Chapter Six
The feeling of somethingwarm and clammy sliding up her thigh invaded the darkness of her rest.
She struggled against the fog of sleep that held a tight hold on her mind, not wanting to release her.But the alarm going off in the back of her mind alerted her to the fact something untoward was happening.
When the searching hand traveled over the swell of her flesh toward the inside of her thighs, she jolted awake.
“No!”Avalore screamed as she rolled and swung out.When her fist struck something or someone, she came fully awake and realized she was not lost in a nightmare, but someone was really in the room, standing beside her bed.
She kicked at the shadowed form.
“Calm down, Ole Sal, will treat you real good.”
Hearing the name and voice of the man from earlier, she fought harder, unsure of how he’d gotten access to her room.“Don’t touch me.”
“Stop fightin’...you’ll be glad you had me when you see what’s coming to ya.”
She heard and felt the slap across her face before her ears were filled with ringing.Avalore didn’t allow the pain the big hand caused to stop her from defending herself.Even though the ripping of her gown and the fire that shot up her right arm as it was twisted behind her told her the struggle was useless, that ruddy Ole Sal would get his way.
Then she heard it: a loud thud and a splat.
Avalore wasn’t sure what it was until Sal’s grip slackened.
Whack.Whack.Whack.Whack.
As she shifted to her back and grabbed her aching wrist, Avalore stared at her roommate's thin, tall silhouette.In the dim light, Michaela repeatedly brought something thick, flat, and wide down onto the lump on the floor beside Avalore’s bed.
The heavy, steel meal tray.
A tremendous feeling of relief showered over Avalore.However, she knew they didn’t have much time.Someone would come soon.If the lights weren’t on in their room, the early shift handlers had not arrived yet, but they would.Avalore knew if they came and saw the guard, they would drag him away and question the two of them about the incident, but she and Michaela would still end up locked in here.
Locked in an unknown hell.
“We have to get out of here.”Avalore scrambled from the bed.
Whack.Whack.Michaela continued striking the unconscious man.
Springing into action, Avalore grabbed the other woman’s arm.“We have to go before someone comes, Mich,”
Michaela lowered the tray and stared at her with eyes that seemed to waver between vacancy and sadness.“Avalore, it’s hopeless...I’m—”
“No,” Avalore cut her off.Fear gripped her heart; she didn’t want to think about the following words coming from her roommate's mouth.She wasn’t sure if Sal’s words were true and if the others had died because of what had been done to them in this place, but she wanted to believe that it wasn’t too late for her and Michaela to survive, maybe make it back to the Dispatch district, to their poor useless lives.But alive.
“Key.There must be keys.”When Michaela still stood there, Avalore shook her.“Come on.Help me search him.”
She was thankful when the tray clattered onto the floor among the mess of food that must have fallen from the tray Michael used to beat him.
It took both their efforts to roll the heavyset man to his back so they could check his pockets.
When Avalore located a small ring of keys in his left breast pocket, she held them up.“We’re not staying here a second longer.”
“Maybe you should just go.”
“Get on your damn shoes, Michaela...we are both going,” Avalore ordered as she scrambled into her slippers.
