Taken and Trained Pt. 02

When I wake, the same dim light illuminates the room. I can't tell if it's night or day, or how long I've been asleep.

I climb out of the bed, wrapping the sheet around me. There must be a way out.

I try the door, but of course it's locked. The crack at the bottom isn't wide enough to slip anything under.

The walls are solid. There are no windows.

I consider fashioning a weapon, but out of what? The bed is one solid piece of wood, somehow secured to the floor.

I can't fight. They're too big, too strong.

I have to run.

I lay by the door, watching for someone to come by. When I hear footsteps come down the hall and stop outside my door, I flatten myself against the wall next to the door. It swings open, practically into me.

Ryder steps inside.

I sense his confusion as he steps toward the bed, looking for me. He turns back toward the door as I grab it, slipping through it, and run.

I don't know where I'm going. Maybe the wrong way, for all I know.

The hallway is long, bright, with white walls and white floors. I hear Ryder behind me. I turn a corner at the end of the hallway. There are more doors. I pull open the first one I find, shutting myself inside.

I look around the room for another door to keep running, or somewhere to hide. This room looks like a lounge area, with couches and chairs.

I tuck myself in the corner behind a chair. Once I'm sure Ryder is gone, I'll keep running.

I startle as I hear a door open. There are deep voices, at least two.

"Come on out, baby."

They know.

"We know you're in here. It's time to come out and let us take care of you."

From my hiding spot I can see two pairs of boots. A third set joins them.

"She in here?" Another deep voice, dark and gravelly, asks.

"Yeah. We'll give her a chance to come out. You go ahead and set up." It sounds like Gavin's voice.

Another voice- Ryder's?- speaks again. "Come on out, baby. It's time. Don't make me find you."

They sound calm, like they have all the time in the world.

I, on the other hand, am fucked.

I try not to make a sound.

"Girls who run get punished, baby. It's up to you how harsh that punishment will be." Ryder again.

I hear a sigh. Then one pair of boots comes closer to me, too close. I curl into the corner, trying to hide.

A throat clears, directly above me.

I look up. Gavin is standing next to me. His arms are crossed over his chest. He looks even more intimidating than before.

"Let's go, baby." He holds out a hand.

I shake my head. I'm not going with him.

He sighs again. The chair slides over, out of the way, exposing me to the room. Gavin leans down and picks me up, sheet and all, tossing me over his shoulder.

I squirm, trying to get away.

His hand lands on my ass with a resounding crack. I screech, freezing. He laughs. "Oh, baby. You'll learn, sooner or later."

He walks with me slung over his shoulder. We leave the room, turning down the hallway back the direction I ran from, with Ryder following.

Ryder opens another door, and Gavin carries me inside. It's dark, but I can make out some things.

Jake is standing there, arms crossed. "That took a little too long." His voice is the deep, dark, rumbling one I heard earlier.

Gavin pulls me off his shoulder. He lays me on the ground, on a mat or something soft. I scramble to get up.

"Don't." Jake's dark voice stops me. "Stay."

There's something chilling in his voice that makes me obey.

"Where do you want her?" Gavin says.

Jake smiles darkly. "She's going over that bench right there." He gestures. "But she's going to put herself there. Aren't you, baby?" His dark stare pins me. "Because if she needs someone to put her there, she's getting double the lashes."

Oh fuck. I'm frozen. I can't move. I look between the men. Ryder looks the most sympathetic. I gaze at him. "Please," I beg.

He nods toward the bench. "Better move, baby."

With a whimper, I finally crawl toward the bench. I look at the men.

"Lay over it, baby. Drop the sheet." Jake directs.

I do as he commands. I have no choice.

He saunters over to me, running a hand down my back and to my ass. He palms the cheek and squeezes. "Shame you earned another punishment before your first one faded." He addresses the other two men. "Staying for the show?"

They chuckle, nodding, as they settle into chairs.

Jake addresses me again, speaking into my ear. "You're going to stay exactly like this, baby. I'm not going to restrain you. If you move, you'll earn extra strokes. Can you stay still like a good girl?"

I nod. I'm shaking. What will he do to me?

Something long, thin, hard rubs across my ass. "This is a cane, baby. This is what happens to girls who run."

It comes down on my upturned ass. I scream as a line of fire blooms across my cheeks. I haven't even taken a breath when it comes down again, and again, adding lines in parallel.

I'm sobbing, begging, but the cane keeps landing, over and over and over. My world is reduced to the pain, the burning. I try to hold still. I can't take any more.

It goes on forever.

Then, finally, it stops. I'm lying limp over the bench. My face is streaked with tears, but my eyes have run out of tears to cry.

I hear the clatter of the cane as Jake drops it to the floor.

I can't move.

Jake kneels next to me. I turn my head away, but he fists his hand in my hair, turning my face back toward him.

"You going to try to run again, baby?" He asks.

I shake my head.

"Good girl." He stands. "Ryder, you want to put her away?"

I don't fight as he lifts me, carries me down the hallway.

He places me back in the bed and sits on the edge. The mattress bows under his weight. He runs his fingers along my hairline and down my cheek.

"No more running, baby. You be a good girl and we'll take care of you."

A tear slips out. "I don't want to be here."

"I know, baby. But this is your life now. Just listen to me, be a good girl, and I'll take care of you." He smirks. "Although a good chase is always fun. For us, at least."

With that he stands. He turns, exiting the room. The door closes behind him, and I hear the lock click.

And I'm alone again.