Mei had made the mistake of screaming and trying to break free when the gang of leering swampfolk dragged her and Caitlyn off the Pontipee and into the decaying plantation, and her reward was to be tied up in the basement until daybreak, left with nothing but the darkness, the scrabble of unseen rats and her own terror for company. Ignoring the fierce burning ache in her shoulders, the beautiful Chinese girl once again tugged against the ropes keeping her wrists bound above her head. Whatever their many faults, her captors knew how to tie a knot, and the ropes held firm, leaving her slight figure dangling helplessly over the dirt floor of the basement, the wooden beam from which she was suspended giving an almost mocking creak at her efforts. The first tears trickled down her pale features, and a frantic, terrified scream forced its way past the cloth filling her mouth and bound tight over her lips. “MMMMPPPGGGHHH!”

Silence, save the chittering of the endless swarms of insects beyond the plantation’s walls and the rough laughter of her captors on the floors above, and Mei wept openly, worn down by terror and the shock of her abduction. A few hours before, she and her best friend Caitlyn had been on a road trip, the first the former had ever experienced, down to the beach for a well-earned break following their exams, and had made the fateful decision to take a detour through a small town called Jackson’s Creek. One pair of drugged beers later, and the two awoke to find themselves bound and gagged aboard some rickety old river barge, heading downstream to wherever Dolores, the old witch responsible for their kidnapping, called home… and to the husbands she promised were waiting for them.

I’m too young! I can’t get married, especially not like this! the Chinese woman despaired inwardly, the mere thought of being taken into the bed of this Jedediah person making her guts churn in disgust. Mei was quite content with a life of quiet chastity, truth be told. Her parents had not bent their backs struggling to ensure she received an education in America for her to throw it all away on men, alcohol and parties, and a good book or stirring symphony promised far more pleasure than the fumbling attentions of her male classmates. Not that there would be much of the former in this blighted swamp, and the thought of never seeing an opera again spurred a new bout of struggles, long dark hair waving about her, the cloth gag bound over the mouth working overtime to contain her cries. “Mmmpggghh, mmmpppggghhh! MMMPPPPGGGHHH!” Where Caitlyn had been taken, she had no idea, and deep in her heart, she held out the hope that the confident blonde had managed to free herself and would come to her rescue, or at the very least escape the horrific fate promised in the morning. “MMMPPGGGHHH!”

As if in answer, the door to the basement swung open with a harsh creak, and Mei was rewarded by one of the swampfolk making his way down the sagging, termite-ridden steps, an old-fashioned oil lantern lighting his way and peeling the shadows away from his lean, spindly figure. At over six feet, he would have towered over the Chinese woman in most circumstances; indeed, he was so tall he was forced to stoop low lest he smack his head against the basement supports. He was pale to the point of sickly, and there was not an ounce of fat on his gangling frame, his Adam’s apple protruding out from his neck and his worn clothing hanging loosely off him like a scarecrow’s accoutrements. A pair of ancient glasses dangled from his long nose, and watery grey eyes lit up as he beheld the beautiful captive. “The Lord has rewarded me!” he proclaimed in a raspy voice, reaching out with a trembling hand to stroke her cheek. “Live a life of chastity, and thy rewards shall be bountiful! The word of the Lord!”

“Mmmppgggghhh!” Mei screamed, twisting away as far as her bonds would permit. Seemingly blind to her discomfort, the newcomer continued examining the squirming captive, running his hands along her yellow sundress to feel the flesh beneath. “MMMMPPPGGGGHHHH!”

“I have kept myself chaste and faithful and pure in thought and deed, and He has sent a helpmeet unto me, just as Daniel promised the Prophet Obadiah on the banks of the Mississippi. Nay, an angel! We shall be wed in the morning, and be fruitful and multiple, just as the Lord proclaimed. We--”

“And just what do you think you are doin’ down here, Jedediah?”

That harsh, familiar voice turned Mei’s blood to ice, and both captive and captor turned back towards the basement entrance, where a stout feminine figure loomed like a thundercloud. “What’s this I hear about you bein’ chaste, boy?” Dolores demanded angrily, crossing the distance between them in a few heavy strides. Instantly, Jedediah bowed low, and in a well-practiced motion, the old woman’s palm came up and clouted him on the back of the head. “If that’s the case, then why are you down here tryin’ to make whoopie before you’re done properly wed?”

“I wasn’t doing that, Ma, I just--”

Dolores rewarded him with another smack. “This is a proper Christian household, boy, and that means the only woman you spend time alone with is your wife, and she ain’t your wife yet. Now get on up outta here, ‘fore I tan your hide proper!”

Quick as a flash, Jedediah fled back onto the main floor, even abandoning the lantern in his haste. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, you little hussy,” the old woman snarled. “I’d reward you with a right caning for trying to corrupt my Jedediah with your foreign wiles, but you and your stupid friend are getting’ married tomorrow, and I don’t want things ruined ‘cause you keep squirmin’. Just know this. You’re gonna be a right good wife for him, chaste and pure and obedient, and if you don’t… well, my boys are fools, but they’re my fools, and I ain’t letting any city-slicker tramps takin’ advantage of ‘em. Think on that!”

Under the cloud of that threat, Dolores withdrew, taking the lantern back with her and leaving Mei weeping with fear in the darkness. What have I done to be rewarded with such an awful fate? Please, I have to get out of here! But how…