The Convent Ch 03

Tori sat beneath the stone arches just outside her cell, watching the rain as it fell upon the garden in the centre of the cloisters. It had been a week since she had arrived at the convent. Her days had been spent following the same routine over and over again. She and the other initiates would get up early, wash and shower in silence before being take to chapel where they were chained to the floor and tormented to the cusp of orgasming whilst one or other of the sisters delivered some forsaken sermon about the virtues of a life of redemption. They were served three meals a day, all of which were eaten in silence, and tasked with menial chores such as tending to the garden and ensuring that the common areas and their cells were kept spotless. In the evening they would return to the chapel to pray and attend lessons on the holy book before being granted a brief hour of freedom before they were locked away in their cells for the night.

The rain was getting heavier and Tori thought she could hear thunder in the distance. She leant her head back against the cool stone and listened to it drumming on the tiled roofs of the convent, imagining she was somewhere far, far away.

"Initiate?" a small voice asked.

Tori turned, her lip curling upwards as she saw one of her fellow prisoners standing close by. The red headed woman had been the first other initiate that she had spoken to in the convent. Breaking the silence had caused her to be assigned three lashes and the red head had been the one to deliver the punishment. Tori hadn't spoken to anyone else since.

"I thought you might be cold," the red head pressed on, holding out a blanket for Tori.

"What do you want from me?" Tori growled.

The girl blinked uncertainly. She had wide, green eyes, a smattering of freckles over her pale shoulders and a small tattoo of a snake on her left arm. At any other point, Tori might have considered her attractive but all she felt towards her was disdain for how readily she had submitted to the Sisters' commands.

"I..." she stammered.

"I don't want your apologies," Tori snapped. "I don't want to talk to you and I don't want to be your friend."

She looked hurt but held her ground nevertheless. "I never wanted to hurt you," she said firmly. "I just... In here you have to..."

"Look out for yourself," Tori interrupted harshly. "Yeah, I got that."

The initiate swallowed, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. She placed the blanket on the floor between herself and Tori, taking the chance to wipe her eyes on the back of her hand as she stood up.

"Well I am sorry," she said. "If you change your mind about talking, come and find me. My name is Emily."

Tori looked away towards the garden. "I don't care," she grunted.

She knew she was being harsh. No doubt the other initiates all had their own way of dealing with what was happening to them and just because Tori was choosing her anger to get her through it, it didn't mean that that was true for Emily. She risked looking around but the other initiate was already gone, the only sign of her presence the neatly folded blanket on the floor where she had been standing. Tori hesitated a moment before reaching down and pulling the blanket over her naked body. Outside the rain continued to fall on another day of her long incarceration.

****

"Good morning, Initiate."

Tori did not bother to hide her contempt as Sister Hannah peeled the blindfold from her face and began the process of unlocking the cuffs that secured her to her bed. Like all of the Sisters, Hannah was strict and uncompromising, but she was especially cruel towards Tori and would look for any excuse to punish her on a regular basis. Tori had thought it was because of her failed escape attempt during which she had sucker punched Hannah, leaving her with a nasty bruise over her eye that had only just started to fade, but the Sister was so vindictive towards her that she was starting to think that there was another reason for their mutual hatred.

Hannah removed the last of her cuffs and placed them on the side, remaining silent for several moments in an obvious attempt to goad Tori into standing up without her permission. When it became clear that Tori wasn't going to fall for the trap, she jerked her chin towards the door and Tori stood and made her way out of her cell into the cloisters where she joined the line of initiates headed towards the bathroom. Emily was a few places ahead of her, her flame red hair making her easily visible as they trudged into the vast bathroom and began their morning routines of relieving and washing themselves beneath the watchful gaze of the Sisters. As Tori scrubbed herself beneath the tepid shower water she became aware of Emily watching her from the other side of the room. She met the initiate's gaze with a scowl before turning away from her dismissively, hoping that the other initiate would get the idea that she had no interest in becoming her friend. She cleaned her teeth and dutifully pulled her brown hair into a ponytail before presenting herself to the Sisters for inspection.

When the last of the initiates had finished washing and had received the Sisters' approval, they were led out of the bathroom but instead of heading to the chapel for their morning prayers, they cut diagonally across the central garden towards the dining hall. The change of routine surprised Tori and as she glanced up at the sky she realised that they had risen much earlier than normal as well. The Sisters led them into the dining hall where they queued up to receive their usual breakfast of porridge, chopped fruit and tea before taking their seats at the long tables that ran the length of the hall. As usual, Tori sat as far away from the Sister's table as possible and once Sister Hannah had finished the Prayer of Eternal Light, she ate her breakfast as swiftly as possible so that she might enjoy a brief moment of freedom in the garden before her daily chores were to begin.

As soon as she stood up to return her tray to the kitchen staff, she saw Emily stand as well despite the fact that her bowl was still half full. Tori brushed past her, ignoring the look that she gave her as she handed her tray back to the Sister working in the kitchen and turned to leave. She had not gone far before she felt a hand close around her arm and turned to find herself staring into Sister Hannah's eyes.

"Done so soon, Initiate?" she hissed.

Tori did not reply, knowing that to do so would likely earn herself some kind of sadistic punishment from Hannah.

The Sister clicked her tongue and looked at Emily. "Return to your cells," she snapped.

Tori bit back her anger as Emily bowed her head and turned abruptly on her heels before marching out of the hall. SHe was halfway across the garden when Emily caught up with her.

"Hey!" she whispered urgently. "Hey!"

"Leave me alone," Tori growled under her breath. "I'm not your friend."

"I'm only trying to help!"

"Well I didn't ask for your help!" Tori snapped.

"Fine!" Emily replied, her voice cracking in such a way that Tori knew she had hurt her. "But don't say I didn't try!"

She stormed off, leaving Tori to retreat into her own cell in silence. She sat on her bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and pressing her forehead against the cool flesh of her legs. Tears stung the corners of her eyes but she held them back, focusing instead on the rage in her heart. It was easier to be angry than to admit how scared she was.

The minutes ticked by until she felt a shadow fall over her. She looked up to see Sister Hannah stood in the doorway, her hands folded within the sleeves of her long black dress and a thin smile upon her face.

"Get up," she snapped.

Tori did as instructed, imagining how good it would feel to smash the smile off of the Sister's face.

Hannah's eyes darted to Tori's clenched fist and she smirked. "I'd love you to try, Initiate," she said coldly. "You couldn't beat me when you had surprise on your side. What makes you think you could win now?"

Tori scowled but knew that Hannah was right. The Sister had subdued her without any difficulties and from their brief fight it had been clear that she had been trained to use combat styles that were far more advanced than Tori's own street-learned skills. Tori would have to do more than just surprise her if she was ever going to overpower Hannah, and right now that simply was not an option.

"I can't beat you," she muttered bitterly.

Hannah smiled superiorly. "No, you can't," she agreed. "Now, fetch me your uniform."

Tori's eyes darted nervously to the small wardrobe in the corner of her room where her latex suit hung. She hadn't worn it since Hannah had taken her to have it fitted before dragging her to her quarters where she had tied her down and fucked her. She wondered whether Hannah had come back for seconds and the thought left her with a knot in the pit of her stomach.

"Now, Initiate," Hannah growled impatiently.

Tori's heart was pounding as she went to the wardrobe and slowly retrieved the suit, mask and knee high boots and laid them on the bed per Hannah's instructions. The black latex shone in the pale light that filtered through the door, the smell of rubber making her toes curl at the memory of how Hannah had dominated her.

"Put it on," Hannah commanded.

Tori met the Sister's gaze, determined not to beg for mercy or do anything that might make her appear weak. She picked up the suit, which still looked far too small for her to fit into, and began to pull it on over her body like a second skin. The Sister stepped forwards and helped her stretch the suit over her shoulders and slide the zipper up her back to her neck. She stood back as Tori stepped into the platform boots and then pulled the latex mask over her face, threading her ponytail through a hole at the back of the mask. The suit was tight but it was the mask that made her feel the most uncomfortable, giving her a strange feeling of claustrophobia despite the holes cut into it for her mouth, nostrils and eyes.

Hannah circled her slowly, picking up the leather cuffs from where they lay on Tori's nightstand. Tori winced as the Sister pulled the cuffs uncomfortably tight around her wrists, locking them together with her arms behind her back. She stared at the wall in front of her as Hannah stood behind her and ran her hands slowly down Tori's sides to her hips, the tightness of the latex suit heightening the feeling of her touch. Tori could feel herself trembling, though whether from anger or something else, she wasn't entirely sure and she inhaled sharply as Hannah suddenly grabbed her ass with one hand and pressed the thumb of her other into her clit through the suit.

"You look good, Initiate," she purred. "You know, I could fuck you again if I wanted to?"

Tori didn't reply. She balled her cuffed hands into fists and closed her eyes, forcing herself to breath normally as she willed Hannah to leave her alone.

"I know you liked it," Hannah continued to whisper in her ear, her thumb now drawing small circles over her clit. "No one can fake an orgasm like that."

Tori's face was burning with humiliation but still she remained silent.

"When I'm through with you," Hannah growled, "You're going to be begging me to make you cum. You're going to be my own personal fuck toy. Would you like that, Initiate?"

Tori dared not move. Her heart was pounding and she could feel something moist running down the inside of her leg. She felt Hannah withdraw her hand and risked opening her eyes, finding herself staring into the cold eyes of the Sister.

"I'm going to enjoy breaking you, Initiate," she said. "Come with me."

Tori lingered a moment to give herself a chance to calm down before following Hannah back into the garden where she saw the other initiates waiting in their own matching latex suits and leather cuffs. She spied Emily's red ponytail poking through the top of her mask and for some reason found herself walking towards her.

"Form a line, Initiates." one of the Sisters ordered.

Emily looked around and met Tori's gaze. They stared at each other in silence before Emily jerked her chin and Tori took her place in the line ahead of the other Initiate, waiting anxiously until the Sisters led them out of the garden and through the doors that led into the rest of the convent. Their boots echoed loudly on the stone floor beneath them and once again Tori could hear singing coming from somewhere deeper in the building. She looked around as they were marched down the long corridors, committing the layout to memory as best as she could whilst trying not to think too hard about where they were being taken. The gothic styles that decorated the cloisters continued throughout the rest of the convent Strange gargoyle-like sculptures adorned the arches of the high ceilings whilst the window and door frames were capped with embossed crosses that stood out in gold against the yellowish stone. The convent was eerily quiet, the distant singing almost haunting in the emptiness. Occasionally they would pass another pair of Sisters who would stop and smile as they watched the Initiate's totter past in their latex suits and wedge boots and at one point they passed what appeared to be a small chapel wherein Tori could have sworn she saw a sleeping woman suspended naked over the altar at the far end of the room.

Her heart was racing as the Sisters at last led them into the nave of the convent's grand abbey and the sheer scale of the room took Tori's breath away. The ceiling was impossibly high, painted midnight blue with gold fleur de lis for decoration and supported by thick columns of stone wrapped in sculpted vines. Chapels dedicated to past Mothers who had served the convent lined the long walls of the nave, their simple tombs lying beneath oil paintings and busts created in their likeness. To their left, the nave extended towards an open foyer where large double doors opened onto the convent's public gardens, whilst to their right a central aisle between two rows of pews led to the primary altar and pulpit with the private gallery, choir stand and much grander high altar set at the rear of the abbey. Light was provided by silver candelabras that hung from the ceiling and also from the massive stained glass windows that lined the left side of the nave and the wall above the high altar. Each of the windows depicted the Lord of Light and appeared to tell the story of how he had commanded the first Sisters to construct the abbey and convent in which they stood. Tori had never considered herself religious at all, but in that moment even she felt awed by the majesty of where she was standing.

The Sisters led them towards the main doors at the end of the nave and the large welcome foyer where a dozen metal posts stood in two opposing semi-circles either side of the entrance. The foyer was designed to provide the abbey's worshippers a space in which they could socialise before and after the sermons. The Sisters brought the Initiates to a halt and then one by one began to lead them to the posts where they were instructed to kneel and their arms were lifted over their heads and cuffed to rings on the pole above them.

"What are they doing?" Tori hissed fearfully.

There was a pause before she heard Emily speak. "It's alright," she whispered. "It won't last long."

Sister Hannah strode up to Tori and took her by the arm, dragging her towards the next free post in the line. The cruel delight on her face both enraged and terrified Tori and she began to panic, trying desperately to pull herself free of the Sister's vice-like grip.

"No! What are you doing to us?" she cried. "You...!"

Hannah slapped her across the face, the pain stunning Tori into silence as the Sister continued to march her forwards. She said nothing as she forced Tori to her knees, un-cuffed her hands from behind her back and secured them to the post above her head. The Sister reached out and placed her thumb on Tori's lower lip, her grey eyes bright with malice as she glared at her.

"This is only the start of your repentance, Initiate," she said softly so that no one else could hear. "The road to redemption is long and hard, and I am going to make sure you pay for every step that you take."

Tori swallowed, feeling like the sister had just reached into her chest and stilled her heart. She was more afraid than she had ever been before and wanted nothing more than to run back to her cell and close herself off from the world. She looked to her right as Emily was secured to the post beside her and suddenly wished that she hadn't been such a bitch before. Emily was right. She did need someone to help her through this.

Once the Initiates were all secured to their posts the Sisters came round and attached cuffs to their ankles which were also locked to the posts and fitted each of them with ring gags. Predictably, it was Sister Hannah who took charge of Tori's restraints and she delighted in fastening the gag as tight as possible around her head. Blindfolds were then placed over their eyes and a moment later Tori heard the sounds of the Sisters retreating and they were left in silence.

She hung her head, the only sound the occasional creaking of latex or the rattle of chains as one of her fellow Initiates shifted position. Saliva fell from the roof of her mouth and dribbled over her lips onto her chest. She wondered how long they would be made to wait. She tried not to think of what was going to happen to them.

Sometime later she heard the sounds of people moving about the nave. Something was placed on the floor beside her and a little while after she heard an organ begin to play, the slow, sombre hymn tune echoing within the vast space of the Abbey. She tried to keep her breathing steady, distracting herself by imagining what terrible things she would do to Sister Hannah if she ever got the opportunity. She heard people approaching, the sounds of talking and laughter, and knew instinctively that the morning sermon was due to begin shortly.

"I for one think it is a good thing," someone said pointedly. "The Crown has been far to lenient on gangs in the past."

"But to execute them all?" his companion mused. "Some of them only joined because they were forced..."

They passed her by, their conversation lost as more worshippers filled the foyer with their talking. They spoke of the weather, of their crops and their plans for dinner. Some chatted about fashion trends that had already come and gone in the capital whilst others boasted about their hunting skills. The fact that there were a dozen bound and gagged women surrounding them didn't seem to surprise anyone.

"This one's new, eh?" someone said nearby.

"Yes," came the reply from Sister Hannah, her voice like poison. "She came to us from the Red Hand Gang?"

"Oho!" the man chortled. "How did you swing that one? I heard the King is out for blood for their lot?"

"The Reverend-Mother believed her to be a special case worthy of our attention," Hannah replied, and Tori was glad to hear a note of irritation in her tone.

"This is her first sermon then?" the man asked.

"Indeed," said Hannah. "She is fresh, so to speak."

"We'll see about that," the man said and she heard the sound of coins being dropped into a container beside her.

Her heart was racing. She strained to hear through the idle chatter of the congregation for something that would tell her what was happening. She heard a women spluttering, the sound of raucous laughter and a man egging his friend on and above it all that damned organ continued to play.

"Enjoy," Hannah said silkily from behind her.

Tori gasped in surprise as a hand suddenly closed around the base of her ponytail and pulled her head back. She felt rough fingers caress her lips before she heard the rattle of a belt buckle being undone. She barely had time to think before the man slid his cock through the ring gag into her mouth. She gagged from the shock and tried to pull away but he gave her hair a sharp yank and made a tutting sound.