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get through the next few days, she needed to take a proactive approach. The first thing to do was consult a doctor and see if she could obtain an exemption. Stepping out of the shower, she dried herself and put on a bathrobe. Deciding to use the phone in her office - the thought of entering the living room and seeing that horrendous pamphlet again was intolerable - she called Soho Medical Centre and made an appointment for the following day, then slumped in her work chair, wondering what to do next. It would obviously be necessary to inform Yuke. She dreaded doing this, and her initial impulse was to put it off as long as possible. But her lover had the right to know, and if their positions were reversed, Mara would expect Yuke to share the news immediately. She couldn't cope with a phone conversation, though. Closing the text file she'd been working on before the doorbell rang, she accessed her email account and typed the following message:
    --------------------------------
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    Subject: Hunt
    Dearest Yuke - This is one of the most difficult emails I've ever had to write. I just
    received a letter telling me I must take part in a Hunt. I will have to leave on the 23rd.
    I'm so scared.
    ----------------------------------
    Mara hit 'send' without giving herself a chance to think, then wondered if it had been a good idea to tell Yuke how scared she was. There was no need to upset her more than necessary, and it would be better to put on a brave face. She quickly wrote another message:
    ------------------------------------
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    Subject: Hunt 2
    I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow. Maybe I can be exempted on health grounds.
    ----------------------------------------
    Although Mara didn't really think she'd be exempted, this at least provided a faint glimmer of hope. But what should she do now? Resume work on her novel? The idea was laughable. She suddenly became aware of how tired she felt: it was as if the emotional exhaustion caused by her conscription had induced a state of physical exhaustion. She shuffled towards her bedroom, collapsed on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep filled with vague, but disturbing dreams of pursuit and capture, from which she was awakened by the sound of a doorbell. Glancing at her bedside clock, she discovered that she'd been asleep for almost three hours. Racing towards the front door, she yanked it open and found Yuke standing there with a look of distress on her face. Yuke embraced Mara without saying a word. Mara had managed not to cry so far, but with her face buried in Yuke's shoulder, the floodgates opened, and she sobbed uncontrollably while Yuke stroked her hair. Mara felt the desire to make love...no, not to make love, to fuck, mindlessly, to lose herself in physical sensation. She pulled Yuke into the bedroom. Yuke didn't have to be told what Mara needed and why she needed it. They spent the next two hours using their intimacy as a defence against the encroaching darkness, stopping only when they were too exhausted to continue.
    As they lay side by side on the bed, Yuke put her arm around Mara and asked if she wanted something to eat. Mara noticed it was already seven o'clock. The whole day had passed in a haze, and she hadn't eaten since breakfast. They decided to send for a pizza, and Yuke walked out naked to the living room to place the order. Mara heard her talking on the phone, then waited for her to return. Several minutes passed, and Mara began to wonder if Yuke was okay. Tiptoeing into the room, she found Yuke sitting on the sofa reading the Hunt pamphlet, tears pouring down her face. As she heard Mara enter, Yuke looked at her with fierce determination and said, “We have to get you out of the country, or at least find a place for you to hide. We can't let them do these things.”
    Mara sat down next to Yuke and put an arm around her. “Honey, you know it's impossible. There's no