by Elle Boon
“You think you’re going to get out, don’t you?”
The hissed question came from behind her, making her flinch. She jumped to her feet, the springs creaking loudly in the quiet space. Everyone was watching her, like hawks circling their prey. She began backing away, looking side-to-side. “I don’t know,” she mumbled.
An older woman laughed with derision. Dai-tai may be little, but she’d learned how to defend herself. Her two gē ges were older than her by a few years, and had made sure she could. Her mother had been married to their father before he’d been killed in an accident, making them her half-brothers. They might take her down, but she’d be taking a few with her. It wasn’t that her oldest brother was nice, he had liked to beat on her with a purpose.
“What is the meaning of this? Are we no better than them?”
The older woman reminded her of her Lǎo lao. She missed her grandmother; she had been the only one who had kept her family from being cruel to her. The elder woman pushing through the crowd with a scar running the length of her right cheek, looked as though she’d been through a lot when she approached Dai-tai.
“What’s your name, Hái?”
Stupid tears threatened, but she pushed them back at the same time as she shoved her braid behind her shoulders. Show no fear, show no emotion to your enemies. Her gē ges had taught her. “I am Dai-tai,” she said.
“I am Bao. We are all in the same boat, or rather, Hell. It doesn’t matter what you believe or don’t, you are here just as we are. Do you hate us for who we are?” Bao asked, her gnarled hands folded in front of her.
Dai-tai shook her head. “I hate nobody.”
“Then we can all coexist for as long as we are here.”
For the next week she sat with the others, eating rice and drinking water. At first, she was excited to be getting two meals a day, and then she began to hate rice. It was bland and cold by the time they got it. Or maybe it was never actually warm. Heck, she didn’t know. All she knew, was that every day, a couple of her new friends, or their children, were taken out and never returned or they came back bandaged, missing parts of themselves. The sobs and pleading to leave them alone fell on deaf ears.
Six months later, Dai-tai begged to go in the place of the young girl she’d met the first day, the one who’d been hiding under the cot. She’d only been six years old. There was nothing the children could have done to warrant whatever they did to them, once they were removed from the great hall.
“You want to go in her place, do you?” The guard looked Dai-tai up and down, ran his baton between Dai-tai’s breasts.
“Yes, I’ll go. Leave her here and take me.” She didn’t flinch as he placed the weapon between her thighs. It had been over a week since she’d showered. The monsters didn’t care, they’d take whatever they wanted.
“You know you can’t, yet.”
She was shoved backward as the little girl was picked up and carried out like a football under the first guard’s arm. The poor child kicked and screamed until she was dropped to the ground. Horror filled her when the guard pulled a gun, pointing it toward the girl who jerked uncontrollably. The hard ground hurt, but Tai hopped back up quickly, watching in dread as the two guards laughed at the sight of little Ling lying on the floor, obviously the shock making her lose control of her bladder. The door shut before they could see what happened next.
Bao squeezed her shoulder, her eyes glassy from unshed tears. “She will go to be with her Mama and Baba now.”
“How do you know? How do you know she’s isn’t going to end up in some...some terrible place being used for—” she bit her lip, unable to continue saying what she feared.
Bao turned away, her back stooped. “We can’t think that way, or we give them more power than they already have.”
When the tears came this time, Dai-tai didn’t try to hold them back. She hated everyone in that moment. She hated her mother, the father she’d never met. Her entire family because they all stood there as she was being taken away. Her uncle and brother who took money from the man for her, she hated them as well. The others who stood by and didn’t stand up for her, they didn’t tell the soldiers she wasn’t part of the Falun Gong. She hated all the people sitting around while Ling was probably being tortured, raped, and possibly killed.
The lights went out when it was bedtime, but she couldn’t sleep. With no windows in their jail, she didn’t know if it was daytime or night. Her days were beginning to run together. Ling had been gone for twenty-four hours or so. Her cot and the one her mother had used were empty. Dai-tai thought about moving to Ling’s so she could breathe in her scent. Only they all smelled the same, since they showered once a week with the same unscented soap.
When she’d first arrived and had to bathe with guards watching, she’d tried to hide her body from their prying eyes. It had only seemed to goad them into moving closer to her and whoever was nearest her. Now, she hurried in and out, washing only the grime. In truth, she had grown used to the feel of filth.
A hand fell over her mouth, rough hands lifting her from her cot. “Your time has come, Jìnǚ. You said you wanted to take the other girl’s place, so now is your chance.”
Dai-tai struggled to get free, knowing it was useless. She wanted to look at Bao one last time and tell her thank you for being nice to her. How pathetic that the first time since the death of her grandmother anyone had been nice to her, it was a captive like herself. For six months, she’d found a family and friends within a group of outcasts.
“Stop fighting or we’ll do the same thing to you as we did to that little bitch,” the guard growled next to her ear.
She’d seen how they’d shocked poor little Ling after they’d dropped her, seen the blood and urine mixing on the floor. No, she didn’t want that. She wanted to be able to fight.
“That’s a good little Jìnǚ. See, she wants it.”
“Dai-tai, I hold you in my heart,” Bao called out.
Although it was dark, she thought she could see the older woman holding her hand over her chest. She may not have believed in the same religion as her, but they both believed in goodness and a higher being. “Thank you, Bao. For everything,” she choked out.
At the loud clang of the door shutting, she had to blink several times, the harsh light in the hallway hurting her eyes, since their space had limited lighting even when it had been on. The two men held onto her arms, ushering her down the hallway at a fast pace, looking behind them as if they worried they’d be stopped.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
Both men squeezed the arm they held, telling her to hush. She wasn’t sure what was going on, fear amping up her adrenalin to a degree she had never experienced before. They were near the door she remembered from when she had first arrived, the small window glowed, making her think someone was inside.
“Shit, the doc is in there.”
His words confirmed her suspicions.
“What do we do? If we go back, we risk setting off an alarm by opening the prisoners’ door too many times in an hour. Shit, he’s coming out.”
They shoved open a door across the hall. The scent of cleaner was overpowering.
Her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. She tried to hear if the doctor came outside, prayed he’d save her. She had a sick feeling these two men weren’t taking her to where the others had gone. Whatever they had planned, she wasn’t going to survive. She also knew she would be the Jìnǚ they’d called her before they were done.
“He went toward the surgery. We should have plenty of time to play. This looks like the perfect place; don’t you think, Lei?”
She’d never heard them call each other by their names, doing so now meant they didn’t care since she’d wouldn’t be living to tell on them. Her stomach rolled, the rice from her dinner threatened to come up.
“Think we can turn the light on?”
“Stuff something in front of the door so light don’t show.”
There was the sound
of rustling and then light blinded her for a moment. Both men already had their tops off, their skinny chests made her feel somewhat better about her chances. In reality, what was she going to do if she fought them off? Where was she going to go?
“You going to do this the easy way or the hard way? We like it when you fight.” The guard closest to the door grabbed his crotch, a nasty smile on his face.
Neither man was attractive, but Lei was scary and the meaner one from what she’d seen. Now as he moved toward her, she widened her stance. She wasn’t going to make it easy for them. In fact, she’d rather they killed her than to lay down and let them use her.
The other guard laughed. “Looks like she wants to fight, Lei.”
Lei turned to look back at the other man, giving her the opportunity to grab the mop from the corner. She stomped on the end, breaking the mop end off. Before Lei could grab her, she swung at his feet, knocking him onto the floor. The other man jumped over him, coming at her with the wand. If he hit her with it, she would be toast. Using all her strength, she jabbed, stabbing with the broken end into his abdomen, pulling the handle back. The wet sucking would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Dai-tai didn’t stop to think of the ramifications of her actions. She hopped over the fallen guard. Lei grabbed her foot, bringing her down to the ground. She lost her hold on the broom. “No,” she yelled.
Lei rolled onto his hands and knees. “You’ll pay for that.”
Her gaze flew to the bleeding man then to Lei. She crab-walked backward, trying to get to her weapon. “How are you going to explain this? Just let me go,” she cried.
In her desperation, she dislodged their shirts from under the door, still unable to find the broom without taking her eyes off of Lei who was stalking her. He got to his feet, looming over her with a sneer. His hands went to his pants, taking off the belt with a snap of the leather.
“Oh, I’ll let you go...when I’m finished with you. Nobody will know what happened. I’ll get rid of him and make sure you’re properly subdued before taking you in for surgery.” Lei snapped his belt together.
While he talked, she got to her feet, looked around trying to find something to fight with, her heart sinking when she saw nothing useable. She thought of Bao and her God. Silently, she prayed to him to save her.
“Ah, you see, you got nothing while I have everything.”
Dai-tai couldn’t believe he wasn’t even worried about his friend lying only feet away, his lifeless body going cold. Instead he was intent on taking her no matter what. What a sick and twisted bastard. “Why?” she asked. Surely, he could get a woman outside these walls.
“Because I can.” He lunged for her.
She’d been expecting it, but still he surprised her, making her cry out, fighting with everything she had. She kicked, she bit, she screamed. Nothing deterred him. Her shirt was ripped in half, her pants dragged down her body. She raked her nails down his face, making him roar in anger and backhand her. She didn’t know how he’d explain her injuries to the others. He slammed her head on the concrete floor, making her see stars. Her arms fell to her side as weakness invaded her body from the blow, darkness threatening to swallow her whole.
It wasn’t in her to give up, but in that moment with him shoving his slacks down, Dai-tai wanted sleep to claim her.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
She tried to lift her arm to cover her eyes, to cover her body, to...protest. Why weren’t her arms working?
“What have you done to her?”
“She attacked Shun Wu. Look, she killed him,” Lei said,
Their words seemed to come from far away. Her body began to shiver, then something scratchy was placed over her as she was lifted into the air. “Get rid of his body. I’ll take care of the girl. Clean this mess up and yourself, then go back to your station. You have no more contact with any of the clients, or I’ll tell the General. Are we clear?”
A minute passed with nobody speaking. “I said, are we clear?”
“Yes, sir. We’re clear.” Lei’s tone was anything but respectful.
She was placed on a soft surface, then a light was shone in her eyes. “He tazed you. Did he rape you?”
Dai-tai shook her head, then swallowed. “I don’t think so. I fought him, and then he banged my head.” She put her hand on the back of her skull, wincing at the pain and the feel of wetness.
The doctor probed the area, grunting. “I’m going to need to examine you to make sure he didn’t...enter you.”
She shook her head. “I’d feel different if he did. I don’t hurt—there,” she whispered.
He smiled. “You’re a good girl, aren’t you?”
Tears swelled, making her wish she’d been better, wishing her family had loved her enough, and kept from lying in order to make money.
“Don’t cry. I’m going to take care of you. I have a friend. He’s going to take you out of here and to America. Would you like that?” He tipped her chin up, looking at her with interest.
He was old enough to be her father, yet he was staring at her as if he wanted her. The thought made her nervous. Staying there was even scarier. “What would I do in...in America?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” he promised.
Two nights later she woke to excruciating pain, arcs of electricity shooting throughout her body. Something was stuffed in her mouth, keeping her from crying out. Her one thought was she was going to die, but she was going to suffer horribly first. And then more pain sizzled throughout her body, the feel of which she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. Then darkness took her, blessed darkness that took her away from the agony.
This time when she came to, she was strapped to a wheelchair and being pushed down a corridor by Lei and another guard. She kept her head down, pretending to still be out as their whispers of what they had planned floated over her head. Why hadn’t the doctor taken her out of the place like he’d said? Whatever Lei and Wang had planned to do to her, she wouldn’t be returning to the holding cell, she wouldn’t get a chance to say goodbye to Bao or the others.
The newest group of prisoners they’d brought in, had a girl she was sure was going to be taking her place in Lei and the other sickos’ sights. The idea they’d be allowed to torture, and rape sickened her. She’d asked Bao how she continued to have such faith in a God who left them to such fate. Bao had smiled and said because he’d be waiting on the other side for them. Screw that, she wanted salvation here, and now.
“What’re you doing with her, Lei?” Dr. Jefferson growled.
Never had she felt such relief as she did in that moment except when he’d stopped Lei from raping her two days ago. She tried to lift her head, needing to see a familiar face before he was killed because she was sure they’d kill him.
“Lei, Wang, get away from the girl and the wheelchair this instant.” The sound of two thuds hitting the ground next to her made her blink. She wasn’t sure what she was seeing, but a river of red began to run in front of her vision.
“Dammit. Stupid imbeciles.” Dr. Jefferson brought his hand to her neck. “Good, you’re alive. Well our timetable has been moved up, Little One. It’s a stroke of luck I was coming to get you, hmm?”
His words weren’t making much sense, and then it clicked. He was getting her out of there like he’d promised.
“You help?” she mumbled.
“Yes. There’s a vehicle that’s going to be here in—” He looked at his watch, cursing as he did so. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”
He cut the zip ties off of her wrists. “At least you have clothing on this time.”
She stepped around the pool of blood. If it made her a monster because she didn’t feel an ounce of sadness for the loss of either man’s life, then she was fine with it. “What about them?”
Dr. Jefferson shook his head. “I’ll deal with them.”
The ease with which he said those four words should’ve worried her, but she was too keyed up to be get
ting out. She should’ve asked questions or thought about her future. Instead, she climbed into a cargo van and allowed herself to be sealed into a box that looked like a storage locker. Luckily it had a few holes, so she knew she wouldn’t suffocate. Dr. Jefferson stood over her before he sealed her in, his blue eyes holding secrets.
“I’ll see you in America,” he said, closing the lid.
Chapter Three
Six Months Later...
Cosmo looked toward the stage eyeing the newest dancer who walked on. “Oh, fresh blood. I might stay to see what she can do.”
Duke laughed, slapping his shoulder as he got up. He’d been eyeing the DJ booth all night while Cosmo had been nursing the same whiskey for the last hour. As Duke’s ride or die brother, he’d been coming into The Club on the pretense of watching the dancers, when in reality, he’d been sitting with Duke while he kept an eye on Lennox. His friend had it bad for the woman but was being too good to claim her like he should.
He stopped thinking of Duke and his lady troubles as a little bitty thing sashayed onto the catwalk, her Asian heritage clear.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Duke said, tipping the waitress who had been making sure his water was filled and checking on them regularly. They’d both saw the way the little college shits had stiffed her of a tip a few minutes ago, even though they’d harassed her all night long. Stupid bastards, probably had little dicks, which was why they’d already left so they could go home and do a circle jerk with one another.
“I get off at two.” He heard her offer Duke. She had a nice set of tits, but his friend wasn’t looking for her type tonight. If his guess was right, Duke was looking for a sweet little woman who should be in New York, but she was working in their club as a DJ instead. Yeah, little Lennox was in for a big surprise when Duke finally stopped letting her run from him. He couldn’t believe her dad was allowing his little princess anywhere near a strip club. Doc was her dad, and although he was the MC’s personal physician, he’d made sure they all knew she was off limits to their filthy hands.