The Little Death 19

Sneaking along the corridor, Luana and Sophia first passed the door behind which the kitchen and the makeshift cell where they had spent the nights were located. Luana pressed her ear to the iron door and could hear faint, indistinct talking.

»At least two of them are in there!«, she whispered and she felt Sophia`s grip on her hand tighten. Neither of them knew if there were more henchmen than they had seen so far, but somehow, Luana doubted it. She guessed that they were working in shifts during the night and those behind the door were just enjoying their free time – if sitting by the table and perhaps play cards could really be called enjoyment.

»So, there are maybe two more of the men, plus Lan!«, she concluded whilst they approached the door at the end of the corridor. Luana positioned herself beside it and told Sophia to open it; if someone was standing behind it, the element of surprise was all they had and Luana was the one with some Martial Arts skills.

Both girls nervously stared at the widening gap, the faint screeching of the hinges sounding as loud as a siren to them. However, there was just a staircase leading upwards.

»Perhaps, we are out within a minute!«

They sneaked up the stairs that ended at a small lobby. A double glass door led to the outside, but Luana pulled Sophia behind the corner and pointed at a small red point: it was the tip of a lit cigarette, indicating that one of the men was standing outside.

»Are we – trapped?«, Sophia whispered, trying to hide her fear. Luana pressed her hand and forced herself to smile.

»He doesn`t know about us yet – and sure, this building has more than one exit!«

Before they had withdrawn, they had seen that the Lobby ended at another double door, just opposite to the entrance. Beside it was the door of an elevator and the stairs that led to the next floor.

»Look!«

Sophia pointed on one of the walls where a big white board was fixed. It was too dark to decipher the writings on it, but in one corner, one internationally used pictogram was unmistakable: a big red cross.

»A hospital?«

Until now, they had thought that their prison was some abandoned factory or warehouse. However, the fact this was a hospital was good news in Luana`s ears.

»It must have an emergency exit! We will get to the next floor and then, we will just follow the sings!«

They peeked at the man outside and slowly, they sneaked to the stairs. Both girls sighed with relief when they had reached the second floor. Above the lobby was an empty room that seemed to have been something like a lounge, though it was empty now. Beside it was the elevator`s door and another glass door leading to a corridor that was sparsely lit by a greenish sign that showed the pictogram of a running man.

»There! The emergency exit!«

»Well, I hope running away from kidnappers counts as an emergency!«, Sophia joked a bit hysterically and Luana had to oppress a giggle.

»I doubt they will call the cops for us abusing the emergency exit!«

The corridor had several doors on both sides; obviously, this had been the patients` section. Some of the doors stood open, showing that whoever had abandoned the hospital had taken everything of value with him. The only things left were the sinks and obviously the interior of the small bathrooms adjacent to each patient room.

Sophia was just thinking whether she could risk using the toilet when Luana pointed at a door some ten yards ahead. Through the gap at the bottom came some light, indicating that this room was inhabited.

Now, even Luana didn`t dare to breathe and Sophia bit the sleeve of her coat to prevent her teeth from chattering. When they had reached the door, they both stopped and listened. From behind it, they could hear a faint sigh.

Impatiently, Luana pulled on Sophia`s arm. She could see the emergency exit right in front of them and she didn`t want to waste time, but her companion stood petrified. Another sigh could be heard and she whispered:

»Perhaps, it`s that Policewoman!«

Luana looked at Sophia. She knew that it would have been reasonable to get to the emergency exit and, with a little bit of luck, find a way out of the building. Then, they would have to run until they found anyone to alarm the cops who would arrest the criminals and free the girl. But on the other hand, Luana felt with Sophia: they both knew what their captors were capable of and it would be ruthless to leave Sistine behind.

»All right, we will have a look! If she`s alone, we will free her, but if not, we will run for the door!«

Sophia nodded and Luana reached for the door handle. She lowered it slowly, to avoid any sound, and then, she even slower pushed the door open until there was a gap to peep inside.

Luana bit the inside of her cheek to avoid a gasp. It was indeed Sistine, lying on a broad bed that didn`t look like a hospital bed. She could only recognize the girl`s ample breasts, as she had her head arched back. However, that was not what had surprised Luana.

Between the girl`s legs, she saw another naked woman. The long black hair and the athletic, petite body indicated it was Lan – and she obviously had her head buried in Sistine`s lap. Now, the girl was rearing up and another, now louder sigh could be heard.

Luana acted as if she was radio controlled. She entered the room, darted forward and grabbed Lan`s scalp. She yanked her head back and before Lan could react, she slung her other arm around her neck.

Sistine, who had taken a few seconds to notice that the blissful licking and kissing had ended quite abruptly, raised her head and blinked confusedly. She saw a woman in white stand in the open door whilst Lan was wrestling with another woman who held her in a chokehold. She opened her mouth to scream.

»No, be quiet!«, Sophia hissed, making a soothing gesture with her hands. Sistine`s eyes widened and her eyes flew from Sophia to the two fighting woman. Lan was kicking and squirming, trying to get Luana`s arm from her throat. Both were breathing heavily and grunting.

»Quick! We must help her!«, Sophia pleaded and made a staggering step towards the fighting women. She was trying to assist Luana somehow.

»We must grab her legs!«

Sistine still sat on the bed, unable to move.

»N-no! Let her go! P-please!«

»Are you mad? We must get her!«

Sophia frantically looked around and finally grabbed a stool. She raised it and waited for an opportunity to hit the squirming and kicking Lan. Sistine screamed:

»No! Don`t hurt her!«

She jumped from the bed and grabbed Sophia`s arm. Another struggle ensued, with Sistine trying to rip the stool from Sophia`s hands.

»Stop it!«

The man standing in the door had to repeat his order until the fighting stopped. Four pairs of eyes stared at Bao who was pointing at them with his gun. Behind him, the bulky man stood.

Lan, panting and coughing, made herself loose from Luana and jumped for the bed where she grabbed the bed sheet and hid her bareness. Sistine let the stool go and went towards her. Before Sophia raised her hand and followed the order to get beside Luana, she looked at Sistine in disbelief.

»Why?«

***

Mike was lying on the bed in his hotel room, waiting for his tiredness to kick in. At least, the ferry to the Chateau d`If didn`t open before 10 am and so, he could sleep until 8.

Once he had left Isabelle`s apartment, Mike had taken a taxi to Lioba`s house and entered it, using the key he had stolen. Inside the flat, he had seen the signs of what had happened: the crumpled bed sheets, the ropes, handcuffs and tape on the floor and other signs of what Isabelle and Lioba had told him about their predicament. Quickly, he had examined the rooms if they would fit for his purpose, always telling himself that he was only doing what was necessary – even if this included deceiving Lioba.

As he had hoped, he had found the reserve key in a drawer, which would allow him to secretly return the one he had stolen as soon as possible. When Mike had left the apartment, two more items were hidden in his pocket: the two thongs that had been lying on the floor, together with some crumpled tape. He had not intended to do so, but somehow, it had amused him to see that Lioba had changed her way of clothing. When they had been together, she had preferred plain white panties.

»If I will get killed, it doesn`t matter anyway. And if I have to leave the country for the next 20 years, I have at least a memory of her, too. And if things turn out the way I want, I still can let them disappear before Belle ever sees them!«

***

»Ozzie really could have cooked something for us before he left«, Lioba complained. Isabelle hadn`t been able to go shopping for obvious reasons and so, their dinner consisted of a few baked up croissants and some dry cookies, poured down with water. Since they didn`t know what the next day would bring, both girls had decided not to drink alcohol.

They hadn`t been lazy when Mike had left: they had searched the internet for anything related to China that was located in Fos and then, they had looked up those locations on Google Maps. Finally, three locations had been shortlisted.

»Will you call your colleagues now?«, Lioba had asked, but Isabelle had decided to wait for Mike`s return and the other hadn`t protested. Isabelle knew that she only wanted to keep the rest of the Police out because, in her eyes, she had failed and wanted to erase the crack, but there was also a reasonable explanation for that – at least, that was what Isabelle told herself: perhaps, Mike had put his tongue into the wrong mouth, but he was also a professional and she knew from experience that he could handle such operations without them ending in a disaster.

Now, they were sitting side by side on the couch. Lioba would have to sleep on it, as Isabelle had seen no point in offering her the more convenient bed. She thought that borrowing the other woman a pair of panties and an oversized T-Shirt for sleeping was enough.

Isabelle had also put on her pajamas, for none of them intended to stay awake for much longer. It was a bit like a sleepover, despite them being on an investigation and they could not be called BFFs.

»So, he often cooked for you?«, she asked, trying to sound matter-of-factly. Lioba looked at her and asked:

»What answer will keep you from smothering me with a pillow once I am asleep?«

Isabelle stared at her and Lioba added:

»I might be an academic, but I am not completely lacking street smartness. You still love him – and I am the bitch who dared to kiss him!«

»Not to mention it wasn`t your modesty that ensured it didn`t go further!«, Isabelle scoffed. Lioba smiled sadly.

»I`d have to lie if I told you that I don`t have feelings for him. But we have to work together now! Once these criminals are behind bars, we can fight it out, I promise! Oil, mud, whatever you choose!«

»Fingernails! And he has to take the winner, no matter how scratched and bruised she is!«

Lioba nodded.

»So, fingernails it is«, she announced solemnly. »Until then, you will upgrade me from ›The bitch who kissed my Boyfriend‹ to ›the slut who masturbated in my bathroom‹!«

For the next two minutes, it was like a sleepover, for both girls were giggling and spluttering. Isabelle wiped her eyes and shook her head.

»Oh my God, why do you make it so hard for me to hate you?«, she sighed.

»Pure egoism«, Lioba replied. »I just don`t want to wake up with your pillow on my face!«

Isabelle took one of the sofa pillows and pushed it towards Lioba`s face.

»Buh!«

Then, she got up and pointed at Lioba with her index finger.

»Once Sistine and the others are freed, your ass is mine!«

The mentioning of her kidnapped colleague made Isabelle`s playful mood vanish and she just nodded towards Lioba.

»Let`s get this done like grown-up women! After that, we can behave like teenies again!«

Lioba got up and they shook hands, this time not just faking their seriousness. Isabelle sighed deeply.

»They always warn about Policemen getting too much personally involved in their work, but this is ridiculous!«

***

At gunpoint, Bao and Greg escorted Luana and Sophia back into the laboratory. The two girls were again holding hands, but so far, none of the men had made a comment about it. The touch of Luana was the only thing that kept Sophia from weeping. If only she hadn`t more or less persuaded Luana to try to save Sistine! And, even worse, if the little Policewoman had behaved like a reasonable person!

In the lobby, the man who had stood guard outside joined them and inside the lab, both the third Chinese and Ingrid were waiting. On Bao`s order, Sophia had to remove her coat, rendering her naked once again. Luana was allowed to keep her panties on, but both girls had to kneel side by side, their hands folded at the backs of their heads.

Whilst they were waiting for Lan, Sophia noticed a changed dynamic and a strange atmosphere in the room. Ingrid stood silently and motionless. She had put on another lab coat that seemed to be designed for a shorter person and that barely covered her thighs. Even without her glasses, Sophia could see the dangling garters, indicating that she was still wearing her corset.

Ingrid looked smaller than usual; not only because she still was barefoot, but also she seemed to have lost her self-confidence and glee. She stared daggers at the two captives, but at the same time, she showed some uneasiness.

Greg could not take his eyes from the blonde and Sophia could read from his looks that obviously he was the one who had found Ingrid – bound, gagged, her middle exposed and lying in a puddle of her own urine. Perhaps, he had not commented on the situation, but sure, the relationship between Ingrid and her henchman had changed.

The three Chinese also seemed a bit turned up, though they remained silent and kept up a calm face. Especially Bao seemed to be eager to tell his colleagues that he had seen Lan stark naked.

When Lan entered, she was again wearing her uniform, but they could see that she had put it on very hastily. Her hair still looked disheveled and she also seemed less cool and restrained than usual. However, her voice sounded as strong and used to giving orders as usual.

»So, you thought that you could go your own ways! Obviously, mistakes were made«, she looked at Ingrid who glanced back at her, »but we will make sure that this mistake has happened for the first and last time!«

She had brought her toolbox with her and now placed it in front of the two kneeling girls. Then, she also dumped a backpack and opened it.

»We would have left this place within the next 24 hours anyway. But since you«, she turned towards Luana, »are such a fighter, we will take care that you won`t see the sun until we are at least on the Atlantic!«

That made Sophia shiver. Were they speaking of getting them on a boat? Then, she remembered that Lan had threatened to take her and Luana with them to China and sure, they could not simply get aboard the next flight.

Lan added something in Chinese and Luana gasped. At the next moment, Sophia felt a gun`s barrel at her nape. When Lan then ordered Luana to get up and the Taiwanese obeyed immediately, she understood: Lan had threatened to kill her if Luana would not do as she was told.

»Now, you should perhaps start by giving back what doesn`t belong to you!«

Without a flinch, Luana peeled down the panties. She even held them towards Ingrid and asked loudly:

»You want them back? Maybe, it`s a bit cold underneath your coat!«

If looks could have killed, Luana would have dropped dead. The men chuckled a bit, but Lan interrupted it immediately. Her own authority had suffered, too: she might not have been overpowered and left tied up and gagged like the German, but her men had seen her naked, too and it had not been clear whether she or Luana would have won the fight.

»Perhaps, you shut your mouth with them!«, she said sharply. Luana obeyed and slowly stuffed the still damp panties into her mouth. Her chest heaved, but she managed not to retch as Lan forced her to work the panties all the way behind her teeth.

These panties had been worn by Ingrid before they had been used to gag Sophia, only to be worn by Luana for a while. According to the expression in Luana`s eyes, she could taste the history of the underwear all too well.

From her backpack, Lan now produced a bright red rubber ball that had numerous straps attached to it. She stepped behind Luana and with her strong fingers, she pushed the panties even deeper into her cheeks and throat before she placed the ball between the girl`s teeth. As Luana retched, Feng ostentatiously pressed his gun harder against Sophia`s head.

Lan took two of the straps and pulled them to the back of Luana`s head. She tightened them repeatedly and only closed the buckle when the straps cut into the corners of Luana`s mouth. Two more straps were pulled over her head. These met at the top of her forehead and ended in a single strap that was fixed behind her head, too. The final two straps, Lan buckled tightly under Luana`s chin, forcing her to bite down hard on the rubber ball. Then, she slapped her victim`s buttocks hard. Luana staggered slightly, but though the slap had sounded as loud as a shot, she didn`t mew and only her accelerating breath indicated that her buttocks prickled with pain.

Lan gave an order in Chinese and one of the men left, only to come back with one of the armbinders a minute later. To Sophia`s horror, he approached her.

She had experienced the stiff leather sheath before, but she sighed when it was pulled over her arms, forcing them together and rendering her fingers immobile, pressed into the tight mitt. Kang pulled the two straps at the top over her shoulders, crossed them between her breasts and threaded them under her armpits to buckle them to the armbinder to keep it from sliding down. Sophia gritted her teeth and concentrated on Luana`s face to oppress a giggle when the straps chaffed the sensitive skin at her armpits.

She had to get to her feet then and now, one of the men thoroughly tightened the laces, causing her elbow joints to not only touch, but squeezing them together. Sophia ached and felt the strain in her pulled back shoulders. She knew that the position forced her to thrust out her boobs and she felt as if her 34Bs had turned into at least 36 C.

When he found he could not get the laces any tighter, Kang knotted them off and then checked the shoulder straps. Sophia could not help shivering as he tightened them, touching her armpits in the progress. When he was finished, the straps painfully lifted up her breasts.

The armbinder became even more inconvenient when the man closed the waist strap, pulling her aching arms to her back and biting into the skin at her waist. Again, he controlled the strap and when he pulled it one notch tighter, Sophia could no longer oppress a whimper. She was panting and at the same time, she knew that one strap was left: the one that was dangling from the tip of her mitted fingers and that would go between her legs.

»Now, since you two are much better friends than you made us believe«, Lan said towards Luana, »you perhaps want to do her the honor of buckling the last strap! You may refuse, of course – but then, I will do it and the strap will go three notches tighter!«

Luana took a deep breath through her nose. Then, she slowly stepped towards Sophia who gulped, knowing that though Luana was less brutal than Lan, it would be embarrassing nevertheless. At the same time, she felt a wave of sympathy for her friend who endured additional embarrassment to spare her a little suffering.

To make things not even worse, Sophia parted her legs to allow Luana to reach for the strap. Luana tried to avoid touching her private parts, but for a second, Sophia felt her fingers brush over her inner thigh. It was a tender, compassionate gesture and she now had to oppress her tears.

Luana pulled the strap snug, knowing that if it was too loose, Lan would force her to tighten it. Sophia stiffened and her chest heaved, but so far, the strap was just inconvenient, but not painful.

Lan inspected the crotch strap, even bending forward and Sophia couldn`t help blushing, though everyone in the room had already seen every part of her body. The Chinese even slightly pulled on the strap and then, she frowned as if she was thinking of a severe problem.

»I think it is tight enough«, she finally announced and Sophia let out a fluttering breath of relief. Then, her eyes widened as Lan continued to speak.

»However, it is only tight enough if-«

She bent towards Luana and whispered something into her ear. The Taiwanese shook her head and as on keyword, Feng grabbed Sophia`s hair and pressed the barrel painfully at her nape. The alarmed mew obviously caused Luana to give in, for she nodded, though she snorted through her gag and stared at Lan with pure hatred.

Lan went for her toolbox and fixed something. Meanwhile, to Sophia`s great surprise, Luana loosened the crotch strap again, looking apologetically at her.

When the Chinese came back, she let something dangle that reflected the neon lights. It was three balls of stainless steel, each some one and a half inch in diameter and they were in a row like a piece of a big pearl necklace.

»You know what that is, Sophia?«

Sophia was too confused to answer, but she managed to shake her head. For the first time, lan showed her old sardonic smile:

»Luckily for you, Luana knows. These are Ben Wa balls. You sure can imagine where they are going?«

Lan let them dangle in front of Sophia`s pubic mound. She stared at them as if they were a venomous snake.

»N-no, p-p-please«, she breathed and Lan patted her shoulder.

»They are quite pleasant if one got used to them – and they are definitely better than having the crotch strap pulled to the last notch!«

Sophia`s eyes widened and only the painful grip on her scalp prevented her from trying to run away, naked and bound as she was. Lan held the balls up and added:

»Now, it`s all your choice, Sophia: the balls or the tighter strap. You may also decide who will apply them to you – though I am afraid Ingrid`s grip is still a bit soft!«

The remark on the blonde`s costs caused Ingrid to glance angrily. Obviously, this gave Luana the strength she needed.

»Mph!«

She grabbed the dangling balls from Lan`s hand and went on her knees. Her and Sophia`s eyes met and the brunette slightly nodded and breathed an almost inaudible »Thank you!«. For the second time, Luana had chosen to get humiliated even more to spare her some suffering.

She closed her eyes when she felt Luana`s fingers touch her between her legs. Obviously, Lan would not give her some lubricant and so, she had to massage Sophia to get the balls in without hurting her.

Sophia`s cheeks burned from embarrassment and her thighs trembled as she oppressed the urge to squeeze her legs together. This was such an ordeal!

»And still, it is the least disgusting of alternatives!«

She forced herself to think of what Luana had done to her: without her friend, they wouldn`t even have had the chance of escaping. And though they had failed, they had at least tried. She saw other pictures in front of her inner eye: Ingrid, as Luana had knocked her out and then, when Luana had frightened the arrogant blonde so much that she had wet herself.

»She`s so strong! Not only because she fought Lan – this must be as embarrassing for her as it is for me, but still, she is so tender, as if she would rather risk punishment than hurting me the slightest!«

The almost painful sympathy for her friend and the indeed tender massage allowed Sophia to relax and after a while, Luana could indeed shove the balls inside her. They felt strange, but not painful. Rather an irritation than real torture. Luana buckled the strap in place and Sophia wriggled her hips to get adjusted to the strange balls. They moved a bit and she felt a slight vibration when they touched.

»Actually, they are quite good for muscle training down there!«, Lan explained and made Luana step back a bit. Then, she said:

»And speaking of that: you may need some general workout, Sophia. So, whilst I finish off Luana`s gag, you will do some squats. You may do them quick or slow, but if you pause, I will whip Luana for every second you don`t move!«

Sophia took a deep breath and looked at Luana. She nodded slightly, as if to tell her that she wouldn`t die from it and then, she slowly bent her knees. This caused her crotch strap to tighten and at the same time, the balls began to move and again slightly vibrated.

»I have to do it for Luana! It`s the least I can do!«

So, she forced herself to squat deeper whilst she watched in horror what Lan did to Luana who endured getting further gagged with admirable stoicism.

Lan started by pulling a pair of white fullback panties over Luana`s head, placing the crotch part over her nose. Luana`s chest heaved and at the same time, she frowned. Among the different scents that entered her nostrils seemed to be that of Champaign!

Lan took a gauze bandage and wrapped it over the lower half of Luana`s face, further muffling her and pressing the second pair of panties against her lips. The bandage was then secured by some rounds of tape.

»Now, scream as loud as you can, or your little friend will pay the price!«, Lan whispered, stepping behind Luana and cupping her breasts.

»HHRRRRRMMMMMMMM!«

Luana screamed into her gag as Lan pinched and twisted her nipples. Under other circumstances, she would have tried to oppress her pain, but the look of Sophia, sweating and panting as she did her squats in front of her made her obey.

Lan placed two lumps of cotton wool over Luana`s eyes and secured them with a second gauze bandage and some duct tape. Then, she took some more cotton wool, rolled it into two plugs and pushed these deep into her victim`s ears. As a final touch, the pantyhose that had gagged Sistine when she had been brought here was pulled over Luana`s head and the legs were knotted around her neck.

»Thank you, Sophia!«

Panting, Sophia stood on trembling legs, covered with sweat from the short workout. She would have sunk to the floor, but even though Luana could not see her, the presence of her tough friend helped her to prevail.

Lan now rummaged through her backpack and produced a long rope. It looked thin, but nevertheless strong and was some ten yards long. Lan doubled it and said something to one of the men who grabbed Luana`s arms and forced them behind her back. Dismayed, Sophia saw the tips of Luana`s fingers appear behind her shoulders, indicating that the man had crossed her wrists behind her nape.

Since she started at the middle of the rope, it took Lan some time to tightly tie Luana`s wrists. Then, she reached for the top of her head. There, an iron ring was sewn into the strap of the gag and she ripped the pantyhose and threaded the ends through it. As she pulled the slack out, Luana was forced to arch her head back ad to stare at the ceiling (or rather, she would have stared hadn`t she been blindfolded) whilst her arms were painfully pulled upwards.

»You monster! You are hurting her!«, Sophia blurted. Lan looked at her and raised one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows.

»That`s the plan, Dear!«

She handed the rope`s ends to Kang who forced Luana to stagger backwards to follow him. Bao also left the room together with them and Lan explained to Sophia:

»Don`t worry, they won`t hurt nothing but her dignity – yet. But since she will have to spend some time tied up, she will be given an enema, just as a precaution. However, when she`s back, you will come to action again! I am sure that you want to give Luana some pleasant memories before you won`t see for some time!«

***