Page 71 of Marked

I touch the purple splotches. “We’ll get these off. I promise.”

“Thank god you’re here,” the older woman finally speaks, wiping her dirty hands across her face. She’s as filthy as the other girls.

“Are you their mom?” My tone flattens. History repeats itself.

“She is, and she’s not doing good. She keeps talking gibberish and then she’s reasonable. I think we were left in the dark too long.” The girl points to the sleeping figure. “That’s Jackie, she’s my sister. They hurt her the worse. I tried to keep her awake, but she keeps sleeping.”

“Jackie. Got it, and you?”

“Charlie.” She sits up a little more, wincing with the movement. “That’s our mom, Sharon.”

“I’m Harley.” I try to smile. “I’m going to check on Jackie, all right?” She needs to feel comfortable with us. It’s going to be hard for her to trust anyone after what they’ve endured. I won’t do anything that she doesn’t give the okay to. It’s obvious,between the three of them, she’s been carrying the strength. Without her, they would have collapsed into their terror much sooner.

“Yeah.” She nods. “I think her ribs are broken, be careful.”

“Okay.” I crawl over to the sleeping girl. She’s completely naked, covered in bruises from top to bottom. I brush her hair from her face and her eyes slowly blink open. “There you are.” I smile softly. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

She licks at her dried, cracked lips and gives a tiny nod.

“I’m so tired.” Her voice barely registers, it’s so soft.

“It’s all right. You rest. I’m going to find some water while Zack, that’s my boyfriend over there, he’s going to cut these chains off, all right?” I gently move her arm away from her torso, and see the dark purple bruise over her ribs. When I touch her, she jumps. “Shit, sorry. Sorry. I won’t touch that again. I think your sister’s right, they’re broken.”

“Me too.” Jackie winces. “They kicked me so many times when I wouldn’t–” Tears roll down her face, leaving clean streaks among the grime and dirt of her cheeks. “So then I did. I let them–”

“Not your fault,” I say firmly, just like Zack did for me. “Nothing in this place was your fault. You survived. That was your job. And you did it. You survived.” I’m not sure who I’m talking to more here, these women or myself.

She licks at her cracked lips some more and nods.

“I’m gonna find water. Zack’s got the bolt cutters. Just do what he says, okay? He’s a little scary looking but he’s a good guy,” I assure them. “He’s the best.”

“All right.” Jackie nods again, and slowly shoves herself up to lean back against the wall.

“There’s what looks like a break room over there. Maybe there’s a sink.” Zack gestures to a door in the corner of the room as he kneels down by the naked girl.

I freeze every time a chain drops onto the floor. Trying to distract myself, I focus on grabbing the water bottles fromthe mini-fridge in the break room. Leftover burger wrappers litter one of the tables, and the trashcan is full of beer cans. These assholes were here, watching these girls in their hell from the window of the room, while having burgers and beers.

The urge to kill them again overwhelms me.

Another chain clanks to the concrete, and I freeze.

Deep breath in.

Slowly let it out.

I’m free of this place.

And now they are, too.

Zack has them freed by the time I get back, and I hand each of them a bottle of water.

“Thank you.” Charlie opens the bottle and starts gulping it down.

“Slow,” I tell her. “Or you’ll throw up.” She stops drinking and nods.

Jackie can’t hold the bottle long, so she takes small sips then puts it down. She’s so pale beneath all the dirt on her face.

“I have people coming.” Zack brings blankets from wherever he found them, and hands one to each of them. “They’re going to take you to the hospital.”

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