*Author's Note: This chapter contains a level of violence above what you have read thus far. Given where the last chapter left off you might be able to predict that this is going to get a bit gory.  :-/ Just thought I would give a small warning. The book can be continued by skipping to the next chapter if you are squeamish...

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Rachel

Rachel felt her heart race as the men brought her to the back room with the two boys. Like the rest of the building, the floor and walls were made of a cold grey concrete, but the ground dipped slightly in the center of the room where she could see a drain. The room was fairly bare with the exception of a few metal tables, metal tub, and a collection of chains and hooks that hung from the ceiling. Eyes scanning the space, she caught sight of a collection of metal pipes leaned up against the wall. Her heartbeat quickened when she looked more closely at another small table, and the glinting shine of an assortment of knives resting on it.

"Tie these two up," Ren said, handing off one of the boys to the assistant who held her own bonds. "We'll start with this one."

Brethan took Rachel's arms and slid the rope around her wrist through a hook on the wall. She winced as the sharp metal scraped against her skin. The slaver quickly did the same for the boy before forcing them both to sit, their arms hanging uncomfortably above their heads. Blood trickled down Rachel's wrists. Once Brethan made sure their bonds were secure and removed the noose-leads from their necks, he went to join his friend.

"Fat one, isn't he," Ren commented as he picked up on of the metal bars from its place again the wall and prodded their victim's stomach.

"Stop playin' around," his friend answered grumpily. "Go and get the bucket and knives. And tell Duran to bring in some boiled water for scalding. Don't want to work into the night and we gotta finish both carcasses."

"Alright alright," Ren laughed, putting the pipe down beside a metal table in the center of the room. "Wouldn't want you to be late for Kara."

"Awe shut up," Brethan snapped back. "Least I got myself a girlfriend. Best you can probably do is force yourself on some human slave."

Ren only shook his head and laughed. "I dunno," he said. "A pretty slave ain't half bad I hear tell. All that screaming and wriggling they do is supposed to be quite enjoyable. And they are certainly likely to be less demanding than any sibla woman I ever met. Specially your's."

"You're disgusting," Brethan shot back with a small snarl, "Just go get Duran," . Ren continued to laugh as he disappeared through the open door.

As soon as Ren left, Rachel watch as Brethan forced his victim into a metal tub already filled with water. Taking a knife from his belt he cut the rope around the boy's wrists.

"Clean yourself off," he commanded, handing the terrified boy a tin cup and a rough sponge. "Now." 

The boy hesitated and Brethan frowned.

 "Wash up or I'll do it for you!" he shouted.

 In one swift motion, he pushed the boy down to his knees. Hand on the boy's neck, he forced his head under the water. His victim thrashed wildly as he struggled for breath.

"Hey!" Ren shouted as he appeared at the door again. "Don't drown him. We'll never bleed that thing properly if he's already dead."

The other released the boy coughing and sputtering from beneath the water.

"I was just making a point," Brethan said. "Now wash!"

The boy struggled to a seated position and began scrubbing his skin in earnest. Rachel could see him shivering.

"That's good enough," Brethan said impatiently, pulling him from the tub and roughly wiping at his body with a towel. He put a hand on the boy's neck and led him towards the table. "Lay down on the table." He ordered. The boy did as he was told and the two men tied his feet and hands.

"Get the pipe," Brethan said angrily.

Ren smiled as he picked up the piece of metal and walked to the head of the table. "You're certainly in a foul mood," he commented.

"Third time this month Gifre made us work late. You'd better believe I'm angry."

"Why don't you do the honors then," Ren said, handing his friend the pipe. "Might make you feel better."

Rachel watched as Brethan raised the metal rod high above his head.

Whack! 

Rachel cringed at the sickening cracked of metal hitting bone as the rod slamed into the boy's skull and his body went limp. Ren grabbed a hook from the ceiling and looped it beneath the ropes that bound his victim's legs, quickly hoisting his limp body in the air. He put a bucket beneath his head.

"Ok get the knife," Ren said

Brethan put down his pipe and took up a sharp knife, which he quickly dragged across the boy's throat. The gash opened like a bloody red maw gaping, and the boy's body began to spasm as blood poured from the wound. Beside her, Rachel heard her fellow captive whimper. She felt sick.

"Hold him still," Ren complained, trying to position the bucket to catch the blood. "More mess we make, the more cleanup we'll have."

"Awe shut up," countered the other, but he grabbed the boy's head by the hair and tried to better direct the stream of red. Rachel watched in rapt terror as boy's body continued twitching for a few minutes until the last of the blood seemed to have drained and he was still. Brethan pulled away the bucket, now sloshing with red and pick up the knife, cutting through the gash in his victim's neck until he'd severed the head.

"He want the brains?" he asked.

"Naw," Ren answered, picking up the paper again. "Only organs he wants are the hearts and livers. That and the balls." He laughed. "They say human testicles increase virility Brethan," he said. "Maybe you should try em some time. I'm sure your girl will appreciate that."

"Awe shut up," Brethan answered, but he did so good naturally. "I already got all the virility she needs. Maybe it's you who need em Ren. Might actually get you a woman you ain't gotta force yourself on." He laughed and threw the head aside. Rachel's body was ridged as the it rolled towards them. She stared into the boy's large, green, unseeing, eyes and shuddered.

"Got the water!" a voice called out and yet another man came into the room with a large vat of steaming liquid. One of the others ran to help him carry the hot water to the table.

"Should be enough for the lot of em," he commented. Rachel and her fellow captive watched as they  poured scalding water on the corpse quickly cleaning it with their knives.

"We'll take care of the other before we dress and butcher em." Ren said, gesturing towards Rachel and the other boy with his knife. "Make a clean shot of it that way, and the boss should be back to help by then."

His friends nodded their agreement.

"Grab the next one then," Brethan said. Rachel felt something warm and wet against her leg. Looking down she saw the boy next to her had wet himself. There were tears in his eyes as he shook beside her.

"Ugh! Duran exclaimed as he stared down at them in disgust. "He pissed himself."

"Well wash him off," Ren said, grabbing up a pail of fresh water. Duran jumped out of the way as his friend and threw it at them. Rachel coughed as a mouthful caught her in the face.

"Carful with that," Duran snapped as he came towards Rachel and her companion again. "Almost got me soaked."

As soon as the slaver unhooked the boy from the wall, he began to struggle. The others laughed as the terrified boy broke free of the slaver's grasp only to slip on a puddle of urine and water. Both the sibla and human crashed to the hard concrete floor.

"You all gonna help me?" Duran growled angrily. "Or you just gonna stand there laughin'?"

The other two continued to chuckle as they came to help their friend regain control over the boy who desperately crawled along the floor to escape his captors, in spite of his bound hands. Together the three of them managed to take hold of him, pulling his wriggling form from the ground and forcing him towards the tub.

"No!" the boy protested, dragging his feet as they brought him towards the water. "Let me go. Let me go!"

"Noisy little thing ain't he?" Bethan commented.

"Let me go. Let me..."

The boy's words were cut off as one of the men punched him hard in the stomach. The boy cried out as another punch landed against his cheek.

"Behave yourself boy, or you'll get much worse than that," Duran said.

The boy stopped resisting, his body shaking with deep sobs as he was picked up from the ground and dumped in the washing tub.

"Scrub 'im good," Ren said. "He still reeks of piss."

Rachel cringed as the three men roughly dunked the boy again and again into the water as he coughed and squirmed, his skin becoming red where their nails dug into him in their fervor. Together they hoisted him on to the table and tied his limbs. Duran grabbed the metal bar, a frown glued to his face as the boy began to fight again. The other two slavers struggled to hold him down in spite of his restraints.

"No!" the boy screamed. "Stop it! Please!!"

Just end this, Rachel thought to herself. With one strong blow to the head, his suffering would be over. But it seemed the man with the metal in his hands had no such intentions. Rachel stared wide eyed as his lifted the bar over his head and brought it down hard across the boy's knees. The scream was horrible as the boy cried out in pain, his legs no longer kicking.

"You know what happens to the ones that give us trouble? the slaver snarled. The metal came down again, this time on the poor boy's shoulder and he screamed again, the sound echoing in her ears.

"Hoist him up," Duran said, throwing the metal bar to the ground and picking up the bloody knife.

Their victim continued to writhe in agony, crying out piteously over and over as he was suspended by his broken legs, his arm dangling at an odd angle.

Rachel knew she could not even begin to imagine the pain he must be in.

"Bet he wants the knife now," Ren laughed, cruelly prodding the boy's broken shoulder, drawing forth another agonized cry.

"Just finish him," Brethan said, clearly annoyed by his friends' antics. "There's work to be done," He put a fresh bucket beneath the boy's head.

"Oh I'll finish him," Duran said. He grabbed his victim's hair and pulled his head down, fully exposing his neck, and carved his knife in deep into the flesh before dragging it across his throat using multiple rough cuts. The boy's eyes opened wide, body convulsing in pain, his mouth gasping futilely for breath through his severed throat.

Tears slipped down Rachel's cheeks, though she was too shocked for fright. She  stared, numbly ahead, watching as the boy twitched for what seemed like an eternity before they removed his head and cut him down. Still enraged the man who had beaten the boy stalked over to her as his friends dragged the dead body beside the other.

"Let's get the last one over with."

"No, wait," Rachel said, finding her voice as he reached out to unhook her hands from the wall.

"Wait! Please!"

He frowned down at her. "Weren't you watching human?" Duran asked. "Cooperate and this can be a whole lot easier for all of us."

"But..."

His fist collided with her face stopping her words. Rachel blinked back the tears of pain, feeling her eye swelling almost instantly. Her head spun.

"Hey!" One of the others shouted, finally taking notice of his friend. "Careful with that one. New owner wants her alive and undamaged. Boss says we're just supposed to clean her off, feed her and cage her for the night. Leave her there. We'll butcher these two first and then worry about the girl."

"Guess it's your lucky day," he said. As he re-clasped Rachel's hands above her head he gave her a sharp kick in the stomach. Rachel bit her lip, holding in the cry she feared to let loose.

She sat in silence as the men set to work, eviscerating the two boys and hacking their bodies to more manageable pieces, talking and laughing as they worked. Tears slipped down her face and her body shivered. So much red, so much pain. Her arms ached horribly her head pounded. Rachel didn't know how much more suffering she could take but was terrified to imagine what she might endure before the night was out.

"Guess the boss isn't coming back tonight," Ren said, reentering the room. Just got a call. He says to finish up with the animals ourselves."

"Bastard," Brethan cursed, throwing the piece of meat he was holding on to the table in frustration. Rachel cringed at the sound of the wet slapping sound. "I need a new fucking job. He's always pulling stunts like this."

Ren only chuckled and shook his head. "We're almost done anyway," he said. It appeared to be true. Rachel's former companions were no longer recognizable, their flesh neatly chopped and packaged into plastic, most of it now piled into styrofoam coolers. "Nothing much left but the girl."

Rachel's heart pounded as he turned his attention to her, his sharp eyes staring critically, his mouth in a frown.

"Can't believe anyone actually bought that thing," the slaver said, walking to her and roughly yanking her sore arms to remove the hook from her restraints.

"Yeah well, boss is good at manipulating folks," Brethan answered bitterly.

Rachel tried not to resist as Ren dragged her to the center of the room, though she wanted desperately to flee his tight grip on her arm, her whole body seized in rigid tension.

"Might be able to have some fun with her though," Duran commented. "I mean what else have we got to do?"

Ren laughed. "True enough," he agreed. "Here Brethan, what do you think? Can't get to your girl. Fancy a turn with this one?"

Rachel's heart pounded at his words and she let out a short shriek of fear as Ren gave her a big push, sending her stumbling towards his friend. Bethan caught her roughly. She didn't quite understand what they were talking about but it sounded horrible. She stiffened as Brethan looked down at her critically.

"You're disgusting Ren," he said pushing Rachel away again. Without the benefit of her hands to keep balance, she fell to her knees, biting her lip against the pain as the rough concrete scraped against her skin. She could see the blood.

"Who would mate with an animal?"

Ren shrugged. "I hear tell some of the owners have their overseers do it to break them," he answered. "Wild ones especially have to be taught their place. "Hear that human?" he said, staring down at Rachel. "You know your place yet?

Rachel felt the tears welling in her eyes. "Please don't hurt me," she whimpered. "Please." The sibla towering over her frowned.

"Guess she still needs to be worked on eh Ren?" Duran quipped. "Don't you understand slave? You don't get to ask us for anything. You live to serve the sibla now and should be grateful for that privilege."

"I just..." Rachel began, but her words were quickly cut short as Ren came behind her, putting his boot on her back and pressing her face forward to the ground again. The pain as her nose broke her fall radiated through her entire body. Blood dripped onto her lips, filling her mouth with its metallic tang.

"You see your place now?" he asked. "On the ground beneath the feet of your masters."

Rachel's mind raced, trying to imagine what answer might appease her captors, but the pounding in her head was too much to concentrate on coherent thought.

"On your feet human," Duran commanded.

Rachel could see he had taken up the metal pipe again. She cringed at the light slapping sound as he rapped it menacingly in his hands.

"Now!" The ring of metal echoed as he slammed the bar into the concrete floor and Rachel scrambled to comply as fast as she could. Her sore arms protested as she tried to use them for stability, her legs tingled and her eyes leaked tears.

Her captors seemed to quickly tire of watching her struggle. Rachel felt a rough hand grab at her arm, hosting her from the ground in one quick motion and pushing her forward.

"Into the tub."

They did not wait for her to comply this time, instead grabbing her arms and legs and throwing her into the murky water. Though she tried her best to provide no resistant Rachel could not help the continued tears as their fingers dug into her skin, scrubbing her with a harsh sponge and soap that smelled so strongly it made her stomach roil and every inch of her burn.

 She shivered as they stood her again on the floor when they had finished, her body dripping. She closed her eyes as she caught sight of Breathan dragging a hose in her direction and moments later she felt the now familiar harsh sting of the water, pounding against her already sore skin.

"What a sorry excuse for veal," Duran said as he eyed her dripping wet form. "Let's wipe her down and lock her up so we can get out of here."

Rachel bit her lip and worked to keep herself entirely still, trying to send her mind as far as she could from her battered body. She barely noticed the rough cloth of the towels that scratched at her skin, quickly tinged red as they opened the scrapes on her knees. She obediently choked down the gray goo they forced on her. She was compliant as they dressed her in a ragged dress two sizes too big, made of a thin, scratchy material that did little to protect from the chill within the cold concrete room and made her skin itch.

 Rachel even managed to ignore the pain in her bruised legs and arms when they pushed her inside a cage only barely big enough to accommodate her whole body, and as the lights shut off, casting her misery into pitch blackness. She curled in on herself all the more, trying to shut out the visions of blood and echoing screams that danced on the edge of her conscious as she attempted to release her mind to sleep.

So...poor Rachel! :-( She has had a rough few days...So what will happen to her next? You'll have to read on next week ;-) I would love to hear people's thoughts on this chapter if they have them. Was it "horrific"? Upsetting? I certainly consider this among one of the most disturbing scenes in the novel but its hard to get such things right so any feedback would be greatly appreciated! As always, thanks for reading and if you enjoyed the chapter click the star to let me know;-)