Chapter 9

(In which things get worse and worse)

"It's time you snapped out of this, Clemmy my love." murmured Alexia to her brooding, withdrawn friend and lover. It was now two months since the prison guards, sickened at what they were doing to Clemmy, but under orders to spare her nothing of her punishment, had finally got to the end of chastising her for her attempted escape. It was two weeks since she had been the given the last painful instalment of two hundred lashes on a back still raw from previous sessions. Now she was healed completely but her mind seemed still to be far away. Clemmy did her work and they hadn't raised her quotas since she was able to return to the quarry.

She would hold Alexia's hand sometimes and look wistfully at her before returning to whatever inward thoughts she was having. Alexia's coaxing loving voice went on.

"You know I can't hold the fort on your behalf much longer. What happened to that confident optimistic sunny girl I grew to love and even those other brutes got to at least respect? I miss her so badly!"

"She had the skin whipped off her back once too often, darling Alexia. She nearly died from infection and I understand it was my worst enemy who rescued me - the one who can make me call her "Madam" even though I am better than she can ever hope to be. I should have died. I wish I had. I almost made it and being caught just yards away from freedom. It's broken me, Alexia." And then she cried for the first time since her arrest and trial.

"We all felt for you, darling Clemmy. Well I did and I think the others have got to feel for you too - even those hard women. And they know they need you. You get things done around here. It's thanks to you we all got through the winter. You can speak up for us to the guards and you aren't afraid to step out of line to help us, even though you know you'll get beaten for it. It's thanks to you Irena was given clothes and put indoors when she would have died out here. No one else would have kept telling the guards she couldn't last much longer and get flogged each time. But you did and in the end they listened. I don't have that sort of courage and you do. Please don't let us down! If the others don't matter to you, then please don't let ME down!"

"I let you down by running away, didn't I? And I'd most likely try again if they took their eyes off me long enough. And why are you standing apart from me and pretending not to be talking?"

"If you had made it home, this place would have been exposed to the gaze of the whole world. Even our government would have been forced to take notice. We'd all been given decent conditions and some of us might even have been freed. So good luck if you can get away! As for standing apart from you, I hate not to be close, where I can touch you and smell you and feel the warmth of that wonderful beloved body, but I don't want people over in the admin block seeing us together right now. Your black buddy is around - I can sense it!"

For the first time in weeks Clementine showed a bit of animation. She was here because of Rashumba and her hatred was the only thing that helped her to keep even a tenuous hold on her sanity.

"I'll speak to the guard about the fights, Alexia, and see what we can arrange. I think I can take a few dozen lashes on your behalf. Now I'm healed they'll give me some anyway on some pretext or other - so what the hell! I'll do it tomorrow when we get our water break. If I'm smart enough I may get away unscathed - that's if nobody sees us talking! Wish me luck!"

It was as well that Alexia was so careful. Rashumba was indeed watching as they spoke.

With some trepidation, Clementine spoke to the almost friendly guard.

"About the organised fights between the cage women, Madam." she whispered when they couldn't be overheard by any other guards. "Is there a chance of arranging anything now that I've been properly punished and the working day had been shortened again? I think it might be good for morale and I know the staff were entertained when they used to take place. There isn't one of us who won't put up a good show. I promise you that. And I could help train the others. I learned how to fight at my school in England."

"I'll look into it" replied the friendly guard "Before you came to join us there were quite a lot of them, mainly to entertain us, as you say, but also to settle quarrels and stop things boiling over in that cage. But recently I think there is talk of filming some contests and marketing them. Don't get any bright ideas, Clementine. No fights involving you will be included! If I do as you ask, that means they'll know where the suggestion came from! After all, Clementine it could only be you who'd be brave enough and silly enough to stick out her neck! Sorry about that, but I'm sure you knew. I like you but I have a job to think of. Get back to work."

"What's poor old Clementine done this time?" asked Olga as the cage people's fair-haired leader was led away to be flogged that evening. "Doesn't she ever learn, that stupid bitch? Or does she actually like having her back made to look like raw meat!

"She did it for us, Olga" said Alexia. "She tried to raise the fight idea with a guard. So she gets whipped once more and perhaps as a result, we get a bit of action and something more than work and sleeping to occupy our minds. I'm sure you can't wait to be let loose on some poor bitch and beat her senseless! And in any case we get to see her whipped again and we all enjoy watching that - don't we!" Alexia didn't enjoy it, but she knew the others did, whatever their respect and even liking for Clemmy.

"I see. Yes, I would like to fight a few of you bitches. It makes me feel good to knock people out! I'm sorry about what I said in that case. Glad she's come back out of her shell at long last. I hated the woman when she came here but she's a better leader than I ever was. She really thinks about us and puts herself last every time. Good old Clemmy, that's what I say!"

There was a murmur of agreement from all the assorted murderesses and they all settled down to watch their beautiful leader get a really good whipping. Two guards stood behind her one on either side and alternately lashed that much abused back until the blood ran all down it once again. Everyone agreed that she took the hundred and fifty splendidly and without a murmur, not fainting once. Just like the Clemmy of old!

"How was it, sweetheart?" asked Alexia as she licked her lover's wounds later that night.

"You do ask the stupidest questions, Alexia! I'll never get to enjoy pain like two people I know, one very dear to me and another one not dear to me at all! If I could this place might not be such total hell on earth. But after all this time, I can take it and survive and that's all that matters. I wonder how many more I'll get before I get out of here. I don't really want to think about it. Thousands and thousands at this rate!"

"At least Mistress Rashumba didn't do it! She would have had you dancing very prettily to her tune!"

"Don't mention her, angel-face, not just as I was beginning to enjoy myself for a change. I love your sweet tongue on my poor whipped back. Just lick my wounds in that gentle way of yours and cut the talk."

"Do you know something my sweet?" said Clemmy a bit later as the pain began to ebb.

"What darling?"

"I shall have been here in this cage a year tomorrow, although It feels like for ever. And there are still another eleven years to come. Plus a bit extra for my escape attempt. Thank heaven for you. Don't ever leave me, Alexia."