"Guilty." The judge rapped his gavel on the desk, glanced at the forms in front of him, then looked up and fixed his gaze on Dani.
"Miss Shelton, you've pleaded guilty to all three counts. Do you understand?"
Dani nodded. "Yes, your honor."
Actually the charges were bullshit, in her opinion: small towns making money off traffic tickets on city folks detouring off the freeway. But easier to pay out a few bucks than have to waste time in court arguing about it.
"We take traffic offenses seriously in this county." The judge looked at her again. "But I have a couple of options here. My regular penalty would be 240 hours of community service, a thousand dollar fine and fees."
What the fuck, Dani thought, doing the math. That's...fucking months of lost weekends.
"Or, you can enter our special community service program. 18 hours on one weekend, fifty dollars in fees."
Is that even a choice? Dani thought.
"Uh, I'm interested in the special program, your honor," Dani said. The judge looked at her again.
"Yes, I should think so," he said half to himself. "Report next weekend. The clerk will give you the details. Next case."
Dani walked over to the clerk, who handed her a card with an address, date and reporting time, 6 A.M.
I would mean getting up early to drive out here, Dani thought, but fuck it, 18 hours instead of 240. How bad could it be?
***
It was barely getting light when Dani pulled into the parking lot alongside a few other cars. Facing her was a low, white storefront with white-painted windows either side of an entrance foyer with a heavy wooden door, outlined in red strip lights, contrasting with the failing strip-mall vibe.
Dani got out of her car and walked over to the door. The few instructions she had been given had said to wear comfortable clothes, no workboots or overalls required, so she had shown up in a regular Saturday outfit of jeans, t-shirt and hoodie.
Dani rang the bell. A camera lens over the door regarded her.
"
Yes?"
"I'm Dani Shelton, I'm here for..."
"Miss Shelton. You're late. Side entrance, to your right. Quick." The speaker cut off.
Dani rounded the corner and found the side door, the lock already buzzing open. She stepped through and found herself facing a reception window with a glass grille. A middle-aged blonde in a blue uniform shirt regarded her from behind the glass.
"ID and valuables, keys, phone, drop them in here," the woman flipped open a drawer below the grille. Dani dropped her purse, phone and keys in the slot, which snapped shut. The woman stared at her ID, looked back at Dani and typed something on her computer.
"Through to the locker room, strip naked and wait." A door to the left of the window buzzed and clicked open as the woman scooped Dani's valuables into a metal box.
The next room looked like an old fashioned gym locker room. The walls to her right and facing her were lined with steel lockers, with a bench in front on each side. In the center of the floor, parallel to the benches, a black line had been laid in the tile with six evenly spaced, black squares, numbered one to six. The far right wall was tiled with an opening to a communal shower. Directly opposite was another doorway, this time covered with a curtain.
There were three other women in the room, all, Dani guessed, like her in their late twenties to thirties. A redhead and a woman with deep black hair, both completely naked, were sitting on the bench opposite looking bored. A pretty, nervous-looking brunette was taking off her top and folding it into a locker.
"Hi, I'm Dani," Dani said to the room. The nervous brunette, down to her bra and panties, smiled quickly at her. The redhead looked at Dani then nodded towards a large sign on the left hand wall. It read: NO TALKING EXCEPT TO REPLY TO STAFF.
Well okay, thought Dani. She found a locker, pulled off her shoes and put them in, pulled off her hoodie and t-shirt and hung them up, unzipped her jeans and started to work them off. The brunette sat down on the bench, still in her underwear, crossing her legs and arms in front of herself.
"I said naked," crackled a hidden speaker. Dani stopped hesitating and pulled her sports bra over her head, then pulled off her thong. The brunette was still staring at the floor and hugging herself.
Dani was about to sit on the bench when a man and a woman came through the curtain of the other doorway. They wore the same light blue uniform shirt as the receptionist, dark pants and belts hung with equipment.
"Good morning prisoners," said the man. "Take a number, stand facing me," he flicked an extending baton and pointed at the numbered squares. The women stood and Dani took number four spot, with the brunette next to her, then the other two. The uniformed woman circled behind them as they lined up.
"Hands by your sides," ordered the man. "You have volunteered for this special community service program, which means you are going to be servicing our community all day today. You are to follow officer instructions exactly at all times. You will address us as 'sir,' 'ma'am' or 'officer.' The number you are standing on is your name for the day. Number up."
He pointed his baton at the redhead at the end.
"One." "Two."
"Three," said the brunette, shakily.
"Four," Dani said.
The officer nodded.
"If at any time today you do not wish to continue with the special program, you may say 'officer, condition red.' You may then leave, but your original sentence will be doubled and enforced with immediate effect. Do you understand?"
There was a crisp "Yes officer" from the redhead and black-haired woman. Not their first time, Dani thought.