I trembled a bit, her almost waifish appearance notwithstanding. I knew that underestimating her would probably not be a good idea.
"No," I said. "No, I wasn't aware of that. Look, I'm sorry about missing curfew, but the bus from work was late and I just need to get home. It, um, it would be great if you gave me a little break, just this once." My voice trailed off a bit as I noticed that she was not reacting in the slightest to my words. She continued to stare at me, her lovely green blue eyes locked onto mine.
"Back up against the wall and spread your legs. Face me." She said. I did so. "Hands over your head." I complied as she placed the front wheel of her bike between my legs and jammed it against the wall. She then rigged up and illuminated a very bright light between the handlebars. it shined into my face and threw her into the shadow. She spoke into her radio. "I've got him in custody. He's following instructions so far. Just outside single male housing unit E-9, I have my light on him." I heard a 'ten four' squawk out of the radio as she turned the light away from my face momentarily. I could see her smile for the first time. It was a taunting sort of smirk.
"I can't go home?" I was incredulous and starting to panic.
"No," she said simply. "The law is clear. No males that are not under direct supervision by a responsible woman are allowed out in public after 9:00 PM." I looked around and saw a few other bicycles closing in on the area, presumably the rest of the team. "It is after 9:00 PM, you are still outside by yourself, so you are therefore under arrest for curfew violation." She smirked a little bit, removing a pair of handcuffs from her belt. "Now turn around slowly, hands behind your back." She backed off her bicycle wheel a few feet so that I could turn around.
