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The castle above the dock completely dominated this part of the island. It was almost medieval in aspect and quite fitting for a den of Nazis; or so Melissa thought. However, they were in for a bit of a shock; or so she hoped. The ship was just entering the harbour and as she had half expected thee was no challenge to their arrival. Maintaining the ship’s speed Melissa headed straight for the dock.
Lowering her head to the speaking tube, she blew into it, signaling the person at the other end. “Aye-aye, captain,” came the somewhat distorted sound of Amy’s voice.
With a slight grimace Melissa shook hear head. “Everything ready there? We’ll reach the dock in about five minutes.”
“Ready, captain. ” Amy replied. Everything is wired and set to go.”
Melissa sighed and held back a quick retort. She could certainly not expect someone like Amy or Jia Li to accept her authority unchallenged. They had known Larra longer than she had and had accepted her authority only because it made more sense for a single person to be in charge rather than three. But Amy was not above reminding her every now and then that she led only by mutual consent.
“Perfect,” she sighed. “Bring the crew up on deck.” Melissa raised her binoculars again and went back to watching the shore. There were a number of men on the dock, no doubt waiting for the ship to arrive. Several of them were huddled in one part of the dock gathered around something she could not see. Given the nature of soldiers and sailors everywhere she suspected it was probably some sort of game. Whatever they were up to didn’t really matter; in a few minutes they were in for a very nasty surprise.
She kept the glasses trained on the docks, waiting for the men to react. Any second now one of them was sure to figure out that the freighter was coming in a bit too fast. Some of the sailors were moving toward the edge of the dock, no doubt in anticipation of the ship’s arrival. Strangely, those playing their game hardly moved or even looked in the ship’s direction.
The lack of reaction raised Melissa’s suspicions and she focused the binoculars more closely on them. As she did so one of the men stood up and she caught her breath. Someone was lying on the dock and through the glasses she could make out that it was the nude body of a woman.
“Ayashe,” she muttered.
She couldn’t be certain, but the woman had the
It was, however, too late to turn the ship. Barely a hundreds away from the dock there was no chance to avoid a collision. The men on the wharf had figured this out as well. Most of them were running in both directions away from the bow, abandoning the body on the dock.
The ship hit with a crash of splintering wood. Although only moving at a speed of a few knots, its five thousand ton mass ripped through the dock as it were paper. Massive timbers were thrown into the air as the bow crushed the dock and plowed into the warehouse sitting behind it.
Melissa was no longer on the bridge. As she ship slowed to a grinding halt she was sprinting across the deck to the starboard side. Reaching the rail she arrived just in time to see the body of the woman slip beneath the surface. Without a second thought Melissa leaped over the side. It was a dangerous jump. The water was littered with broken timbers, most of which were churning about in some sort of maelstrom. Had she been a yard to one side or the other she would have probably broken an arm or leg, but somehow she missed the wreckage, landing just a few feet from where she had seen the woman go down.
She plunged deep into the water. Too deep. In her haste Melissa had not removed any of her clothing or the gear she carried with her. She was fully dressed, even wearing a leather flight jacket she had purloined from the captain’s cabin. Strapped around her waist were two pistols and a heavy belt containing several clips of ammunition. The extra weight took her straight to the bottom.
Her feet struck the seabed and all that saved her was the fact that the bottom was solid rock. She let herself sink to the bottom and then looked around for Ayashe. By incredible good fortune the Métis girl was sinking toward her just a few feet above her head. Controlling the urge to immediately kick toward her, she waited until her sinking companion was close enough that she was sure she could succeed in her rescue. In the meantime, she kicked off her boots and released her weapons-laden belt.
She had time also to shrug out of her heavy jacket and then kicked strongly off the bottom, catching Ayashe on the way up. Ayashe struggled feebly. She seemed dazed and too weak to swim, but somehow she apparently had enough presence of mind to have held her breath. Grabbing her by her long hair, Melissa kicked toward the surface.
She broke through the water surrounded by the broken timbers of the pier. Keeping a tight hold on Ayashe she grabbed hold of a heavy spar with her other arm and looked about for help. Just a few yards away was the hull of the ship. It was now dead in the water, the collision with the dock and the warehouse behind it, having robbed it of all momentum, but the ship was the last place Melissa wanted to be. Instead she looked about for one of the ship’s lifeboats. Just now, however, there did not appear to be one in any direction. The problem with that was, that there should have been. The plan she had worked out with Jia Li and Amy required that one of the ship’s boats be launched immediately after the collision with the dock. The fact that there was no boat meant that something had gone awry, a serious problem considering that Melissa was adrift in a sea of wreckage, holding a semi-conscious Ayashe afloat and completely unarmed.
There was nothing for it but to swim for shore using the chunk of wood as support until she reached shallow water. Realizing that holding on to Ayashe was going to be an impediment to reaching the shore in safety, Melissa pulled out the belt holding up her trousers and used it along with Ayashe’s belt to fashion a crude harness that held the Métis girl to the makeshift life raft.
Pushing the heavy log ahead of her and trying not to splash too much, Melissa swam around the bow of the ship, steering through the shattered wreckage of the dock and heading for a nearby rocky promontory.
It wasn’t easy going and there was a good reason for her not to be in the water any longer than necessary. In a few minutes something was going to happen that would be most dramatic and she didn’t want to be anywhere near the ship when it occurred.
She kicked hard, closing the distance to the shore. One foot touched down and she felt the bottom. Putting down both feet she steered the log bearing Ayashe around the promontory. Before her was a small rocky beach. It was shielded from the ship by a massive limestone boulder. She was not far enough away, but it would have to do; she couldn’t take Ayashe any farther.
Steering the log to shore she removed the makeshift harness and dragged Ayashe to the beach. To her relief, the girl groaned, indicating that she was still alive. She dragged her higher up on the beach and then knelt beside her. ”Ayashe,” she called. “Ayashe, can you hear me?”
Ayashe groaned again. This time a little louder. Her eyes fluttered open. “Melissa?” she whispered.
She needs warmth and shelter. But Ayashe was nude, and Melissa’s clothes were soaked through. And I can’t start a fire even if I had the means. We’re too close to the nest of Nazis.
All she could do was Pull Ayashe close to her and try to keep her warm with
her body. It didn’t help
that her own clothes were dripping with
water.
Damn
it. Where were Jia Li and
Amy?
Jia Li waited on the starboard side of the side of the ship. In about thirty seconds they would hit the dock. Amy stood next to her. Toward the stern the small crew they had taken on board scampered for safety. She and Amy had made sure that they were unarmed, but had also let them know what was going to happen to the ship. They were now heading for the lifeboat closest to the stern.
“Brace yourself,” Amy said unnecessarily. Jia Li had a tight grip on the rail, waiting for the ship to strike the pier. A few away was another lifeboat; their planned escape after the ship struck. Almost there.
There was a shuddering crash as the ship struck. Had the two women not been clinging tightly to the railing they would have been thrown the length of the deck. Holding on grimly they waited for the ship to slow and their chance to lower the lifeboat. However, it didn’t quite turn out the way they had planned.
Bits and pieces of the pier were broken apart like kindling, and one or two pieces were hurled high into the air. A large timber arced over the ship. As Jia Li and Amy watched, it seemed to head straight for them. They ducked instinctively as it slammed into the lifeboat next to them tearing a huge hole in the side and rendering it useless.
“What the hell?” Amy exclaimed. But her surprised shout was not directed at the unfortunate smashing of their means of escape. Jia Li turned her head in the direction Amy was looking and saw Melissa sprint toward the bow of the ship and then leap over the side. That was not part of the plan, and it made no sense. There were still two other lifeboats on the port side of the ship. But there was little time to wonder about the antics of their Canadian companion. Breaking into a run, both women headed for the other side of the ship and the remaining lifeboats. They had to get off before it was too late.
This side of the ship faced the castle, which was the entire reason they had hoped to use the starboard lifeboats. Now they would be forced to evacuate the ship under the eyes of anyone looking in their direction, and with the ship having slammed into the dock almost certainly everyone in or near the castle would be looking in their direction. But they had no choice, unless they copied Melissa’s inexplicable action.
Quickly they swung the boat over the side. The ship had stopped moving, brought to a grinding halt by the mass of the shattered dock. Releasing the locking mechanism, Amy began to lower the boat with Jia Li keeping a steely-eyed watch on the shore.
So far the sudden turn of events seemed to have stunned the Germans. But it had also attracted a great deal of attention. A number of figures could be seen moving down the road toward the dock while a number of others ran from the castle and gathered outside to watch.
Amy, however, remained calm, turning the windlass that lowered the boat until it reached to water. Then both women went over the side, using the pulley ropes to slide down to the boat. They had already thrown their weapons and other gear into the boat and wasted no time in taking up the oars and pushing off. As quickly as they could they pulled the boat toward the stern of the freighter and then around the stern to the starboard side where they would be hidden from the shore. After that they rowed as hard as they could toward the bow and a rocky promontory a little farther off.
“Ten minutes,” Amy said, pulling harder.
“We’ll make it,” Jia Li grunted. Neither she nor Amy were used to rowing boats and their strokes were uncoordinated. The boat lurched through the water like a crippled water beetle, jerking its way across the surface. Both women could not help casting nervous glances toward the shore. If the Germans caught sight of them this close to the shore…. They blocked the thought from their minds and kept on rowing. Just a hundred yards or so and they would be behind the rocky outcrop.
They swung around the promontory and Amy took a quick glance over her shoulder. She gasped in surprise. She had found Melissa and also the reason for Melissa’s strange plunge into the water. Stroking even harder they turned the bow of the boat into the rocky beach.
“Is she alive?” Amy asked as she landed on the gravel.
“Just,” Melissa answered, as she lifted Ayashe in her arms and stepped toward the boat. “But we have to get her to someplace warm. Preferably as far away from here as possible.”
“We don’t have a lot of time,” Amy cautioned. “Maybe five minutes or so.”
“Then let’s go,” Melissa said, taking up an oar. She was both taller and stronger than Amy, and in spite of her cold swim she pulled strongly, helping Jia Li steer away from the shore while Amy steered and held Ayashe close to her. The Métis girl moaned softly and opened her eyes.
“Relax honey, you’re going to be alright,” Amy said. She had put a blanket around her and the girl was no longer shivering. Amy steered toward a small but deep cove, hoping that would provide the necessary protection against what was going to happen.
“One minute,” said Jia Li unnecessarily. Both she and Melissa put all of their muscle into the oars reaching the cove and pulling into it. As Amy had hoped it was narrow and steep-sided forming what she hoped was a natural bunker.
The two rowers pulled the ship into the tiny beach and leaped out. Grabbing the gunwales they dragged it ashore, pulling it onto the narrow beach. “This is going to have to do,” Melissa said. “We don’t have any time to get farther away.”
Amy and Jia Li nodded their agreement. They hunkered down against the side of the rock and waited.
Nothing happened.
“What’s going on?” Amy asked. “Shouldn’t it have gone off by now?”
Jia Li nodded. “It should have. But perhaps the collision…”
Melissa said nothing. Jia Li was the explosives expert and she had set the fuses. Supposedly she had set them up in such a way that an explosion was inevitable, but something had obviously gone very wrong. It took away a major part of their plan to storm the Nazi fortress. Now they were just three poorly armed women (not counting the barely conscious Ayashe) against hundreds of Nazi soldiers. However, they had overcome similar odds before and they would overcome these.
“We have to go,” Amy said. “I expect by now that our ‘invasion’ has been revealed. And we are like sitting ducks here.”
The words were hardly out of her mouth before there was a noise from above and a rock clattered down the steep sides of the rocky defile. They looked up and scrambled for their weapons. Or at least Amy and Jia Li did, Melissa having lost hers, but it was already too late.
“Give up, Frauleins. You are caught like rats in a trap. A single grenade and you are dead.”
The Nazi who spoke stood in plain sight. In his hand he held a single fragmentation grenade of American design. All that was keeping it from exploding was his hand on the release mechanism. If he dropped it into the narrow confines of the tiny cove, almost certainly they would all be killed. Their only escape would be a frantic scramble toward the water, and even that desperate chance would mean exposing themselves to rifle fire from the edge of the cliff.
That grim analysis was confirmed almost immediately as several more men moved alongside the first. They were armed with a mixture of assault rifles and other automatic weapons. Any headlong flight toward the boat would end in a hail of bullets.
Slowly, and without any discussion all three women raised their hands. Their rescue attempt was in tatters. They had found one of their captured comrades only to be taken prisoner in turn. Now they awaited the mercies of their Nazi captors.
Larra lay bathed in sweat. Moeller had taken her to his room for an afternoon of sex and pain, although in her world of darkness the term “afternoon” had little meaning. She kept track of the time of day by the meals she was served and what she was told by Moeller and the guards.
Moeller was not a gentle lover as he had already demonstrated. And in spite of the fact that he had forced her cooperation through threats to her companions he still enjoyed tying her up and then having his way with her in a session of rough sex.
Currently she was sprawled on the bed, her wrists bound by silken bonds to the headboard while Moeller mounted her. He was firmly between her splayed legs pumping hard while he mauled her shuddering breasts. She gasped as he lowered his head and bit hard on her nipple. He normally left her bruised and bleeding before he was through and this time was no exception. Fortunately, he had given up demanding that she show her appreciation of his efforts by having an orgasm and seemed satisfied with merely raping her until she was exhausted.
She was close to that now. He had been assaulting her for what seemed like hours and her nipples were raw and her vagina so sore that every thrust was torment. However, there was little sign that he was going to let up. If anything he seemed to be thrusting into her harder than ever.
“One day, Larra” Moeller gasped, “you will look forward to these moments with fondness. I have decided to give you to my men after you have ceased to amuse me. I expect their treatment will be mild compared to this.” He punctuated his last word by driving deeply into her and eliciting a cry of pain. He followed this with two more brutal strokes and a vicious slap across her face.
Blind, it was not a blow she could avoid and even if she had seen it coming
with her arms tied over her head all she could have done was accept the
blow. “How does it feel
to be so helpless? The mighty
How long he would have continued with his triumphal rant Larra never learned. There was a sudden chime from the telephone next to the bed. With an oath, Moeller pulled himself away from her. “Assholes. I told them not to disturb me.”
She could hear the sound of the phone being lifted off the hook, and then Moeller spoke into it. “Moeller,” he said, identifying himself. “You had better have a good reason for phoning me at this time.”
“What?” His voice sharpened
in alarm; then he swore.
“I’ll be right there.
Send someone up to tend to
Larra could hear him pulling on his clothing and cursing to himself. Something had happened, but what? There was no way of knowing unless Moeller told her.
Moeller was dressed by the time someone knocked at the door. By now Larra was used to the routine. Whenever the mood struck him, which was almost every day, she was escorted from her cell to his bedroom where he “enjoyed” her company for as long as he chose or until he left to attend to his duties as the new “Fuhrer.” Then she was taken back to her cell, where Helga cleaned her up and got her ready for Moeller’s next service call. It was a brutal regime and only bearable because she hoped that by allowing Moeller to have his way with her that he might be inclined to leave Lisha, Ayashe, and Katie alone. She knew it was a vain hope. A man like Moeller was hardly likely to show her companions any consideration no matter what he promised.
Stinking of sweat and semen she was escorted through the halls to her cell. She knew the way quite well by now, even if she couldn’t see, having traveled it at least once a day for the last week or so. The two guards who acted as her escort had done the job often enough that they didn’t even bother to taunt her any more. It did not, however, keep them from giving her a friendly fondle on the way back to her cell. Today, however, they didn’t even bother with that. She soon learned why as they led her through the halls of the castle.
“The ship ran right into the dock. Completely demolished it. Der Fuhrer is going to be very angry with the captain.”
The guard who spoke was called Pederson and the one he spoke to, Kauffman. “Someone fucked up. They’ve been making that run every week for two years,” Kauffman commented. “Moeller will have his balls.”
Larra noted that there were different levels of respect for Moeller with some of his men referring to him by his surname and others by his chosen title. However, they were all careful to call him “Fuhrer” when he was anywhere around them.
“We’re home, cunt,” Pederson said, giving Larra’s aching breasts a final squeeze. She heard the key turn in the lock and she was shoved into her cell.
The door slammed behind her and the key turned in the lock. Alone she did what she had done for the last week of her captivity. She headed toward the washroom to clean the evidence of Moeller’s rape from her body. She could handle herself quite well by now and no longer had to rely upon Helga to help her. She knew that Helga would soon turn up and looked forward to her arrival. The older woman was Larra’s only source of reliable information and although she was often reluctant to talk, she told Larra enough to know what was happening to her friends.
Apparently Katie and Lisha were being held in cells close to hers. Lisha was still recovering from the savage punishment that Moeller had meted out after she had bested him in his game of cat and mouse. She had no idea where Ayashe was except to learn that she too had been taken from her cell and loosed on the island. Moeller had returned in a foul mood, indicating that hunting the Métis girl had also not gone well. He had subjected Larra to an especially long and cruel rape that night; one that she had not completely recovered from before he had summoned her today.
Locating the bathroom, she found the tub, and using touch turned on the water. She slid herself in to the warm bath and waited for Helga. She tried not to give in to despair. Her situation seemed hopeless and there was nothing she could do to change it, but as long as she was alive there had to be some hope.
She found the soap and lathered her sore body. The perfumed scent of the soap and the warmth of the water seemed to leech some of the pain from her. She knew, however, that it would take some time for her to heal, provided Moeller left her alone long enough for any healing to occur.
She lifted her head at the sound of heavy footsteps in the bedroom. Larra knew immediately that it was not Helga. Something was wrong. Moeller never came alone and usually he sent his guards for her. But the footsteps did not sound like those of Pederson or Kauffman and in any case those two had just left.
“Enjoying your bath, cunt?” She recognized the voice at once as that of one of the men who had gang-raped her shortly after her arrival in the castle.
“It’s not right,” the voice continued, “for Moeller to keep you all to himself. He might think he’s the Fuhrer, but he’s really no better than any of us.”
“What do you want?” Larra asked, knowing the answer before she asked the question.
Her question was answered by low chuckles. She guessed that there were probably three or four men in the room, perhaps more. “Nothing you haven’t done for Moeller,” the first voice finally answered.
She recognized him now, the man she had called “Herr Arrogance” who had taken part in the violent gang-rape shortly after she had arrived in the castle. No doubt his pals Herr Thug, Herr Beast, and Herr Moaner were there too. Trapped in the bath, Larra didn’t know whether to get out or stay where she was, but that matter was taken out of her hands a few seconds later.
There was the sound of metal as a belt was unbuckled and then the voice of Herr Arrogance. “The water looks inviting. I think I’ll join you.”
Larra started to come out of the bath, but they were ready for her. They caught her hair and arms and forced her back into the water, and then they held her under. Spluttering and kicking, Larra fought for air, but there were too many of them. They lifted her kicking legs and forced her back under the soapy water. She held her breath until she thought her lungs would burst, struggling all the while to break free. But it was a one-sided contest. She could not gain any purchase on the slippery sides of the tub and with her feet lifted high her own body weight forced her under.
Her lungs about to explode she was finally allowed to surface, but they kept hold of her legs and arms while Herr Arrogance finished removing his clothes, occasionally ducking her under again when she renewed her attempts to escape.
The water surged as he stepped into the tub beside her. The men holding her arms pulled them over her head while Herr Arrogance slipped between her legs. “Ahh, this is most pleasant,” he exclaimed. He shifted his body, positioning himself so that his legs were on either side of her slender waist and the outside of his thighs forced her thighs apart. From there he was perfectly situated to fondle her breasts and sink his swollen shaft into her soft, tight cunt.
Larra grunted as he entered her. So soon after Moeller’s violent sex she was still very tender and she almost whimpered as he took her. “You like that, don’t you?” Herr Arrogance taunted, deliberately mistaking her gasp of pain for one of passion.
The men holding her arms stretched them back over her head, drawing her supple body taut and a second man got into the tub, straddling her chest and presenting his cock for her mouth. She tried to turn her head away but received a sharp slap that left her ears ringing and her eyes watering. “No you don’t, bitch,” said Herr Thug. “You know the routine. Suck me off or I’ll knock out your teeth.” He gripped her jaw, forcing her mouth open and shoved his phallus between her quivering lips.
Larra’s spirits sank as she was raped for the second time in just hours. She wasn’t sure how much more sexual punishment she could take. Slowly but surely she was being worn down, every act of sexual humiliation taking a bit more out of her. As Herr Arrogance squeezed her breasts until she moaned in pain and Herr Thug shoved himself deep into her throat she felt despair overtaking her. She had been reduced to little more than a sexual plaything for her Nazi masters.
“Out,” the Nazi officer said, motioning toward them with his assault rifle. “And bring the Indian cunt with you.”
Melissa and Jia Li moved to do his bidding while Amy moved toward a narrow cleft at the end of the tiny cove. It was just large enough for one person to pass at a time and she was seized as she exited the other end and her arms forced behind her and her wrists were bound. That was also the fate of Melissa and Jia Li. They even tied up Ayashe, although the semi-comatose girl seemed to offer no threat.
“Move over there,” the officer ordered, motioning to an open space in the trees. There were thirteen men in all and they escorted the four women to a pleasant grass-covered sward surrounded by majestic evergreens. It would have been quite a pleasant spot had the four women not been so anxious as what was going to happen to them.
The officer ordered them to line up as if they were on parade. Ayashe could not walk, but they lay her down on the grass and formed a line as the officer had ordered with the Métis girl to Melissa’s left. On her right was Jia Li and at the end of the line, Amy.
“About as attractive a bunch of tit as I’ve ever seen,” the officer observed, walking the length of the line and looking each of the captives over. “Moeller will be most pleased.”
He paused in front of Melissa and leered at the V of her blouse. Without warning he took out his S.S. dagger and held it to the top button. Melissa did not so much as flinch, glaring defiance at the Nazi officer.
The officer’s leer widened as he hooked the knife into her shirt and snipped off the first button. His grin transformed into a grimace of agony an instant later as Melissa drove her knee into his groin. He fell to the ground, his knife dropping from his fingers as he clutched at his bruised genitals.
Even as he was falling one of the soldiers lurched forward and drove the butt of his assault rifle into Melissa’s midriff. There was no way she could avoid the blow, but she had time to tense her muscles just before the heavy blow landed. It bounced off her taut belly, but drove her back several feet.
She had nothing to lose now. In for a penny; in for a pound. She stepped forward driving her foot toward the man who struck her and catching him in the chest. It was not the precision blow she would have liked, but it was the best she could do with her wrists bound behind her and it was the only blow she got in. As the soldier reeled from her kick several others jumped forward striking at not just Melissa, but also Jia Li and Amy.
Although not entirely helpless by the standards of most women, their bound wrists prevented them from defending properly. They dodged and twisted and struck back with their feet. Jia Li even got close enough to one solder to smash his nose with her forehead, but they went down under a rain of rifle butts and savage kicks and punches. Only the semi-conscious Ayashe was spared. But that was the least of their punishment.
“English Bitch,” the officer Melissa had kneed growled as she got to his feet. He walked in a slight crouch, still in obvious pain from the knee to the groin. “You’re going to pay for that.”
From her position on the ground Melissa regarded him with all of the contempt she could muster. Big deal. Like you weren’t going to rape us anyway. She had suffered several heavy blows to her torso and other parts of her body, including a boot to the head that had bloodied her nose, but she has still very aware of what was going on.
“Strip the cunts,” the officer ordered. “We’re going to have some fun with these whores.”
His command was obeyed with an eagerness that indicated all of the men had been thinking along his lines ever since taking the women prisoner. Melissa was dragged roughly to her feet, surrounded by four men, including the officer she had kneed. They took no chances with her. One man gripped her ankles while two held her arms. The officer stepped forward, and producing his dagger once more, proceeded to cut her clothing from her.
He snipped off her buttons one by one, the sharp blade of the knife just millimeters from her skin and then slashed the sleeves of her shirt so that it could be complexly removed. “Black underwear,” the officer mused. A little different, but I think I like it.” He held the blade of his dagger to the edge of her bra, threatening her right breast. Melissa held perfectly still, but did not flinch as the razor-edged blade sheered through the straps of her brassiere and then cut through the band connecting the two cups. The bra fell free, revealing her full breasts and saucy copper-pink nipples. Already damp from her dunking, her nipples stiffened in the cool sea breeze.
“Nice,” the officer muttered. Teasingly he touched the tip if the dagger to her left nipple and pressed forward lightly.
Melissa felt a thrill of fear as the sharp point nicked her ultra-sensitive flesh, but she made no sound, her deep brown eyes never leaving those of the man who sought to frighten her.
Her icy stare must have been unnerving as the officer reacted viciously, slapping her face forehand and backhand and then placing the blade of the knife against the underside of her left breast. He lifted it slightly; just enough that the skin was broken and a trickle of blood flowed down her ribcage, but she gave not the slightest sign she was in any way afraid.
“I could cut these off,” the officer sneered. He was very close; so close Melissa could smell his cologne. Melissa stared into his pale blue eyes without comment, knowing that if he wanted to carry out his threat there was little she could do to stop him. Inside her gut clenched and a thin bead of sweat graced her upper lip. She fought back a gasp of pain as he slid the knife slightly, cutting even deeper. As the blood began to flow more freely the officer laughed and removed the knife. “A bit of a waste though, when I can have so much fun with them.” He put away the dagger and twisted both nipples until Melissa winced. Then he proceeded to strip off the rest of her clothing.
Without her boots or belt it took just moments to remove her trousers, leaving her clad in only her filmy underwear. Damp with seawater they were so sheer that they hid nothing, but they lasted no more than a few seconds before the officer ripped them from her loins.
\While the three men held her the officer amused himself by exploring the contours of her vulva, finally inserting two fingers into her vagina. “Still tight you British whore. But you’ll be loose enough to fuck a horse before I’m through with you.”
Melissa could not resist a sneer. “I doubt I’ll even notice a pencil-dick like you. Go ahead and do your worst.”
The officer stuck his fingers in the blood dripping from the wound on the underside of her breast and wiped it across her lips. “Hope you like the taste. There’s going to be a bit more of this before we’re finished with you.” Her gestured toward a large tree. “Bring her over here. We’ll see how tough she really is.”
Melissa was dragged forward. She tired to ignore the sounds of her companions as they underwent ordeals similar to hers. She could not overcome a strong sense that everything that had happened was her fault. I took charge. This was my idea. And I’ve screwed up. Her sense of guilt increased as she heard a moan from Ayashe. In spite of the fact that the girl was barely conscious, two of the Nazis had decided that she was going to be their share of the spoils. One of them was already between her legs while the other held her arms over her head.
What was happening to her friends, however, was quickly eclipsed by what was being done to her. A rope was tied to her bound wrists and tossed over an overhanging branch. It was then tightened, forcing her arms up strapado. While she was bound in this helpless and painful position the officer made a point of strolling over to a patch of willows and carefully selecting a switch. “The width of my thumb. I believe that is the traditional thickness.” He made a point of peeling off the bark except for an eight inch section at one end of the six foot withe which he left as a grip. He swished it through the air, testing its flexibility and then strode over to Melissa.
“First a little discipline, fraulein and then a little pleasure. At least for me,” he grinned. He swung the withe again for effect and then stepping forward brought it down on his helpless victim.
He started with her arms and shoulders. Stretched out strapado, her upper arms were a vulnerable target, and each blow was agonizing, raising bloody welts on her biceps, shoulders and the middle of her back. He gave her a good dozen blows and then switched to her backside and thighs.
Melissa quivered under the brutal assault. The withe struck just hard enough to raise an ugly and painful welt. Although it only occasionally broke the skin, the cumulative effect was excruciating, especially once he started on her breasts.
The first blow lacerated her nipples. For the first time Melissa screamed, her cry joining that of Ayashe as one of the men raping her performed a particularly painful sexual act. Bastard. Bastard. This is all my fault. The second blow landed and she screamed again, this time louder.
“A little sensitive there, fraulein?” the officer taunted. He delivered another underhanded blow and Melissa somehow managed not to scream. “Still strong. That’s good. I want you to last a long time.” He struck again; targeting her nipples until she cried out once more then he tossed away the withe and moved toward her, unbuckling his belt.
Amy fought wildly as her clothing was stripped from her body, all of her training was forgotten; not that it would have mattered considering that her wrists were bound behind her and she was held by four men. A few yards away she could hear Jia Li fighting in equal desperation, and probably with equal futility. Her shirt was already gone, ripped to shreds by several eager hands, and they were working on her boots. In a few seconds they were gone and her trousers followed seconds later. Her assailants leered at her almost nude body, teasing her by running their hands over her breasts and loins, fondling her body through her bra and panties.
“I think we should get rid of these, don’t you, bitch?” one of the men said as he tugged on the waistband of her panties. Let’s see if she is a real redhead.” He tore off the thin wrap of silk hiding her sex and whistled appreciatively. “A natural redhead and as sweet a cunt as I’ve ever seen. Now let’s have a look at the titties.”
He snapped the straps of her bra, revealing Amy’s small, perfect breasts. “A bit small,” the soldier commented, but I wouldn’t mind sucking on those.” He tweaked her upturned rose nipples and then twisted them until she cried out. “Let’s take her,” he grinned.
The two men holding her arms shifted their grip to her ankles. Lifting her feet off the ground they spread her legs, while another man supported the weight of her shoulders. The soldier who had been taunting her moved between her thighs. He had already unbuttoned his trousers and his thick phallus stood quivering at a forty-five degree angle. Amy struggled desperately, gasping in fear. Heaving her slender body, she battled to prevent the inevitable, fighting to the end. But her actions did nothing but excite the men who held her. As the man stepped forward and thrust into her she screamed and then sobbed in fear and humiliation as he rammed into her again and again, burying his shaft deep within her.
Jia Li tried to kick out as she was dragged across the clearing. She had no idea what her captors intended to do with her, but she knew that if she was only raped her once or twice he would be very lucky.
“Stop fighting, you god-damned Chink,” one of the men holding her shouted. He brought his fist down on the back of her neck, stunning her, and then helped drag her toward the trunk of a fallen tree. They draped her across the trunk, briefly untying her hands before tying them again; this time to a pair of broken branches on either side of her. Then they proceeded to enjoy themselves.
They stared by the ritual of undressing her, beginning with pulling off her boots. Jia Li regained her senses as they started on her silk blouse, popping her buttons off in their eagerness. Stripping her to the waist they closed around her and pulled off her brassiere, revealing her firm, rounded breasts. Taller than most Chinese women by about eight inches, Jia Li was also better endowed. Her magnificent breasts quivered as she attempted to pull her wrists from their bonds. They were a tempting target and attracted the hands and mouths of her captors.
“Quite a beauty for a Chink,” one of the men commented as he groped her. “She’ll be a fine addition to the brothel. Too bad we can’t breed her.”
“I think I’m going to enjoy fucking her now matter what,” a second soldier replied as he ran his hand over Jia Li’s flat muscular belly. “She’s got thighs that could crack a walnut.”
Jia Li could understand little of what was being said. She had never mastered German, although she could speak Mandarin, Japanese, and Russian, as well as English. However, it was plain enough what he men were talking about as they tightened the ropes and stretched her out. They finished her bondage by securing her ankles to the trunks of a couple of small trees and pulling the ropes out until her magnificent body was tightly spread-eagled, her body arched across the trunk so that her head was lower than her belly. It gave her assailants the perfect opportunity to take her from both ends.
“Any biting and you’ll lose those perfect teeth,” one of the men said as he moved to the other side of the log. He emphasized his point by slapping her face hard. Then he unbuttoned his trousers and pulled out his stiffening member. He soon had it hard, and pinching her nose and chin, he forced her mouth open. He tapped the tip of his cock against her lips just as one of the other men thrust into her, and taking advantage of her gasp of pain, pushed into her mouth.
Fucked vaginally and orally, Jia Li fought for breath. She could barely breathe and the pain in her loins as the soldier took her dry was agonizing, overshadowing her other pain as the other soldiers continued to squeeze her breasts and pinch her nipples. A few feet away she heard a sharp cry, and recognizing the voice, realized that something very painful was being done to Melissa. Then she moaned as her throat and vagina were brutally invaded, her own agony and humiliation blocking out what was being done to the others.
Melissa cursed the strength that left her conscious. It would have been so much easier if she could simply have fainted, but she was not allowed that mercy. At the end of her resistance she screamed as the officer who had lashed her thrust into her from behind. He took her anally, thrusting hard against her clenched sphincter. But she was at the end of her strength. Slowly he worked his way into her, taking his time, enjoying the sweet sensation as he penetrated her millimeter by millimeter until the tiny opening was stretched to accommodate him. It was acutely painful and she could not help the moan that escaped her lips. But she was not about to be let off with just one man taking her.
One of the men slacked off the rope binding her arms, lowering her to her knees. It had no affect on the officer’s efforts to force his way into her anus, but it did make it possible for a second man to slide beneath her and a third man to jerk her head up by grabbing her hair. As she fought against the pain of the anal intercourse the second man gripped her hips. Her body was slippery with sweat and blood, but he pulled her down and slid his waiting cock into her vagina.
The forth man in the group helped hold her steady as she attempted to break free of the double rape. Pressing down on her shoulders he steadied her body as the man on his back thrust up, parting the lips of her vulva and entering her tight vagina. Almost at the same instance the soldier standing by her head twisted her head up and took her in the mouth.
He started slowly, thrusting the glans of his penis just past her lips and letting her tongue provide lubrication. She did not bite, very aware of the fact that her brutal tormentors would think nothing of smashing out her teeth if she did. She didn’t need teeth to satisfy them, just three holes that they could fuck. In agonized humiliation she suffered the triple rape as each man had his way with her. She was penetrated anally, vaginally, and orally in a nightmare that never seemed to end.
Just yards away she was aware of other sounds of suffering as her three companions were violated, but it was impossible to shut out her own pain and torment, even when the officer finally pulled out of her backside. Gasping in pleasure he lay his glistening cock on her backside and let his semen spurt over her back and the moons of her derriere.
The soldier fucking her mouth grinned and then laughed. A minute later he copied his leader by pulling out and jerking his load into her face and hair. By this time the fourth man, who had impatiently waited his turn, had replaced the officer. He wasted no time in shoving himself into her back door.
By now Melissa was almost too exhausted and beaten to scream. If anything the second rape was worse than the first. Her anal cavity was bruised and swollen and every thrust sent a jolt of agony through her. And then the world went mad.
Dripping wet, Larra was hauled into the bedroom. Herr Arrogance and Herr Thug had finished taking her in the bath, but the others wanted to fuck her in more conventional circumstances. They twisted her arms painfully behind her back, forcing her into a bent position from which she could do little more than move in the direction they wanted her to go.
They reached the bed and dragged her across it. One man pulled her arms over her head while two others held her ankles. It was Herr Beast’s turn and he adjusted her body, moving her to the edge of the bed so that he could take her while he stood at the side. Leaning forward her gave her breasts another painful squeeze, and then thrust forward.
Larra grunted in pain as he took her. She was very close to breaking and she could no longer control her responses to the brutality of her tormentors. But her stubborn will to resist and the hatred of the men who surrounded her kept her focused. Somehow she would survive. She had to. Surrender to such men was not an option. It would be her destruction.
At that moment there was a sudden vibration as if the entire castle had shifted. “What the Hell?” Herr Arrogance exclaimed. “What happened to the lights?”
Larra felt the grip on her wrists weaken. Unable to see, she could only guess what was going on by the words of the men holding her. Their excited chatter indicated that for some reason the castle’s lighting system had failed, leaving them in complete darkness.
“I don’t suppose anyone brought a torch?” Herr Moaner asked.
“Why would we need one?” Herr Arrogance replied. “Why don’t you go and get one?”
The question was really a command, but Herr Moaner was having none of it. “Get it yourself. I can’t see a fucking thing. I’m not going to break my neck blundering around in the dark.”
Larra moved without warning, wrenching her wrists free and bending her knees sharply. She caught both the man holding her wrists and the one between her legs off guard. She snapped her legs out, slamming them into Herr Moaner and driving him away from her then she rolled quickly to one side.
“What the fuck just happened?” Herr Arrogance shouted.
“The cunt just kicked me in the gut,” Herr Moaner gasped.
“Get the bitch,” Arrogance ordered.
There was confused movement as the men moved to carry out the order, but Larra slipped away. Barefoot, she moved silently around the room hoping that it really was as dark as the men had said it was. She could hear the men looking for her, crashing into furniture and running into one another.
By now she knew the layout of the room perfectly. She moved silently, but purposefully moving toward the sound of the closest man. She zeroed in on the sound of his breathing and when she judged she was close enough reached out with her left hand and contacted his face.
“Wha…” He had no time to finish the word before Larra’s fist smashed into his throat. It was enough to tell her that it was Herr Beast and she wished she could have devised something a little more painful for him. She made sure of her success by slamming her foot into him on the way down. However, the gurgling noise told her that the extra blows were probably unnecessary. As he hit the floor she was already moving, but not toward the next man, but toward the door.
She could not afford to let the remaining three men out of the room, and she guessed that once they realized what had happened to Herr Beast there would be a panicked stampede in the general direction of the exit. It took the men a few seconds to realize that one of their number was down.
“Schiese!” Herr Moaner exclaimed. “Something’s happened to Heinz. Larra could hear the men blundering around, stumbling into one another and over the furniture. She also heard the sound of a shell being injected into the chamber of a pistol.
“It’s that English whore,” Herr Arrogance shouted. “She’s killed Heinz.”
“Where the fuck is she?” Herr Thug cried. There was a distinct note of panic in his voice, an emotion that was echoed seconds later by Herr Moaner.
“I’m getting out of here,” the man yelled. Larra could hear him coming toward her. She heard him slam into a side table that she knew was right next to the door.
She crouched low, one arm extended to feel her opponent. Herr Thug ran straight into her and she uncoiled her body striking with all of her strength as she drove her foot into him. She felt the crunch of breaking cartilage and knew that her foot had smashed into his sternum. His chest shattered, and his lungs caved in, he was hurled back into the room. There was the sound of shouting and the crashing of men falling over other men.
There was also the sound of a shot and then another. The sound of the pistol thundered in the small stone-walled room along with the sound of the ricocheting bullets. Damn! Someone must have heard that. Fortunately, the bullets hit nothing. But just to make sure Larra moved from the doorway, but not before finding the door and giving it a shove. The slamming of the iron door echoed like the door of a tomb.
“Shit, she’s killed Claus,” Herr Moaner’s voice sounded. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
Herr Arrogance said nothing. Larra guessed that like her he was listening and her guess was proved right a second later. “Shut up you asshole,” his voice said. “You’ll lead her right to you.”
There was complete silence, except for Herr Moaner’s excited breathing. Larra didn’t move. She was crouched near the door, her hand on the wall to orient her. It was a waiting game, but one she could easily lose if the lights came back on. She has no idea what had cut the power supply. She could remember the slight shudder that had run through the room and guessed that had something to do with it. But exactly what it meant she had no idea.
Someone was moving. She guessed it was Herr Moaner. Herr Arrogance would be too smart. He was waiting for her to make the first move, guessing that she would not want any of them to escape. Slowly she got to her feet, tracking Herr Moaner’s cautious movements as he fumbled his way toward the door. She shifted away from the door, the sound of Herr Moaner’s movements telling her that he was feeling his way down the wall. He would pass right next to her as he headed for the door.
Then she heard a faint sound near the area of the bed and knew what it was immediately. Someone had finally thought to strike a match. The act spun her into action. Moving where she hoped to find Herr Moaner she slammed right into him. He immediately grappled with her, throwing a punch to her stomach while at the same time yelling for help. “I’ve got her Dieter. Give me a hand.”
Larra winced at the blow. Had it been thrown a fraction higher it would have hit her in the ovaries, but her iron stomach absorbed most of the blow, enabling her to fight back. It was dirty close-in combat. She went for Herr Moaner’s eyes knowing that he would pull back. It gave her room to bring up her knee, slamming into his crotch and eliciting a deafening scream. She pushed him away from her and swung him around knowing that by now Herr Arrogance or “Dieter,” as Her Moaner had called him, would probably be trying to draw a bead on her.
“Damn it, get the fuck out of the way.” Dieter’s shout showed that she had been right even as she was moving toward him.
She shoved Herr Moaner away from her and dropped to the floor, rolling for the shelter of the bed. Dieter’s voice seemed to have come from the other side of it. She knew that Dieter would only have light for as long as the match stayed lit, which would be only seconds, however, there was nothing to stop him from striking another.
“Damn!” Dieter’s curse showed that the match had probably burned out. She had to chance that the room was dark again. She jumped to her feet and charged forward, heading toward the sound of Dieter’s voice. Her foot caught in something on the floor, something that she realized was Heinz’s body. She went sprawling, her hands flying out in front of her to catch her fall. Even as she did there was a sharp retort and something tore through her hair. By pure luck stumbling over Heinz had probably saved her life.
She landed with a thump, having misjudged the distance to the floor. Half sprawled across Heinz she scrambled to her feet, hoping that by now the room was back in darkness. She could hear the rattle of matches as Dieter tried to strike another light. Hurling herself forward she bounced across the bed just as the sound of a match striking and the smell of sulphur came to her senses. It helped her home in on Dieter like a magnet. Even so, she missed her target, slamming into the wall beside him instead. Immediately she dropped, guessing and hoping that if Dieter fired his gun again he would not aim at the floor.
The gun exploded in her ear, deafening her, but she had guessed right. The bullet went somewhere else in the room and then Larra lurched toward the sound. She found Dieter and fumbled for his arm, hoping to disarm him before he could fire again. She found the gun, grabbing and twisting it while he delivered a blow to her forehead. The blow partially stunned her, but she kept her grip on the gun and struggling fully to her feet tried to knee him in the groin. But he avoided the blow and struck at her again, this time slamming his fist into her mouth.
Larra tasted blood, but turned her body and felt Dieter’s grip on the gun loosen. Then it twisted out of his grip. He grabbed at her, his arm encircling her throat and she slammed her elbow into his ribs. Pulling free she turned the gun where she hoped he would be and pulled the trigger; once, twice, three times. There was a sharp cry and then the sound of a falling body.
There was a groan from behind her and Herr Moaner spoke. “Did you get the bitch?”
“Not quite,” Larra answered.
She fired in the direction of the
voice. This time there was no
cry, just the sound of a falling body.
The light from the explosion was sudden and intense. It gave Melissa, Amy, and Jia Li time to prepare for what was coming next. The men raping them had no idea what was coming. They stopped what they were doing and looked in wonder toward the intense flash that had come from the direction of the harbour. And then the shockwave hit them.
Melissa likened the experience to having an iron door slammed in her face, and Jia Li and Amy would have quite happily agreed with that description. It swept over them with overwhelming force, lifting those of their captors that were standing from their feet and hurling them through the air.
Lower to the ground than their assailants, the three women were spared some of the effects of the blast but even so the incredible concussion left them dazed and battered; too stunned to move for several minutes.
“Should have been farther away,” Melissa moaned. She realized as she spoke that she could not even hear the sound of her own voice. She tried to push herself into a sitting position and was overcome with a wave of vertigo. She was aware that a few feet away Jia Li was also moving, but very slowly and without the faintest sound. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the roaring inside her head, but she could hear nothing other than the false noise of her own deafness and a continual angry ringing.
Only a few of the Germans were moving, but Melissa dealt with them. It was ugly work, but she wasn’t in the mood to be merciful. Pulling out of the Nazis’ S.S. dagger from its sheath she cut the throats of any man who seemed to be still alive. The action left her even more exhausted and not a little queasy.
Half sick, she fought to keep from being violently ill and staggered over to Amy. The slender redhead wasn’t moving and neither was Ayashe. Both lay as if dead, but she was able to detect a pulse in each by placing her fingers on their throat. That was something at least, but she doubted that any of them would be going anywhere soon unless they were allowed to heal.
She fumbled in one of the packs that Amy and Jia Li had brought and found what appeared to be a small bottle of cologne. Removing the cap she raised it to her lips and let a few drops touch her tongue then she handed the bottle to Jia Li.
While the Manchu girl drank Melissa sat down and let the mystical healing water do its work. Slowly she felt the dizziness recede along with the nausea. Getting to her feet she helped Jia Li minister to the two unconscious women.
The water worked as it always did. But it was not a complete cure. All of the women were left weakened, but they could not just sit and wait for a full recovery. The plan had been to take advantage of the explosion of the munitions on the ship. They expected it to have a devastating effect on the Germans and leave their enemy so confused that they could rush the castle and save their friends. They had learned enough from the captured Germans to have a pretty good idea of the disposition of the Germans in and around the castle, but having been caught in the blast themselves they had lost some of their opportunity.
However, they were not about to give up and they had already achieved part of their goal. By pure good luck they had found Ayashe. Now they had to go after Larra, Lisha, and Katie.
It took Larra a few seconds to locate the keys to the cells. She knew that one of the men had to have them otherwise they would not have been able to get in. Not surprisingly, it was Dieter, the man she had called Herr Arrogance who had them. Now she had to try to release her companions.
She knew that their cells were close to hers. During her captivity she had heard the opening and closing of cell doors when her friends had been marched out for Moeller’s “games” or for some other reason. She had to hope that the lights out condition still prevailed and that torches would be few and far between.
It was a gamble, but she had nothing to
lose. Sooner or later the Nazis
would recover from whatever had happened and send someone to check on
her. When they did they would
not be pleased with what they found.
Before she left, however, there was something she just had to
do.
She felt her way to each of the bodies of the men who had raped her. Two were dead of gunshot. The other two were injured but breathing. Larra remedied that situation with a shot to each of their temples. She also gathered up their sidearms and ammunition belts, and buckled them across her chest and shoulders. It was a bit more weight than she would have liked to carry, but she hoped to put them to good use.
She eased open the door and stepped out into the corridor. It was pointless to practice stealth; she had no way of telling if anyone was within sight of her or not. However, she did stop to listen, hoping for some clue as to what was happening around her.
All that came to her was confused and distant shouting. Fortunately, none of it seemed directed toward her and she began to feel her way slowly down the corridor. She couldn’t be sure of the exact location of her companions, but she did know that they were all held close to her cell.
She stumbled a little as she felt her way along, as much from weakness as anything else. She had managed to put the violence directed against her body out of her mind, but now she was really feeling it, from the numerous bruises where she had been beaten to the soreness in her nether region from being repeatedly violated. But she put her pain and discomfort from her mind, feeling her way along until she reached the next cell.
She fumbled for the keys and then tried the first one in the lock. Then she tried the next and the next. The fourth one fit and she turned it and the lock clicked open. Swinging open the door she stepped into the room, just in time to hear the slight rattle of chains. “Lisha?” she guessed.
“Larra.” Lisha’s voice confirmed her guess. She suspected that the Nazis would keep the volatile warrior chained at all times. She felt her way across the room, following the sound of Lisha’s voice. Not surprisingly, the layout of Lisha’s cell was similar to hers, and she located her on the bed. She was spread-eagled nude and it took no imagination for Larra to determine how the Nazis had been using her companion. Once again fumbling through the keys she tried each one on the shackles until she finally found one that fit. While she released Lisha they briefly exchanged information.
“I will be your eyes,” Lisha said, “provided this darkness ever ends.” Together the two women left the cell holding one another by the hand. It helped that Lisha knew which of the remaining cells held Katie and they fumbled their way through the darkness until they reached the door. This time Larra knew the key and soon had the door open. Like Lisha, Katie was chained although only by an iron collar around her throat. They soon had her free and she happily took two of the pistols from Larra along with two ammunition belts.
Ayashe’s cell or what they hoped was Ayashe’s cell was empty, but checking the adjacent cells proved fruitless. It appeared that their companion had either been taken somewhere else or had somehow managed to escape the hunt Moeller had subjected her to. “We can only hope,” Katie said. “But in the meantime we could see if there is someway out of here.”
“That’s an idea,” Larra replied, ignoring the ‘see’ part of Katie’s comment. “And it might also give us the opportunity to find Moeller. We’ve all got a bit of a score to settle with him.”
“And we might also find the healing water,” Katie observed. “We each had a small bottle of it with our gear.”
Lisha grunted her approval. Larra knew that her two companions were hoping that the healing water from the miraculous spring in the lost world might be a cure for her blindness. It was a hope she held as well; especially given the fact that the water had healed very severe injuries on other occasions.
It was still completely dark in the cell block and Lisha and Katie let Larra lead the way. Her frequent trips to the interrogation room and Moeller’s chambers had enabled her to memorize the way out of the cells in good detail and she led them unerringly through the various twists and turns of the corridors until they reach the main door of the cell block.
It was locked as expected, but the keys soon had it open and Katie stepped out into a dimly lit corridor. There wasn’t much light, but there was some from a few emergency lights; enough for Katie and Lisha to take over as guides.
Larra now felt useless. In the complete darkness that had descended over the recesses of the castle she had been the equal of anyone; in fact given her highly developed senses, she had proven to be superior, but now she was simply a blind woman dependent on others to see for her and to defend her. It was incredibly frustrating for someone so used to looking after herself, and doubly so in such a dangerous situation. But there was nothing she could do about it except follow along and hope that a cure for her affliction might not be far off.
Katie held Larra’s hand and led her forward. The corridors seemed mysteriously deserted. Although shouts could be heard most of them seemed to come from the outside. Something seemed to have happened that had distracted Moeller’s men, but what she was at first unable to determine.
That all changed when they climbed the stairs from the cell block to the first of the upper corridors. The heavy iron door was jammed shut and would not open until Lisha heaved her full strength against it. The door scraped open, pushing aside a heap of broken masonry. They emerged into a corridor that had been amazingly transformed from the last time they had trod it. Now it was littered with broken chunks of stone and concrete and the electric lights that had once shone from the ceiling were now shattered.
“It looks like it has been hit by a bomb!” exclaimed Katie. “Or maybe even several bombs.”
“That makes sense,” Larra said. “I felt the entire building move just before the lights went out.”
Katie recalled that she too had sensed the movement although she had been half asleep at the time. However, there were no explosions occurring now so whatever had happened it had been a short-lived event.
The euphemistically named interrogation room was just ahead and Katie led Larra through the rubble and debris toward the door. The room had very bad memories for all of them, but at least Larra could not see it. Lisha booted open the door and charged inside. She was brandishing a seven foot length of steel she had found amidst the debris.
Fortunately for anyone who might have been inside the room was empty, or at least so far as they could see. Most of the roof appeared to have caved in and what little light there was filtered in from above. “Stay here,” Katie said, releasing Larra’s hand. Leaving Lisha to guard Larra, she entered the room trying to see in the gloom. The equipment that had been used by Moeller to torture his victims was a twisted mass of metal, but Katie was not looking for that. She had seen her belongings and those of her companions placed on one of the shelves. If the small bottles of mystical water had not been moved or smashed they might prove to be their salvation.
She tossed bits of rubble aside trying to find some trace of the small medical pouches that she and her companions had worn before they were captured and stripped of their possessions. In the dim light it was difficult to distinguish much of anything, and the fact that most of the roof had fallen in did not help matters. But Katie knew that she had seen their possessions on a shelf close to the wall. Clearing the rubble away she finally came across the metal shelving unit she remembered.
A block of concrete had smashed it from the wall, but feeling around in the semi-darkness; she was able to find a familiar leather pouch. It was designed to resemble a small purse, something that would seem a natural article for a pretty woman to carry and inside was the small vial of the healing water. Well padded, it had survived being smashed and Katie eagerly took it out. After what she had been through she was in dire need of the miraculous fluid, but there was someone who needed it more.
Moving to the door she rejoined Lisha and Larra. Carefully she measured a few small drops into a small hollow in the vial’s glass stopper. Placing her hand on Larra’s shoulder she held it to her lips and watched hopefully as she swallowed.
Larra had first drunk of the healing water during her first visit to the Lost World. There the mysterious and exotic John Grey had rescued her from certain death and introduced her to the marvelous healing spring that not only healed all injuries, but also slowed the aging process. She and her companions had taken monthly doses of the water maintaining seemingly eternal youth; the very thing that had attracted Moeller’s attention. Now Katie hoped that it might heal Larra’s blindness.
Larra swallowed, hoping once again that the magic water would do its work. She felt the usual euphoric, almost erotic surge, spread through her body as its healing power took hold. For a few seconds it was almost as if her bloodstream was filled with bees; her head swam; and Katie had to hold onto her or she would have fallen.
“Are you alright?” Katie asked. Larra could sense Lisha standing close to her and then a vague image danced before her eyes.
“I think so,” she answered. She smiled in relief as Katie and Lisha swam into view. Their images were not clear, almost as if she were looking at them underwater, but it was the first people she had seen since being taken prisoner and a wave of relief swept over her.
“Your eyes?” Katie asked.
“Better,” Larra replied. “I think they will be fine in time. Just don’t expect me to win any trophies for marksmanship.” She held her hands in front of her face, delighted to see them for the first time in days. Even in those few seconds her vision had cleared even more. Taking out the two pistols she had salvaged she made sure that there was a bullet in the breech. “Let’s go,” she said. “I think we have some scores to settle.”
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