Collin felt his stomach turn. He was quite familiar with that modern-day slavery; he had seen it before. After The Fall, it was one of the results of so many people being homeless, having no family, no support. No home.

"But....you were just a little girl." He muttered, a hint of disgust in his voice, his mind trying to comprehend what he heard.

"I know," she said, with embarrassment in her voice. She continued to speak hesitantly, her voice still fragile.
"It started when I was nine. Each girl was kept in her own room; decorated, with toys, tv, and movies. We were taught about our bodies at a young age, that private parts were okay...There was nothing wrong with them, we were supposed to use them to love each other." She spoke quietly. She didn't look at him.
"Then one day, it would be our turn. The men would give us hugs and kisses."

She paused, looking down, a tear trickling down her cheek. She ran her fingers through her hair.

"They said I was being a good person to make them feel good, make them happy." She was sobbing now.

"We had to do what our 'minders' said. Their favorite line was, 'don't worry, it'll feel good.'
Every now and then, we were given a drink that put us to sleep. When I'd wake up, I'd feel achy." She spoke in a stuttering voice. Her words were strained as she continued.
"I don't remember how long it went on. They gave me drugs to keep me from fighting back. I had gotten broken every few days to learn not to fight. The only time I knew what day it was was when they had a party and the girls were turned out for the guests." Tears filled her eyes. "I know I was broken or sore almost every night as I got older."

Collin touched her shoulder and she recoiled as if it were set on fire. He stopped. "What.....what happened?"

Kayla felt his touch, but she still pulled away. "We were told not to talk about it."

Collin sat down next to her, his head in his hands. He was so sorry that children were subject to such things. When he looked up, he saw that she had tears in her eyes.

She sniffled. "When I turned thirteen, I was put on birth control. When they noticed that I had started menstruating for the first time, they decided I was ready for the clients. I was forced to sleep with the most trusted customers. They would sometimes shoot us up with drugs or get us drunk so we'd be more compliant. If we didn't submit, we wouldn't be fed."

The tears in her eyes overflowed and she began to cry uncontrollably. She covered her mouth as she sobbed loudly. Collin held her tightly, comforting her and holding her until she had regained herself.
"They called me names like whore and slut. I couldn't stand it any longer..... I had to do what the men said...."

Collin wanted to cry; his stomach ached for the girl. He had thought of her as a scared little girl, but she had grown up in the world that had been created in the years after The Fall. People had turned on each other; they picked their friends very carefully. The strong took advantage of the weak.
"How old are you?"
"I'm 20. They kept me because I look younger," she said, her voice breaking a little. "I got away three days ago."
Collin was trying to keep Kayla's story straight in his mind. He'd have to report it to his partners on the main post when they contacted him. He had to take as much care as he could to protect her from what she had been through.

Kayla kept talking.
"We had to call the men 'sir' or 'master'. A few of them liked being called 'uncle' or 'daddy'. We don't use names."

"How did you escape?"

"There was one man who was ....hurting ......another girl; she was so little! I fought him and they took me out into the desert. The building we were kept in...I think it used to be a prison. They forced me to walk out into the desert. They started shooting at me.....they were hunting me....... I just ran.......I had no idea where was going." Kayla's voice trailed off.

Collin was sickened. "God..." he muttered. He knew the desert would be her grave if she hadn't found the outpost. And the fact that she could have died was eating him alive inside. He needed to make sure they were all safe. He couldn't let anything happen to them. He couldn't lose another child. Not today, not tomorrow.
He put his hand on top of hers gently.
"Thank god I found you," he murmured, squeezing her fingers.

She flinched away from his touch, pulling her hand away. He felt her pull away and watched her face turn red.
"I just kept running."

He was reluctant to ask the next question, but he did. "Did they...."

"They....cut me....some....little......they cut me," she said, her voice quivering. "They cut me." She didn't want to say anymore. He could tell from the way she was holding in sobs.

His stomach turned, but he had to ask.
"Cut as in female genital mutilation?"
Kayla looked him in the eye. He could see how much pain she was in.

"No...they liked threatening me with knives... they cut me....inside my legs."  Her breathing quickened and Collin held her tight. She didn't move or struggle. She closed her eyes tightly as the memories flooded over her. She couldn't bear the thoughts of what had happened. She looked at Collin and spoke with fury, hardening her voice. "They cut me!"
She clenched her fists in pain. "My legs!"
At times she would clutch her upper arms as if the memory was still fresh. "My stomach is hurting."
"It's alright, just relax," Collin said softly. "It's probably from the dehydration. Did you eat anything while you were running?"
"No...I didn't eat anything."
She shivered. "I drank some water at one of the creeks I ran by."
He nodded.

"I kept running," she said. "I just kept running.

Collin pondered his next question. He needed to know, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty for asking such a personal question.

"Did you.......know any other girls?"

Kayla's cried for a few moments. He could see that she wasn't ready to talk.

She replied, "I had one......She held my hand when we were forced to......." She stopped; she let out a shuddering breath. "She was raped...while I watched....raped in front of me." She started sobbing quietly. Collin stayed by her side.

"Oh...God....how could anyone do that to a....." Collin choked, losing his voice. He took a breath. "Kayla, you had to fight back. Someone that young shouldn't have to be forced to sleep with a man. You were just a little girl!"

She shook her head. "I know, I know! But....but it hurt. It hurt so bad."

"You were raped, Kayla! You shouldn't have to live like that! That was never right, you shouldn't have to be forced like that!"

"But.....I had to obey...." she whispered.
"That's what they made me do."
"They made you do it?" Collin asked.

"Yes...I had no choice....they made me..." She closed her eyes, remembering. "I was too scared to fight back, they said I had to go through with it, so I was. I don't know why. I never figured it out."

She wiped her eyes. "I tried. Every night I screamed as loud as I could. I yelled and kicked and hit, even punched them when I could. But it never worked.  The men came after me like it was nothing....they'd force me to sit down and tie me up with belts." Her voice began to crack as she spoke again.
"The man who raped me.....he made me kneel before him." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to continue. "And when the belt hit my skin, I could hear the sound of bones cracking...."
Her voice faltered and she stopped speaking. She covered her mouth as if to keep herself from crying. Collin felt the bile rise in his throat as he saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
"It hurt so bad. So bad. I couldn't...I couldn't breathe...I didn't understand what was happening until I woke up."
She leaned against him, burying her face in his shoulder, her whole body shaking slightly as the cries poured out of her. Collin hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her.
"You can stay with me....you'll be safe...I promise you'll be safe." His voice was hoarse.  He hoped that one day those same people would come to regret what they did to a child.
"You're safe, Kayla. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Collin spoke, his heart full of hatred toward the ones that had hurt this innocent woman.

Collin looked at her sadly, his heart breaking. The thought of any child having to do something like that broke him. His heart ached for her. How can someone so beautiful, so innocent have to experience this? What kind of people did this?!
He couldn't speak for a few minutes. He could not imagine it.

"Do you understand what they are doing to you?" he finally asked. His mind was spinning with anger and sadness. How could someone do that? Collin felt his stomach turn. What could he say? His mind was racing, but no words came to him. He forced himself to speak as she turned her gaze back to him. "I'm sorry. That your parents sent you here. That....it happened to you."
She nodded. Her face then became reflective.

"Did anything else happen to you? I need everything for a report."
Kayla looked like she would throw up. She tried to get a breath.

"Sometimes, they'd tie me down and perform...." she stopped and started shaking.

"Someone would perform oral sex on you? Collin asked, a wave of nausea hitting him.
"Yes," she choked out, "Oh my god. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

It was Collin's turn to stare into the distance as Kayla composed herself. He had no words. And the drugs they gave her probably made it easier for her to relax.
"Oh, God, I don't think I can ask anymore," Collin said. "I'm sorry." He didn't need every detail for the report. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. I'm glad you're here. That you survived."

Collin held onto Kayla's shaking hand. She looked at him.

"He did, more than once. They took pictures of it. They..... They took away my.....my....." She'd lost her voice. Unfortunately, he knew that was a common practice in some parts of the world.

Collin was still uncomfortable asking his next question.
"Did you have to....?"
"I had to do it to the men too. I gagged every time." She said softly, her eyes conveying words that she couldn't say. A funeral seemed to pass between them. She took several breaths, her shoulders shuddering.
So much silence, so much pain. Collin felt his chest tighten. There was nothing he could say. So he said nothing.

And then it started in earnest. A hysterical crying fit. Collin had no idea how long it lasted, but it was longer than average. She was sobbing so hard her body convulsed.
She grimaced in pain "This is the first time I've talked about it." Her voice cracked. "I hadn't talked about it since I was brought there."

Collin's heart sank. How could anyone treat a girl that way? It was barbaric. The End Times had brought out the worst instincts in people.