“Okay, Kelly. This is how it works. A car will pick you up from the back exit and take you to a secure location for the night. Once you are situated there, no one will be allowed in or out. There are guards situated nearby to protect you in the event that you are traced to us before we can get you out of here.”
“Does that happen often?” Kelly asked.
Her heart was thudding haphazardly inside her chest. Now that this was actually happening, she found she was a bit terrified. She was trusting her life to people she didn’t know, people she wasn’t sure how well Sheila knew. What if she just disappeared and not because she got a new identity? What if they just killed her and kept her money? Who would know?
“No, but it has happened. Usually because people didn’t follow our instructions. I’m going to need any communications devices you might have.”
“What if I need to contact someone?”
“You won’t, or you shouldn’t. Everything you were before you leave the back exit of this building is now gone. There is a chance that you can be traced if you contact the outside world using the same devices you’ve been using.”
“So, I’m just stuck in some hole with nothing but the walls to stare at?” Kelly asked, fishing out her phone and tablet from her bag and handing them over.
“No. We aren’t quite that austere with our transition. You will be very comfortable. The location has books, magazines, puzzles, art supplies...pretty much anything you might want to pass the time. There is a television and stereo system with radio and CD capabilities. Afraid there is no streaming service, no Wi-Fi-for obvious reasons.”
“What if I get hungry?”
“The room is fully stocked with all sorts of snacks and drinks. A hot meal will be delivered to you by the guards if requested. There is an intercom you can use to contact them for anything else that you might need, but don’t get crazy. They are there to ensure your safety, not to be your errand boys.”
“Sounds a bit like prison,” Kelly said, her face wrinkled into a scowl.
“Perhaps it is a bit like that, but you’ll only be there long enough for us to get your credentials in place and find a location for your transfer.”
“If I don’t want to pursue the employment option, can I choose my own location?”
“No. We choose areas based on specific criteria that helps us ensure you make an unfettered transition. Now, if you arrive in a location and it’s not for you, you are always free to move wherever you like, including back here, but I would think that is not an option.”
“Certainly not.”
“Very good. I’m going to take you back now. In the morning, I will come to you and we will sort out the final details.”
“Thank you,” Kelly said. She retrieved her small suitcase and slung her bag over her arm in preparation for departure.
Charlotte nodded, and then, as if to demonstrate that she wasn’t as cold as she seemed, she reached out her hand and placed it on Kelly’s own.
“You will be just fine, Kelly. We’ve helped dozens of women just like you escape this place.”
Kelly nodded and smiled as Charlotte pulled back her hand and gestured for her to follow. They walked down the hallway and out the back door, where a fierce-looking woman stood waiting for her. Kelly marveled at her a bit as she opened the door to a dark sedan. She looked like some sort of Amazon warrior. Kelly climbed in and sat down, listening as her meager belongings were placed in the back and the woman took her place behind the wheel. They rode wordlessly for the better part of an hour up into the mountains, stopping in front of a rather foreboding-looking dark structure.CHAPTER THREEEverything seemed to move quickly once she was locked away in the massive safehouse provided by the service. Kelly had thought the hours would be long, but she had felt exhausted and fallen asleep, despite her earlier anxiety. When she awoke, it was nearly seven and she was starving. The guards, as promised, had brought her a meal fresh out of the oven from the kitchen contained in the building.
Kelly ate at the small table in the large studio-style apartment, watching old episodes of Bargain Hunters. There was not a lot in the way of choice with all streaming unavailable and only broadcast programming to view. Still, it passed the time. She milled around, looking at the books on the shelf and finding one of particular interest. It was a journal.
Inside, there was a caution not to write anything that might reveal her identity. Beyond that, there were messages from, what she assumed were, women who came here before her, each expressing their fears, even while hoping for a bright future. Some had a single letter as signature and some weren’t signed at all. There were other omegas, but there were also the laments of the battered, sexually assaulted, and other mistreated souls. She found tears in her eyes. Like the nameless women who came here before her, she was both afraid and reassured.