Laura tensed up as she felt the van leaving the highway and losing speed. They were getting close to the next delivery. She glanced around the blinded compartment at the other remaining girls, all handcuffed to their seats like her. All looking scared and defeated. Three remaining, including her. Five seats now empty, except for the urine of one girl who had peed herself when he had come for her.
Every time they stopped the large bald man would come into the compartment and take one of the girls. First he put a metal collar around their neck that seemed to lock in place. Then he would unlock the handcuffs from the seat, and lock it to the collar instead. Then he would force a ball gag into the girl's mouth and fasten it behind her head. Lastly he would pull a dark hood over her head before leading her around the partition to the front compartment. A door would open and close, and she would hear them both walking away. Ten minutes later, only one pair of footsteps would return and the van would set off again.
A bump in the road shook Laura and she heard a whimper from one of the other girls. She looked over at the small blonde girl sitting in front of her, wishing there was something she could say to comfort her. But she had learned by now that talking was not allowed. Even with the noise of the van, the bald man would hear, and he had already pulled over once to demonstrate...
Laura shivered and shook her head. At least she had been allowed to put her old clothes back on. Two of the girls had been put into the van naked, and the blonde girl seemed to be dressed up in some sort of ridiculous schoolgirl uniform.
It had not taken her long to realize what was going on after she had been kidnapped all those days ago. Almost immediately she had been told that her value was directly related to her obedience and that if she became more trouble than she was worth she would be 'trashed'. Although even obedience hadn't stopped them from beating her several times. She had been stripped naked and locked up in a room with a dozen other girls. Subjected to an intrusive medical examination by a filthy old nurse. They had filmed her with digital cameras as she was forced into humiliating positions, while the bald man was busy typing on a laptop. They had sold her. She had been captured, inspected, put on display and auctioned off like a cow.
Laura swallowed hard at the horrible memories of that place. The constant crying of the girls. The shouted orders and profanity of the men. The threats and demonstrations of violence against any who resisted. There had been a naked black woman chained up in a corner of the work room. She looked filthy, bruised and weak. Whenever one of the men came close they would kick her. When Laura heard her calling out for water she saw the bald man walk over and piss on her face and head. The woman had licked it up off the floor. Laura shivered again. She had done as she was told...
The van seemed to take more turns now, and after a while the road became uneven, gravelly. The tension in the compartment seemed to rise as the girls realized they were nearing the next stop. A few more bumps and the van came to a halt. There was a sound of dogs barking outside. The bald man entered the back compartment and Laura felt a chill run down her spine as his eyes went straight to hers.
He approached and unlocked her handcuffs from the seat before sticking a thumb in the air and saying "Up". She stood up, stretching her arms and legs for just a moment without taking her eyes off of his, before raising her wrists towards her throat and opening her mouth. The man grinned. "Good girl. You've learned how to live longer, haven't you."
He quickly locked the collar around her neck, attached the handcuffs, gagged her and pulled the hood over her head. The world was now black. The man grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the front compartment where she heard the door being opened. "Two steps down." He stood in front of her and guided her out of the van without much trouble. She breathed deeply and the fresh air felt good after the stinking van. She could feel the sun still shining warmly in spite of a stiff breeze and she heard a number of dogs barking and running around her. She followed the guiding hand on her arm towards the sound of a door being opened, and a new man's voice shouted out at the dogs, who quieted down.
"Big step up." Laura felt the wind vanish as she entered the house and was led through a hallway into what felt like a large room. "Stand here. Don't move." The hand left her arm and she breathed deeply, trying to calm her nerves. She heard the bald man move away from her and start talking to the man who had opened the door. "Here she is. Just as ordered. Now remember, you have one week to reconsider for a partial refund. After that the money is ours. We can off course always help you dispose of her if you require it, for a modest fee." Laura tensed up. Dispose?
"I understand. Although if she's what you claimed her to be, there shouldn't be any need of that."
The bald man chuckled. "I'll leave that up to you. Here are your keys. This one is for the cuffs, that one is for the collar. Make sure it's in a secure place." There was a sound of a key ring being handed over.
"Off course. I'll put it in the safe. Has her collar been tuned to my transmitter?"
"Yeah, it's been set. You probably want to go for a walk with her to test the range and explain how it works."
"Yes, that's a good idea. Thank you and have a good trip back."
"You are most welcome."
There was the sound of a handshake, and then the two men left the room. Laura heard the front door opening and some more excited barking from the dogs. Soon she heard the muffled sound of the van's engine starting, and then drifting off into the distance.
Laura remained standing still for a few more minutes as she heard the remaining man move around the house before returning to the room she was in. She tensed up as she heard him approach and walk around her. "Well, my dear. I think it's about time we introduce ourselves." The hood was pulled off her head, and Laura had to blink in the sudden light. "My name is Peter. And yours is... Laura?"
* * * * * *
Laura stared at the man in front of her. Gray-blue eyes, short blonde hair, a double chin, a friendly smile on his face. Not what she had expected after the past days. As she stared Peter took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped away a bit of drool that had begun to drip from the ball gag in her mouth.
"Let's take this out, shall we?" He reached up slowly behind her head and Laura felt the strap of the ball gag being released. She breathed deeply and flexed her jaw after he pulled the gag out of her mouth, wrapping it in his handkerchief and putting it in his pocket. He smiled at her again. "So, your name is Laura?"
"Ye..." Her throat caught and she had to cough a few times and swallow before trying again. "Yes."
He nodded. "Good." He took a key from his pocket and unlocked the cuffs from her collar. Laura thankfully let her arms drop, although her wrists were still cuffed together in front of her, this was much more comfortable. He slipped a finger behind the metal collar round her neck and gently pulled on it a few times. "Do you know what this is?"
Laura thought about what they had said about keys and a transmitter, but it didn't make any sense to her so she shook her head.
Peter indicated a couch on one side of the room. "I think you'd better sit down. I'm sure you've had a rough time and I want you to understand what I'm about to tell you."
Laura blinked a few times. A rough time? Was he kidding? She sat down on the couch warily, and began to eye the room she was in. A large living room, although there were several pillars in it set at regular intervals. The couch, chairs and a table were set between the pillars to maximize the useable space. There were several hallways leading off into other parts of the house and towards one side she saw a large kitchen with a dining table.
Peter sat down next to her and noticed her gaze. "I'll let you wander around and look at the whole place soon, but now I want you to pay attention. Your life depends on it."
Laura looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and fear. "What do you mean?"
Peter reached out and put a hand on her handcuffs. "The collar around your neck contains a small amount of explosives. Just enough to fracture the collar, and blast the metal shards into your throat, cutting your arteries and windpipe."
Laura's eyes went wide and she gaped at him. "What?" She tried to raise her hands to her throat, but Peter held them down firmly.
"Don't try to remove it, or damage it. It is rigged to go off if it is broken without the proper key."
Laura stared at him, gaping, almost panting for breath in rising panic. "You... You can't do this to me!" She tried to pull her hands back, but Peter held on to them, putting his other hand on her shoulder, holding her down.
"You need to understand this and relax. It is done. If you follow the rules and obey it will never go off."
Laura struggled more, but Peter seemed to be prepared for it and held her down on the couch. After about a minute she sagged and with a whispered "oh god" she started crying.
* * * * * *
It took a while with everything that had happened to her for her sobbing to subside. Peter had put his arms around her and gently rocked her to and fro as Laura cried her heart out onto his shoulder. When she was done, Peter slowly let go of her and brushed her hair back from her face. "Feeling better?"
Laura nodded. "Yes."
"And you're not going to try to rip off your collar?"
Laura hesitated, looking down at the floor, feeling a wave of resentment well up in her, but she clenched her teeth and shook her head. "No."
"All right." He reached into his pocket for the key again, and removed the handcuffs.
Laura rubbed her wrists and looked at Peter again. A little taller than her and certainly much heavier. He had used his weight to hold her down on the couch earlier. But he didn't look like someone who worked out. Maybe she could hit him with something...
Peter smiled at her. "Let me get you some water. You must be thirsty." He stood up and walked into the kitchen.
Laura looked around again, seeing a fireplace with logs of wood and a sturdy looking poker standing beside it. She stood up and took a step towards it, when Peter returned from the kitchen with a large glass of water in his hand.
Peter looked at her, then at the fireplace, seeing the poker. He sighed and put the glass of water on the table in the center of the living room. Then he sat down in a chair opposite the couch, looking at her. "There's more you need to know about the collar."
Laura, standing within arm's reach of the poker hesitated and looked at him. "What is it?"
"You probably heard me mention the transmitter when you were brought in earlier. There's a device in the house that transmits a simple signal to your collar. When the signal becomes weak, for instance if you were to stray too far from the house, the collar will start beeping to tell you to go back. If the collar no longer receives the signal, it will go off."
Laura backed up a step, bumping into the stone fireplace.