Disappearance: A broken Wing

Awful

"Hello," I said, my voice trembling with anxiety.

"Keto, what about our agreement?" Carter asked.

"Well," Keto began, his tone cold and final, "Kara is mine for the next eight months. Once the deal is up, she goes with the last shipment of the month—straight to Hito. When Hito has received the girl, you're officially debt-free and no longer have to work for us. Until then, you still run the shipments. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Carter replied, his voice small.

"Great. Kara, follow me."

Something deep in my gut told me I was about to have it even worse than before.

I followed Keto outside and saw a black Bugatti waiting in the driveway. He slid into the driver's seat with an air of effortless authority and snapped, "If you don't hurry up and get in, you'll walk to our destination."

I climbed into the back seat, my hands shaking, wondering if I would ever see the people I loved again.

The ride felt endless. Eventually, we pulled into the driveway of another mansion. Why do monsters always have the nicest houses? I reached for the car door, but it wouldn't budge. Locked.

"There are a couple of rules you need to understand," Keto said, turning slightly to glance at me in the rearview mirror. "Everyone here has a job. You work, keep your head down, and maybe you'll survive."

"Yes, sir," I muttered.

"One last thing. Take your clothes off. You work for clothes here."

The words hit me like a slap. Memories of Carter's punishments clawed at the back of my mind. I knew what would happen if I didn't obey. My hands trembled as I removed my clothes, taking shallow breaths to keep from breaking down.

Keto unlocked the door, and I stepped out, trying desperately to cover myself as I followed him into the house.

From the outside, the mansion was breathtaking, but the inside was a nightmare. Women moved silently across the floors—naked, scrubbing, dusting, cleaning. Bloodstains smeared parts of the carpet. A guard backhanded a woman for moving too slowly. And in the corner, I thought I saw a body.

I swallowed hard. Carter was bad. Keto was worse. The fact that I had to survive here for eight months made my stomach twist.

Keto led me down a long hall and stopped at a door. "This is your room," he said, though his smirk made it clear it wasn't a room anyone would want.

"You must clean all eight of my bedrooms and all three bathrooms every single day. Once your task is done, you're allowed to eat."

"Yes, sir."

I felt a fleeting sense of relief that at least my "job" didn't involve sex—at least not yet.

I opened the door, stepping into a stairwell that led down to a basement. The air was damp, heavy with mildew. On the floor were eight other women, three rusted buckets, and sleeping bags that looked like they'd been dragged from a landfill.

Carter's hellhole had a bed. This one didn't.

"You must be new," a voice said.

I turned to see a woman sitting on a sleeping bag. She looked exhausted, her face hollow, her hair ripped out in clumps. Scratches and scars ran down her arms.

"Yeah. My name is Kara. What's yours?"

"Maely."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-four. You?"

"Seventeen."

Maely sighed. "Damn, girl. You're way too young for this."

"Yeah. No one should go through this," I whispered.

"Agreed. Listen, dinner is in five hours. If you want to eat, I'd suggest you get started on your chores."

"Alright. Nice to meet you, Maely."

"I wish it was under better circumstances," she said, heading up the stairs.

I repeated Keto's words in my head. Seven bedrooms. Three bathrooms. Easy, right?

Wrong.

The first bedroom was a crime scene—blood smeared across the floor, broken glass on the bed, and a smell coming from the closet that made my stomach turn. This wasn't cleaning. This was scrubbing away nightmares.

Five hours later, my body ached, but I'd finished. I grabbed a plate at the kitchen counter, the smell of hot food making my stomach growl. I sat down, took one bite, and nearly moaned from how good it was.

Before I could take another bite, Keto stormed into the kitchen, his eyes locking on me.

"Take it away," he barked.

A guard snatched my food, and Keto punched me hard in the gut. I doubled over, gasping.

"You didn't complete your chores, so you don't eat."

"I cleaned all seven bedrooms and all three bathrooms," I said, holding my stomach.

"I said eight bedrooms."

My blood ran cold.

"Due to Kara's insubordination, no one eats tonight," Keto announced. "Take away all the food."

"Way to go, new girl," someone muttered. Great. Now everyone hated me.

"KETO!" I shouted, swallowing my fear. "Don't let them suffer because of me."

He stopped. His eyes narrowed.

"Fine. They can eat. But you? You're not eating for the next eight days."

"I... I need food," I whispered.

Keto's hand cracked across my face in a sharp backhand, the sting burning my skin.

"You need to learn your place."

"Yes, sir," I said quietly, staring at the floor.

"Give the women their food," he ordered before walking away.

I wanted to cry, but I refused to give him the satisfaction. I bit my lip, grabbed my cleaning supplies, and finished the final room. By the time I stumbled back to the basement, my body was shaking. I collapsed on my sleeping bag.

"Kara," someone whispered.

I opened my eyes to find Maely crouched in front of me, holding a box.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Here." She pushed the box into my hands.

I opened it to find bread, fruit, and some meat. Food. Real food.

"Maely... if Keto finds out you snuck me food—"

"Let's not think about that," she interrupted. "You deserve to eat too."

"I can't let you get in trouble for me."

"Kara, you made a mistake, but you owned up to it. You shouldn't suffer alone."

I felt my throat tighten. "Thanks, Maely."

"Thank me later. Right now, hurry up and eat."

I smiled weakly. At least I wasn't alone in this nightmare.