Friends, Slaves, and Nightmares

44: Five Letters

Panic swelled in Mina as she tried to pull away from Pitch now. No, no, no! Not again please... Mina thought to herself and let out muffled shouts of protest. Everything was dark as she felt black sand run over her and Pitch. Whatever was happening involved his black sand. Pitch's hand was clasped firmly over her mouth still. His arm wrapped around her torso and arms to hold her still as she struggled in vain. Escape was not going to happen, no matter how much Mina wanted it.

Suddenly the darkness ended and the sensation of sand running against her skin vanished. They stood in what appeared to be a run down brick building. The whole room was empty and the floor had a thick layer of dust covering the ground, except for where foot prints had disturbed it. Damion's foot prints.

Damion stood in front of Pitch and Mina, a wide grin covering his face. "I told you it would be easy." He reached forward and gently pat Mina's head. "Now just be a good little slave.."

Mina shook her head and tried to wrench herself free from Pitch. Fear and dread overwhelmed all her senses. A way out, she just had to find a way out. She couldn't look at their faces so she looked around and continued to try and pull free.

There was an old crooked door that lead outside and barely hung on its hinges. It could be easily broken down to get away. A few windows were completely shattered while others had cracks going every which way. That was an easy escape. There was one major hall that Mina could see, probably leading to some empty bedrooms. She shouldn't go down there to try and get away.

"Hold her.." Pitch said coldly and shoved Mina into Damion as he walked down the hall.

Something in his voice snapped Mina her delusions of escape. She couldn't even get free of their grip and she was alone. There was no one there to help create a distractions. No one to volunteer to take whatever torture they wanted to put her through. She was alone. And she was helpless.

"Fine.." Damion grumbled and held Mina still. "Y'know.. Marking her might help. It worked on the runt. When you mark a slave it usually scares them into submission and it reminds them what they are. They're just worthless slaves and you're their master." Damion could have been just talking about the weather. "It's kinda fun to mark them too. The first time always makes them scream." A sickening, twisted grin crossed his face as Mina's heart began racing.

"Really?..." Pitch asked, a childish delight creeped into his voice. He sauntered back over with chains in his hands. The chains slipped around Mina's wrists before she could protest. Then Pitch dragged her down the hallway.

Damion nodded and followed, still smiling. "Yup! It puts them in their places, scares them, and acts as a constant reminder... But afterwards you're supposed to give them a day off so it can heal. No one wants a dead slave now."

Pitch groans slightly. "But I don't wanna give her a day off!" He pouts as he drags Mina along by the chains. He walks into what must have been the master bedroom and takes her into a walk in closet. 

There's no windows for sunlight and the eletricty must have been out, as the lightbulbs were all off. The only source of light was from the master bedroom's windows, and Mina could imagine the pitch black darkness once the closet door was closed. The room smelled of dust mized with something rotting. A rodent must have crawled inside and decided to die in here.

Pitch began to attach her chains to the bar meant for hanging clothes. This is where he was going to keep her. In an old, smelly closet without light. Mina shook her head and tried to pull against her chains in an attempt to get away again. This time Pitch whirled around and slapped Mina across the face. A cry of surprise and pain escaped her mouth as she attempted to stumble back as far as her chained wrists would allow.

"I will NOT tolerate that anymore slave!" His face turned beat red with rage as he pulled his hand back again and plowed it into her stomach, knokcing the wind out of her. This time she let lose a yelp and fell to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to regain her breath.

"There, that's better.. And before you get any smart ideas.." Pitch spoke in a less harsh tone and moves, placing his hand on her left shoulder. Black sand spread out from the point of contact and wrapped around her dragon arm, rendering it useless again. Her now limp arm tingled slightly.

Damion spoke up, "Want any help marking her or do you got it?"

"I want to do this actually.." Pitch adjusted the chains so Mina only had several inches of chain to move her hands around.

This time panic fluttered around her chest and she tried to ignore what was going on. There was a knife in Pitch's hand now as he pushed the back of her jacket and shirt up enough to reveal her lower back. "Let's get to buissness!" Pitch laughed slightly and pressed the cold edge of the blade against her skin.

David had already tried to keep this from happening to her, but it seemed his work was all for nothing.

Mina let out a scream of pain as he drove the knife into her back. He didn't stop there. Slowly, ever so carefully he dragged the blade down and curved it back and forth in the shape of a large S. Then he lifted the blade out and moved over to start all over again with an L. She couldn't help it as she began to cry, letting everything go. She trembled in fear, yelled in pain, and allowed the tears to flow down in cheeks as she became overwhelemed by the two. All alone as a physcotic man carved into her back to "offically" make her a slave, it was just too much.

The seconds dragged on to minutes, to what felt like hours for Mina. But finally, after fifteen minutes of carving and then a bit of re-carving for "good measure" as Pitch had said, it ended. But the pain remained. The letters S L A V E leaked blood down her back and sent her nerves alight with pain. Her screams stopped now but she still choked on her own sobs and allowed the tears to flow freely. Even the slightest movement caused a wave of pain to shoot out from her mark, so instead she remained as still as possible, limp as her chains held her up.

"I think its working already!" Pitch clapped his hands together excitedly.

Damion spoke up now, "Don't forget to have some fun." There was a rustle sound as they exchanged something between them. Out of the corner of her eye Mina saw a thin brown object dragg across the ground. A whip.

"Oh good idea!"

Mina didn't dare protest as Pitch drew the whip back and a crack sounded through the air. The lash went right across the new letters decorating her back and caused a scream to escape from her already raw throat. He wasn't going to stop. He isn't going to stop...