The Possessed

"Pregnant!" said Erin still not fully believing what she was seeing and completing Kelly's sentence with the unutterable and shameful word. Although they had suspected that Zax was experimenting with in-utero fertilization, none of them dreamed that the slaves would be forced to carry their fetuses to term. Erin had assumed that the embryos would have been removed shortly after fertilization and allowed to develop in the normal way...now seeing the two pregnant women, in the flesh, she was both shocked and fascinated, not to mention deeply troubled.

"My god! What did they do to you, Lisa?" said Erin, still in shock, questions racing through her mind. What was going on here? Why impregnate the slaves and force them to carry to term? Where in the world had Zax come up with such a terrible and bizarre idea? How could this possibly further their aims (whatever they might be)? When did Zax plan to release this information? Too many questions and too little time...

Both Lisa and Candy looked up at the sound of Erin's familiar voice, startled to hear someone they had never expected to find in the dungeon of Zax Castle. Both women blushed, ashamed of their current condition and situation, and remorseful over what they had done in the past. Candy was the first to recover and said, "Erin? It's not possible! What are you doing here?"

"We came to find out what Zax was doing with you and the other diapered slaves. But there is no time to explain now. We have only a few minutes; we need to get out before we're discovered by Alex and her staff. Tell me where are April and Mari?"

"I don't know," replied Lisa. "None of us has seen them for months."

"Are they...pregnant, also?" said Kelly.

"Probably," said Lisa.

Looking at Dianna Erin said, "You must be the new slave, Dianna?"

"Yes, Mistress," replied the beautiful young woman, eyes still downcast. Dianna did not understand what was happening. Lisa and Candy's familiar tone with the two Mistresses scared and confused her. Both women seemed to know the Mistresses, whose sense of urgency added to her anxiety.

"Well, at least you seem to be OK," said Erin. But Lisa and Candy shook their heads and Erin stared at them, perplexed.

"She delivered a baby several months ago," said Lisa.

Erin looked at the young woman is disbelief. "Is that true?" she finally said

"Yes, Mistress," replied Dianna, blushing.

"What's going on here?" asked Erin, starting to become angry at the situation. "What could Zax be thinking and planning?"

"We don't know," replied Lisa. "But about a year ago Manuela showed up and they started impregnating us." Lisa explained what had happened to Dianna then herself and Candy. She then told Erin and Kelly about Dianna's delivery.

"So no one has seen the baby?" asked Erin when she was finished.

"No," said Lisa. "Not even Phoebe."

"Curious," said Erin.

By this time Dianna had figured out that Erin and Kelly had broken into the dungeon and they were not members of Alex's staff. For the first time since coming to the Castle dungeon she had a glimmer of hope. "Can you help us?" she asked.

"That's why we're here," replied Erin. "But we're out of time. We need to go, now."

"Take us with you," pleaded Dianna.

"We can't," said Erin. Dianna looked dejectedly at the floor and tears began to fall from her eyes. Erin went over to the beautiful young slave and taking her chin in her hand and raising her head said, "We need to analyze the information we copied from the infirmary. Clearly, Zax wants to keep this a secret because what they are doing is illegal. Once they know their secret is compromised, they will be forced to deal with us and we will be able to help free all of you."

"You think so?" said Dianna, as she stopped crying.

"Yes," said Erin, "but we need to go now before they catch us in here."

Erin's words were not lost on Candy and Lisa and both women looked at Erin and said, "Thanks, and good luck."

Erin nodded at them and said, "We'll be back." With that, she turned and left the recreation room followed closely by Kelly.

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After leaving Alex, Laura went to the main recreation area where Carmen and Melinda were preparing the slaves for the evening's activities in the dungeon. After informing them about the door and Alex's instructions, she and Melinda had started off towards the secluded area where the diapered slaves were kept. Although Laura expected to find that the door had been left ajar by accident, she nevertheless hurried to accomplish her task. Parties always placed an extra burden on the dungeon staff, and they were on a tight schedule tonight.

It took the two women several minutes to wind their way through the maze of halls and corridors that comprised the dungeon. Upon reaching the door both women stared in disbelief at what they saw. The door had been clearly forced open by someone, leaving the secluded area open and unprotected. Laura was the first to recover. "Mistress," she said into her communicator, "someone has broken into the secluded area of the dungeon. The door has been forced open and is damaged."

"Damn!" Laura heard Alex say in her ear. "Stay where you are. I'll be right there. Don't let anyone in or out."

"Yes, Mistress," said Laura. As Melinda and Laura waited outside the broken door they saw two women dressed in black jumpsuits approaching from inside the secluded area. At first Laura was relieved thinking that she would soon have an explanation for what had happened. However as the women approached she realized that neither was part of the dungeon staff. "What's going on..." she began. But before she could finish, one of the women tossed a small ball-like object in their direction. The ball landed about two feet in front of Laura and broke apart. Immediately smoke started to fill the air, blinding Laura and causing her to cough and gasp for air.

Erin and Kelly had seen Laura as they turned the final corner leading to the door that they had cut open. "It's Laura!" Kelly whispered.

"Yes," said Erin. "Get one of the smoke grenades and get ready to throw it." The smoke grenades were signaling devices used by hikers and others in distress. They were intended to help aircraft locate individuals or small groups lost or trapped in remote areas, or to ward off large predators such as bears. The grenades released large amounts of dense but harmless smoke when armed and dropped. Inside the confines of the dungeon they proved quite effective in generating a smoke screen.

Erin and Kelly donned goggles especially designed for seeing in the smoke filled environment. As they approached Laura and Melinda, Kelly had released a grenade and along with Erin had put on the goggles. While Laura and Melinda fumbled and gasped for air, Erin and Kelly slipped past them and out into the main dungeon area. Within seconds both women were running back in the direction they had come: towards the side entrance to the dungeon. As they turned a final corner towards the entrance, Erin ran headlong into Alex who was coming in the other direction. Both women were knocked over, falling in a tangle of arms and legs on the floor.

Fortunately Erin was the first to recover, and assisted by Kelly quickly regained her feet. "I'm all right," said Erin. "Go!" As Alex started to get to her feet, Erin stepped back and dropped another grenade between her legs. Turning, she fled down the corridor towards the door and the cool night air beyond.

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Outside Pam was growing anxious. Erin and Kelly were five minutes behind schedule and she had been forced to move several times to prevent discovery by Carmen and two of the grounds keeping personnel with her. About ten minutes before, she had noted Carmen leaving the dungeon through the side entrance, the very door Erin and Kelly had entered. Five women dressed in olive green overalls stood waiting for her. Carmen had spoken to them briefly and the women had divided themselves into two groups that headed off in different directions.

Although Pam was too far away to make out their conversation, she could tell by Carmen's gestures that something was amiss. Alex or Laura must have discovered that Erin and Kelly were in the dungeon and sent out Carmen to search for them and any companions. That meant her! Pam had tried to warn Cathy, but there had been no time. Carmen and the two women with her had walked directly towards the place where she was hiding, behind a low hedge separating the trees from the park. Pam was forced to move backwards into the trees and remain quiet to prevent discovery.

Carmen was well known to the slaves at Zax. An Amazon, she stood over six feet three inches tall and weighed close to two hundred pounds. And not an ounce of it was fat. With olive skin and yellow-brown hair, wide hips, and large breasts she struck both and imposing and beautiful figure. She was also tough with a no nonsense personality that demanded respect from her subordinates. Among the slaves she was known as the 'enforcer', since Alex used her considerable physical strength to enforce her will upon reluctant new comers and the chronically disobedient.

Pam had little illusion about overcoming Carmen. She knew that if the Amazon discovered her, she would certainly be captured. Having no desire to see the dungeon again, Pam lay quietly behind a group of small bushes near the base of a tree. Fortunately Carmen had passed by her hiding place without discovering it. However, just as she was getting ready to inform Cathy about Carmen and the others, a second group started in her direction. Pam was therefore forced to remain quiet as the three women looked about the park and the surrounding tree line.

As soon as they had safely passed far enough away, Pam tried once again to inform Cathy of the search. However, at that moment she saw Kelly and Erin emerge from the dungeon, followed by a large cloud of smoke. Finally! She thought. Kelly and Erin quickly headed in her direction towards the tree line at the edge of the park. When they reached her position, Pam stepped from her hiding place and said, "Are you alright? Is everything OK? Carmen and five others started searching the park and woods a few minutes ago."

Erin nodded her head. She was breathing hard and relieved to be out of the dungeon at last. "We're fine," she said at last. "We ran into Laura and Alex, but we managed to slip by them thanks to the smoke grenades."

At that moment, one of the grounds keepers searching the park turned and noticed the smoke coming from the side entrance to the dungeon. She let out a shout and the others turned and ran towards the open door. Seeing an opportunity for escape, Erin said "No time to talk now. Let's go!" The three women turned and ran into the forest towards the south end of the Island, not looking back to see the commotion as the grounds keepers reached the smoke filled entrance to the dungeon.

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Cathy had been anxious from the start and waiting in the dark near the beach had done little to calm her. She had not been in favor of Erin's plan to come to the Island and invade the dungeon. In her mind the whole idea was reckless and overly risky. Cathy had reluctantly agreed to the plan to demonstrate her solidarity with Varinia, and her love for, Erin. Now as she sat silently in the darkness checking her chronometer every few seconds, she started to have second thoughts. What if Erin and Kelly were discovered and captured? For that matter what if they were all taken prisoner. Cassandra had warned Erin that Zax could lawfully imprison them on the Island. Although Cathy enjoyed the sexual fantasy of wearing diapers and some of the other kinky sex games she participated in with Erin, the idea of being trapped in the dungeon as a slave was not something she relished.

Cathy also had no illusions of June being able to help them if they got into trouble. The best she would be able to do would be to assist with a quick evacuation. Even then, any assistance she might provide would be minimal, at best. Essentially they would be left to their own devices in case of trouble, and Cathy was certain that they would not leave the Island that night without seeing some of that.

Sitting in the darkness looking at the watercraft on the beach and the one off shore where June waited, Cathy mulled their options in the event of trouble. Most likely, Erin and Kelly would become trapped in the dungeon. She and Pam would then be left with the unpleasant choice of either leaving them or attempting a rescue. Neither was attractive and the latter would probably see them all confined in the dungeon. As Cathy sat thinking time seemed to slow to a crawl and her sense of hearing seemed amplified. Every sound she heard or flash of movement that she caught out of the corner of her eye caused Cathy's heart to jump and beat faster. As time went slowly by Cathy became more and more jumpy and nervous.

Later, it would come as a surprise that with such heightened awareness, she could have been approached without knowing it. But surprised she would be, for as Cathy sat in the darkness she never heard Carmen approach her from behind. The last thing she remembered was a sharp pain near the base of her neck before she passed out on the sand near the foot of the tree where she was sitting.

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Alex had almost fainted when the smoke grenade had 'exploded' between her legs. It had taken all her effort to get to her feet and stumble towards the side door of the dungeon. She had collapsed on the grass just outside the door as smoke poured from the side entrance. One of the grounds keepers had spotted the smoke and alerted the others. The three women had run towards the smoking door and found Alex on her hands and knees on the lawn, coughing and eyes watering. One of the women tried to help her, but she shook her off and said, "They must have run into the trees: after them!"

The three grounds keepers ran off into the trees in pursuit. A few minutes later, Laura and Melinda emerged from the dungeon, also coughing and with eyes watering. By this time Alex had recovered and looking up saw Carmen and the other two grounds keepers coming towards her from across the park. Between them the grounds keepers dragged a petite blond-haired woman dressed in black by the arms, her legs and feet scraping the ground. The woman's head was slumped down and hung loosely indicating that she was unconscious.

"Are you OK, Mistress?" said Carmen looking and Alex's tear stained face and seeing Laura and Melinda sitting on the ground coughing.

"We're fine. They used smoke grenades to escape. Who's this?" said Alex pointing at Cathy.

"I don't know. We found her near the beach. There's a watercraft on the south side of the Island and another just off shore," replied Carmen.

"Damn!" said Alex. "Leave her here and take these two and return to the beach. They must have come by boat. Don't let them escape!"

"Yes, Mistress," said the Amazon. Turning, Carmen motioned to the grounds keepers and without looking back ran towards the trees and the beach beyond. The grounds keepers unceremoniously let the unconscious Cathy fall to the grass and made haste to follow Carmen. By this time, Laura and Melinda had recovered and Alex said, "Laura, turn on the air conditioning system and clear the dungeon of smoke." Motioning to Melinda and pointing at Cathy she said, "Bring her inside and put her in one of the holding cells. I'll want to question her when she recovers."

"Yes Mistress," said Melinda reaching down and hauling Cathy to her feet.

Speaking into her communication device Alex said, "Mistress."

"Yes?" Prudence replied.

"We have a problem."

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It took about 20 minutes for Erin, Pam, and Kelly to reach the beach where they had come ashore. Running down hill on the well maintained path had hastened their escape and Erin was grateful when they came out of the trees and onto the beach. She had looked back several times for pursuers, but none had materialized. Looking around Erin saw the watercraft where they had left it, but could not find Cathy. "Where's Cathy?" she said.

"I don't know," said Pam.

"I don't see her either," said Kelly.

A feeling of dread filled Erin for the first time that evening. It was not like Cathy to wander away. "When was the last time you spoke?" she said to Pam.

"Over half an hour ago; I tried to warn her about Carmen and the others, but I never had the chance," replied Pam.

"Look around!" said Erin. "We've got to find her!"

The three women spread out along the beach searching for Cathy. However after a few minutes the sounds of several women rapidly moving through the forest could be heard. Erin waved to Pam and Kelly to regroup on the beach near the watercraft. "Someone is coming our way," said Erin after they had reassembled.

"What should we do?" asked Kelly

"It must be Carmen, probably with reinforcements," said Pam. "We need to get out of here."

"Without Cathy?" said Kelly.

Both women looked at Erin who bit her lower lip, thinking. Erin did not have long to consider their options. Before she could reach a decision, Carmen burst through the trees and onto the beach followed by two women dressed in olive colored jumpsuits. "There they are!" shouted Carmen pointing at Erin and the others. "Get them!"

"Damn!" said Erin. They had run out of time and options. They could either stay and fight Carmen and the other two women or flee into the sea. Staying and fighting Carmen was not an attractive or realistic option. The woman was a monster; if she were alone, the three of them might have been a match for her and Erin would have taken her chances. But the presence of the other two women in the olive colored jumpsuits changed everything. Fighting would be futile: Carmen would merely pick them off one at a time using her companions to keep Erin, Pam and Kelly from ganging up on her. Worse still, there were probably other women on the way. That left escape as the only viable option.

"Get in the watercraft," Erin shouted.

Pam, Kelly, and Erin hurriedly climbed into the waiting vehicle and powered it up. Pam threw the craft into reverse and it pulled away from the beach just as Carmen reached the water. A hundred yards out, Pam turned the watercraft towards the open ocean and accelerated out to sea. Carmen and the others stood with their feet in the surf watching as the watercraft moved rapidly away from Zax Island.

Chapter 10: Dancing With the Devil

Cathy moaned and rolled her head slightly as she began to regain consciousness. As she became fully awake, she moaned again and rubbed her temples with both hands. Her head throbbed and she felt sore and achy. Sitting up, Cathy opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She was sitting on a padded metal bed attached to the wall of a dimly lit cell. The

floor, ceiling, and walls of the cell were made entirely of rough-hewn black stone and the single door providing access to the small room was made of heavy oak planks held together by wide black metal bands. There was no window or opening in the door and the only light came from a fixture on the ceiling, directly above her head.

Thinking was difficult due to the throbbing pain in her temples, but Cathy tried to remember how she had come to be in the cell. The last thing she remembered was crouching on the beach in the dark waiting for Erin and the others to return. There had been a sudden sharp pain in her neck and then nothing. Cathy instinctively reached up with her right hand and felt the back of her neck: Nothing, not even a bump.

Taking stock of her situation she realized that someone must have seen her on the beach, snuck up behind her, and rendered her unconscious. She was clearly in one of the cells in the Castle dungeon. Her chronometer and other personal effects were gone, and Cathy had no idea how long she had been out. God only knows what happened to Erin and the others, she thought. If Erin had made it back to the beach, she and the others would probably have tried searching for her. Clearly they had not been successful in locating her. The other possibility was that they had not made it out of the dungeon. One thing was certain however, she was a prisoner of Zax and would remain so until rescued by her companions or freed by her captors. The latter, option seemed unlikely and Cathy struggled with her emotions in an effort to keep her composure and calm.