Warning: This chapter contains mentions of rape.674Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEUT7de9pm
The first and second nights were hell.
Coupled with the pain of her feet from walking barefoot on the rough terrain of the forrest, Lexi was in a constant state of fear, wondering if it would be her turn to be raped by these men. She'd been lucky so far but already two of the women had been subjected to the brutal treatment from their 'owners.' Lexi's luck could only hold out so long.
The days were long, and while the men of the group were forced to move at a slower pace for their female captives, the going was still tough. Bugs bit them frequently and without mercy. Numerous times they'd stumbled and fallen, inadvertently dragging almost the entire chain of women down with them, only to be shouted and kicked at to get back up.
The heat of the sun, despite being hidden behind the canopy of leaves overhead, still beat down upon them. After the first day of walking, Lexi could feel the sunburn at her shoulders and on her cheeks, but having no way to alleviate the burning sensation on her skin. It was frustrating. How she wished she could just run off from these people, but the ropes were holding her tight to her fellow captives.
The nights, perhaps, were worse though. The possibility of one of them next becoming the target of the men's wandering eyes and hands was all too real, and so much worse than a long trek through the forest. The darkness played with her mind, and Lexi kept seeing shadows in the trees. Whether it was an instinctual fear of what monsters could be lurking out there, or the ever-present and foolish desire for someone to be there to rescue her, she couldn't tell.
While Lexi knew the threat of a zombie popping out from nowhere without the guards knowing about it was nearly impossible, the fear of this exact situation somehow happening kept crossing her mind. Each noise in the forest around them snapped her awake, and it didn't help that the men around the camp weren't the quietest of sleepers. They snored loudly, shifted and rolled in their sleep at random times, and generally just made a ruckus while the terrified women were forced to sit there in the dark, completely naked.
Lexi noticed the women huddling around each other, drawing warmth and comfort from one another as best they could, though they shied away from Lexi if at all possible. Saddened, the brunette gave up trying to bond with them entirely. It would be pointless anyways. All of them hated her deeply, she knew this despite the sentiment never having been verbalized. Having nobody but herself to comfort her took a toll, and was almost counterproductive. Her own guilt from bringing all of this onto these women outweighed any pity she felt towards herself.
What would Law say? Lei found herself thinking on more than one occasion. She'd shake her head, wishing that she'd never been found by that scavenging team. All of the people closest to her, Law and Shachi and Penguin included, she assumed, had been killed. Brutally murdered, all because of her.
Maybe hiding the truth from Margaret hadn't been the smartest move, but she'd trusted Law to know what was best for the situation. Maybe telling her wouldn't have made a difference. It was too late to know now. All she could think of were her three unexpected friends. And yet still, she hadn't seen them in the pile of bodies at the camp. Some tiny sliver of hope remained that they had survived, and had found a way to escape far from here. Or, maybe, that damned speck of hope made her wonder…
No, of course they wouldn't. They're outnumbered and owe nothing to me.
Practically alone, Lexi didn't feel an ounce of sleep, despite staying awake several hours later with perhaps the second change of guard that night. Her fear kept the adrenaline running, and no amount of exhaustion was going to put her guard down enough to actually sleep.
Her vigilance served to only add to the horrors she witnessed, as not too long after the guards changed, she noticed them gesturing repeatedly towards a girl further down the line. Even from this distance, Lexi heard them laugh under their breath, then one shrugged, and his companion broke off from the spot they'd been watching to walk towards them.
Lexi was disgusted, eyes squeezing shut for a moment to appear asleep. She heard the man walk closer, his boots crushing the fallen leaves beneath his feet with each step, until the muffled sound of one of the girls struggling against him overtook any other. The familiar ripping noise of a piece of duct tape being pulled pierced through the air, before the girl's cries were muffled further.
The brunette risked cracking an eye open, seeing the man cutting away at the bonds that tied Tara to the rest of the women. Lexi swallowed, hastily closing her eyes again as the sound of the man dragging her away from them grew fainter and fainter. But not too far away.
Lexi and the rest of them could still hear the sound of clothing being undone, and Tara's distressed cries. Poor girl. Poor girl. The sentiment repeated in each of their minds, as there was nothing else they could do for her now.
It was disgusting, the slaps of skin, male grunts of exertion and pleasure, and the obvious terror in Tara's muffled screams. They weren't loud enough to wake the men sleeping, but it was enough to snap awake any of the women that had managed to nod off. They curled up tighter on themselves, torn between feeling pity for Tara or relieved that it wasn't them this time. Mostly the latter, however, which only served to bring rise to a whole lot of guilt.
Some time later, too long in fact, the sounds finally stopped and Lexi heard the man's zipper. Then, unexpectedly, she opened her eyes again at the sound of a struggle happening. The man grunted, either in surprise or anger. Unable to see what was happened, Lexi only hoped that Tara wasn't doing something to endanger her life further. If anyone knew the unpredictability of these men, and what they were capable of, it was Lexi. Resisting or fighting back wouldn't be the best idea.
Leaves were crushed. Something smacked roughly against a tree trunk. The obvious struggle caught the attention of the other guard standing there, and he hurried to see what was happening. Tara all the while was sniffling in fear, grunting behind the tape and whimpering in pain or terror.
The man was swearing, cursing at her harshly. The second guard must have arrived then, because the sound of smacks and thumps became louder, and Tara's noises stopped completely. Lexi held her breath, hoping that the worst hadn't come to pass, though knowing her holding out for something less than reality was just wasting her own time. What was done was done.
For a long moment, there was nothing. Not even the sound of breathing, of movement. Nothing. And then a pair of footsteps grew louder as they came closer, and the two guards emerged back in Lexi's line of sight. However, there was no sign of Tara. She closed her eyes, afraid as to what exactly that meant. The men's words only served to further her worry.
"The bitch pushed me. Had it coming."
"Eh, you'll just have to take a pick from the others back home. Nobody likes the hard-to-get or the violent ones anyway." They trailed too far away for Lexi to hear the rest of the conversation, but her thoughts were in too much turmoil to pay attention anyways.
If one of them was expendable, just how many would be allowed to die before they got back to camp?
Straightening up from the dirt, Law brushed at his knees to rid his pants of the leaves and dirt. "Looks like they camped here briefly." He observed, seeing the tell-tale signs of where camp stakes had been hammered into the ground. Obvious bare patches where debris had been cleared away for people to sleep was another major sign.
"Any idea how far behind we are?" Shachi questioned, keeping an eye on the forest around them. They doubted they'd run into Damien's group so soon, only having been traveling for a day, but one never knew. Better safe than sorry.
"Couldn't really say, considering we had no idea if they traveled through dark or camped right after attacking."
It was true. They hadn't been able to follow far after Damien's group had initially left Woodsfield, seeing as the darkness made it difficult to track. They'd gone about a mile, before being unsure of where the path was leading. Law made the decision to, despite not agreeing with it at all, stop for the night and pick up in the morning. It would cost them time and distance, but he didn't want to accidentally be following in the wrong direction, which would do more harm than staying put.
"Well, looks like they've kept west for the most part. Unless they think someone's following after them, we should be safe just sticking that direction." Penguin shrugged by way of explanation. It was sound logic. "I mean, is there any reason he'd think he's being tracked?"
"How would Law know that, idiot?" Shachi chimed in with a shake of his head. Penguin sent him a glare.
"I'm just thinking aloud. It's called discussion."
"Who knows what he's thinking? Depends on what sort of leader Damien is." Their leader started, sending them both a tired glance before heading in the same direction they'd been following up to this point. "If he's paranoid, he may take precautions even without the suspicion. Though if their movements so far have been this consistent, I'm more likely to believe he's the arrogant type."
Shachi followed first after him, Penguin taking up the rear. "Meaning?"
Law glanced behind him, making sure they were indeed keeping up. "Meaning he'll head straight for whatever base of operations they have without diverging off course. He thinks even if he were being followed, it wouldn't matter anyways."
The next morning, Lexi and the others were given meager rations, tiny in proportion to what Damien's men had for their breakfast. Lexi felt her stomach rumble loudly a few times, protesting their treatment and neglect. Nothing she said or did would change that, though.
Damien had sauntered out from his tent and grinned smugly at the captive women, who still tried to shy away from his prying eyes which so blatantly looked over their exposed bodies. "So, sounds like one of you tried to get snippy last night."
None of them bothered to respond, and simply kept quiet. Who knew what words would send him off in a fit of rage. Luckily, he hadn't been expecting an answer and continued on anyways.
"Hopefully that'll serve as a warning. From now on, you obey orders without question, and without a fight. Let that go to show what happens when you start to defy your owner."
"O-owner?" One of the women asked timidly. Her fearful eyes looked up to Damien with equal parts confusion and fear. He smiled his wicked grin in reply.
"That's right. Once we get back, you'll be paired off to whoever picks you. From then on, you'd best do everything you can to satisfy him, since he's the one with your life in his hands."
That shut up any further questions from the ladies, who were now much more terrified of the life that was facing them in the near future. Damien chuckled, before casually loping away to visit with the rest of his men. The women exchanged glances, while Lexi simply kept her head down, having been listening intently to the conversation.
Based on what that boy had said to her back at the camp, she assumed her 'owner' had already been chosen.
"You're mine now." He'd hissed, that dark gleam of excitement and fascination flickering behind his eyes. For being just a boy, it was terrifying. Lexi closed her own and minutely shook her head, trying to rid herself of that mental image. If she could help it at all, the smallest opportunity of possible escape, Lexi was taking.
It would be dangerous and stupid to try running again, especially with all the firepower her captors were in possession of. From the sound of it though, death may be a more appealing way out anyways.
The men packed up whatever was left of the camp they'd made, strapping tents and blankets onto packs, before calling out they were ready to start moving again. The women were roughly dragged to their feet, and though the pain from all the walking had dulled overnight as soon as they stood again it returned tenfold. They throbbed painfully, and each woman had to hold back groans of pain.
The men checked the ropes just to be safe, ensuring none of them had tried cutting through during the night, and the trek back to Damien's camp began once more. As they started off, Lexi looked towards the direction of where Tara had gone and never came back, spotting a pale white figure laying in the grass, partially covered by leaves and the natural slope of the hill. The guilt weighed heavily on Lexi's shoulders, and she could not stand to see the young woman's body any longer, turning back to the direction the men were taking them.
It was late into the afternoon when Law spotted the body. Though, the subtle stench of the beginnings of decay meant he smelled it far earlier than when he saw it. At the first signs of decay, he narrowed his eyes, sniffing the air experimentally to try to determine how long the unseen corpse had been dead. Less than 24 hours he assumed. It wasn't strong enough to be much longer than that.
Shachi and Penguin, long having gotten used to that particular stench, simply grimaced. The small group came across what looked to be a second campground. There were depressions in the grass, and cleared away patches of the hill, just as before. Law looked around, following the sound of the buzzing flies to the corpse in question.
The sight of the familiar red hair made him pause, and he looked away out of respect. Unclothed, skin turning that hue of dead purple, and bloated from the gases leaving her organs, Tara was partially covered by the leaves covering the forest floor.
"Oh god…" Penguin muttered, coming up behind Law to see who the corpse had been. Seems he'd recognized her too. Shachi stayed further away, taking from his friend's reaction and not wanting to witness what he could guess had happened.
Law's respectful glance away then began to feel ridiculous. She was dead. He was a doctor. The concept of modesty was null at this point, even if the thought still made him hesitate. He let a small breath, tearing his gaze from his shoes back to the young woman's corpse. It still felt strange and slightly unchivalrous to be viewing her naked body, but there was nothing to do about that.
Her face was permanently stuck in a neutral yet somehow still terror-stricken face. Eyes wide open and staring up into the canopy of leaves above, it still unnerved him how fake a corpse could look when in the process of decomposition. Her had begun to sink into the back of her head, and her extremities looked much paler than she'd ever appeared before. All that remained of what was once Tara was her empty shell, all life having left those eyes, the spunky personality leaving no trace.
Obviously she'd been raped. The sticky, clear-white fluid that had dried over her thighs was an obvious sign, coupled with the light tracks of blood between them. Her torso was bruised, the purple hue of her skin much lighter than the darker patches where she'd obviously been attacked. Her neck showed signs of strangulation, a bruise in the shape of two hands just under her chin. What was obviously the killing blow, a stab wound to the side of her head, was crusted over with blood, a puddle of which had soaked into the earth next to her. The only consolation Law had was that at least she wouldn't come back as a monster, her brain having been destroyed in that killing blow.
Strangely enough, her fingers and knuckles had signs of trauma as well, easily recognizable offensive wounds. She'd fought back. Despite not knowing her long, and thinking Tara more annoying than anything, Law felt a twinge of respect for knowing she hadn't just taken her abuse laying down. Not that it had mattered in the long run anyways.
After gently coaxing her eyelids shut with the tip of his knife, Law straightened, feeling as though he'd learned enough from her corpse. Looking any longer would be unnecessary. His sigh caught his companions' attention and Shachi cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Did they…" He started, not wanting to speak the word aloud. Knowing what he was asking, Law nodded. This caused the hatted man to scowl. "Fuck…And Lexi's still with them. Things are worse than I thought."
"Give this place a once over, in case there are any more bodies, and let's keep moving." Law instructed, trying to see how far the sun was from dipping below the horizon. This was difficult to do while in a forest." If we happened upon this camp in less than a day's walk from their last, it means we're catching up."
Nodding resolutely, Shachi and Penguin went to check the surrounding area, both hoping that Lexi's body wouldn't be the next to be found.
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