When Tess came to, the first thing she felt was a sudden chill in the air.
But this wasn't the gentle, bone-chilling air of the outdoors. It was harsh, stale, and moist. Air conditioning.
As her eyes adjusted to the lights, her other senses began to return. First, she noticed a strange tightness around her neck. A dog collar had been fastened there, attached to a long chain bolted to the wall. Her hands were also tied together.
In front of her, Ellie was crawling around, trying to get her own bearings. Unlike Tess, she wasn't chained up.
What is this place?, Tess asked herself. And then she figured it out.
Because not two spaces from her and Ellie's cell was a stack of...bodies. Wrapped in plastic, like steaks or fish.
From what she could tell, they were nearly all female. Most looked to be adult women in their 30's, 40's, or 50's, judging by how much grey was in their hair. A fair number were teenagers or young girls, and she could pick out at least one old lady with quite a few layers of fat on her.
Above them hung large meat hooks with sheets of flesh drying out. Tess could barely open her mouth to tell Ellie to look away, but regardless, it was already too late. The girl's eyes practically fell out of her head when she saw what she surely must have thought was the fate that would soon befall her.
Just then, a door opened. A man entered, holding a tray. He knelt down and slipped it through the bars.
"Eat up, miss."
Ellie instinctively backed away.
The man briefly looked puzzled, but then it dawned on him. "I assure you, this isn't human. It's the deer you shot. I personally prepared it for you."
Still, Ellie refused to touch it.
The man stood up. "By now, I can only assume you know what I have to do. Nothing personal, but this is survival. Survival for me, and for my people. I'm sure you'd do the same if you were in my position."
He walked over to the table and picked up a large cleaver. "This is how it's always been. When we find menfolk, we put them to work until they collapse, and then we feed them to our dogs and horses. But the womenfolk, they're more trouble then they're worth. Believe me, I know. Which is why I make sure they nourish our hearts and souls, every last piece and bit."
He pointed the cleaver at Tess. "What about you, miss? Would you like to go first, or should I start with your little girl?"
Ellie threw herself over Tess. "No, please! Take me first, but leave her alone!"
The man grinned and walked over to unlock the door. Tess tried to will herself to move, to grab Ellie, to tell that son-of-a-bitch he better be ready to lose a hand if he dared lay it upon her baby girl...
But nothing happened. She was just too weak.
Before the lock turned, another man came running in. "David, we got a problem. Some old guy whacked half our men, and we just lost him near the gas station."
David turned to Ellie. "It seems your hour of judgement will have to wait until this invader is driven off. Don't you dare try to escape, or you suffer a far crueler punishment than what I had planned."
As soon as he walked out and the door slammed shut, Ellie turned to Tess. Both women had tears running down their eyes.
Because they knew who the old man was. And they knew that there was nothing they could do to help him.