Exton

Alise was sitting in the corner of her cell, her head leaning against the wall. Her back bare, crisscrossed with whip marks, a few of them open and bleeding. She is not sure anymore how long she has been here, a few days maybe. She has figured out that the water is drugged and so has stopped drinking it. Only taking a few sips at night to sleep. Stoney is never far from her mind, she can feel him whenever she is awake. Suddenly she hears footsteps and the door to her cell swings open. Its Byron, bringing more of the water...

“What? You arent drinking? Why not?” and he set down the fresh jar. “Do I have to go get Jean-Marc to talk to you?”

Alise shakes her head as she crawls close to the jar of water. She picks it up as if she were going to sip from it and instead throws it with all the strength she has at Byrons head. The impact makes a loud thunk sound and there is blood running down his face, making Alise smile.

“You stupid bitch, you are going to regret this. Just wait....” and he leaves the cell, but doesnt lock the door. Alise tries to stand, using the wall for support. Maybe I can get out, or see something.... She looks outside her cell and sees a large room with three other cell doors opening to the main room. Its dirty and smells bad, like rotten flesh. She notices a large table or workbench in the center of the room. She doesnt see any way out though. Stoney, can you see this? And she tries to send him everything she can see. She limps over to the closest door and peeks in between the bars. There is another girl laying on the floor, but her glassy eyes tell Alise that she is not aware of what is going on around her. As she is shaking the bars, trying to get the door open, she hears a voice behind her that makes her blood freeze.

“And just what do you think you are doing? Trying to escape? I doubt you would get far, and as you can see, this one probably cant even get up, much less walk anywhere.”

Jean-Marc grabs her hair, forcing her neck back painfully, “You are not leaving here until you submit to me. I want to hear you beg for it, I want you on your knees, and I want that gargoyle of yours to know you are finally mine.”

Alise spits in Jean-Marcs face, and is so angry she doesnt hear Stoney warning her not to make him any more angry than he already is. “You pig, I will never beg you for anything, do you hear me? NEVER. I HATE you. Your mother always said you were a queer, strange child, now I see why....” and her words are cut off when Jean-Marc viciously backhands her across the face, knocking her to the floor.

“You whore, you may not speak of my mother to me.” and he drags her back to her cell. Still hanging on to her he says “Maybe its time for you to witness a little entertainment. And since you seem so interested in the girl next door to you maybe we will make her the main attraction.”

Alise strikes back at Jean-Marc, clawing him in the face. He reels back in surprise at first, unaware that she had that much strength left. Alise smiles at the four deep scratches marring one cheek, the blood dripping down on his shirt.

Stoney groans out loud and Ob looks at him and asks what happened. “She is fighting back, he will surely kill her if she doesnt stop.”

“You bitch” and Jean-Marc kicks her in the stomach. “Someone bring me my paddle, and a syringe. This one seems to have a little too much fight left in her......”

Hours later Alise is barely conscious. The only thing she is aware of is pain, total, all consuming pain. She can feel Stoney trying to comfort her, but even responding mentally is too hard for her. It had taken three people to hold her down for a shot, and they had taken the rest of her clothes away. She was a mass of bruises from fighting so hard. Now she was completely exhausted, between fighting, the drugs, and lack of food and water. Curled up in the corner again she tries to listen to Stoney but her mind keeps floating away....

Stoney can feel her go quiet, but then she starts singing, very softly, the barest of whispers and he can just make out the words...

Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign....
I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying....

Stoney sings with her, until he knows that she has fallen asleep....