Deck of Cards

Day 1- Jen

This is the order of the POVs. Each chapter will change POV in this order:

Jen

Sally

Scarlett

Hannah

Ava

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Day One: Jack of Clubs- Looking after the hounds for 7 hours

Jen's POV

I stared at the pack of cards for a good half hour before getting the courage to finally slip over the first card. Jack of Clubs. I never realised how sinister the colours of the cards were until then- black and red. The red reminded me of the crimson shade of blood and I wondered if whoever was holding me captive had only chosen the deck of cards for the ominous colours. The Jack on the card seemed to stare at me maliciously like he knew what was going to happen- he probably did.

Noises erupted from the end of what assumed to be a corridor, laughter bouncing off the walls. Reflex made me curl into a ball and shield myself from whatever was to come my way.

"Hounds today and for seven hours as well. Jesus, they'll all be dead by the end and it's only the first day," I heard one man say and then the other agreed. Hounds. My body shook with fear as I realised that hounds meant blood thirsty dogs that could tear off a limb in an instant.

"No, no, no, no, " I muttered to myself desperately. I didn't want to die. Every fibre in my body wanted to live, to experience everything life had to offer. Maybe except experiencing the situation I was in- I would gladly pass up the chance to be kidnapped and forced to place myself in fatal scenarios.

I didn't look up at them when they clicked open my cage door, I didn't meet their gazes until one of them thrust a grubby hand under my chin. He gave me a yellow-toothed smirk and then dropped his hand. I could feel bile rising up my throat. He made me feel dirty, almost as if his touch had somehow tainted me.

Both of them pulled me to my feet and my shaky legs almost gave way but I was pushed forward, unable to even gain my balance. The corridors were cold, an icy chill that seemed to sink into my bones, freezing my whole body.

"Alright darling, you'll be working the hounds today. Clean their beds and play area. Careful they might bite. See you in seven hours," he said, suppressing a laugh that was threatening to come out. I was left there, cleaning equipment in hand, to fend for myself. It almost felt like I was going into a battlefield by myself.

Facing the dogs pen, I was greeted by three hungry faces that looked at me like it was lunchtime. Growling, they snapped their teeth and saliva dripped from their tongues and hit the floor. Slowly I pushed open the gate, knowing my seven hours wouldn't start until I actually started the task.

A blaring siren erupted in the room, scaring both myself and the dogs. I soon realised that it meant my time had begun and I stepped slightly further into the lair. Barks erupted through the air and the three dogs bounded over to me at a fierce pace. I had never been so terrified in my life as when the three dogs came towards me, with their massive, gnashing teeth on display.

"Stop," I said much too quietly with a voice that quickly wavered. They still approached like army trucks to the front line.

"Stop!" I shouted firmly and all three dogs stood like statues in their positions. Staring in disbelief, I looked at them for a while before deciding to test the water; I moved sideways a bit ,and although their eyes moved,they remained still. "Good doggies," I said softly as I made my way towards the first bed.

It was disgusting, faeces everywhere. The stench was unbearable and I had to hold my nose as I emptied the mess into the black bin bag. The task was demeaning, I never imagined I would ever be placed in such a disgusting position. There were piles upon piles of faeces, with flies and dirt mixed into one smouldering mess.

Every second I would turn around and expect to see the dogs prowling towards me ready to pounce but they were just sat there like statues.

Once I had cleaned all three beds I looked at the clock to see that one hour had passed- it had seemed like a lifetime. I began to sweep the floor which attracted the dogs attention however they seemed more curious than aggressive.

One licked my hand with its rough but warm tongue and I stared down lovingly at the animal, finally understanding the hounds. They wanted love just as much as I did, and that their touch facade was all a cover for the fragile beings inside.

Stroking their fur, I realised that these animals were nicer than most humans I had ever encountered. I saw them as a beacon of hope in my seemingly lost life.

"Too bad there are only four Jacks in a pack," I said aloud. I didn't want to think what other activities lay ahead of me because in that moment I was perfectly happy with stroking the so called 'hounds".

The alarm stung my ears reminding me of where I was and all of, I sudden I was being hauled out of the room by the original two guards. They didn't look as excited as they had seven hours before, maybe the fact that I hadn't been torn to pieces disappointed them.

The smug grin on my face aggravated one of the guards who slapped my cheek before carrying me to my cell. I still continued to smile, mainly because I didn't want to cry again. I didn't want to show them how weak I truly was.