The inside of the room was disgusting. Grime smeared every surface. It reminded Mari of the Dead Zone. It seemed that the King couldn't hide all of the cities problems away in the Dead Zone. If it weren't for the smell, Mari would have found this room almost refreshing.
But the stench. Something for sure had died in there, and something for sure was rotting. Mari didn't know how the small woman survived. At least in the Dead Zone they had fresh air. At least in the Dead Zone she could breathe without choking on the thick fetor that resided there. In short, the room reeked, and Mari wanted out.
"What died in here?" Lasercorn asked looking around the room as if the rotting body would be in plain sight. Damien and Sohinki's eyes were watering, both holding a hand to their nose to try and block it out. Wes, Lasercorn, and Mari had all burned enough bodies in their day to be able to stand it for longer, but it still wasn't pleasurable.
Boze only giggled in the answer to Lasercorn's questioned, motioning the group further into the room. Mari tried not to gag as the smell grew thicker until it was coating her throat, making it hard to breathe. Finally she joined Sohinki and Damien's tactic, plugging her nose and breathing deeply through her mouth, which would have worked perfectly... but she could taste it.
"Oh my god," Damien finally said, after looking into the room that Boze offered them. He turned around and braced himself against the wall as he vomited.
"I'm just kidding," Boze said, losing the crazy look in her eyes. "The real hideouts downstairs, I was just trying to make sure that I trusted you."
"Right..." Damien groaned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "And how fast can we get away from this smell?"
"I'm not sure," Boze responded and everyone grumbled in displeasure.
~*~
They walked into an underground city. Rows upon rows of makeshift tents filled the cave-like space. Dirty people upon dirty people filled every empty space, crowding into the makeshift shelters, and watching them with wide eyes. It was a world of the homeless and the hiding. It was a world for those who were smart enough to hide themselves from the Dead Zone. It was a world for the people Mari wished she was. They might be scared, dirty, and tired, but they weren't killers. They might be drug addicts, orphans, widows, and widowers, but they weren't killers. They were the people who Mari was. They were the people Mari wished she still was.
"Alright," Boze stopped the group at an empty canvas structure. "This is where you will be staying for a while." Mari moved to step into the area, when Boze grabbed her arm. She whirled around, watching the woman whose hand was tightly gripping her bicep. Boze winked at the woman she had locked in her grasp, and turned to Damien.
"What's going on here?" Sohinki asked, stepping forward, seemingly ready to fight.
"Oh, nothing," Boze smiled at him. "Girls just stay separately, and Damien and I need to talk about how he is going to pay me."
Mari sent one glance at Sohinki, trying to tell him with her eyes that it was okay, and she allowed herself to be lead away, Damien following close behind.
Boze lead them into an office, the only actual room in the entire establishment, pulled Mari with her behind the desk, and motioned for Damien to sit on the other side of it. The entire time, she never let go of Mari's arm.
"What do you want from us, Boze?" Damien sighed, collapsing into the chair provided and ran his fingers through his hair.
"You know what I want," Boze responded, slowly running one of her fingers up and down Mari's arm, but clamped on firmly with the others. It was only then that Damien looked up at Mari, to Boze's fingers curled around her arm, to Boze herself.
"No," Damien stated. "Absolutely not." Boze nodded her head in understanding.
"Fine, I'll give you five minutes to leave before we kill you."
"What?" Mari asked, trying to tug herself away from Boze, only to have Boze strength her clasp.
"I'm not done," She said. "Either way, darling," She pulled Mari a little closer. "You're staying here. So either way, my dear, Damien, this wonderful woman is staying right here, it is just a matter if you want to live through this transaction." Damien grit his teeth.
"Fine," He ground out. "Just... don't hurt her. If you do, I'll be dead either way." He stood from the chair, barely able to make eye contact with Mari.
"What's going on?" Mari asked, her eyes wide with fear. "Damien, what the hell. Don't you dare leave me here." She tugged against Boze's grip once more, only to have her yank Mari back.
"I'm sorry," Damein said, still unable to meet Mari's eyes. He turned around without so much of a glance back, and closed the door behind him, leaving the two woman completely alone.
Mari stood there in shock, only jostled out of it when cool metal met the warm flesh of her wrist. She looked down to see herself locked to the desk Boze was sitting behind. And with a sinking feeling, all thought of fighting to escape slipped her mind. Boze stood, running her fingers across Mari's lower back, until she came to face her. She reached up and took Mari's face in her hand, forcing them to meet eyes.
"If you try to escape, I will kill every single one of your little friends," Boze warned. She then smiled, and patted Mari's cheek, before turning around and heading to the door of the office.
Mari just watched her leave, before sitting down as best as she could with her hand attached to the desk. There was only one other time in her life that she felt this helpless, and it wasn't a nice feeling to have come back. With thoughts of escape and dead friends, Mari held her knees to her chest, and began to weep.
