The Minion and I

It's been a while since I've written. I'm relatively safe now, and I have free access to paper and quills. Fresh clean paper too. But let me tell you how I got here.

As I'd mentioned before, there were no windows in my cell and no clocks around the dungeon at all. It was impossible to know exactly how long I'd been there. What I can tell you is that there were twenty one more rapes since that night I met Infinity in the dungeon. Perhaps it was twenty one days, perhaps seven. It felt like years.

I watched guards bring in new boys, and only one other girl. Only one left, and that was the girl. She was dead. I didn't even get to learn her name. She tried to escape and the guard escorting her accidently beat her to death. The clone guards aren't terribly smart. The Madam must have a way of dulling the clones’ intelligence. That guard spent a while poking her to move after she died. He clearly didn't understand what had happened. I didn't witness the event myself; I heard it through the prisoner grapevine.

I noticed a pattern in the boys Skeletor seemed to like best. They were thin, dark haired, young and caramel or olive skinned. It was like he was trying to replace someone. Or pretend they were a particular person. I was never touched. Skeletor only had eyes for boys. I'd heard occasionally a guard would have his way with a female prisoner, but they were punished for it. I'm not sure why, no one seemed to care about me or the other girl who had died. The guards that did were punished by the Madam herself it seems. I heard one of them actually died from the punishment. It could just be rumours though.

I'd seen a couple of guards replaced. A few of them I met in my early days had a lot of scars, then one day they suddenly didn't have any. They acted a little differently too.

I made friends with one of the guards. His name is Spot. He's how I worked my way into relative safety. Apparently the guards hated having to collect and clean the pots they gave us for “waste”. Spot suggested perhaps they make me do it since none of them wanted to and I was of no other use. 

It was disgusting but it kept me safe from being raped by then. I became too useful. Collecting and cleaning the pots gave me more of a chance to learn about the other prisoners and of what they knew. None of them ever remembered what day they came or how long they'd been here. All of us counted our time in the number of rapes. The oldest prisoner was here for sixty eight. His name was Fletcher. Once he begged me to kill him then and there. I couldn't. I knew it'd be a mercy to him, but I couldn't. He never held it against me. He managed to commit suicide while I was captive. That brought the death toll to two since I'd arrived. I heard Skeletor didn't take a victim that night.

Not long after the twenty first rape, a man appeared at my cell. I haven't learned his name. I call him Shoes. I'm not sure if he even has a name. He's the Madam's slave. She calls him Minion. I call him Shoes because that was the first thing I noticed about him, he wears shoes. My fellow prisoners and I weren't allowed to have shoes. Most of the boys were kept naked or nearly naked. I was allowed my clothes. I think the female body disgusts Skeletor, and that's why I was allowed to remain dressed.

Shoes told me I was to enter the service of the Madam. That was it. It wasn't a question. I wasn't told anything further. Shoes took me to a part of the castle I didn't even know existed. Apparently there was a whole building outside the dungeon. I'm in a room in a tower. There isn't a door. Shoes blindfolded me after we climbed up and I assume pulled a secret lever or something. All I heard was the sound of heavy bricks moving. There doesn't appear to be a lever or button on my side of things. He told me to bathe and be ready for then the Madam wants me.

I have no idea what it is I'll be doing. The room itself is kind of nice, if you can ignore the whole imprisonment part. I have a window. It's small but I can get a glimpse outside. I can see the moon. There's a desk here and a small bed. The desk is stocked with paper and quills. Perhaps I am to do some writing?

Regardless I've started using the paper to write another account of my days here as a prisoner. I hope there won't be a punishment for using this paper. I should sleep I guess. It's been so long since I've even seen a bed. It looks so comfy and inviting. I'll write more later.

When I woke up it was still dark. I found a small bathroom tucked away in the corner of my room behind a screen divider. If it weren't for the lack of door this would almost seem to be a guest room. I took Shoes’ advice and drew myself a bath. I'd forgotten what it is like to be clean. My clothes are still filthy. I washed them a little and they're drying in the bathroom now. There is another tiny window in there, it opens a crack. I opened it to help with the drying process. I can't see anything but sky from the window, but I can smell trees. It's been so long since I've smelled anything but human waste, drugs and sex. 

I hear footsteps outside the wall.

It turned out to be Shoes who'd come to collect me. I was still naked of course so I used the sheet off the bed to cover myself. He seemed to have planned for my lack of clothing, or perhaps the Madam did. He even politely waited and looked away while I dressed. When I finished I saw the same defeat in his eyes that I had seen in Infinity's the night so long ago.

Shoes led me through a lot of narrow twisting hallways and into a large chamber. At first it was dimly lit. He used a torch off the wall to light what looked like an aqueduct of oil The whole room lit up and I could see it clearly. It was a stone rook like mine and the dungeon. However there were several large glass tubes filled with some sort of green liquid and human bodies. It must have been the cloning chamber. In the middle of the room there is a table with a thin white sheet, like a doctor's examination table. There's also a small wooden desk. 

Shoes only said one thing before she arrived, he told me not to look at her directly. When she entered the lab it was hard to resist the urge to really look at her. She wore a crushed velvet hooded robe. The robe is a deep purple that seems almost black at times. She ordered Shoes to fetch something; I couldn't quite hear, and then instructed me to sit at the desk. Her voice was commanding and authoritative. I did as she told. She had me take notes for her while she conducted experiments on a body from one of the tanks. That was all, at least for today. She instructed Shoes to take me to the kitchen and waved us away dismissively.

It was a lot more winding hallways to the kitchen. There I was set to wash dishes. Shoes collected some food, I assume for the Madam, and left. When I'd finished all the dishes and swept the kitchen he returned.

He took me back to my room. I attempted to talk with him but he wouldn't reply. Perhaps he's not allowed to speak? I really want to talk with him, to learn how he came to be here, what he knows about the Madam and everything here. He just escorted me silently and left me in my room. Not a single syllable was uttered.

I found another fresh set of clothes at the end of my bed. There had not been any kitchen staff so to speak of while I was there; just a guard who had indicated for me to sweep when I had finished the dishes. I wonder who cooks here. Perhaps I'll find out later, and who provides these clean neatly folded clothes.

I'm going back to bed now. I can just see a hint of morning sun coming in the window. I must have worked all night. Perhaps tomorrow I can get Shoes to open up a little.

When I woke up Shoes was sitting at my desk with a few slices of bread and a slice of cheese. I was famished. I only ate a slice of bread during my time in the kitchen last night. I ate quietly as he watched. He showed me there is a glass for water kept on the shelf in my room. The shelf looks like it used to hold books.

I asked him if I was to go to work for the Madam now, but he shook his head. I guess she has other plans for the night. It was creepy, him just sitting there and saying nothing. I tried to make some small talk about how nice it is to smell the air and such again, but he remained silent. Finally I told him how I call him Shoes because that was the first thing I noticed about him. He smiled. It was a small smile, but it seemed genuine. I won a small battle.

After that he left, I'm not sure if he's going to come back, so now I'm just sitting here, writing and wondering. I'm kind of glad not to be in the lab tonight. All the bodies in tubes scare me. They don't appear to be alive but their eyes are open and seem to watch everything. I didn't recognize anyone in the tanks. It would have been far scarier to see myself in one of them. Well, it'd be even worse to actually BE in one, not just looking at myself in one. I really hope she doesn't plan to put me in there.

I hear something. I'll report back later.

So it was Spot who showed up at my room. I'd say door but there isn't one really. Apparently my former services were needed. I guess they haven't found someone to replace me, at least not yet. It wasn't pleasant but it did let me get some more information. Apparently Shoes can't spell which is why I'm her scribe. Shoes has been around since before most of the prisoners arrived. They told me of one prisoner who had looked at the Madam directly. He was blinded for the offence. He died from an infection not long after that.

Some of the prisoners told me of their lives before coming here. Most were abducted from their homes. None of them had gone looking for Skeletor like I had. I'd shared my own story a little over my own days down there, bit by bit in the moments we had after the rapes.

After I finished cleaning Spot took me somewhere new. It was a rather nice room. It was clean and full of pillows. What made it most notable of course was the handful of boys. These ones unlike the dungeon prisoners were dressed. They all seemed rather…drugged. They all looked happy. They all looked rather alike. The same complexion and hair I'd noticed in the new boys. I think perhaps I've met one of them before, but I can't be sure.

I was only there a moment, Spot directed me into another room that had a lot of laundry, another chore. I asked him about the boys and he told me they are Skeletor's favourites. Apparently Skeletor himself lives in a room near that one. No one had ever mentioned Skeletor having any sort of harem. I guess when these boys left the others assumed they had died. I seemed to be the first person that'd left that had returned. Actually a number of boys assumed I managed to kill myself.

Once I was finished the washing I was shooed from the place and back to my own room. I guess someone else takes care of the drying or something. Not much was said. When we arrived outside my room Shoes was waiting outside. I knew because I could see his shoes despite my blindfold.

After Spot left me in my room I pressed my ear to the wall, to hear what's being said. I couldn't hear much, just whispers. Somewhat angry whispers. So I got some paper out and started writing out my day. It seems safe enough. 

Oh, the wall is rumbling.

I guess what happened was Shoes had come to collect me while I was out with Spot. Shoes took me to the Madam. She beat Shoes for not bringing me when she had asked. After we were done for the night I pulled Shoes into my room and took care of his injuries.

He actually spoke. He thanked me. I guess no one has shown him kindness in a long time.

After I finished he told me a story. He told me about the Madam and Skeletor. I'll record it all for you dear reader.

Be patient.