Stripped

It’d been about a two months since Lola had been nabbed. She was 19 years old, a few months shy of 20.

Before she found herself in the “facility,” she was happily getting ready for her first week as an intern student aid at a a local elementary school and the next thing she knew, she was in a dark room with a few other girls.

There had been a few missing girls from the surrounding towns, but no one had any clues. She figured this was what happened and there was little time to process it with all of the other girls screaming.

It took no time for her to adjust to her new life. She didn’t want to be here, but she most certainly didn’t want to die or be punished for insubordination.

What she found strange was the way they treated the taken. There was rarely any violence or “abuse.” Some of the girls were even enjoying this life over their own typical lives.

They gave her a “script” to read for a few days, which would serve as her role playing guide to each new client.

She never saw the captors directly. They’d leave notes, scripts, recordings, food, everything except for a cell phone. She was given a room with a lot of things she liked, which was weird, but she figured it was psychological warfare. The only people she had to chat with were a couple of the girls or the clients and only if permitted to do so. The facility rarely took questions from her and if they did, the answers and conversations were short and sweet.

The ring leaders spoke through loudspeakers, masking their voices, almost bot-like.

At first, Lola thought it was a joke. She was hesitant and very insubordinate until days and even weeks went by without any human interaction, save for the bot-like voice telling her what to do.

She’d cry and scream, throw fits and break things in her room. She tried to find the cameras or curse at the mirrors. She had a feeling they were on the other side, watching her.

Eventually, she gave in. What else could she do? No one was coming for her.