Page 21 of Corrupted Torment

I’d only found out through chance alone. Following my suspicion, I had followed Aggs into the wilderness and across the island on one of her scouting missions. Peering through bushes, I had watched in horror as the woman tossed a young blood covered body into the sea without an ounce of emotion.

“You think she knows we’re here?” Chris quickens her stride, her longer legs matching my pace as we hasten to reach the beach.

“Almost certainly, but she won’t like coming out in this weather. At least we have that advantage,” Chris huffs a response, not liking the weather any better than she likes Aggs. I look to the sky at the greying clouds above, heavy with unfallen rain. My limbs are icy and littered with goosebumps, and I wish, for the hundredth time, I had a jumper or jacket to help shield me from the cold. Wind blows through my hair and pulls at the hem of my white dress. It spreads the chill deeper into my bones. I wrap my arms around my waist as I try to shield myself.

“Come on! Before we get soaked. Better than the sunburn at least,” I grumble. Chris bursts out laughing, mirth shining in her emerald eyes.

“Oh god, you looked like a lobster. It was hilarious,” Chris cackles back and I can’t help but join in with her laughter; infectious and rare.

“Gee, thanks,” I grin back sarcastically as I pick up my pace to a jog for the beach. I can just see it coming through the trees in the distance. In minutes, we make it to the edge of the beach, raindrops beginning to pelt down on us unevenly in large drops.

We get to the sandy shore just in time to watch as a boat sails away. An unconscious girl left on the beach in its wake. Left open to the elements without a care. It’s not the first time I’ve caught sight of the white sailboat cruising past the island. I had thought it just delivered new shipments to the warehouse, its crew normally out of sight below.

Not this time.

Standing on the deck is someone I considered far more beast than man. A demon in human guise. His lips tilt in his cruel smile, black hair whipping in the wind as his black eyes—those endless pits of hell—stare out at us.

I shudder.

Wet sand sticks to the soles of my feet, and with Chris hot on my heels, I race over to the girl. Turning my back to the sea, I direct my attention to the teenager. Older than most. Maybe around sixteen. The girl is a pretty thing with brunette curls and a small waist; she’ll be eaten alive. Ignoring the rain splashing heavier down upon us, I watch as her chest rises and falls steadily. Her forehead is cool to the touch, but she seems okay. Just out of it from the drugs they’ve given her. I smile at our luck at getting to her on time.

“I got her,” Chris says. As she picks the girl up in bridal style, I can’t help rolling my eyes at her. I swear the woman is forever proving herself stronger than anyone else here. It’s true the woman is a force to be reckoned with, but I’m always happy to help her. I hide the small smirk as she sinks slightly in the sand with the added weight.

“Come on, let’s get her back to camp. It’s freezing.”

* * *

Alice.

Such a pretty name. She woke up about half an hour ago. She gave us insignificant details of the things she remembered: where she’d come from, who she was. I was nearly right about her age; she’s actually fifteen. Going by the things she’s told us about the outside world, I’ve worked out I must be about seventeen.

That means I’ve been here for five years. The realisation is disturbing. I’ve had to bear five years of this cruel life already, and any chance of escaping is impossible. My hope crushed, and long forgotten.

Now as we sit by my small fire, I consider what it is I have to say to her. I can almost repeat the speech on autopilot now, robotic and clinical, but necessary. A story, not one for children at bedtime, but my story. A warning of what is to come. I try not to sugarcoat it, but equally, I also can’t go into the details of every moment of that night.

It hurts too much.

“The first time I heard the siren sound, everyone scattered without explanation. I’d been innocent in every sense of the word. The only woman who’d taken me under her wing that week had scurried off without a whispered warning or a backwards glance. She slammed the door not only in my face but also on our tentative friendship. I had already felt the ugly wounds the women of this camp could carve. Yet, that cut had sliced me the deepest. Abandoned at a campfire in the centre of this little village, the rest already disappeared to the trees while I waited, left deserted for the unknown.”

Alice sits opposite me, listening attentively and taking in every word I say. It doesn’t matter to her that my voice comes out mechanically. She understands. I can see the pain etched in her face as tears silently run down her face. Sensing the waves of underlying tension coming from her, I know that she understands where this is going. Knows what is coming for her. It’s in the stillness of her body as her breathing almost stops.

“My fate was sealed. I’d only been twelve when I was raped for the first time.” My voice is strained as I speak. A pained cry rips from Alice’s throat, her hands coming to her mouth, her shoulders shaking violently as she’s overcome by anguished sobs. I give her a few minutes to understand the situation of why I’m telling her this story. To fully comprehend what is going to happen to her.

In a way, Alice’s age makes things easier. It might make me a monster, but the last girl had only been eight. I had been the one to explain things to such a young child. I could almost understand the other women’s reluctance to try, but what was worse: knowing or not knowing?

I close my eyes, shutting out the world surrounding me for just a moment. Soft hands gently take my own, squeezing them in thanks. I take a deep breath, opening my lids once more, looking back into hers to continue gifting my knowledge.

“This place is a different world. Not only do our bodies get defiled but violated by poisons too. Each time the siren rings out, we are given an injection. I’d been at camp not even a week, but not one person bothered to tell me what was going on, what was going to happen or what to expect. I found out the hard way that everyone here was in it for themselves. We’re friends, but only to an extent. Once that shrill tone rang out, that was it, you were on your own. I want that to change.”

“It needs to change; I can’t believe you went through that alone. I’m so sorry,” she replies softly. It’s not her pity, or her understanding I want. Despite her offering it so freely, a fact I know will be needed in the coming days. I raise my hand to stop her, so I can continue the last threads of my speech.

“Now I need you to understand, I’m trying to change things little by little. I can’t change what happens to us, none of us can do much about that.” I give her a sad smile. “What I do is to get the girls as they arrive, like I did for you today. So I can prepare you for what’s coming. Give you that extra little support I never had. In return, when new girls come, I want you to do the same for them. I need you all to lean on one another, help each other. Do you understand?”

“I do, and I want to help any way I can.”

* * *

“Another of your lost little pups has arrived, I see,” Aggs sneers down at me, her eyes squinting as she looms above me. She wants me intimidated, and it frustrates her that I’m not. Steam practically billowing from her ears.

---