Note: This story takes place in an imagined future. A genetic mutation has made it so that most female fetuses die before birth, so the population consists of about 4 men for every 1 woman. This means women are generally unsafe and frequent victims of rape and abuse. Except in The Fortress.
Chapter one is a little light on the good stuff, but it gets much hotter in chapter two.
Chapter one
The last thing I remembered was the vegetable stand. I had slipped over the wall as the sun was going down and hid between the market tents until it seemed that everyone had left. I was filling my sack with potatoes when I felt the sting of a dart hitting the back of my shoulder. The next thing I knew I was waking up inside the fortress.
The room had cement walls, a dark grey tiled floor and a metal door. There were no windows, but there was a large flat screen TV behind a pane of protective glass. Above the TV was a camera. I was laying on a narrow bed. I sat up and looked around more. The solid metal bed frame and a metal table were bolted to the floor. There was no chair, but the table was placed so that sitting on the bed made reaching the table comfortable enough. The mattress on the bed had a built in bump for a pillow and no sheets or blankets. The only other furniture was a toilet and sink on the wall opposite the door. These were also solid metal, no pieces that could be removed to be used as weapons. And I was naked.
As if someone noticed I was awake, the TV turned on and a woman's head and upper body filled the screen. She had a medium complexion and dark hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. I could see she wore a red halter top. Her face was full enough to show that, unlike myself, she had plenty to eat.
"Welcome to the Fortress, outsider. What is your name?" She asked inquisitively. Her tone was businesslike but not aggressive.
"Aspen." I answered. Realizing again that I was naked, and that she could obviously see me, I sat back on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Aspen, 'ma'am' or 'mistress,' please. Any woman wearing red or black is to be addressed such. Understood?"
"Yes...ma'am." The fog from whatever sedative they had shot me with was clearing and I realized, with a sinking feeling, exactly where I was. I had heard stories of The Fortress in my village, although I hadn't believed them until this moment.
"No need for modesty, dear. I look at naked little sluts all day. Tell me, how old are you?"
"I am 19 ma'am. Maybe 20. I know I was born in the spring or summer, I don't know exactly when." I relaxed my arms a little, allowing my breasts to show.
"Understood. And do you know why you are here, Aspen?"
"Because I was caught stealing food, ma'am?"
"That is part of it, yes. But specifically you are in this room for quarantine. Anyone from outside the wall who wants to join our fortress must be quarantined for 10 days and pass a medical exam."
"Wants to join? Isn't this a prison?"
She raised her eyebrows at me and waited to answer until I added "ma'am?"
"No, it is not. This city you broke into is very different from anywhere else in the world. Since the time of the mutations, since males now outnumber females 4 to 1, most of the world is dangerous for women. In this city, all the men live in the fortress. The women here keep them happy and contained, which keeps the rest of the women in the city safe. But no one is forced to stay here. You may ask to leave any time, even now. You will be brought back outside the wall. If you are caught sneaking in again you'll be sent to a mining camp with the worst criminals we have in the city. It's not so safe for women there. But if you choose to stay you can move up the ranks, just like any young woman from our city who volunteers for service here. And in five years time you could be free, or in ten years you could be the highest level mistress."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I heard this place is full of rapists and the women are all their slaves."
The woman's patience was obviously wearing thin. "Lies and rumors. Watch the videos, you'll see exactly what we're offering you. I strongly suggest you wait the full ten days before you decide. No one will touch you before then, i promise." She then added, "Oh, I wanted to ease your mind a bit, we found your brothers."