Chapter 8 - Free Time I
The Hotel Yorotani - Runner Section (Two Days Before the Hunt)
As soon as she was through the door Pippa frantically removed the cuffs from her wrists and ankles before flopping onto the bed, she didn't even bother turning on the light. She kicked off the hated black patent leather heels, and lay there, tears of anger welling in her eyes.
The entire time out of the room she'd stayed as stone faced as she could, emotionless, unyielding in the face of the fate that might await her. The handlers, she thought, might as well have roped the women neck to neck to give the full impression of them being cattle fattened up and driven to auction. She knew this was part of the deal but she'd never felt so degraded in her whole life.
Pippa knew it was part of the order of things. Most of her family's income over the years had come from the sale of her seven older sisters. She'd had to watch from an early age as each one went through the same thing. One day each of her sisters' smiles began to fade, their makeup and clothing changed, strange men had visited the house, and then after a teary goodbye she barely understood the first few times she never saw them again. Some had begged to take office jobs, pay their freedom fees, help support the family; every single one was denied. It tore her up inside how the family had all had to sit there as their father had updated them on the latest bids, the sister whose time it was almost a prisoner in the house until the price on her head was finalised..
The first time she saw one of her sisters led away leashed, naked, and in tears she'd resolved that this would not happen to her. She could still remember the last one to go vividly, it was Mandy, her sweet older sister Mandy. There was only a year between them, they'd grown up together, and counting down the days until the day she was torn away from Pippa had left a hole in her heart she knew she might never fill. The two had looked so alike that some thought them twins, and watching Mandy be led away while her new owner talked about how much she'd love the Whoresie ranch chilled her blood. She'd do whatever she could to avoid feeling the choking unforgiving feel of slaveband locking around her slender neck that would damn her to slavery for as long as her masters allowed her to live.
She'd seen an advert for the Yorotani online and had tried to find as much info as she could, but what she could find was limited. She managed to find out women had won their freedom here, at least for a while, and that there were strict policies in place that limited the chances of any major injuries. Beyond these facts, though? The whole thing was pretty much shrouded in mystery. She needed her father's permission to leave, though, and she thought this might be a barrier. One phonecall with the organisers was all it took. The compensation for a CMR if she was one of the women who made it out here was more than generous, and he'd been very happy to see her go in the end.
One thing that Pippa knew for certain, though, was that failure meant leaving here in chains, physical or metaphorical. She subconsciously raised her hand to her throat and felt her neck. She knew why men had chosen there for the icon of modern slavery. It was vulnerable, visible, and made it look so much like they were choking the life out of women. She knew speaking her mind meant death or worse. The penalty for being a member of the Female Liberation Front, a "Fluffer" was beyond cruel. Some were hanged publicly, televised with laugh tracks or applause, they were lucky, those who were less lucky found their way to the slave fairs. Some were banded and simply thrown to the mob, either living or not through a violent orgy, others were auctioned for a pittance to whoever happened to be nearest, the usual slave collar accompanied by a micro explosive implanted at the base of the skull.
She lay there in the darkness, a cool breeze blowing in from the sea through the open door to the small balcony. Slowly she began to realise with concern she was not alone in the room. She could hear quiet breathing. Just on the edge of hearing. It was coming from the side of the room nearest the door. She knew there was a lamp beside the bed, slowly she rolled over, as if getting comfy, she used the pillow to mask the movement of her arm as she pressed it ever so gently towards where she remembered the lamp being.
It didn't take long for her to find the switch on the flex, her hand hovering slightly over it. She took a breath, prepared herself for movement and turned on the lamp, shining it towards where the noise was coming from. It took a second to realise the figure wasn't standing, but kneeling, head lowered, one shoulder against the wall. The light startled the figure, and they jolted awake.
"This cunt apologises! Please! This cunt had no intention of....falling....asleep...", the slavegirl shielded her eyes from the light and Pippa rapidly stopped aiming it at her face.
"For fuck's sake, Cockslurp, you timid little cunt, you scared me half to death!"
"This cunt apologises, Mistress, it offers its apologies, and will report for extra discipline as soon as it can."
"...why the fuck are you still here? I thought you'd have gone once the showcase was over."
"This cunt once more apologises, it obviously failed to make things clear. Until the prey are loaded onto the bus each is assigned a personal cunt for whatever use they see fit."
"So you'd jump out of the window if I told you to?"
"No, Mistress, that would countermand orders given by a male, this cunt is not permitted."
"...so what orders DO you have?"
