Chapter 44

On her knees, in the supplicating pose of a servant girl groveling before her master, Charmagne whimpered as Kali lashed her pussy with her tongue.

The long overnight shift at the lookout had been revelatory for Kali. She discovered a side of Charmagne she didn’t know existed. A softer side. An emotional side. A feminine side. They talked for the entire eight hour shift, sharing stories of their traumatizing childhoods, past loves and failed relationships, satisfactions, and regrets. Oh, so many regrets.

They talked about their relationship with Mike. Charmagne had fallen deeply in love with him, and wanted to have his child, but she feared that he would never be open to a long-term relationship with her because she didn’t think she was good enough for him. And with that admission, Charmagne peeled back her defenses to show Kali what was inside.

Despite her outward confidence and fearlessness, inwardly, Charmagne was far more fragile and vulnerable than anyone knew. Something she hid to protect herself. She’d been abused by men her entire life. Both physically and emotionally. The physical pain she could endure. She was tough that way, and could fight back. But it was the emotional pain they caused her that did the most lasting harm.

Charmagne loved men, and she entered into relationships the way she entered buildings. By kicking in the front door and striding in. She fell in love easily, and men took advantage of her for it. They manipulated her emotions, gaslighted her, stole money from her, used her for sex, and cheated on her constantly. They belittled and insulted her in front of their friends. They called her a fat slut, a cunt, a bitch, and a whore. They were cruel to her when all she wanted was to give them her love.

Because of her experiences in high school, Kali was far more jaded and suspicious of men at the start of a relationship, but she eventually fell into many of the same emotional abuse traps as Charmagne. Especially the lying and cheating. Her ex-husband started cheating on her before they were even married, and carried on with numerous women throughout their short marriage.

Both women had searched in vain for a mythical man who could be good looking without being a cheater. Who they could open their hearts to without being taken advantage of. Who treated them with kindness and respect. Who valued them as people and saw them as equal partners.

It took an exploding star for them to finally find him, and now they lived in constant fear that they might lose him to someone else. Someone better looking. Someone younger. Women were drawn to Mike. He exerted an almost gravitational pull. They both knew that he would never be without a woman in his bed unless it was by choice.

Kali shared many of Charmagne’s hopes and fears. She wanted her relationship with Mike to become permanent. To one day become his wife. But she saw the way the other women, and the girls especially, looked at him. They were all potential competition and they would be relentless in their pursuit of him. In fact, at least one of those girls had already wormed her way into his bed. Michelle Hsi.

When Mike told her what he intended to do with the seventeen-year old, it tested her trust in him to its limits. Sensing that strain, he was very forthcoming with her. He explained about his former sideline business building sex machines for wealthy Hollywood clients, and the videos he made, and how they ended up on the internet. He told her how Michelle and her friends found those videos online and became obsessed with them, ultimately leading to their assault on him in the basement.

Even after all of that, however, Kali still couldn’t accept that a girl so young was really ready for that kind of sexual relationship with a man his age. Then he showed her Michelle’s drawings and notes. So much detail. So much obvious forethought. It was undeniable that Michelle knew exactly what she wanted, and who she wanted to get it from.

Michelle was only the first. More would follow, and soon. Charmagne told her about Alexis, and her infatuation with Mike. How she intended to fuck him and wanted a relationship with him. What chance did two older, overweight, plain-looking women like Kali and Charmagne have against the Theresas and Rachels of the world, let alone the Michelles and Alexises? None, whatsoever.

Every morning, when she woke up in bed next to Mike, Kali wondered if that night had been her last with him. That he had finally filled his dance card and would start dropping names off the bottom of the list. Her name. And she was honest enough with herself to recognize that once her name was scratched, it was never going back on.

Although she didn’t use the term, Charmagne described polyamory as a potential strategy for expanding that dance card. To willingly accept other women into their relationship with Mike. To invite them into their bed and share him, and themselves, fully.

It was something Kali never would have considered before the star, but the world had changed. According to Mike, the gender imbalance wasn’t just a phenomenon unique to Scirewood. It was happening everywhere. He and Marcus were still working through the math, and he qualified his estimate by pointing out that the sample size was too small, but he said the ratio could be as high as three women for every two men.

The odds were firmly stacked against women on the margin like Kali and Charmagne. They no longer had the luxury of being demanding or particular. Otherwise, they could easily find themselves on the outside looking in. A man like Mike was a unicorn. How many more men like him could possibly be out there? She didn’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise her if you could count them on one hand.

As usual, when Kali expressed her misgivings about bringing other women into the relationship, Charmagne pointed out that she was already doing it with her. What was one more woman? Or two, or five, or ten? As long as the two of them were satisfied and taken care of, what did they have to complain about? Besides, during times when Mike might be busy doing other things, or other women, the two of them could pass the time pleasuring each other.

This was the other topic they discussed at great length. Their relationship with each other.

Kali confessed her confusing feelings for Charmagne. How she couldn’t get her out of her mind, and often thought about the two of them together in bed. Not just with Mike, but also alone. She felt something for Charmagne that she interpreted as love, but she wasn’t sure if that’s what it really was. All she knew was that she looked forward to seeing her every day, and got wet between the legs when she thought about fucking her.

Charmagne professed similar feelings for Kali, but unlike Kali, she was certain it was love. A different kind of love than what she felt for Mike, but love nonetheless. However, she wasn’t sure if she would feel the same way outside of their three-way relationship with him. Her strong feelings for him blended with her feelings for Kali, but he was the common link. Without him holding it together, would the parts remain?

They discussed that possibility for some time, before Kali suggested a simple way to test the theory. Mike would be gone all night with Michelle. They would have Kali’s bedroom all to themselves.

Kali was nervous at first. Mike had always been in control of what happened in bed, but Charmagne took charge and guided her through the initial awkwardness. They started slowly. Kissing and fondling each other. Kali licked and sucked on Charmagne’s nipples, then kissed her way down her belly to her pussy. By the time she brought Charmagne to a shuddering orgasm, her anxiety had eased, giving way to eagerness and desire, and the two women found pleasure in each other. It was different without Mike, for sure, but still intimate and passion-filled. They fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Dawn would light the sky soon, and then it would be time for their shift at the observation post, but Kali wanted to fuck Charmagne one more time before they had to get out of bed.

This wasn’t her bedroom. The small bunk bed creaked when Linda sat up and rubbed her groggy head. The dim baseboard nightlights told her she was in one of the bunk rooms at Overton House. Across the room, she saw Endora and Grace, sound asleep in each other’s arms.

Why was she still there? She remembered coming there to undo her ill-advised attempt to thwart Endora’s inappropriate sexual conduct, which had backfired terribly. The girls revolted against her. Not just Endora and her three lesbian sluts, but Alexis as well. And at the center of it all was Mike Messina, pumping his fist in the air and shouting that stupid line. My pussy, my choice.

Kristin. Her face tightened and her eyes warmed with tears. She remembered now. She didn’t want to go back home. She couldn’t bring herself to bury Kristin. To see her lifeless body again, ravaged by the effects of radiation. She must have cried herself to sleep.

She had to do it, though. She couldn’t just leave her lying there in the bed to rot. She needed to be laid to rest. Linda rose from the bed and snuck out of the room. The darkened halls of Overton were still and quiet at that predawn hour. At the bottom of the stairs, she stopped at the kitchen for a glass of water. Her jaw was still sore, and her tongue hurt. She felt dehydrated.

Down the hall, the light was on in the nurse’s office. Renata must be in there. She was the only person left at Scirewood who still respected her. The lone holdout against Mike’s corrupting influence. She went to the open door and poked her head in, startling her.

“Oh my god, Linda. You scared the shit out of me,” Renata said with her hand over her heart. Then she saw the expression her on face. “How are you feeling? Did you sleep okay?”

“They’ve suffered long enough,” Linda said. “We need to finally give them peace.”

Renata looked at her with concern. “Who?” she asked, but it was obvious she understood exactly who Linda meant. The terminal patients.

“They have no chance to survive, and they’re in terrible pain. I want you to help them transition, Renata. Mercifully. With grace and dignity. Can you do that?”

“Linda...”

“I won’t tell you how to do it. Discuss it with Kali, and figure it out, but do it today. Please, Renata. I can’t bear to think of them suffering for even one more day.”

Renata nodded, the relief obvious on her face. “We’ll take care of it. I promise. Go home, okay? You need to rest.”

Linda stared into space for a moment, then turned without saying another word. She’d go home, but there was one last grim task she still needed to do before she could rest.

Stars twinkled at him from behind the aurora. The rain clouds had mostly dissipated, Mike noticed as he drove Michelle back to the dormitory in the golf cart, although thick, foggy mist still clung to the tallest peaks and drifted into the vales. The smoke, they called it here. The Great Smoky Mountains lay just thirty miles to the west, and these foothills were its siblings.

He was tired after his long night with Michelle, and looked forward to crawling into a warm, cozy bed and snuggling up with Kali and Charmagne. He looked down at Michelle. She rode in his lap, her face nuzzled in his chest, hugging him tightly. She was exhausted.

Her stamina and determination impressed him so much. Given her petite size, he thought it would take longer than just one night to make her ready, but everything he put inside of her, she took. Five foot nothing and not even a hundred pounds, Michelle was the tiniest girl he’d ever had sex with. Despite knowing intellectually that he would fit, watching his cock disappear into her tiny asshole had been nerve-wracking.

Although he could probably put her on the Bull now, he wanted to give her a few more days, maybe even a week, to rest and continue training. She was going to be incredibly sore when she woke up later, and her vagina and anus would contract. He was sending her back with a set of dildos and butt plugs to keep herself limber, until it was time for her to meet the Artificer.

He pulled up underneath the carport, but Michelle didn’t move to get off his lap, so he carried her into the entryway before setting her down. Her face sagged with fatigue.

“Can you make it upstairs?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

She wiped her eyes and nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“You sure? Do you need me to carry you?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m good,” she said through a yawn.

“Okay,” he said, cupping her face. “You did really good today. I’m proud of you.”

The tiniest smile showed her appreciation. It was all she could manage. “My pussy hurts,” she said, reaching between her legs to hold herself there. “And my butt too.”

“Yeah, it’s probably going to be uncomfortable for a day or two. Don’t do anything today, okay? Just stay in bed and rest. You can start using the dildos and butt plugs again in the next day or two. Just be careful and go slowly. Did you get the lube?”

“I got it.”

“Good. You can never use too much, okay? Especially in your ass.”

“Okay.”

She paused, then reached for him. They hugged. Then she pulled him down for a kiss. A soft, tender kiss that quickly blossomed to something more passionate. He finally broke it. This wasn’t the place for that.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “I’ll never forget tonight.”

Mike brushed her hair back and chuckled softly. “There’s still a lot more to come, kiddo,” he said, then hardened his expression and deepened his voice. “I’m going to fuck you, Michelle. I’m going to fuck you so hard, you won’t be able to walk. Are you ready for that?”

Her smile widened and she nodded vigorously.

“Good,” he said, his voice returning to normal. “Now, get some sleep and I’ll see you later.”

They kissed again, and then she disappeared behind the sheet dividing the entryway from the clinic. Mike sighed, then turned to the door to Kali’s room. It was locked, so he knocked softly.

“It’s me,” he said in a loud whisper.

Kali opened the door, naked and breathing heavily. Behind her, on the bed, Charmagne waited with her legs spread.

“Get your fucking ass in here, Mike, and fuck the shit out of us! We been waiting all night!”

Mike hurried inside, shushing her. “You mind shouting that a little louder?” he asked with a laugh. “I don’t think they heard you on the fourth floor.”

He shut and locked the door behind him.

She waited a few minutes before emerging from the coat closet across from the dormitory supervisor’s room. Sneaking through the front entry, she paused briefly to listen at the door. Loud, grunting sex. She gagged.

Mike fucking Messina. That child molesting son of a bitch!

She knew it all along, and this was the irrefutable proof she needed. Of course he raped those girls in that basement. Of course he did. Only a mindless idiot would ever have thought otherwise.

When Linda saw him pull up in the golf cart, she was shocked to see them together. What the hell was Mike doing out with Michelle Hsi at five o’clock in the morning? Fortunately for Linda, Mike was obsessed with energy conservation, and made sure all the unnecessary lights were turned off at night. Otherwise, he would have seen her standing there and could have made up an excuse. Instead, she ducked into the closet when they approached the front entry, keeping the door cracked so she could observe and listen to them.

He fucked that poor little girl. Even worse, he sodomized her, and he threatened to do it to her again. It was one thing for the students to fuck each other. She didn’t like it, but there was nothing immoral about it. Just kids experimenting.

For a degenerate, middle aged man to fuck a child - a little girl - was unambiguously rape, and the very definition of evil. Anyone who argued otherwise was morally bankrupt and probably a child molester themselves.

He had to be stopped. It was clear as day, now. No one else was going to lift a finger to help those poor children. He had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. He was even fucking that disgusting, toothless bumkin. No doubt to keep her looking the other way and watching his back, while he diddled those girls. And Kali. She always suspected that cunt was spreading her legs for him.

Linda was alone. They were all against her now. No one else saw what Mike was doing. Either that, or they were complicit. His co-conspirators. Agitating the girls into protesting for their so-called emancipation, just so he could fuck all of them with impunity, right out in the open. But she was never going to let that happen. Not in a million fucking years.

It was long past time to get rid of Molester Mike, once and for all.

Her righteous fury faded the moment she entered her house, and her heart grew heavy. She was up there, waiting to be put into her final resting place. Linda found a roll of duct tape in her utility drawer and carried it upstairs with her.

Kristin’s eyes were open, as was her mouth, in an expression of eternal surprise. Linda wrapped her in the bedding. A job made ten times more difficult with her broken arm. That thieving little cunt, Endora. Fuck her. She’d get hers too, but not before Mike was dead.

After sealing Kristin’s shroud with duct tape, Linda had to figure out how to get her downstairs, out the back door, and into the ground. It seemed an impossible task with only one arm. Rummaging around in the cellar for possible solutions, however, she found a thick extension cord. By tying one end around her waist, and the other around Kristin’s legs, she could drag her body behind her like a sled.

Outside in her garden, she did her best to handle the shovel with one hand. It took ages to dig just a two-foot deep hole. Barely deep enough to cover her over. She didn’t even bother using the shovel for that. She simply kicked and swept the dirt over her with her feet and arm. Then she laid on top of Kristin’s grave to cry.

Exhausted and emotionally drained, Linda dragged herself upstairs to clean off the dirt and mud. She undressed and wrapped her makeshift cast in a plastic trash bag. Kali and Renata had fashioned it out of foam, strips of wood, cardboard, and athletic tape. The shower felt like icy needles on her skin, but the bracing cold water snapped her out of her depressive melancholy. It made her feel more alert and sharpened her mind.

Pumping body wash into her hand, she stepped out of the water to lather her body, thinking about Mike. How to do it, and when? She needed to get him alone, isolated from the others, then inject him with the Rohypnol. According to the research she did after the packing list was discovered outside Mike’s workshop, it was fast-acting, and a large enough dose would stop his heart. Without a medical examiner to do an autopsy, it would be assumed he had a heart attack or a stroke.

Linda reached between her legs to clean her pussy, and sighed as her hand slid effortlessly over the smooth skin she found there. Enjoying the sensation, she continued rubbing herself, taken by how good her pussy felt under her hand. Then she paused and looked down, bending further to see past her protruding belly. She rubbed herself again. What the hell? She was completely bald down there. Someone had shaved her pussy.

Meal prep for movie night began in the early morning, as girls gathered in teams of two and three to start gathering ingredients and organizing recipes for dishes they would later help prepare. Their creativity proved the versatility of the limited forty-item ingredient list. Among the dishes the girls either recalled making at home or invented on the spot were tuna pasta salad, hearty chicken and rice casserole, vegetarian chili, couscous and roasted nut salad, lentil and vegetable soup, peanut butter and honey cookies, and almond and fruit bars. And, of course, Rachel’s highly coveted bread dough.

Because of Team Food’s foresight and planning, finding the ingredients had been simple. A precise inventory of the food within each container was maintained in a master log book. Clipboards hung inside the door of each container, with a printed diagram showing the twenty pallets therein, and a list of what was on each pallet. Anytime someone removed a case from the container, they noted it on a checkout sheet. At the end of each week, those checkout sheets would be collected and used to update the master logbook. By utilizing this system, they could monitor their consumption and know at any given moment exactly how much food they had left.