He had blindfolded me halfway through the drive. When we arrived he slipped a strange device onto my hands to hold my fingers together. Before I knew it I laid on what felt like a cot. I heard the door shut but I couldn't hear footsteps.
"Your name?" Came a feminine voice.
"Fuck you."
She had the audacity to sigh in annoyance. I wanted to punch her. She took off my blindfold and I recoiled from the sudden burn of the florescent lights. Stars clouded my vision. When my eyes adjusted I took in the white room of a doctor's office.
The woman wore a lab coat and carried a white dress. She set the clothing aside and stood before me, her hands behind her back.
"You need to undress so I can examine you."
"And how do I do that?" I sneered, holding up my hands.
She guided me to stand and helped me pull off my shirt. She unbuttoned my pants and eased them off, careful to avoid my wound. Still my body burned. The pain was so intense I felt the gripping agony everywhere. I tried to breathe through it.
She took a needle from her breast pocket and I braced myself to attack her. She took a step back. My glower turned more severe.
"It won't put you to sleep. It'll just dull the pain."
"I don't want it."
"I'm going to take the bullets out. It'll be very painful without it."
"I. Don't. Want. It," I spat.
"You're defenseless with or without it. Spare yourself the pain."
I held her gaze for a moment before I rolled my eyes and offered my good arm. I held my breath as she cleaned the area before she sunk the needle into my shoulder. Immediately a cloud settled over me. My breathing deepened.
I watched as she gathered a rag and rubbing alcohol. She bent to pat my leg clean before she moved on to my wrist. She then looked me over. Even the small scratches on my knees and palms she cleaned. She then guided me to lay down. My body felt heavy. Suddenly the cot was a cloud. The doctor, if that's what she truly was, got her tools and began to treat my leg first.
"We don't have an X-ray machine. My apologies. We'll treat your leg like it's broken to compensate. The same goes for your arm."
"How kind."
"I don't need your attitude."
"I do."
Another sigh. She was begging for a punch.
The rest of the examination was a haze until she helped me to my feet and handed me my dress. It was a white strap dress that fell to my ankles. The cotton was soft against my skin but I couldn't tell if it was just the sedative. My brows met when the woman walked around me to pull back my hair.
"What are you doing?"
"Just putting your hair up," She said as she quickly ran a comb through it, "It's very clean. Soft."
I didn't respond. She was gentle when she tied my hair into a top bun. She then held my elbow and guided me outside of the office and we began down the hall. The carpet was old and gray. The walls were an ugly manilla.
"It's an office building," She explained when she caught me scrutinizing the place, "This floor was owned by a dermatologist company."
She helped me up the stairs. She unlocked a set of double doors and we turned into a room to the left that was a plain kitchen. She then took me across the hall to a seating area with a weathered leather couch and a few well stacked bookcases. She then showed me the public bathroom where she turned to me.
"We'll be taking you individually to shower," She said in a soothing voice. When again my eyes narrowed and my lips pressed together she added, "I'll bring you myself."
She laid her hand between my shoulder blades and took me into the next room. It was once a tiny personal office. Now a sleeping bag laid atop a pile of blankets to act as a mattress. All that was left of what it was had been a plastic tree. She helped me to lay on the bed. Once I was inside the sleeping bag my body deflated.
"I'm Mary," She breathed, crouching beside me, "Will you tell me your name now?"
Her eyes were kind. Her long, stringy blonde hair was tied in a braid. Her square face was so pale I couldn't help but worry for her.
"Belle."
"It's nice to meet you."
"Was it?" I asked. She laughed without sound, "Are you here against your will, too?"
"No."
"Why am I here?"
"Sleep. You've had a long day."
She got up and left. In her absence I was left with emotions that tried to force themselves through the haze. Before I could cry I drifted into the darkness.
I awoke forgetting where I was for just a second. The hum of pain reminded me. I opened my eyes to see a man in the corner. His arms were crossed. He was wide set and chubby. He wore all white.
"You're a captive?" I asked, and when he nodded I added, "Why are you watching me sleep?"
"Do you see much else to do?"
"There has to be something other than getting your ass kicked."
"Is that a threat?"
"I wish," I groaned as I sat up, leaning my back against the wall.
"It's almost eight. Breakfast."
"Mmm."
"There's three others here; Millie, Anne, and John-"
"-Wait... John? What does he look like?"
"Average height, brown hair and eyes, tan..."
My shoulders sagged. It may have not been him. I hated myself for even caring.
"Has he mentioned a Belle or Angela?"
"Yeah."
"Fuck," I muttered, covering my face with my hand.
"You know him?"
"My ex."
"He loves you."
"I don't give a damn."
"Doesn't matter anyway. I'm Bruce. I'm the longest that's been here so I'm the one that has to tell you what's going on-"
"Up an' at 'em!" A nasally voice called.
"My leg's broken," I said, holding out my hand.
Bruce had the same contraption holding his fingers together so he sandwiched my hand between both of his. He let me hold onto his shoulder to walk. Once we were in the hall I could see the others.
There was a short girl with sandy blonde hair that looked a little younger than Angela. Her diamond shaped face and prominent chin with a button nose were very cute. She had thin eyebrows, one of which split apart by a deep scar.
The other girl had black hair and dark skin with eyes like a twinkling night sky. She looked to be my age. She was taller than me, though that wasn't difficult. She looked around 5'7" and curvy.
Both the girls were beautiful. They stood shoulder to shoulder as they waited for us. They gave me closed lipped smiles in greeting.
John showed himself next. His nose had been broken and his lip had been split. He jumped when he saw me but I turned away.
We were guided up the stairs to a wide room with a long table. The others sat down while I was held back. The man loomed over me. His face was scarred.
"You sit. You eat. You do not get up until all is gone."
"Got it."
He shoved me forward and the taller girl launched herself from her chair to help me to my feet. She helped me to sit down beside her.
"I'm Anne," She said with a smoky voice.
"Belle."
"I'm Millie," The younger girl chirped.
When Millie turned back to her food Anne leaned in to whisper, "Don't tell her the truth about this place."