CHAPTERSIXTEEN
DANA
When the bag over Dana’s head was removed, she found herself in another room wearing nothing but a black velvet robe. They had managed to remove her clothing like a swarm of goblins, pulling and clawing at her dress until she was completely naked.
Dana couldn’t even feel her bra or underwear.
The room was cast in that blood-red light once more, except the walls were draped in curtains around the entire circumference. Each had a corded pulley attached to them, giving Dana more surreal vibes than the ones she had upon initial arrival.
“Here.”
A woman in a robe and wolf’s mask pushed something into her hands. Dana nearly fell over, not realizing that they had been put upon a literal pedestal.
“What’s this for?” Dana asked though she wasn’t entirely sure why.
“Put it on,” the woman instructed.
Even though she was wearing a mask, Dana had a distinct impression that the woman wasn’t a woman at all but a young girl. It made Dana feel nauseous.
The girl stepped away and climbed up onto her pedestal. Dana looked down and saw that the mask in her hands was panther-like with fiery, green eyes.
She looked up suddenly, wondering where the hell Rux was.
“Put it on!” the young girl hissed.
Dana put the mask on hastily and stood there, looking forward at the way the rest of the girls and women were in the strange place. The way they all stood, motionless and void of personality, made Dana think of the mannequins in the storefront window.
Then, everything clicked in her mind like an avalanche.
Her heart began racing like a rabbit as someone pulled on the cord, drawing the curtains aside to reveal that the walls were all made of glass.
Behind the glass were men, also donning masks of all shapes and sizes, looking in on them. A few leaned in, getting a closer inspection.
Oh, fuck, they’re auctioning us.
Dana was afraid to make a single move. There wasn’t a door in sight, and she had no idea how they had brought her into the room in the first place. She could feel her naked body shaking beneath the robe, having never been so violated in her entire life.
“Gentlemen, ladies,” a voice said from a PA system. “Please take your seats. The auction will begin in a few minutes.”
Dana tried to look around without moving her head. The rest of the women and girls remained still, and she didn’t want to stand out in any way. She tried to calm herself and formulate a method of escape.
The people behind the glass all took their seats like they were preparing to watch a refined theater performance. Dana hated them, hated every single one of them, for thinking that their money could, in some way, shape, or form, make up for their vile behavior.
The plan, what’s the plan?
“All right, folks,” the voice over the PA said casually. “We will begin left to right with each lovely lady displaying their tastiest features.”
Dana shot her look to the left, realizing that she was on the far end to the right. It gave her time to think, but truly, what the fuck did it matter?
“Please step forward, item number 1.”
The woman to her farthest left stepped off the pedestal and stood at the center of the room. Facing the glass, she dropped her robe to the floor, much to the awe and gasps of the spectators in front of her.
Dana was shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm. Bids for the woman began firing off like she were one of the classic cars at the auction she had attended. Or worse, a piece of meat.
“Okay, that’s number 1 sold to the man in the white Stetson,” the PA rang out.
A man behind the glass in a giant cowboy hat lifted it off of his head with an ugly grin that sickened Dana to the depths of her soul.