The sound of creaking pipes and the feeling of an ache running up her spine woke Harper up from her sleep. A groan left her mouth as her eyes fluttered open. White tile greeted her as she looked around. Shower heads were above her with the pipes running around the walls to supply water. She slowly looked up and saw that her looped wrists had been attached to one of the pipes with a second ziptie.

"Good afternoon." Harper's head snapped forward as the voice filled the room. Troy stood with his hands in his pockets; two of his militia friends were beside him with smirks on their faces and big guns in their grasp.

"Why am I here?" Her scratchy voice made her wince as her throat felt like she'd had razorblades shoved down her throat.

"You know how it is… finders keepers." Troy replied simply with the hint of a smile on his face. "I save you from being swallowed up out there, but you stare at me like I'm a monster." His heavy boots made loud footsteps as he walked forwards and knelt down a few feet away from his captive. "I can keep you safe. Wouldn't you like that? Safety is rare these days."

"You actually believe that, don't you?" It was like looking in a mirror as far as Harper was concerned. She knew a broken and unhinged soul when she saw one. If she rested up enough, then she'd show Troy exactly what kind of treasure he had found. "If you want to keep me safe, then why am I tied up and left defenceless?"

"Well, I've gotta keep my people safe too, you know? Can't trust strangers these days." He held out his hands like she'd just asked an insane question. "You might try and hurt my men… I can't have that. What kind of leader would I be?" The men behind Troy chuckled softly at the thought of the skinny brunette doing anything that could harm them. "Coop, Mike, why don't you go do something helpful?" Troy dismissed his men when her gaze turned to them. He wanted her attention. She didn't need to acknowledge the others. He smiled again when her cool blue gaze hit him like ice. Oh, he could see it in her eyes. She was more than this. That little spark would be a raging inferno if he didn't keep her bound and tethered. Harper's growling stomach interrupted his train of thought making him rub the back of his neck as though he was embarrassed. "Oops. Where are my manners?" Troy carefully plucked the juicy red apple from his pocket with a grin. He'd taken a few apples from the ranch before the militia had set off on their journey; there's only so much packaged and tinned food he can manage before it all begins to taste like sand. "Want some?"

Harper wrinkled her nose at him and huffed, but didn't give an answer. His taunting was vile; he had seen her desperation as she tried to get the rotten fruit earlier that morning and was now presenting an unblemished apple to her. "What gives you the right to treat me like this?" She hissed through gritted teeth.

"I-I'm offering you food." He said as though he was confused by her reaction. "You're hungry so I'm offering you food." Troy dodged a kick she sent his way with a laugh and grabbed her foot; his fingers dug into her ankle in warning. "Careful. I might get the impression you want to hurt me." He waited until her leg went slack in his hold and carefully set it back down. "Good girl." Harper eyed him warily as the soldier move to sit next to her against the wall. She bit on her tongue as he slowly withdrew her own pocketknife from his jacket and flicked it open.

Troy carefully cut off a piece of the apple and set down the knife. He held it to her mouth and waited for her to make the next move. Her eyes pierced into his as she gently sat forward and took a bite of the fruit; Troy bit the side of his cheek as her warm breath hit the tips of fingers and swallowed down a groan when her lips nearly touched his skin. Harper's eyes shut as the fruit juice flooded over her tongue and soothed her aching throat. The soldier carried on feeding her like this, each time his fingers were getting closer and closer to her lips until he felt her soft skin brush against his fingertips. God, he could imagine that sweet mouth littering his body with indulgent kisses as she thanked him for his protection and generosity. Harper didn't seem to notice and carried on taking what he offered whilst focusing on a piece of broken tile that she could see just over his shoulder. If she didn't focus on him, then she could forget how humiliating this whole ordeal was. The apple was quickly demolished and the core discarded somewhere across the room. Her focus turned back on the man before her and she gulped as she noticed how enlarged his pupils had become and how his hands gripped at his pants.

"Did you enjoy that?" Harper slowly nodded despite her whole body telling her to struggle and try to get free from the pipe above her. "There's more where that came from." Troy let out an unsure laugh and stood in front of her. Harper kept her gaze at his chest as she felt his eyes burn into her face. His hands were still clenched at his sides as though he was going to pounce on her. She waited for the inevitable. She couldn't fight back from this position, but it didn't mean she'd make it easy. Her brow crinkled in confusion as he let out a deep breath and tilted her head up to look at him. "Now, how about that shower, huh?" Troy carefully put a curl behind her ear and cupped her jaw in his hand. His thumb gently stroked against her chin as he cocked his head to the side; his gaze roamed over her dirty, bloody face as though she was a work of art to be admired.

"At what cost?" Harper spat out knowing that there would be something he got from this. His smirk returned to his face and the once gentle touch turned into a forceful grip so that she couldn't turn her head away.

"Just a touch. A simple touch so that I can see exactly what I'm working with here. I can tell you used to be stronger than this; I want to feel just how weak and pliable you've gotten." An angry tear dripped down her cheek as she knew that it was either agree to his request or decline it and be roughly handled anyway. There wasn't a choice here or a bargain. She'd be stripped naked and cleaned no matter what she said. Her agreement would just make it a little bit less unpleasant.

"Okay."

"Good girl." Harper didn't rise to the bait when he took her knife from his pocket once again and cut the cable tie that attached her bound wrists to the water pipe. She bit her tongue when her arms dropped down; the blood rushing back into her arms and hands felt like fire from how they'd be strung up above her for however long she'd been unconscious. "Come on." He grabbed the plastic around her wrists and tugged her up carelessly; she ignored his soft laughter as she stumbled to her feet. He pushed her against one of the walls opposite and then sauntered back to where she'd been held. Water gushed out of the showerhead at the simple turn of the knob on the pipe and Harper thought it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Who knew that a simple shower could make someone this close to tears? Despite the compromise, she couldn't wait to get the filth off of her skin. "Do you need help?" He motioned to her torn clothes. Harper responded by holding up her bound wrists. Once again Troy looked a bit bashful as thought he'd forgotten the ziptie. "If I remove that, can I trust you to undress and get the first few layers of dirt off your skin by yourself?"

"I'm not exactly in good enough shape to escape right now." She exhaled a sigh of relief as the plastic was cut and dropped from around her wrists. She'd forgotten how much it was cutting into her skin and carefully rubbed the bruised areas.

"Get undressed and get started. You need fresh clothes." Troy commanded with a nod before exiting the room. She heard the creak of the door as he shut it and the turn of the lock so no one else could get in. Harper waited a few moments to confirm there would be no surprises before gently unlacing her boots and kicking them off. Her clothes quickly followed in a pile on the floor; a frown grew on her face as she saw how ruined everything was. It was either torn, worn through or covered in blood or mud.

"Stop getting so sentimental." She muttered to herself as she reconciled with the fact that she'd probably never see any of it again. A shocked gasp left her mouth as she stepped under the steaming water. It was like experiencing a shower for the first time! No one ever realises how much they take for granted until they can no longer have it. A shower was the greatest gift she'd been given in a long time. Harper kept her head tilted forward and soaked herself; the water was a muddy brown as it ran down the drain in front of her. She gently peeled leaves and debris from her hair and tossed it aside so it didn't clog up the drain. She was mesmerised as the dark brown turned to an ugly red then a lighter pink as the dried blood and dirt was washed away. After a few goes of running her fingers through her hair and over her body, the water became a little clearer. It was almost a shock to her as her pale skin was no longer stained with the outside world.

The opening of the door made her flinch; her entire body tensed up and she kept her back to the entryway. "It's just me." Troy's voice echoed out as though the thought was supposed to comfort her. "I brought you something to wash yourself with." He approached carefully, as though he was getting close to a wild animal, and placed a washcloth and bottle of what she assumed was some kind of soap by her feet. Troy kept his eyes on her the entire time as she picked up the bottle and lathered herself up. He watched as the soap bubbles dripped down her skin and created a trail that he wished he could follow with his hands… but not yet. He would wait for his moment.

He was right about her being built stronger than how she currently looked. Her legs were long and slender and her back was adorned in odd little scars here and there (he made a mental note to figure out how that happened). He could see how straight she held herself with the discipline of someone that had always been taught how to do better – just like he had been. If he did this correctly, he could mould her into quite the weapon that only he could wield, but she'd need to prove her loyalty first. He needed to make sure she was dedicated only to him.

"Allow me." He muttered as he noticed her trying to reach her back. Troy shrugged off his jacket to reveal his plain black t-shirt and stepped forward. His heavy footsteps echoed loudly over the sound of the water falling. He held out his hand over her shoulder and waited patiently for her to give him the cloth. Harper's movements were steady as she swallowed down her building nerves and handed him the piece of fabric. Troy was careful as he rubbed over the back of her shoulders and down her spine. He noted how her breath hitched as he brushed over a particularly deep scar on her left side. His touch was firm and purposeful as he washed the bubbles from her back and admired her wet skin as it glistened under the artificial lights.

"What are you doing?" Harper asked sharply as he knelt down behind her. He quickly grabbed her left hip and squeezed over the scar before letting go.

"Calm down. I just want to do your calves." Troy gently rubbed down her calves, feeling the muscle there that he knew had once been quite impressive but was now soft. He tapped the heel of her foot twice causing her to look down in confusion. "Your feet need washing properly; the dirt has pooled under them." He spoke as though she was a child and gently tapped her heel once more. His smirk was cocky as she complied and slowly raised her foot. He noted how her balance was perfect until he rubbed a bit too hard; her toes then wiggled and she had to push her hands on the wall to keep steady. "Ticklish?" She didn't answer, as he knew she wouldn't. Troy snickered and let the cloth drop to the floor with a wet slap. He stood gradually, his left hand casually tracing up her calf then outer thigh to stop at her hip as he straightened himself. Harper flinched as his hands ran through her hair. "Shut your eyes." Troy reached behind into his back pocket and pulled out a generic travel bottle of shampoo. He squeezed a generous amount into his hands and started to run it through the length of her hair. On instinct her head dropped forward and embraced the satisfaction of someone playing with her curls. She'd always gotten tingles from her hair being played with. Troy tilted his head to the side as he noticed how the tension from her body dropped as his fingers scrubbed her scalp. The foamy lather turned grey as the remnants of dirt was washed away. He thought that the idea of washing someone else would have brought back awful memories of his drunk mother screaming at him as he helped her into the shower after days of sweating and wasting away in her bed, but it didn't. He watched as the disgruntled creases faded from her face and how the muscle in her jaw stopped ticking. It was therapeutic in every way; it proved that he was doing the right thing. She needed him, even if she didn't realise it yet. He reached again into his pocket and pulled out the wide tooth comb from his own washbag.

"Why are you doing this?" When he'd asked for a touch, Harper imagined herself being shoved against the wall as his fingers found their way roughly between her legs. She hadn't expected this… this almost kindness he was giving her. The way he was leisurely brushing through her hair; holding any pieces that had knots and carefully combing them out so that it didn't pull on her scalp. It was odd, and unsettling with how relaxed she now felt.

"I told you: I'm not a bad person… not really." Harper was going to respond when she felt him gather her hair up and squeeze out the excess water from the ends. Her tongue seemed frozen when he twisted the length of her hair into a bun and secured it with a band on top of her head.

"You've done this for someone before."

"I never said you could ask questions." She heard him mutter under his breath as his arm reached around her and turned the water off. That seemed to be the end of that conversation then, she thought. "Come here." Harper looked over her shoulder to see him stood back a few paces with a towel in his hand. "Come here." He repeated with a little less patience when she didn't move.

"I-"

"You'll get cold if you continue to stand there." She noticed how his eyes had that glint in them once more and swallowed down her pride. She exhaled before turning around and stepping towards him; Harper ignored how his eyes examined her front and reached for the towel only for him to flip it around her back and hold it over her shoulders. He was rough as he dried off her body which made her bite her tongue. She was dying to snap back at him but didn't feel comfortable when she was naked and in a building full of men. Her eye twitched when he rubbed over her intimate areas; she wasn't blind to the fact that he now carefully brushed over her nipples and under her breasts whilst watching her face closely for a reaction. The soldier was testing her, she knew that. When he knelt down and began to rub over her inner thighs the urge to kick him away from her grew; Troy snickered as he saw her legs begin to shake with anticipation. "All done." Harper let out the breath she'd been holding and watched as he motioned to the clothes beside them. There was a large men's top and some shorts in the pile, but no shoes. "We don't have much for women around here. There's a belt on the shorts so you can keep them up."

"No shoes?" Harper softly questioned whilst pulling on the clothes that swamped her frame.

"You don't need shoes. You're not going to be leaving here until we do." Harper folded her arms over the chest once she had tightened the belt as much as it would go. After feeling a bit of a chill once leaving the shower and Troy's unwanted attention, her nipples stood out proudly against the t-shirt much to her chagrin. "Come on!" She ignored the snickers of the men she passed as Troy led her to another room. He opened the door and motioned for her to enter. It looked like an abandoned office of some kind. "We'll be leaving tomorrow. Get yourself com-"

"MOM! MOM!"

"It's alright, Alicia. Don't fight them."

Troy froze as the sounds of people being forced into the room next door rang out. He glanced at Harper and noticed her interest as she unconsciously stepped forward at the sound. "Who is that? More captives?"

"How would I know? I've been with you." Harper could clearly hear the women next door and made another move to the door. "Stop." Troy grabbed her by the throat and dragged her over to the desk. He roughly threw her into the chair and stood over her with his hands on either side of the chair to box her in. "Don't do anything stupid." He took hold of her chin and squeezed until she looked at him properly. "Behave. I'll be back soon."

"Okay…" Harper winced as the door slammed shut behind him and the jingling of keys could be heard as the lock turned. She heard the people next door banging on the walls and shouting to be let out. They sounded determined… perhaps they were her ticket out of here. The chair creaked as she slowly stood up and walked to the adjoining wall. She rested her ear against it and heard them shuffling and moving things around. The walls sounded thin so she tentatively knocked against it.

KNOCK-KNOCK

KNOCK

"What was that?" She heard a young woman's voice ask before someone shushed her gently. Harper knocked against the wall a bit more firmly until footsteps came closer to the wall. A smile grew on her face as someone knocked back, repeating the pattern she had done.

KNOCK-KNOCK

KNOCK

"Is someone there?" It was the young woman. Alicia, she assumed.

KNOCK-KNOCK

KNOCK

"Hey… I'm Harper."

I know you think I am the devil in this
I know you're thinking that you don't deserve this
Look in my eyes

- Look In My Eyes by Rains -