time. My hands immediately dropped the belt, and I gasped, feeling the blood spray onto my face.
The man lowered his gun and entered the room. “Up.”
The other guy grabbed the dead body and dragged it out of my cell.
I stared at the corpse as it slid across the floor, oozing blood everywhere. I’d never seen anyone die. I’d never seen anyone shot. I was in shock, hardly able to breathe.
“Up.” He slapped me hard across the face, bringing me back to reality.
I got to my feet, suddenly feeling weak. My fearsome stunt accomplished nothing.
“He means nothing. You mean nothing. We all mean nothing.” He gripped me by the elbow and forced me out of my cage. He pulled me along a narrow hallway then made a few turns.
I didn’t pay attention because I was still in shock.
We entered an open shower room. Shower heads hung from the ceiling as water sprinkled the tile. Other women were already there, stripped naked for everyone to see. They were marked with bruises from their treatment. Some had dried cuts on their faces.
What was this?
“Strip.” He pointed the gun between my shoulder blades. “Now.”
The shock wore off at his command. I wasn’t getting naked for anyone. I’d rather be caked in a criminal’s blood than obey him. “Fuck you.” I spit on his face, hitting him right in the eye.
A full second stretched, and he left the saliva on his face. It slowly slid down his cheek. His jaw clenched, and his lip turned up in a growl. With lightning speed, he slammed the gun into the side of my head.
It hurt so bad I actually screamed. I fell to the floor, feeling the worst migraine of my life. The gun was solid and heavy, and it nearly crushed my skull. If that wasn’t bad enough, the man placed his shoe against my stomach and pressed down heavily.
I coughed and tried to breathe.
“Strip.” He pulled his leg back and kicked me hard in the ribs. “Now.”
I rolled over and dry heaved onto the ground. My arms protected my stomach, but the damage had already been done.
He grabbed me by the hair and yanked me to my feet.
That hurt even more after the gun collided with my head. “Okay.” I pushed his arm away. I didn’t want to obey his command, but I didn’t want to be beaten to death either. I slowly pulled my clothes off, feeling my dress fall to the floor.
He stared at me the entire time, the lust burning in his eyes. With every drop of clothing, he grew more intense, like he hadn’t seen a naked woman in years. There were tons of other naked women in the shower, but he was fixated on me.
I took my bra and underwear off, repulsed that I actually did as he commanded. I should have fought harder, but my head already screamed in agony. I wasn’t sure if I could take more than that.
“Clean yourself.” He nodded toward the shower.
I turned around even though I knew he would look at my ass. I got under the water and tried to find comfort in the warmth. The other women didn’t look at me, keeping to themselves and remaining quiet.
I could feel the man’s eyes on my body. He was staring at me hard, his intentions as clear as a billboard. I’d always been shy about my naked body. Having a stranger stare at me like this just made it a million times worse.
I cleared my thoughts and focused on the water and the soap. I washed my body clean, knowing there was a chance I wouldn’t shower again for a long time. Might as well take advantage of the privilege.
When I washed the conditioner from my hair, I heard one of the women sob. She was standing in the corner, her arms wrapped around her chest. She was heaving, her chest convulsing. All her fear was heavy in the sounds she made.
I listened to it and felt despair wash over me.
There was no escape.
Except death.
I had dinner with the other girls in a small room with two tables. There were twenty of us, but we weren’t allowed to speak to one another. We weren’t allowed to eat with utensils. Three guards stood there and watched us, carrying rifles and handguns.
I wasn’t hungry, but I forced myself to eat anyway. I may need my strength to fight someone off, and I needed nutrition in order to do that. The man who watched me shower was