Page 19

T he feeling of something warm and clammy sliding up her thigh invaded the darkness of her rest.

She struggled against the fog of sleep that held a tight hold on her mind, not wanting to release her. But the alarm going off in the back of her mind alerted her to the fact something untoward was happening.

When the searching hand traveled over the swell of her flesh toward the inside of her thighs, she jolted awake.

“No!” Avalore screamed as she rolled and swung out. When her fist struck something or someone, she came fully awake and realized she was not lost in a nightmare, but someone was really in the room, standing beside her bed.

She kicked at the shadowed form.

“Calm down, Ole Sal, will treat you real good.”

Hearing the name and voice of the man from earlier, she fought harder, unsure of how he’d gotten access to her room. “Don’t touch me.”

“Stop fightin’... you’ll be glad you had me when you see what’s coming to ya.”

She heard and felt the slap across her face before her ears were filled with ringing.

Avalore didn’t allow the pain the big hand caused to stop her from defending herself.

Even though the ripping of her gown and the fire that shot up her right arm as it was twisted behind her told her the struggle was useless, that ruddy Ole Sal would get his way.

Then she heard it: a loud thud and a splat.

Avalore wasn’t sure what it was until Sal’s grip slackened.

Whack. Whack. Whack. Whack.

As she shifted to her back and grabbed her aching wrist, Avalore stared at her roommate's thin, tall silhouette. In the dim light, Michaela repeatedly brought something thick, flat, and wide down onto the lump on the floor beside Avalore’s bed.

The heavy, steel meal tray.

A tremendous feeling of relief showered over Avalore.

However, she knew they didn’t have much time.

Someone would come soon. If the lights weren’t on in their room, the early shift handlers had not arrived yet, but they would.

Avalore knew if they came and saw the guard, they would drag him away and question the two of them about the incident, but she and Michaela would still end up locked in here.

Locked in an unknown hell.

“We have to get out of here.” Avalore scrambled from the bed.

Whack. Whack. Michaela continued striking the unconscious man.

Springing into action, Avalore grabbed the other woman’s arm. “We have to go before someone comes, Mich,”

Michaela lowered the tray and stared at her with eyes that seemed to waver between vacancy and sadness. “Avalore, it’s hopeless...I’m—”

“No,” Avalore cut her off. Fear gripped her heart; she didn’t want to think about the following words coming from her roommate's mouth. She wasn’t sure if Sal’s words were true and if the others had died because of what had been done to them in this place, but she wanted to believe that it wasn’t too late for her and Michaela to survive, maybe make it back to the Dispatch district, to their poor useless lives. But alive.

“Key. There must be keys.” When Michaela still stood there, Avalore shook her. “Come on. Help me search him.”

She was thankful when the tray clattered onto the floor among the mess of food that must have fallen from the tray Michael used to beat him.

It took both their efforts to roll the heavyset man to his back so they could check his pockets.

When Avalore located a small ring of keys in his left breast pocket, she held them up. “We’re not staying here a second longer.”

“Maybe you should just go.”

“Get on your damn shoes, Michaela... we are both going,” Avalore ordered as she scrambled into her slippers.

When she saw Michaela in her shoes and move to the door, the other woman grabbed the handle and clawed at the frame as if she had just realized she was locked in, imprisoned in walls that were supposed to keep them safe. Michaela’s actions revealed how close to hysterics she resided.

Avalore wasn’t sure how far away she was from losing her own shit. This place wasn’t safe, this place offered a facade. And Avalore wasn’t sure how she’d reconcile her anger that she volunteered to condemn herself to such a place. What was really going on here?

“I’ll get it.” Shaking the keys, she followed Michaela’s steps. Avalore’s hands shook as she sorted through the keys on the ring, trying one after the other until she got to the one that fit and unlocked the door.

There was a snick, then the handle turned, and they dashed out of the room. They pulled the door shut and locked the unconscious man inside. Standing at the door for a moment, the two of them looked left and right down the empty corridors and considered which way to go.

Avalore knew if they went left, it would lead them toward the lab and the pathway back toward the ballroom, perhaps still filled with the indulgent rich. Those were the last places they needed to go—no help would be found in that direction.

“This way.” Taking Michaela’s hand, she dragged the other woman beside her as they went right.

“There’s a back hallway at the end,” Michaela informed her.

Avalore didn’t want to ask how she knew what lay in this direction. To her knowledge, the handlers only took them to the lab since they had been there.

“Okay. We’ll try it.”

As they rushed on, Michaela tugged against her hand and whispered urgently, “We have to be quiet... because there’s—”

Avalore stared into the lucid and fear-filled gaze of her sister in bondage, which was how she would think of this situation from now on.

They voluntarily gave themselves over to being bonded and misused for digits on an account.

Standing at a long, dark hall entrance, she waited for Michaela to finish.

The lights flickered and then brightened the area around them.

The handlers had arrived. “Shit. This may be our only chance, Mich.”

Yanking the other woman behind, Avalore pulled her along.

Michaela’s slippers slapped fast along the hard floor and echoed down the barren hall, filled with the same sense of urgency.

They passed a handful of darkened rooms but didn’t stop as they flew down the hall that ended at another wide door.

Releasing her hold on Michaela, Avalore fumbled through the keys, trying to open the locked door.

Muffled voices came from somewhere down the hall.

“Hurry, Ava.” Michaela urged as she smacked her palm against the door as if she were willing it to open.

“I’m trying.” Just as she got the right key in and turned the lock, the hall was filled with two sounds that merged into one; a blaring alarm and something so unholy pierced the dim area and vibrated the air around them.

Avalore couldn’t even describe the sound; it was something she’d never heard before. It was rough, growly, muted, and piercing simultaneously.

“No,” Michaela whimpered as she shoved through the door.

Not expecting the jolt, Avalore stumbled momentarily. When she got her footing, she looked up to find trucks and vans inside—a parking lot filled with medical transport and military vehicles.

Michaela ran, but Avalore went to the door of one vehicle after the other and tried the handles. They were locked. None of the few keys fit.

She knew she could not waste any more time trying to get into the vans; they’d have to continue making their escape on foot.

“Over here!” Michaela called out, waving her to the tunnel large enough to drive the vehicles down.

Together, they sprinted, running for their lives down the long, dim tunnel.

“Damn it.” Avalore’s steps stuttered when they arrived at the end to find the way blocked by a gate.

“Oh, no. We have to get out of here.” Michaela stood with her head pressed to the flat, metal gate.

Avalore wasn’t even sure what lay on the other side; all she knew was that she had to find a way for them to escape. She looked around, and finally, her gaze landed on a big wheel with thick cords running from it to the ceiling, where another mechanism held the other part of the cord around it.

“Help me.” Avalore rushed over and tried to force the wheel to turn.

Michaela looked at her, then hustled over, grabbed one of the cords, and pulled down, attempting to force it to move.

The wheel in Avalore’s hands turned a few millimeters.

All of a sudden, the ground beneath their feet vibrated and pounded as heavy footfalls came from the end of the dim hall.

Staring at it, she couldn’t make out anything but a massive shape and two odd-colored points glowing from a high area in the bulky shadow where the eyes should be considering the size and shape of the thing.

“Harder, Ava!” Michaela yelled.

“Pull! Hurry!” Avalore called out.

They worked together with renewed strength, finally getting the wheel to turn steady even as the pounding got closer and closer.

Finally, the opening between the bottom of the gate and the ground was big enough for them to get through.

Scrambling to the metal gate, Michaela’s long, thin frame went easily. Without them holding it, the metal began to slip back down.

When Avalore dropped to the ground, pressing herself as flat as possible to wedge through the opening, she was only halfway through when she felt the edge of the gate digging into her plump ass. “Help, please.”

Her heart thumped hard against her chest and the ground as fear turned her blood to ice. All she could think about was the mountainous shadow thundering toward her. If it got a hold of her legs still inside, there was no doubt in her mind it would drag her back.

I can’t go back . Not when she could taste the freedom clinging to the thick bushes before them, crowding the other side of the gate.

She was thankful when Michaela grabbed her arms and gave her a firm yank, just enough to help Avalore slide the gate past her round derriere. Quickly, Avalore wiggled her legs out and lost one slipper. She didn’t care.

Freed just in the nick of time as something slammed into the gate with such force the ground shook.

Avalore gasped.

Michaela screamed.

But the gate held.