<div class="floatright">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/rcburner/TattooBlondeWomanphoto-1.jpg)</div><br/><em>"Unbelievable.  The Beast has a bitch?  Didn't even think he had the proper equipment left for that.  Is it even possible for a <strong>thing</strong> like that to feel horny?  Though it was asexual or something."</em><br/><br/>Elizabeth woke up in a daze, voices echoing faintly through the invisible crack in the wall that led to her makeshift quarters.  Unconsciousness had come suddenly, dreamless and safe.  Against all odds she was still alive.  Exhaustion still gripped her, but there was a new energy pulsing within that kept her mind from fading back into blissful sleep.  It pulsed in her chest, a primal exhilaration.  The joy of Life.<br/><br/>She stopped, and listened.  Flayer, the same Flayer that shunned all human contact unless it was at the end of his whip, had taken a whore for himself?  Elizabeth's face tightened with worry.  She had thought Rae had been fast enough to escape right after her, but perhaps the Beast had had other ideas in mind for her.  The prospect of being used in such a way by that monster was almost more sickening than being tortured to death by him.<br/><br/><em>"Shit, and it was the new girl too.  I even heard she was a <strong>virgin</strong>, if ya can believe that.  Damn, woulda liked me a piece of that!  First Stiletto swoops in outta fucking nowhere like some kinda superhero, then Flayer his fucking self brands the chick.  As if Judis and his white knight complex wasn't bad enough."</em><br/><br/><em>"Buncha fucking killjoys.  Hey, at least the cyclops bitch got what was coming to her.  Nearly got her arm pulled clean off by that whip.  I tell you, the things I would have done if I'd gotten my hands on her...  Fuck, waste of a perfectly good cunt.  Probably worm chow by now."</em><br/><br/>The voices faded off, leaving Elizabeth to her thoughts.  On the one hand it seemed as though Rae had probably managed to escape, meaning she still had a combat-worthy ally to fall back on.  But the news of Stiletto made her heart clench up.  She was the one connection to the outside world that could be relied on.  If she died there would never be any hope for escape.  Not for any of them.<br/><br/>"Shit," she hissed, getting to her feet.  It just wasn't in her to stay cooped up all day, even as tired as she was.  Remembering her little sparring against Rae got her blood pumped up.  If she could pull moves like that on the verge of collapse, a few hours rest would leave her more than capable enough to prowl around.  Finding Rae seemed like her best course of action, though she was wary about getting close to the woman now that Flayer's attention was angled her way.  Still, she wasn't a coward.  There was something about Rae that she took a liking to, a power than was rare to find in any female down in the Slam.  They could both handle themselves in a fight, and that was worth something.<br/><br/>When the coast was clear she wriggled her way out of the wall, then cracked her bones back into their proper places before taking a look around.  The air smelled tense.  Fear and sweat in abundance.  Clearly something exciting had happened during her little nap.  Of course, the arrival of a virgin woman would be enough to get everyone riled up.  She'd need to be careful.  The pent up arousal was almost palpable, though there weren't many prisoners wandering about now.  Just a few weak strays taking their chances while the stronger and superstitious sort paced in their cages, waiting for the unwholesome taint of the Beast to fade away.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Within Rae's cell, a whisper would seem to call out from the metal and stone.  It was uncharacteristically even, soft, and almost melodic.  At first the words meant nothing, but gradually did they increase in intensity until the message could just barely be made out.<br/><br/><em>"Miss Rae...I believe it is time we had a little chat."</em>