He then mimed placing the collar around our necks and tightening them so that one finger could still slip in, and then the same with the wrist and ankle cuffs. He paused and looked at us expectantly.
I picked up my collar. It was made of a thin, flexible metal, the edges lined with a small strip of something soft. One end had a flat button on it, the other did not. The two ends overlapped each other and I could feel a magnetic tug as I pulled the edges apart and brought it to my neck. The wrist and ankle cuffs all had a ring attached that projected out but could be folded back.
I think the collar made it all real suddenly. My hands shook and my stomach churned and I started breathing funny. I couldn't put it around my neck. I held it in front of me, my eyes closed, long past when I should have, and suddenly felt a presence before me. I looked up – way up – to see Samial staring down at me. He gave a slight nod. Somehow I knew he was telling me that I could do this. Though tears spilled out of my eyes at the same time, I placed the collar around my neck and overlapped the two ends at the back, pushing them hard until the collar was tight. The magnetics held it in place. I looked up at Samuel again, barely able to see him through my tears. He smiled and leaned over, his finger seeking some give between the collar and my neck, and not finding any, loosened it slightly. He picked up the cuffs and motioned to my wrists. I held them out to him, grateful for the assistance. My eyes were squeezed tight as I felt the metal encircle my wrists, felt him loosen them slightly, and then felt him repeat the movements with my ankles.
All around me women were having the same struggles. The aliens moved among them, quietly this time, almost gently assisting shaking hands to make the right adjustments. Then they all pulled out small tools and after checking the tightness once more, touched the tool to the button on the back of the collars and cuffs. I heard a small click each time.
Each woman, five clicks. Five clicks that meant there was no going back.
Part 2 – The Tour
Chapter 1 – A Public Whipping
The fear was palpable in the silence of our group as we descended to the planet's surface only an hour later. The shuttle made stop after stop, and each time ten women would be separated from the group and herded out the door. Finally it was time for the group I was in to leave and as the door opened, light poured onto us. I'd never dreamed the sun could be this bright because our world had been uniformly light or dark gray from the ever-present clouds. I found out later that during our space sleep our eyes had been exposed to increasing doses of light because we couldn't have handled the brightness here otherwise.
Once my eyes had adjusted I was overwhelmed with the green-ness. The wild places back home had been gone for a long time and almost all the remaining fertile land was for food production, and that was usually under heavy guard. To see big, open, and empty spaces of green was strange.
Then I caught sight of the waiting crowd. Throngs of aliens stood watching quietly as we filed out. They were male and female, with skin of different tones, hair of intense colors, and dressed in garments whose hues seemed as bright as the sun. And they radiated a hatred that made me more afraid than any street gang at home ever did.
We were herded towards a cart pulled by large four-legged animals that snorted and stomped. As we arrived each woman was lifted into the bed of the wagon. There was a horizontal bar at waist height running the length of it and our cuffs were hooked behind our back to the bar so that we faced out towards the crowds, one line of us facing one way and another facing the other.
I was in the center of five on one side. When we were all loaded, four males jumped on. One of them sat down in front of me with his back to the side of the cart, which meant he was facing me. He had very dark hair and he leered up at me with a smile that I needed no help to translate. I hadn't seen him very often on the ship, though I think his name was Joran. I looked away, suddenly uncomfortable, and focused on the aliens lining the road as we started forward with a jerk.
They began to boo and hiss and use words we hadn't learned, but the hatred in their faces made the meanings clear. For several miles people lined the streets, the anger getting more and more frenzied as we lurched down the road. By now I was so badly scared I almost peed on myself. I hear quiet crying from behind me and I wanted to give in as well. The realization grew that we were facing the hatred of an entire planet. How could we survive? We’d be in danger for the rest of our lives no matter what the law said. I knew I was going to die on this beautiful green planet full of hate and suddenly wished I'd never come.
Like all journeys this one came to a stop eventually. We crossed a river and pulled to a stop in front of a lovely park with tall strange trees. The crowd that had already gathered seemed immense. In the center of a cleared area were ten poles in a circle with ropes hanging down. I realized with horror that we were at our first punishment stop and that this would be no mere ‘spakking’.
I was glad I hadn't had anything to eat because I was about to throw up. I'd never been as afraid or as panicked as I was now.
The males were silent as they began unloading us. Some of the women fought, which was ridiculous with their diminutive size. When I was finally lowered to the ground I found my legs wouldn't hold me up. Suddenly Samial was at my side.
"You can do this," he said softly.
"No, I can't. Please!" I had no problem begging. He and Joran half carried and half dragged me over to a pole where my hands were bound in front of me to the hanging rope. Immediately the slack went out, my arms went above my head, and I was on my toes with my face against the pole.
As soon as we were all in place I heard the hush of the crowd as someone began to speak. I struggled to understand the words, missing many, but understanding the general meaning.
"… you have committed … acts upon our people. And yet, we cannot … as a race without your help, so we must find a way to move past the hatred and the … that we hold for you. This … of punishments allows our people to show their rage … you, to be able to act in a … satisfying … to release our hatred. By the end of your Tour we hope that you will feel no small … for your part in the … of our civilization, and we will feel some … of forgiveness towards all of you that will allow both our races to move towards a future neither can have without the other."
At that moment the males from the ship moved into place behind us, each carrying what looked like whips in their hand. I began to cry with fear.
The first lash wasn't too bad. I found out later that the males had spent the last year practicing while we were sleeping, and were quite competent. The first lash was just to test the feel of the whip and the distance to the target.
The second one was not a test. I screamed. I'd never had anything hurt as much as this in my life and I was sure he had drawn blood. A moment later a third one landed and it hurt more than the last one, if that was possible. I joined the women around me in their begging and pleading and struggling to escape. It was for naught. A fourth one landed and I thought I'd gone to hell. I was only dimly aware of anything else as the pain came again and again, each slash more agonizing than the last one, until there was nothing but one continuous pain. By this time, I hung from my arms, unable to support myself on my toes.
At some point I became aware that new lines of fire had ceased; there was only the feeling of hot coals down my back to my legs. The ropes let go and someone carried me to someplace shaded and laid me down on my side on the grass. The other nine of the women lay around me, many crying softly now. Through my haze I looked at their backs and saw red and purple lines crossing over each other like an angry child's drawing. But nowhere did I see blood. I couldn't believe it; I was sure my back had been shred to ribbons. I lay there in an agony of pain while time crept by. Eventually I noticed a figure leaning over me.
"Leina," his voice was soft. "Drink some water." Samial held a cup out to me.
I looked up at him. Where I had once felt a friendship towards him, all I felt now was a hatred.
"G
o away, you bastard," I said in my own language. "I'd rather die than take anything from you." He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head and moved on to the next woman.
Eventually I began to notice the world again. The crowd had mostly dispersed; a few curious onlookers lingered but it was pretty obvious they were being kept away by our males.
I looked around the park. There used to be one park in the city I grew up in, but it had fallen victim to the lack of water that we all suffered from. I'd seen pictures and videos of course, but they couldn't convey the sense of life that this park did. A gentle breeze floated over us and cooled us from the midday heat. An insect – something we'd done our best to get rid of until we realized too late what role they played in our environment – buzzed over a bright flower. I suddenly teared up at realizing that there were flowers everywhere. The trees were healthy and lush, though tall and spindly. And everything looked big. Oversized. Like the aliens themselves. Even the sun looked giant. The very air seemed to glow with light and the sky was a brilliant blue. Was that the right color for a sky? I couldn't remember.
We lay there for a while, comforting each other and groaning as we shifted. The males stood outside, also talking quietly. Eventually Kinin gave a signal and the males converged on the shelter.
"Time to get up. We're going to the place where you'll be staying tonight."
Chapter 2 – Forgiveness
The building was only across the street, but none of the women would have made it without the help of a male. One by one we were escorted into the large open room filled with cots and a couple of tables. Each cot had a pillow and blanket. An alien whose name I didn't know eased me down onto the edge of a bed. Sitting hurt, though, so I stood back up on wobbly legs.
I was still speaking in my own language, not able to convey my hatred adequately in theirs. "I'm glad to see they don't intend to make us sleep on the ground as part of the punishment," I said with sarcasm to no one in particular, "because that would be barbaric."
"And millions of women to lose babies is more good?" Samial walked past, carrying a box, replying in my tongue. Damn him. I wish he didn't understand it so well.
"Go to hell." I hurting too much to care if I was being disrespectful, but he ignored me. I saw Oriana trying to sit down and crying at the pain, so I walked stiffly over to her.
"Let me help you." I eased her down onto one hip and lifted her feet from the floor, and then without a second thought I eased myself down next to her. The cots, like everything else, were extra big, and we both fit nicely. I pulled her head into my arm and we fell asleep, escaping the pain for a while.
When I woke it was evening. Some of the women were awake and talking, some lying on their sides or stomachs looking miserable, and a few still asleep. I needed to use the bathroom so I eased myself off the cot, biting my lip at the pain as I moved. I walked slowly over to the nearest male.
"Bathroom?" I said. He looked at me blankly. I was still speaking my language. A bit of rebellion, if you will. "Bathroom!" I repeated loudly, as though he was hard of hearing.
A voice near me said a word I didn't understand and I turned to see Samial approaching. I ignored him and turned back to the other male. Now that he understood my need, he pointed to a door, and I went through it as fast as I could, slamming the door behind me.
Once safe inside I looked down in astonishment at the toilet. At home, and on board the ship, the toilets were dry, with the contents being sucked away when a button was pushed. Here, I was staring at a bowl full of water, something so precious on my planet that I would rather cut off my arm than foul it with my waste. I looked around desperately for something else. There was the sink, which usually had a forceful cool steam that cleaned hands, but when I turned the lever, more water came out at a gush and I jumped back with a squeal of surprise. I watched in horror as water poured down the drain before I pounced on it to hit the lever and turn it off.
I had no idea what to do except open the door and look out. Samial was standing there with his arms crossed, grinning at me.
"Something wrong in there?" he asked.
"Water in the, uh, what do I – I cannot –? " I stuttered over the foreign words in my confusion.
"Would you believe me if I told you that we have enough water that you can use it for that and still have plenty more?"
My eyes widened. That was a luxury I'd never thought about before.
"Besides," he continued, "we clean and recycle every drop. That water has been peed in before."
"Oh." Though I didn't understand every word he said, I got the general idea. I ducked back in and closed the door. I eased myself down onto the toilet, a terribly painful movement, and thought about anything other than the waste of water, and eventually I was able to finish. When I flushed, more water swirled around and then came to rest in the bowl. Shaking my head in wonder, I avoided the sink and squirted something that I thought was hand cleaner onto my hands. I rubbed it around, only to find that it wasn't going away and was really sticky. I had no idea what to do, but then thought of the water in the sink and turned the tap on very slowly, just a trickle. Sure enough, the precious water removed the sticky stuff from my hands and when I was done they felt strangely clean.
I poked my head out of the bathroom door and with relief saw that Samial was talking with someone else. I made my way back over to an empty cot and lay down, hurting, exhausted, and wondering what would be next.
The sounds around me during the night suggested that everyone slept as restlessly as I did. There were whimpers as sleepers turned onto their backs out of habit and pain forced itself into their dreams. As the light grew brighter in the morning, we woke to find a new torment: the struggling we'd done during the whipping had now left us incredibly stiff and sore in our backs and arms. We groaned as we sat up and tried to stand. We talked quietly to each other, took turns rubbing shoulders and arms as much as possible without touching the frightening stripes on our backs. We were tired and discouraged. Sounds of soft weeping floated over the quiet hall intermittently as the absence of comfort from family and friends was keenly felt.
The males kept themselves apart, sensing no doubt the hostility of the women this morning. Samial had admitted to me that none of the males with us had done the Tour before. I wondered what they thought of their part in it.
The smell of something warm and fragrant drifted through the air and I struggled off my cot to follow it. As I entered another room I saw tables full of food. Lots of food. Some of it I recognized, much I didn't, but it all smelled amazing. There was enough to feed an army here. Surely this couldn't all be for us? Besides – who would have cooked all this? I had expected some kind of boxed or canned rations.
I wandered further down the line to the end where a large pitcher of water stood. It was clear and cool. I was suddenly terribly thirsty.
"Now may I give you a glass of water?" Samial's voice startled me. After a moment, I nodded. He filled a cup and gave it to me and I downed it without stopping to breathe. He refilled it and this time I drank more slowly.
"The food – where did it come from??" I finally asked, reluctantly deciding to try the alien words again.
"The people from town."
I turned to gape at him. "Seriously?" I asked in my language.
He frowned at me. "Are you once again doubting my honesty?"
I wasn't as scared of him as before. "It is a word! It means I am having, um, trouble, understanding what you tell me. It is not disrespect and I, um, wish for you to stop bother me!" I finished, proud that I had remembered the word "bother."
"If your bottom weren't covered with painful red stripes I would put you over my knee," he growled.
The stripes twinged. "It is, and you put them there, so I do not like you much now." I hated trying to argue in another language.
He said nothing for a moment. I tried to read his expression but I couldn't. I shook my head. "So, why do the people from town feed us after they call us names and be happy
while we cry?"
"Because you are now forgiven and it's their job to care for you and feed you for the next few days."
I was so stunned I couldn't speak.
He continued. "We used to be a warring race, much like yours is. We held grudges for generations. We would visit vengeance upon our enemies and then spend the rest of our lives hating them. And when the world collapsed a few centuries ago, we found that we couldn't afford to hate each other indefinitely. We needed each other. So over the centuries we've developed a way of dispensing justice. It’s harsh, immediate, and then it’s over and everyone moves on. It isn’t perfect -- it can be difficult to let go of hatred when something really bad has happened to you –" He paused for a moment, as if reflecting, and I sensed there was more to his story. Whatever it was, he shook it off. "But it's served us well. In this region, you females have paid the price for your race's actions, and it's now their job to care for you until you move on. Since you are all undernourished, they will feed you their best food so that you may have healthy babies."
I peered at him, about ten seconds behind in understanding what he was saying while I translated in my head. I think he was implying that we hadn't had enough food to eat throughout our lives. I had to agree with him.
He moved to the end of the table and pulled something from a box. "This is for you to wear until we leave for the next town."
I unfolded a clean, soft, sleeveless shift, long enough to go down to my knees, and not see-through. I donned it in the space of a heartbeat. Then I ate. And ate. And ate.
Chapter 3 – A Proposal
I was a weird mixed-up bag of emotions after breakfast, not sure how to handle cruelty and kindness so close together, so I wandered outside. The sun was warm and I turned my face to it, tears spilling out of my tightly clenched eyes.
Twist (A BDSM & Romantic Erotica Boxed Set) Page 5