Page 24 of Blood Caged

The vampires only come out at night.

As we walk, we pass doorways; some have small windows, but so far, I’ve never seen one of the occupants of the rooms we pass by – and I know there are occupants.

I’ve heard the sobbing.

I don’t think about that now.

The large, heavy door at the end of the hall looms. We stop when we reach it. My guard reaches past me and presses a button on the wall. A moment later, a face appears in the glass panel in the center of it. Flat-eyed and dough-faced, the man on the other side observes me dispassionately.

“All clear, Patty?”

“All clear,” my guard says, slanting a look at me.

A locking mechanism clicks within the door. Patty reaches for the heavy handle and pushes it down, hauling the door open.

“After you, cupcake,” she smirks at me. I walk through, not making eye contact with the man who just opened. I keep walking. There are more doors lining this hall, but they’re not cells. Most likely security offices or storage closets, from the looks of things. I’ve never had a chance to get a closer look. Patty normally marches me down here too quickly.

She’s doing it now. A rough hand at the small of my back nudges me faster. I try not to scamper. They can push me around, but I won’t freaking let them get me down. I hold my head high and walk with as much dignity as I can muster until we reach the final door at the end of the hall. It swings open easily when Patty shoves it, leading into a large room with white porcelain tiles on the walls and the floor. The guards who’d been tailing us stop, flanking the door, their backs to the wall.

“Alright, sweetcheeks. You know the drill.” Patty widens her stance and folds her arms across her chest.

I grit my teeth. I hate this part. But there’s no sense in resisting. I reach for the hem of the plain gray tunic I’ve been given to wear and pull it over my head. I drop it on the floor, then tug my cotton panties over my hips and down my thighs. The sad heap of clothing on the floor represents the sum total of my regular outfit here.

“Good girl,” says Patty, licking her lips. The way her eyes rove over me makes my skin crawl. “Against the wall.” She jerks her head in that direction, and I do as I’m told.

Goddammit… I hate this part, too.

Patty reaches for a hose that’s wound on a reel on the wall and twists a faucet. The jet of icy water that hits me sucks my breath from my lungs.

“Wash,” she instructs me. “Now.”

Quickly, I scrub my hands over my body, trying fruitlessly to rub away the stink of perspiration and captivity. A bar of soap would help. And I can’t fathom why they can’t just have regular showerheads. Probably because hosing us down is more dehumanizing.

Fuckers.

“Don’t forget the pits and puss, princess.” Patty laughs raucously, turning the water pressure higher. “Don’t want you skanky with His Lordship gets here.”

His Lordship?

I frown at that, obediently washing beneath my arms and between my legs before the stupid bitch has a reason to turn up the water any higher.

Who the hell is His Lordship?

I don’t get a chance to dwell on it further because Patty turns the water off. “Teeth.” She points at a washbasin where a tube of toothpaste has been set out. No toothbrush. Because they probably think I’d steal it and craft it into a shiv or something. I squirt some toothpaste onto my finger and do the best I can to scrub the fuzz from my teeth before rinsing my mouth out.

I turn just in time to catch the fresh tunic Patty is tossing my way. “New duds,” she says. “Special occasion.”

I don’t bother asking what the occasion is. She wants me to ask so she can torment me by not answering. So I just nod and pull the tunic over my head, the rough fabric drying my damp skin as I do.

When I look up, Patty’s twirling a clean pair of panties around on one finger, her lips twisted into an ugly grin. I’m guessing they assigned a female guard to oversee women’s bathing duties because it’s appropriate, but seriously, I think I’d prefer one of the men outside.

I stare at her impassively until she bunches them up and tosses them at me. “Make it quick. You’re already late.”

Again, I don’t bother asking what I’m late for. I learned on the first day that Patty gets off on mind games. So I step into the panties, pull them up, and head to the door, stopping when I reach it. Patty thumps twice, and it swings open, one of the guards outside facing us.

“Ready?” He looks at me but addresses Patty.

“Ready as she’ll ever be,” Patty replies.

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