[43] Taken

The damp, musty smell hit them before the tarp was fully removed. Blinking against the sudden harsh light, Chloe, Brittney, Akira, and Ms. Heather found themselves in a cramped, dimly lit basement with cold, concrete walls and flickering bulbs that cast eerie shadows. Iron bars lined one side of the room, and the floor was littered with damp straw and trash. They were crammed into small cages, thick metal bars separating them from any chance of escape.

Chloe, always quick to show her anger, gripped the bars of her cage, her knuckles turning white. "Where the hell are we?" she shouted, her voice echoing through the dark space. "Who the fuck do you think you are, locking us up like this?"

Before she could say anything more, a man stepped forward from the shadows, dressed in garish, oversized clothes—pimp clothes, with a long, brightly colored fur coat, feathered hat, and multiple rings on his fingers that glinted under the dim light. He held a whip, which he unfurled slowly as he grinned at Chloe, his eyes glinting with sick amusement.

Without warning, he snapped the whip, and it lashed across the bars, inches from Chloe's face. She flinched, stumbling back, her defiant expression faltering.

"You speak only when spoken to, girl," he sneered, his voice low and taunting. "In my place, I don't tolerate sass from little brats like you."

Chloe's face flushed with anger, but she stayed silent, glaring at him. Beside her, Brittney held her arm protectively, shooting Chloe a look that said to stay calm—for now.

Ms. Heather, who had been crouched silently in her own cage, looked up, her face pale but determined. She knew they couldn't afford to provoke this man any further, not without knowing more about their situation.

She cleared her throat, trying to steady her voice. "Excuse me, sir," she said, her tone polite but firm. "Could you tell us where we are? We don't mean any trouble."

The man's grin widened as he turned his attention to Ms. Heather. "Well, well. At least one of you has some manners." He cracked his knuckles, stepping closer. "Name's Slippery Joe. You can just call me Joe, though. We don't stand on ceremony here in New Vegas."

"New Vegas?" Akira whispered, clutching her knees to her chest as she glanced around, her voice trembling. "Where… where even is that?"

Joe's grin widened. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough, sweetheart. We've got quite the setup here, and you ladies are gonna be the stars of the show."

Brittney's face twisted in disgust. "You're sick. Whatever you think you're gonna make us do, it's not happening."

Joe's expression darkened, and with a flick of his wrist, he cracked the whip in Brittney's direction, the sound snapping through the room like gunfire. Brittney flinched but glared back, refusing to show fear.

"Oh, it's happening," Joe sneered. "And I suggest you make it easy on yourselves. You see, I don't care if you like it or not. You're here to make me money, and I don't like when my investments don't cooperate."

Ms. Heather took a deep breath, her voice calm but pleading. "Please, we don't want any trouble. Just… let us go. We won't cause you any problems."

Joe chuckled, his eyes raking over her with a twisted interest. "Oh, I'm counting on you not causing trouble. And I've got just the thing to make sure of that."

He reached into a nearby crate and pulled out a pile of clothing—if it could even be called that. Lacy, revealing costumes with gaudy feathers and sequins, the kind of outfits that wouldn't look out of place in a sleazy nightclub.

Joe tossed the costumes into each of their cages with a mocking smile. "Put these on. You've got three minutes. If you're not dressed by then, you'll get a taste of this." He raised his whip, letting it dangle ominously.

Chloe picked up the outfit with two fingers, her face contorted in disgust. "You've gotta be kidding me. I'm not putting on this… this trash."

Joe's face hardened, and he took a menacing step toward her cage. "Oh, you will, princess. Or I can make things real unpleasant for you."

Brittney gripped Chloe's arm, whispering urgently, "Chloe, don't. Just… don't make it worse."

Chloe looked at Brittney, her defiance faltering slightly as she took in the seriousness of Brittney's expression. She clenched her jaw, muttering a curse under her breath as she reluctantly picked up the outfit.

Akira, her hands trembling, picked up her own costume, her face pale as she stared at it. She looked over at Ms. Heather, who gave her a small nod of encouragement.

Ms. Heather's voice was soft but firm. "Just put them on, girls. We'll get through this, but we have to stay calm."

Joe smirked, watching them with amusement as they began to change, each of them grimacing as they put on the gaudy outfits. Akira wrapped her arms around herself, clearly uncomfortable, while Chloe muttered curses under her breath, shooting daggers at Joe every chance she got.

Once they were dressed, Joe looked them over with a sick satisfaction, nodding approvingly. "Now that's better. Starting to look like you belong here."

Brittney crossed her arms, her face hard. "You're not gonna get away with this, you know. People are gonna come looking for us."

Joe laughed, the sound echoing through the dark room. "Oh, I doubt that. Out here, people don't just 'go missing'—they disappear. No one's gonna be looking for you. And even if they did, they wouldn't get far."

Ms. Heather, still trying to keep her composure, looked at him with pleading eyes. "Joe… please. We're not here by choice. Just… let us go, and we won't cause you any trouble."

Joe's face softened slightly, but the cruelty in his eyes remained. "Nice try, sweetheart. But you're all mine now. You'll do as I say, and you'll make me a lot of money doing it. Welcome to New Vegas."

Chloe couldn't hold back anymore. She gripped the bars, her face twisted with anger. "You're a disgusting, pathetic excuse for a human being. I hope you rot in hell."

Joe's grin faded, and he raised his whip, cracking it against the bars near her hand. She jumped back, biting her lip to hold back a cry of pain.

"Keep talking, princess," he sneered, "and we'll see just how tough you are. Around here, you do as you're told, or you pay the price."

Brittney glared at him, a fire in her eyes. "You think scaring us is gonna make us your puppets? You're out of your mind."

Joe chuckled, turning toward the door as he looked back at them. "Keep that fire, girls. You'll need it. But remember… you're here to survive, not thrive. And the sooner you realize that, the easier this'll be for you."

He turned and disappeared up the stairs, his laughter echoing through the dark room as he left them alone in their cages, each of them dressed in demeaning costumes, feeling the weight of their situation sink in.

Akira leaned against the bars, her voice barely a whisper. "What… what are we gonna do?"

Ms. Heather wrapped her arms around herself, her face tense but determined. "We stay calm. We don't give them a reason to hurt us. And we wait. There will be a way out. We just have to be patient."

Chloe, her fists clenched, muttered, "If I get one chance… just one chance, I'm putting a bullet in that guy's head."

Brittney looked at her, her own expression hard. "Yeah, well, let's just make sure we survive long enough to get that chance."

The four of them sat in their cages, the reality of their captivity settling over them like a dark cloud, each of them silently vowing that they would find a way to escape—or die trying.

Q: What do you think will happen next?