Page 61 of Evil Hearts

The monsters led us out of the room in a single file line, walking us down a few hallways before we got to a set of open doors. There were more of the lizard beasts in here, and two circular platforms in the middle of the room. Something about them made me think of a transporter from Star Trek. The first two girls were directed to stand on them, and a beam of light covered their bodies for a few seconds. Not a teleporter. A scanner of some kind? That was more advanced tech than earth had. But what were they looking for?

A nearby lizard pressed something on his tablet screen, reading whatever results the light had given him. “Not virgins. Healthy. No previous births. Next.”

Oh.Eww.

The first two women were taken further down the room, waiting for us all to be scanned before our next step. The same readout came for everyone. Virgin, not virgin. Healthy, sickly. No previous births, has given birth before. It was obvious after about half of us were finished being scanned that they were sorting us according to the data. The virgins were together. The sick girls. And the women who had given birth. I stood with the largest group of women, the healthy, non-virgins who had never given birth. We were led out first, and I twisted back to see the sickly women being led back towards our cages.

My instincts kicked in, and I spoke without thinking as the Minotaur poked me with his whip to keep me moving. “Where are you taking them?”

When he didn’t answer, I opened my mouth to yell it at him, but he just jabbed me right in the ribs, stopping the words in my throat. “Silence. Keep walking.”

Sati stayed close behind me, her shackled hands reaching out for my shirt as we walked down the hall. Her fingers shook with fear. Those three questions were on everyone’s mind. Virgin. Healthy. Children. No one with good intentions would careabout those things, and the fact that they had separated us based on the answers was even worse.

“Do you think they’ll kill the sick ones?” Sati whispered, ducking her head in case the Minotaur overheard. Whether he did or not was irrelevant, he just kept poking us to keep us moving.

Jenny was in front of me, and she twisted back with a sneer. “They went to so much trouble to get us. I doubt they’d just off the sick ones, right big guy?” The Minotaur ignored her, but his nostrils flared with a deep huff, betraying his annoyance. “Easier to just heal them, and put them back with the rest of us.”

I hoped that was true.

Our journey through the cold hallways led us to a large open shower room.Damn it. The monsters pushed us inside and unshackled our chains, then they closed the doors, giving us a small element of privacy. From them, of course, not from each other.

Someone’s voice came through the closed door. “Remove all clothing and place it in the bin. Clean yourselves off. Put on the clothes we’ve laid out.”

Jenny immediately took her shirt off, and I diverted my eyes from her naked chest. “Come on,” she urged, undoing her belt buckle. “If we don’t hurry, they’re going to come in here.”

Whether or not that was true, it was the motivation everyone needed to take their clothes off and dump them into the big rolling laundry cart.

Sati stayed beside me, her arms bent to cover her chest. “Do you think they’ll really come in here?”

Jenny chuckled to herself as she turned on one of the showers and stood under the hot spray. “Doubt it. They chained us so we wouldn’t run away, and then they give us privacy to shower and change our clothes? They’re not allowed to touch us, and they’re ensuring no one has the temptation.” She picked up a bar of soapfrom a tiny shelf built into the tile and used it to soap up her breasts. “I doubt any of them would be able to resist taking one of us for themselves otherwise.” She seemed so confident. But she had been here for longer than us.

I turned on my shower and cleaned myself off with the soap, tipping my head back to wet my hair. “Then why were we brought here? They’re clearly interested in…” Checking around us, I leaned close to her. “...sex.”

She didn’t admonish my timid whispers this time, and her eyes darted around to make sure everyone was busy cleaning themselves. “You caught that, too.”

“It was a bit obvious when they split us up like that.”

Finished, she turned her shower off and squeezed her wet hair out. “Keep it together. Let’s not say anything yet. Panic will only get the other girls hurt.” I nodded and shut my shower off too. “What was your name again?”

“Tansy. Tansy Heartfeld.”

Chapter 2

Once everyone wasshowered and clean, we found the clothes laid out for us. There were short white gowns for each of us, and no panties to go with them. I picked one up and checked the neckline for a sizing number, but it was blank. We were all different heights and weight, and they expected us to all fit into the same outfit? I was a bit curvy myself, but when I slipped the gown over my head, it was surprisingly roomy and comfortable, despite the short hem. Sati’s was so big, it looked like she’d borrowed her father’s shirt. While mine barely covered my ass, hers almost went to her knees.

As soon as we were all dressed, Jenny knocked at the door and it swung open almost too quickly. The monsters shackled us again, then pushed us back down the hallway, making a few new turns so we were going in another direction. This whole place smelled like mildew and metal, but it was surprisingly clean. My bare feet felt so cold on the floor, my toes started aching. We walked until I was cold all the way up to my hips.

After what felt like an hour, we reached a large door, one guarded by more monsters. Even though we’d kept quiet about our suspicions, it was clear the other women had come to the came conclusion as we did. In a mad dash, several of them broke the line, trying to run down another hallway. It was futile, apointless gesture of freedom, one met with a cruel whip of the lash on their unprotected backs. The girls erupted in screams and whimpers as the reality of our situation was truly set in. Those who tried to run were whipped until they got back in line.

My feet were numb, and felt like solid blocks of ice. It was difficult to even walk now. Sati lost her footing when they urged us forward, and fell out of the line as she dropped to the floor. The Minotaur guarding us turned with a huff, bringing that spiked whip closer. He raised his hand, swiping it back for a blow, and I dove forward, pulling Sati upright before he could whip her. His thick nostrils flared with annoyance, and he backhanded me with the whip handle, making my cheek crack with pain.

“Stay in line,” he ordered sternly, leaving no room for disobedience.

The monsters pushed us through the doorway, whether we liked it or not. This room was much smaller than our prison, with a thick curtain on the opposite wall. There were no chairs. No beds. Just the cold floor and a bucket in the corner. After walking for an hour, I had to pee like crazy, but there was no way I’d be using that bucket.

The biggest lizard monster slowly coiled his bloodied whip in front of us. “Behave, or you get the lassssh,” he hissed. “Sssstay quiet. Wouldn’t be good to messsss up your pretty facessss, would it? That’ssss not our job.” He laughed to himself and the other monsters joined in.Haha. So funny.

The monsters huddled in a corner, all but ignoring us for the moment. I found a small spot and sat down, pressing my fingers to my swollen cheek.God, that fucking hurt. My cheek stung. My feet ached. Sitting on this ice cold floor was agony.

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