Birdcage Ch. 04

As she reach another stairway she resigned herself to turning back, it had been 15 minutes and the thought of 4 finding her this far off course worried her more than anything. Just as she was pushing the doorway open though, something caught her eye.

She turned towards it and saw a set of double doors with small circular windows cut in. Through those windows she saw a bank of 3 metal detectors, a black conveyor belt with a stack of metal trays at one end (like she had seen at airports) and a long shiny glass desk with smiling receptionists behind. Across the front of the desk was the emblem she had come to recognise; the dark silhouette of a bird in a domed cage. Joni's heart stopped all together. This was an entrance of some kind. She watched as two men stepped through, tipping watches, phones and wallets out into the tray and laughing together as they approached the desk. Joni craned her head to see where they had come from, but she couldn't see the doorway. She heard voices approaching her double doors and she turned on her heel and ran. Heart swelling with hope.

"You're late." 4's tone was particularly harsh as Joni entered the room. She flinched and made her apologies, not offering any more information than 'I got lost'. 4 seemed too preoccupied to push her on it.

"Where is she? Let's get this over with...find them." He spoke to one of the guards, leaving Joni stood awkwardly by the door. She looked around and recognised the room as the one 2 had brought her to after the fight. She remembered the strange pipe sculptures instantly. At any other time, she would have been shaking with fear at what was to come, but she was elsewhere. Her brain trying to recount her steps and map out the directions back to the entrance she had seen. She was quite sure that she wouldn't be able to saunter out to freedom that easily, but she had to go back, figure out where it led.

"Finally." 4 huffed, looking down at his phone.

10 seconds later the statuesque '2' walked in, followed closely by Verity. Joni cursed. She had known the head would want to be present but she didn't relish the thought of Verity seeing her punished. Her smug smile was slick with glittering lipgloss and as always the rest of her also looked immaculate. 2 was dressed in a long red ballgown, her dark radiant skin glowing under the fluorescent lights. They cast 4 a cursory glance as they past and then took their places at one end of the room. 2 in a large leather chair, a guard at her back, and Verity at her feet like a beautiful blonde dog.

Joni wondered what Verity's 'punishment' had been, considering 2 was so adamant of her innocence.

"Let's get on with it. I've got things to attend to."

4 stepped forward and gestured for Joni to approach him in the centre of the room. Resigned to her fate, she gulped in a breath and joined him.

"Clothes off, all of it." He spoke about it as if it were something so mundane, but his tone left no room for argument, and she moved her hands quickly to the zipper at the side of the dress. She had become desensitised to the nudity after so long at The Fort. Being showered and dressed by strangers every day would do that to you.

4 began to unbutton the cufflinks from his shirt, and as he rolled one of the sleeves up a streak of white caught Joni's eye. A large smooth scar ran from the inside of his wrist to his elbow. She continued undressing and flicked her eyes up occasionally, watching him. Another. The other sleeve rolled up to reveal a criss cross pattern of smaller scars high on his forearm this time.

She wondered what lay under the rest of the shirt. The slaves were no strangers to violence, but she had not expected to see it so plainly on one of the heads. Surely they were immune? She paused to consider that maybe it had been from a life before here, and she tried to picture him in a blue collar job, working at the bank or delivering post. Like his name, she couldn't imagine him as anything other than the man she saw before her.

When she knelt down to unbuckle her heels, she saw one of the guards pulling one of the pipe work frames towards her. It consisted of two small opposing 'u' frame metal arches, about 2 foot tall, and 3 foot apart, with a single large upright plank of wood between the two, at one end. A series of bolts and attachment points lined up the front of the plank, and the whole configuration sat on a large square wooden base.

She looked up towards 4 to see him looking back at her, eyes fierce. He beckoned her up and brought her to kneel between the two pipe archways. Joni's anxious little butterflies came to life in her stomach, and she felt a cool sweat at the back of her neck.

The guard moved to attach two thick leather cuffs to the pipes and then clipped each of her wrists into them, so her arms hung outstretched besides her. 4 pressed his hands into her shoulders and brought her to sit tall, back onto her heels. The guard then clipped a heavy metal clamp onto the wooden plank and headed for the toolbox on one side of the room. Joni couldn't see him from her position, but could hear the opening and closing of drawers as he rifled through.

"Not that one. One down. Yes. And then a 38...yes." 4 directed him.

She tried to steady her breathing as the guard returned, but she couldn't help the gasp that escaped as he attached a large glossy black dildo to the clamp. It was roughly eye level, and pointed towards her face.

Her eyes welled, and she tried desperately to blink the tears away. She found a strange comfort though, in feeling 4's hands still pressing into her shoulders. He had never hurt her yet, contrary to rumours about him.

"Suck it." He uttered behind her.

Her skin paled, and then her cheeks coloured a fiery red. One fat tear escaped and rolled down her cheek as she leaned forward to bring it to her mouth. The taste was vile, like rubber in her mouth and her teeth squeaked along the latex as it stretched her lips wider. She was reminded of the white room, and she tried to take herself there.

"Deeper." 4 urged her on impatiently.

Joni took another deep breath through her nose and pressed on, bringing it to the back of her mouth, just a fraction away from gagging.

"Stay there." He hushed into her ear as he leaned over to one side. She heard a strange clinking noise as she sat motionless. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him bring something brown and leather towards her. He attached it to the back of the plank and brought the straps around to meet at the back of her head. He pulled it tight, brushing her hair down out of the way as he did. He left Joni immobilised. The strap held her firmly against the dildo, unable to pull her head back. She tested it, moving her head as much as she could, but as she tipped forwards slightly the dildo pressed in, her eyes welling with fresh tears as it touched the back of her throat.

"Beautifully done. Can we get on with it now." 2 sneered sarcastically, reminding Joni of her presence. She was thankful at that moment that she faced the door, as she didn't think she could endure the humiliation of looking them in the eyes at this moment.

As Joni was thinking this, she heard an almighty 'THWACK' and felt a searing pain rip up the bare skin of her arse. She screamed out against the toy, and desperately scrambled forward as much as she could.

"Tie her feet as well."

Joni felt the guard wrench her ankles back, cuffing both of them to the wooden base so she arched forward, her weight hanging painfully on her arms.

THWACK

Joni screamed out again, her sobs muffled against the dildo.

THWACK

Her skin felt scorched, prickling along her left arse cheek and down her thigh.

THWACK

Another stinging smack against her right cheek now. She couldn't tell what he was using but the pain was intense. The tears fell unabated now, blurring her vision.

THWACK

She pressed her hips forward as much as she could, trying to shield herself from his blows. As she tipped forwards, the dildo pressed deeper into her throat and her chest heaved as she gagged.

THWACK...THWACK

Her sobs were deafening now, she felt like her flesh was on fire. Her head spun and nausea rolled up her stomach.

"...Ok." She barely heard 2's voice, but slumped down in relief as 4 paused his assault.

"I've seen enough. Thank you for your time." Joni heard the door slam shut after a moment and then quiet.

Her sobs slowed but the tears continued. The fire had cooled to leave a deep bruising ache.

When she pressed her thighs together she felt a slick wetness there, and the humiliation rose up again.

"Go and keep an eye on the door." 4 spoke to the remaining guard, and after he'd left, they were alone.

Her eyes were still unfixed as he moved to her front, and she watched his blurry form unclip the dildo and ease it out of her mouth. Her Jaw ached, but she barely felt it. She spat out the rubbery taste onto the floor below her and tried to blink away the tears again.

He unclipped one wrist and then the other, her arms dropping with a thud to her sides as she slumped down onto the floor. She wrapped them up over her head and pressed her forehead into the cool wood underneath her.

She finally felt him unclip her ankles and she was free.

"Here." She turned her head up at the sound of his voice, and saw him with a glass of water outstretched towards her. At the floor by his feet was a long thick wooden paddle, the light wood stained on one corner with a small blotchy spatter of her blood. In that moment, she hated him. Her pain and fear turned to venomous loathing. She sat up enough to reach out towards the glass, took it from him, and launched it at the wall. The glass shattered violently and the water sprayed up against the concrete.

"Fuck off." She spat at him. His jaw clenched in restraint as he stared down at her. His mouth opened as if to speak, but he closed it again with a sigh.

"FUCK OFF!" Joni shouted at him now, her throat raw, and she kneeled up for a moment before the searing pain brought her crashing back down to the floor.

She didn't care in that moment. She knew she would be punished again for her outburst, but it was cathartic. Her glare was deadly, as if daring him to touch her. With another sigh, he turned to one of the drawers, retrieved a blanket and threw it at her feet, before breezing past her to leave.