Page 138 of Morally Corrupt
"I've already spread word of your presence, as per Vlad's instructions," he adds before leaving me alone for a few minutes to change.
"Wait. What about weapons?"
"You can't take anything with you. I'm already running a risk with your fake collar. Vlad said you can handle yourself." He shrugs and leaves.
Damn.
And damn Vlad. He could have at least warned me… What's his actual game? I mean, sure, I can handle myself, but I will feel a little bit too empty without any weapons…
I shake my head and take everything off.
I take some blue, yellow, and purplish paint and do my best to emulate some bruises. I add them on my arms, my neck, and on one cheek.
Just to be sure, I add a few smaller ones on my legs. Then I take the red paint and streak some blood in my hair.
After I add the collar and the dress, I look at myself in the tiny mirror Diego had provided, and I'm pleased with what I'm seeing.
He eventually returns and nods at me in approval.
"You'll now be taken with the rest of the captives. Once you're there, you're on your own. I can't foresee who will buy you, or if whatever you have in mind is going to work. Whatever happens, I don't know you. Are we clear?"
"Sure."
He then connects a leash to the collar and tugs me out of the closet and deeper underground. Wow… I would have never believed all of this was under the abandoned factory. It's tunnels upon tunnels.
At some point, we take a right turn, and I see cages on each side of the walls. As we walk, I sneak a glance and see tens of people huddled together in one cell.
Diego suddenly stops at one of the cages, opens the door, and roughly thrusts me inside before locking up and disappearing.
I quickly get my bearings and look around. The cage is less than ninety square feet, and there are about five other girls, all of them wearing the same white dress. I see this as my chance to gain more insight into how Jimenez acquires his captives, so I start with a shy greeting.
"Hi," I say and notice that the girls aren't even looking at me; instead, they're forcing their gazes to the ground.
I frown and try again. "Hi there. Do you speak English?" I add that because maybe they're foreigners. No response. They keep ignoring me as if I hadn't spoken a word.
"Don't expect an answer," the girl closest to me whispers to me.
"Why?" I lower my volume to match hers.
"We aren't allowed to speak to each other. They're afraid of getting punished."
"Punished?"
"The guards… they must not hear us speak," the girl continues, her eyes looking outside the cell for any movement.
"How long have you been here?" I ask her, following her example and looking anywhere but at her. I also see the cage across ours and notice the women are all wearing red, not white.
"I arrived here yesterday," she whispers, and at that point, two guards appear and aggressively open the cell.
"What did I say about talking?" He smirks down at us, and the girl next to me instinctively huddles closer.
"I was asking about food. I'm hungry." I quickly make up something to take the fire off the poor girl.
"Really?" He looks me up and down in a lascivious way and grabs me by the collar, one hand trailing down my chest. Shit…
"Cabrón, déjala. Es blanca,"the other guard says, implying that those wearing white can't be touched.
"Pues qué quieres que haga? Mírala, me lo pide," the idiot continues, and I thrust myself backward, trying to avoid his roving hands.