Page 4 of Fractured Future

God, if there weren’t metal bars keeping us apart, I’d slam my fist into her face. From the glimpses I’ve gotten, she’s one of the oldest women here, and she has no shortage of unhelpful opinions.

“She’s right.” Layla sounds weaker than ever from her cage several metres away. “Don’t f-fight them.”

Nausea swirls in my belly. Three masked men used a baseball bat on her not long after we arrived then laughed as they forced themselves into her, making us all watch.

Humans have a way of getting used to suffering. We adapt. Become complacent. Stronger.Our survival instincts kick in. Every single one of us has endured this long by tuning out each other’s torture.

“Ember,” Debbie hisses. “Look at me.”

Biting back a groan, I twist my pulsing head to see her dimly-lit cage. She’s tucked into the farthest corner, her bony knees pulled up to her chest to hide her bareness.

“Wear the panties, and go with them.” She drops her voice lower. “You’re not getting out of here if you’re locked in this cage.”

“What?”

“You heard me. This is your chance to do something.”

Prickly surprise washes over me. “I thought you wanted me to be all quiet and shit?”

“I never said that.” She sucks in a breath. “Go with them, find an opening, and give them hell.”

“They’ll kill me!”

“You’re going to die anyway if you sit here.”

Not a single one of the guards has slipped up when I aggravate them. Not long enough for me to make an escape. If I’m going to get out of here, it won’t happen behind these bars.

“You’re the only one strong enough to do it,” Debbie adds, keeping her words hushed. “Just don’t forget about us.”

“What do you expect me to do?”

“Something. Anything.”

The risk is an unspoken weight in her voice.

Or die trying.

But I can’t die here. Not like this. I have to get back to Tom. To my business. To the life I’ve worked so hard to build for myself. This can’t be how my story ends.

“If I don’t come back…” My throat dries up. “Look out for Gracie?”

She ducks her chin, staring at the blood streaked over her legs. “I can’t even protect myself.”

“None of us can, but you have to try. Promise me.”

After a long beat of hesitation, Debbie reluctantly nods. I nod back, the movement causing my injuries to flare. But I don’t have time to sit and wallow. He’s coming for me.

Gingerly lifting myself, I lightly poke my face again. My cheekbone definitely feels broken. It takes all my willpower to hold a cry inside as I reach for the discarded bra and panties.

The thin lace is so cheap and plasticky, it will offer little coverage. My black and blue frame trembles as I slide the lingerie on, stopping several times to blink aside the dizzy fog that’s descending.

“I’m going to go with them and find a way out of here,” I announce loudly, trying to keep my voice steady. “Someone has to.”

Exhausted voices whisper through the din, murmurs of terror and anxiety. Not everyone is lucid enough to respond. Several cages remain silent, their occupants lost to a catatonic state.

A shuffle comes from the adjacent cage.

“No!” Gracie cries. “Please don’t leave me here.”