Something's Gotta Give

Chapter 9

When Hattie woke Enola five hours later and she sat up to find herself in Gomorrah yet again, she rubbed her hands over her face and groaned, "Oh, goody. Another day in paradise."

Hattie gave a slight chuckle even though it wasn't really all that funny, "Yeah, sure. Look at us just livin' the dream." She paused a moment and then, her voice much softer this time, "I don't wanna be harsh, sweetie, but you look fuckin' awful."

Enola raised her head to see concerned eyes looking down at her and quickly looked away again. "Well, I certainly feel like shit," she replied. "Guess I might as well look the part, huh?" She hissed with unexpected pain as her sore tongue rubbed against the sharp edge of a tooth and began throbbing just as badly as it had the night before. Giving a sigh that made her shoulders slump, she muttered, "At this rate I'll be completely fucking broken down in a week or two. There won't be a single part of me that doesn't hurt anymore."

Hattie's face was set in an uneasy expression but she didn't feel the need to comment any further. She just handed over the cup she was holding and stood by waiting for Enola to drink it. This was apparently becoming something of a morning ritual between the two of them. Hattie would wake her, give her something to drink and then they would help each other get ready for the day ahead. She wondered if Mary would come over and bullshit with them a little bit like she had yesterday morning but she didn't see her new mohawk-wearing pal anywhere. Enola shrugged and thought to herself that she was probably just sleeping in until the last minute, wanting to get as much rest as possible before they started their morning shift in hell.

Enola looked around with eyes still a little blurred from sleep and let out a bone-weary sigh. Oh, this was the fucking life, alright. She had another day of back breaking labor and then another night of torture to look forward to. A stinging itch flared up in her nether regions as she stood from the bed and suddenly an image of the towel Vulpes had used to 'clean' her arose in her mind's eye. This memory drew an involuntary shudder of revulsion from her and she resisted an urge to reach down between her legs to see whether or not she was still bleeding. Lanius had been exceptionally brutal last night but what Vulpes had done to her afterwards had been unbearable; excruciating. It'd left her insides feeling hot and itchy and damn near swollen shut. She felt like crying out of pure frustration when she realized that tonight was going to be so much worse because of it.

That's probably exactly what he was counting on, her mind whispered as she pretended to wipe sleep-crust from her eyes. Just wanted it to hurt that much more when Lanius fucks me. Punishment added on to punishment.

Hattie seemed to read some of this on Enola's face and cut into her miserable run of thought by saying, "Hey, I got some news that might make you feel better. Wanna hear?"

She drained the cup she was still holding and handed it back before replying, "Go on, then. I could use a good dose of sunshine in my life."

"Well..." A quick look around before those pretty brown eyes settled on hers again. "I'd hate to get your hopes up and then it not pan out but I have it on pretty good authority that Caesar is leaving."

Enola's heart stuttered just a moment when she heard that. Trying to keep her voice low, she asked, "When? For how long?"

Hattie's smile finally made an appearance as she answered, "Today. Well...you know, unless something delays them. I don't know how long they'll be gone but probably a day or two, I imagine. Maybe even as long as a week."