“I think I can honestly say, this was the best demonstration we’ve done yet!” Sandy exclaimed cheerfully. It was the evening after the public demonstration and the senior members of the ‘End Modern Slavery Now’ Society had congregated in their usual meeting spot: a cheap, quirky pub conveniently close to campus, to discuss the day’s activities and the weeks of planning that had led up to it. 

“It seemed like people really took notice.” Another student, Toni, said. “We’re really raising awareness of the problem among the general public.” For years, decades even, criminal organizations had been working in the shadows, snatching innocent women and girls off the streets and from their homes, to fed the endless demand for sex slaves both in the nation and abroad. They’d benefited greatly from the apathy of the general public who, outside of the odd sensationalist case, like that missing actress a year or two ago, knew next to nothing about the scale and pervasiveness of the problem. 

Well, the EMSN Society planned to change that, and now it seemed they’d had a breakthrough. At first, things had gone like most of their previous rallies; marching through what passed for ‘downtown’ in this sleepy college town, waving their homemade signs and chanting at the few passersby who’d stopped their Saturday morning excursions to see what this particular bunch of student activists were protesting. But at noon, all of that had changed. 

The finale of the day’s public demonstration had been a mass ‘mock kidnapping’ held in the streets in front of the crowds. The idea was to “symbolize the horrible crimes going on in the face of public indifference” or something to that effect. Truthfully, it hadn’t seemed to make much sense when explained, but it had undoubtedly caught the public’s attention. 

“Asking for volunteers on campus was a brilliant idea.” Another girl, Lauren said, “I was shocked when half the cheerleading team turned up this morning.” 

Just as the clock in the city hall building was chiming noon, two dozen young women, clad in matching shorts and white t-shirts with the word “Victim” stenciled on the front, had marched into the square. Once they reached the center, a quartet of white vans zoomed around the corner and came to a half behind the line of girls. In sync, the doors of the vans slid open and several men in black ski masks leapt out and fell on the women. The victims had put up brief, theatrical struggles as they were grabbed and threatened by the ‘slavers’ who proceeded to strip off t-shirts and shorts, revealing nothing underneath but slogans and stylistically daubed bodypaint. That had really gotten the public’s attention.  

The nude girls then had tape wrapped around their wrists and ankles, symbolic of the helplessness of the trafficker’s victims, and strips placed over their mouths, symbolic of the victim’s silence. Then they were lifted into the vans and driven off, symbolizing the victims being…um…taken away by the slavers. The remaining demonstrators had worked the crowd, who in contrast to their earlier indifference, were quite interested, particularly in knowing when the EMSN Society planned their next public demonstration. Then, when all the literature and pamphlets had been handed out, they all went to get lunch.  

“It sure was a great idea.” Toni said, “Glad you thought of it!” She told Sandy. 

She gave the other girl a puzzled look. “It wasn’t my idea, I thought Lauren came up with it…” 

The other girl shook her head. “I thought it was Carol’s idea…hey, where is she, by the way?” The rest of the EMSN Society members glanced around, but none of them spotted their group’s semi-official leader anywhere. 

“I know she was with the volunteers.” Toni chimed in. “I saw her get in the van with Andi and Jamey from the cheerleading team. The vans should have dropped them off…er…where did the vans go afterwords, exactly?” 

The students glanced at one another. No one could quite remember where the vans were supposed to go after the public demonstration to drop off the volunteer victims. As a matter of fact, none of them could recall who’d been driving them, or playing the part of the ‘fake slavers’ either…

***  

A long way away, the convoy of vans sped down the highway, putting more distance between them and the small college town. In the back of the lead van, Carol squirmed, grunting angrily into the tape gag. Around her, the other volunteer victims struggled as well, moaning in increasing distress as it became all too apparent this was no ‘fake’ kidnapping. It was the real deal. 

Their bondage was rather more strict now too. Shortly after leaving the demonstration, the vans had pulled into a quiet, out of the way lot. There, one at a time, the girl’s gags had been reinforced, the single strips of tape peeled back to allow their mouths to be packed with foam balls, then fresh tape plaster over in multiple layers to seal the packing in. After being blindfolded, the stunned girl was wrapped into a strict balltie with more tape. The rest of the victims, hands and feet already taped together, could only watch, helplessly, waiting their turn to be reduced to squirming packages. Once all were prepped, the convoy set out again, quickly leaving town and heading for the open highway. 

“Nearly there now, ladies.” One of the ‘fake’ slavers called from the front of the van. “Thank you again for volunteering. I’m sure this will help raise public awareness of the danger of being abducted by white slavers. Now, for the second part of our educational program: a first hand tour of our slaving facility where you all will get to experience what it’s like having your free will broken by our experienced slave breakers and being auctioned off as sex slaves to our clients worldwide!” As the van load of freshly captured slaves wailed in terror, the driver chuckled to the slaver seated beside him. 

“Who would have thought this would work out; abducting two dozen slave girls in the middle of public! Heh heh…this was a great idea!”