Slave to a Sinful Empire Pt. 02

Annie, meanwhile, leaned down to Mathilda. "Mathilda!" she hissed. "We have to get up! There are men here!"

Mathilda blinked sleepily and looked confused. "What men, dear?" she asked dreamily. Then suddenly her face fell as she heard the voices through the door, realized what it meant. "Zaths," she hissed with hatred.

As Hodges and Mathilda roused themselves, Zelle had already run over to one corner of the room and was trying to drag a heavy crate across the floor. Annie rushed to help her without asking what she was doing, just glad that Zelle seemed to have a plan.

The door rattled, but was locked. "Open up!" a man shouted, and pounded hard two times against the old wood.

Zelle looked wide-eyed at the door, then pointed up at the ceiling. Above the crate, Annie saw in the dim lamplight that there was a passageway like a chimney set in the ceiling, filled with shadows.

There was a loud bang at the door which made everyone flinch. It was followed by another, and Annie watched in horror as the door juddered in its frame and began to crack with a splintery sound.

Without hesitating, she stood on the crate and grabbed Zelle by the waist, lifting her up until she could plant her hands on the sides of the escape chimney. Then she slid her grip down to Zelle's legs, boosting her higher. She could see up the younger girl's nightie, but of course fear poured ice water on any excitement she might have otherwise felt. Zelle began to inch her way up the damp brick, and soon her feet disappeared into the mouth of the chimney and she began to shimmy up more quickly.

The blows to the door began to come faster, and the cracking grew louder. Hodges hurried over and before she could say anything lifted Annie by the waist to the mouth of the escape tunnel. Annie realized with a numb sadness that Hodges and Mathilda were too large and too old to follow the younger girls up the narrow vent. But she couldn't think on that now, had to make her own escape.

Annie clawed at the damp and crumbling brick walls of the vertical passageway, desperately trying to fight her way upward, like a drowning swimmer. She could hear the shuffling and scraping of Zelle's progress above her.

Then she let out a half-stifled cry as she heard a tremendous crash in the room below, and the sound of boots slapping the floor. Like a panicked animal she began to scrabble at the brick, pushing off of Hodges with her legs even as he lifted her higher. Then there was a thud, a cry of pain, and Annie felt a great weight suddenly pull her downward by the legs.

In a second, all of her upward progress was undone, and she fell out of the chimney, tumbling onto Hodges where he lay prone across the crate. As she opened her eyes and lifted her head, Annie felt a thrill of horror run through her. A Zath in a black police uniform was looming over her with a truncheon. Uselessly, she raised her hands to defend her face from the oncoming blow.

But the blow never came. Instead a black gloved hand shot out and grabbed her by one red braid, and dragged her off of Hodges, sending her sprawling onto the cold cellar floor. Then the policeman began to swing the truncheon up and down, bringing it onto the prostrate body of Hodges as he grunted in pain.

Another policeman, younger and with a weasely look, was now looking down at her with a sickening smile. "Come here, my little pretty," he said wolfishly, and reached down to take a handful of her tunic. Annie struggled with him, refusing to get up from the floor. The policeman dropped her, then swung an angry backhand which caught Annie across the face, sending her sprawling in a daze of pain.

She put her hand to her face, and her fingers came away bloody. Her nose leaked red streaks down her freckled cheek, across her plump lips. She resolved not to cry.

The thug who had hit Annie now reached down with both hands and again took the front of her tunic. This time she let him pick her up from the floor, not fighting but going limp. Roughly he thrust her against the brick wall of the cellar. Behind him she could see the other policeman peering up into the brick chimney as Mathilda cried in a corner and Hodges lay still in a pitiful heap on the ground.

The cruel officer wadded her tunic in both hands and then ripped violently outward, tearing her top in half and exposing her pert, freckled breasts. The man smiled horribly and began to fondle them with his soft, disgusting hands. Annie squeezed her eyes closed, but it was even worse not knowing what he was doing. She opened them again just as the Zath was leaning his head in to suck at her nipples. She gave a low moan of horror as he licked, sucked, and nibbled them lasciviously.

Then the brute brought one gloved hand up to Annie's throat and began to choke her. His grip was powerful, and he seemed intent on crushing the breath and life out of her. With his other hand, however, he reached down and freed his stiffening cock from his pants. It was long but thin, and pale like a dead fish. Annie would have screamed but for the hand crushing her throat.

"That's enough," the other officer suddenly called. "The lieutenant wants her unharmed."

The thuggish Zath released Annie's throat, causing her to gasp. "I won't mark her, Sarge," he said over his shoulder. "Just let me have a bit of fun..." he wheedled as he stroked his cock.

"I said no. The girls are not to be touched, that was the order. And where is the other one? There's supposed to be a little blonde one," the sergeant said with a glare. His subordinate shrugged. "Go find her!" the sergeant snapped.

With a look of disappointment and a glare of hatred toward Annie, the Zath tucked his cock back in his pants, and slowly turned and went out through the door. The sergeant now looked at Annie, who covered her chest with her arms. "Annie Archer?" he asked. She nodded weakly. "You're coming with us."

*****