The door opened as she sat in the corner of the room on the floor with her bowl of food in hand.
“What do you want?” Anna didn’t look up from her bowl. Her words bit at them.
Robert snickered. “What are you gonna do with that sheet, love?”
She gathered the sheet closer to herself and took a bite of her chili without responding, keeping the linen pinned to her body with her elbow while she ate.
“We’re not going to hurt you.” Hikaru’s offer carried a gentle tone.
Anna still didn’t respond, keeping her face down while she ate.
After a few seconds of silence, somebody stepped past the others and knelt down a short distance from her. “Is there anything I can get you?” It was Paco.
Setting her spoon into the bowl, she mumbled something.
Robert’s voice reached her ears. “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t quite get that.”
Anna lifted her head and sucked in a deep breath. “My fucking clothes!”
Her face fell as she turned to look back at the men. A second later, a single tear rolled down her cheek.
The men said nothing.
Robert, on the other hand, responded with a hint of a laugh. “You look real cute when you’re cryin’ like that. I got a pacifier for ya.”
Anna rolled her eyes toward them, and noticed the others shooting glares at him.
“Christ, Robert! You’re a dick.” Hiraku’s face tensed.
“You know what? You can be…”
“That’s enough!”
All eyes turned to Ahmad. Robert bared his teeth and jabbed a finger into Ahmad’s chest.
“’oo the ‘ell do you think you are? No one pu’ you in charge.”
“I did.” The captain’s voice filled the hallway as he stepped through the door from the cargo hold.
Robert looked upward and whispered a curse before James joined the group at Anna’s door. Anna held her breath, and her skin crawled at the sight of the captain.
He dropped a heavy hand on Robert’s shoulder. “Don’t you all have something better to do?”
Without saying a word, Paco, Ahmad, and Hiraku departed. As Robert took a step away, James tightened his grip and held him back. “Robert, a moment please.”
Robert’s face drooped, as the captain nodded ahead of them. “To the bridge.”
James glanced into the room at Anna, and disappeared from the doorway. Anna returned her attention to her bowl, thankful his attention was focused elsewhere for once.
* * * * *
After finishing her lunch, Anna wrapped herself in the sheet again and looked out the door to make sure the coast was clear. The corridor was unoccupied, making her wonder where everybody was. She heard a voice from further back in the ship, but could not confirm the speaker or the content of the conversation.
She rushed to the galley, finding it also empty of occupants. She set the bowl on the table in the middle of the room, and gazed out the window at the dense forest just a few meters away. The sunlight outside bathed the land and beckoned for her to rejoin it.
Anna’s thoughts wandered back to the ship she had called home over the last several months. Her mind dwelt on Kate, and she wondered how she and the drones were doing. Without her wristcomp, she had no way of contacting her to find out. Perhaps she could find a way to sneak onto the bridge, wherever it was.
Come to think of it, Anna did not even know where she was. The only detail she could confirm about her location was that she was still on the daylight side of Paradise. Without getting a clear, unobstructed view of the sky, she had to satisfy herself with the knowledge that she would get back to her ship one day, though she couldn’t comprehend when that might be. All she wanted to do was get away from the men aboard this vessel and leave them far behind.
The men.
Thinking of them opened the flood gates of emotions, and the memories of the atrocities rushed to the forefront of her mind. The beatings, the rapes, tormented her. She had been abused and violated. Frustrated over having no control over her predicament, she could not hold back the tears any longer and fled from the galley.
Anna fled down the hall, unable to see clearly. She came to the door to her room and passed through it, stopping when she realized she had entered the wrong cabin. This one held a bunk bed and two foot lockers against the far wall. The wall opposite the beds was decorated with color and monochrome holograms of scantily-clad, naked women in various sexual positions. Repulsed, she fled from the room.
On the opposite side of the hallway from where she exited was the door marked “Lavatory”. Without a second thought, Anna charged through the door and locked it behind her. Spying the shower facilities within, she dropped the sheet and settled in under a steady spray of hot water. She needed to get clean, and not just physical cleanliness. She felt unclean, and she had to attempt to wash it away.
Sometime later, Anna awoke to the sound of loud pounding on the door.
“Open the damn door!”
“Come on! How long are you going to use it?”
“Typical woman always takin’ up the bathroom.”
“I’m about to burst!”
“What’s going on?”
Anna recognized the captain’s voice, but didn’t want to move. The shower made her feel safe.
Seconds later, the door burst open and slammed against the wall. As it slowly drew closed, James slapped it open again and stared fuming at her as she sat naked and curled up in a ball on the shower floor, the spray of the water a deluge.
“What the hell are you doing?”
As he stormed toward her, Anna crawled away to the back of the stall, pleading with outstretched arms, “No, please don’t.”
James grabbed her by a wrist and jerked her out of the stall, dragging her through the door in one fluid motion. Her wet feet slid out from under her, causing her to stumble across the hall and hit the cabin door a split second before it could open on its own. She tumbled headfirst into the dark quarters beyond. He had crossed half the hall when Paco called out to him from the lavatory entrance, “Please, sir! She was only trying to take a shower.”
The captain stopped mid-stride and slowly turned toward the younger crewman. He clenched his fists and moved toward Paco. Paco stumbled backward and dropped to his knees before his commanding officer. James stopped in front of him for a second before turning his attention back to Anna.
Michel, standing on the other side of the doorway, waved to get James’s attention.
“Captain?”
James turned and stared at Michel.
“Captain!”
James narrowed his eyes. “What?”
Michel flinched. “Um, perhaps we should consider why she was in the shower.”
James closed the gap between him and Michel, and stood toe-to-toe with him, staring straight into his eyes.
“Why? Why was she in the shower, Michel? Was it to get clean?” The captain’s angry sarcasm sent a chill up Anna’s spine.
“It has been a couple of days since she got here. She has only had a bedpan available as a means of maintaining any form of hygiene. She has had no way of cleaning herself, brushing her teeth, or anything to make herself presentable to us.”
“Do you take me for a fool, Michel?”
James inched closer to Michel, forcing him to step backwards away from the door. Anna seized the opportunity and slipped back into her room, praying James didn’t notice. When the door shut behind her, the argument faded and she retreated to the bed.
The discussion continued outside her door for a moment, the volume of their voices rising and falling. An explosive outburst from James ended the dispute. Seconds later, the sounds of scuffling and loud cursing assaulted her ears. She knew what James was doing, and her stomach twisted into knots. She scanned the room to find something to help herself with. No items were in sight. Even her bedsheet was gone, left on the floor of the lavatory after James pulled her away from her solace. Her heartbeat quickened, as des
peration settled into her consciousness.
The door opened and James stalked into the room. Anna threw her shaking hands in front of her. “Wait, I can explain.”
James surged forward, pushed her hands aside, and threw a right cross against her jaw, knocking her flat on the mattress. She felt his hands seize her legs, when she faded from consciousness.
* * * * *
A couple of hours later, Anna lay on her bed, curled in a fetal position, facing away from the door. She stared blankly at the wall, emotionless.
She knew she had to get away from them one way or another. But, how could she escape? Where could she go? Returning to her ship would be the easiest choice, but she knew they would check there first. She could hide in the forest, but would have no defenses. The eclipse would increase her chances of getting away, but she would be vulnerable to the indigenous predators and had no way to protect herself. The only other place that came to mind was the pyramid. If she could reach the pyramid, she would have a better chance of defending herself.
Anna knew she couldn’t get there without first learning her current location. She didn’t have her wristcomp, and had no clue as to its whereabouts. Thinking about where it could be reminded her that the captain had hacked into it to learn her name. In that case, chances were good it would be in his quarters, provided he kept it.
She knew she would have to use their ship’s sensors to locate her home. For that, she would have to snoop around the vessel without anyone noticing. Doing that would be difficult at best.
Anna rolled over and sat up. Refusing to let the trauma she had endured stop her, she instead focused on what she had to do. She struggled in vain to push the memories of the captain’s brutality aside. Tears welled up in her eyes.
No!
She would not let him win. She forced herself to relive her last encounter, until her fear transformed into a fiery rage. She no longer wanted to just escape; she wanted him dead.
In that moment, Anna noticed something odd about the dresser. The second drawer was slightly ajar. Had it been opened before? Perhaps it slid open when Paco fell against it after the captain punched him. She did not remember it being open before.
Anna slowly crossed the room and opened the drawer. Uncertain of what she would find, her discovery brought a cold smile to her face, the first smile she had given willingly in days.
Chapter 26
My clothes! How did they get into the dresser? Were they here all along? I checked the dresser after they untied me and left me alone in here. Someone brought them here for me.
Anna lifted her T-shirt out of the drawer and examined it. It shined a bright white again under the lights, and all the lubricant stains were gone. Considering everybody else’s clothing looked a bit on the grimy side, whoever had washed her things had gone out of his way to do so.
Draping the shirt over her bare shoulder, she pulled her sports bra out and was pleased to find the same result. Never in the past six and a half years had she looked forward to putting the restrictive undergarment on, until now.
Her panties were next, and surprised her the most. Not only were they a bright white again, but the stains were mostly faded and gone. Anna was almost touched by the attention given to her things. She tossed the shirt and bra onto the bed, and immediately put her panties on. Though made from a flimsy cotton-like material, they felt to her like armor.
Finally, she picked up her pants, folded neatly at the bottom of the drawer. She let them unfurl toward the floor. As she had hoped, these too were free of mud and lubricant stains, leaving them looking their cleanest since her time aboard the mining station.
With the feeling of security each item gave her inspiring her to put on another article of clothing, Anna got dressed in haste, and found she lacked only her socks and boots. Nevertheless, being clothed had never felt so good. If she had any control, she would do what she must to keep them on for as long as possible from now on.
She searched the other drawers and, not finding her footwear, figured they were probably mixed with the supplies for the crew. Adding it to her list of items to find, Anna devised her exodus.
A short time later, Anna emerged from her quarters into an empty hall. From what she remembered during her short stint in one of the other cabins, at least two crewmen stayed in each berth. She also remembered that the door to the head was labeled, which should help make her search easier.
Checking the doors on her level revealed that the laundry equipment was installed in the storage room right next to the lavatory across the hall. Getting in was easy, since the entryway was unlocked, and there she located her socks and boots.
As Anna prepared to leave the laundry room, she heard voices outside the door. Listening closely, she pressed her ear to the door.
“Are you sure that’s going to be a problem?” She recognized the voice as Paco’s. “I mean, I’ve seen ships run on less maintenance and get by fine.”
“That may be fine for civilian cruisers.” The scolding voice, she remembered, was the black man with the deep African accent. “But this is a pirate vessel. If we are to succeed at what we do, we need to be stronger and faster than the ships we attack, meaning we…”
“We need to stay on top of the engines and keep them in tip-top shape. I know. I know.”
The African chuckled. “Well then, you should also know that we have to keep them running their best.”
The wheels in Anna’s brain turned with this bit of news. She revised her escape plan.
“Let me go check on Angelina, and then I’ll meet you back in Engineering to finish the maintenance.”
“Okay, but make it fast. This isn’t play time. You can do that later tonight with the rest of us.”
“Don’t worry,” Paco replied with heavy sarcasm. “I’ll keep my dick in my pants.”
A second later, the larger door at the end of the hall opened and shut just before a smaller door whooshed open.
“Oh, shit,” muttered Paco.
Suddenly realizing he had discovered her missing from her room, Anna knew she had to work fast to keep her plan intact. She rushed out the laundry room door and across the hall to her quarters. Anna and Paco ran into each other, the force of Anna’s sprint sending them flying back into her room. While Paco landed on his back, Anna tumbled on top of him and rolled to the side to lie next to him.
Anna’s eyes shot straight to Paco, who sat up and looked back at her. He looked her over for a second. “Sorry about that. Are you okay?”
She nodded as she got up off the floor.
He rose and pointed at her. “Hey, you found your clothes. I was hoping…”
Anna whipped a finger to her lips, silencing him in the blink of an eye. “Not now. I need a favor.”
Paco’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “Of course.”
Her mind raced. She had to find an advantage. “If I’m going to be aboard the ship for a while, I figure I should get my bearings. So, I was looking around to get a feel for where everything is.”
He displayed a thoughtful frown, and nodded. “That makes sense.”
“So, do you think you could keep my excursion between us?” Anna gave him a wink.
“Sure, it’ll be our little secret.”
“Thanks.” Anna accentuated her response with a smile.
“So, I was going to finish my tour. Where is everybody else? I don’t want to get either of us in trouble.”
“Uh…the captain, Michel, and Hikaru are outside securing the storage building. Ahmad went back to Engineering to work on the engines, and I think Robert is on the bridge.”
“Thank you. I mean it. Thank you.”
Paco leaned his head toward her at a slight angle. “Do you want me to show you around?”
Noting the desire in his voice, Anna frowned. “I’m sorry…” She pointed at him with a relaxed finger, hoping he would pick up the hint that she’d forgotten his name.
“Paco.”
“That’s right. Thanks. I don’t w
ant to see you get into trouble if I’m caught out and about. I know how your captain is.”
“But, I don’t want to see anything happen to you again.”
Her mind raced, seeking something to counter his insistence. “I appreciate that, Paco. But if your captain finds out you’re helping me, we’d both be in trouble. What you could do is keep some of the others distracted while I look around. Could you do that for me?”
Paco’s emphatic nod reassured her.
Grateful to have an ally, Anna congratulated herself on her first victory. She let Paco out the door first and watched him move toward where he said the bridge was located. After several seconds, she sneaked out and opened the door leading into the cargo hold. The vast compartment rose at least three stories, and the sounds of construction filtered in through the large entryway on what she figured was the ship’s port side. One floor above her, a metal catwalk extended along the length of the hold from the front to the back, and the access ladder to it was in the near corner against the port wall.
Since the galley was at the front end of the ship on this level, Anna deduced the bridge and the captain’s quarters must be one floor up, and dashed to the ladder. Within seconds, she had climbed to the second level. She noticed the far end of the catwalk ended at another door. She guessed Engineering was on the other side. As quietly as possible, she moved to the nearest door and passed through it.
As she expected, a short corridor stretched forward, with doors flanking the passageway and a single door at the far end. She moved along, checking the door labels as she walked. She found a few more storage rooms and doors leading to areas such as avionics and computer hardware. Several more were unmarked, piquing her curiosity, but she forced herself to move on. At the far end of the corridor were the pilot’s cabin, the captain’s quarters, and the bridge.
Glancing down the hall and finding nobody behind her, she attempted to open the door to the captain’s room. The door slid open, much to her surprise. She quickly entered, and let the hatch slide shut.
Alone in Paradise (The Chronicles of Anna Foster Book 2) Page 19