Chapter Text
A few more days passed.
After their ‘operations’ the promise of McDonalds had been kept and they all chowed down on their respective meals, most of them getting Big Macs, while Kai got something called the McPlant. However every time Rochelle swallowed, her neck throbbed and the collar, for lack of a better term, bobbed on her neck. The taste of the food was like ashes in her mouth, but it was still a full meal, and Rochelle is surprised to find herself stuffed after she finished, when normally she’d have just been comfortably full.
She had been down here for almost three weeks. They fed her less than fifteen times the entire stay here. She supposed her appetite had diminished. Not to mention, judging from the weigh in yesterday, she had lost some pounds.
“I think their scale is broken.” Laurie had said when Rochelle brought it up. “It said I weighed, like, 64 pounds. That can’t be right.”
Rochelle had looked down at Laurie’s skinny arms and beginning to gaunt face wearily. She could feel Taylor doing the same.
Just another reason to get out of here as soon as possible.
Thankfully, there was one silver lining in this storm, and that was Joey getting hurt. The dick head deserved every second of pain in Rochelle’s opinion, plus he was in too much misery himself to actually make them miserable for once. He just shuffled in, tossed them food and left. No more begging, no more painful hair ruffles.
Rochelle dearly hoped that when she got home, she could shake the hand of the man that gave her this gift. He deserved a good damn medal.
Till then though, there were more pressing issues.
The phone they had taken was apparently Doc’s. She realized it was missing a few hours after they ate, and Rochelle guessed she tore the room apart before starting to suspect one of them. Eventually she came to check if they had taken it. Each of them got a quick, non invasiveness pat down before she scoured the room. Rochelle held her breath when she looked in the bathroom, but thankfully she came back out empty handed.
Doc had glared at them tensely but all the girls had an impressive poker face apparently. Kai had even tilted her head in fake confusion, asking “Did you want something?”
Doc just grumbled and left, everyone high fiving once she was gone. It was a double victory, not only did they keep the phone AND the sign, they now also knew for certain the room wasn’t being monitored.
They had a chance to escape.
They discussed a pretty basic plan. Unlock the door late at night, find an exit, use the phone to call for help once they have some bars, and hoof it.
They were going to wait a few days before leaving, on a night when they were fed again. Until then they kept up with their running regiment , since it was gonna be a useful skill to have soon.
Things seemed to be lining up in their favor.
Only…
Rochelle wasn’t feeling too great.
For some reason her back hurt and she had a wicked headache. For most of the day she lay in bed, grumbling to herself and snapping when someone tried to talk to her. The other girls were concerned, but gave her some space.
The next morning Rochelle wasn’t feeling much better. In fact it was worse. She peeled her eyes open with a grumble when the lights turned back on. Her headache had settled a bit, at least, so that was some improvement, but she just felt… ugh. Plus her back ache was even worse. She crawled out of the pile they had fallen asleep in and made her way to the bathroom. She rubbed her face roughly and went to use the toilet-
“AHHHH!”
Likely a little dramatic, but Rochelle didn’t really care right now.
Of all the times for this to start up, it had to be NOW!?
“Rochelle?!” Laurie called out, running to the bathroom. Rochelle caught a momentary glimpse of the blonde’s face, before she realized Rochelle was still on the toilet and turned around, giving her some privacy. “Oh-oh, sorry!”
Rochelle just groaned tightly.
“What the hell is happening?!” Taylor asked, still out of sight. “Rochelle? You ok?”
“No.” Rochelle gritted out painfully.
“Well what happened? Did you slip?”
“No…” Rochelle grunted, wringing her hands. “I just…. I got my first…. Ah, well, YOU KNOW!”
“Your first what?” Kai asked now, also out of view. “What's going on? What did she get?”
“I don’t-” Taylor started to say before going silent. “Ahhh shit.” She mumbled under her breath before yelling. “Did you just get your first fucking PERIOD?!?”
“... yeah…”
“Goddamn it!”
“What's a period?” Kai asked, sounding confused.
“Oh, I know about that! ” Laurie said quickly. “It's when you bleed once a month… I think…”
“What?!” Kai spluttered, sounding shocked. “When does that happen?!”
“Around 9- 14 normally, or at least that's what my mom says.” Laurie shrugged. “She gave me a book that was supposed to help explain it, ‘The Loveliness Of Women’. Though it only had pictures of flowers in it….”
“Ok, let's save the talk for Kai in a minute! We have a situation…” Taylor mumbled to them. “We don’t have any… ugh… stuff for Rochelle”
“My mom said to call them ‘feminine hygiene products’.”
“Thank you Laurie…”
“You're welcome!”
“Wait! Does this only happen to girls?” Kai asked.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Oooooh.” Kai said, realizing something. “That's why he didn’t…”
“Who didn't do what?”
“Nothing…”
“Guuuuuyyyyyyyssss!” Rochelle whined, feeling another pang of pain in her back. “Please! Can we focus!?”
“Right, right!” Taylor said, Rochelle could hear her dust off her hands. “ Ok, first of all, we need to get some… feminine products…”
“Well we can't really leave and get some. Can't she just use some toilet paper? That's what I use for a bloody nose.” Kai suggested.
“Kai this isn't the same.” Taylor sighed, “there is more blood with… THIS than a bloody nose.”
“How much more?” Kai asked.
Momentary silence.
“D-don't look at me, I have had one yet.” Laurie spoke nervously.
“Taylor?”
“Ahhhh…” Taylor trailed off, sounding uncertain. “W-were getting off topic, I'm just gonna bang on the door till someone comes around…”
“God….” Rochelle groaned with her head lowered. “I don’t want those people to have anything to do with this!”
“I think they’ll find out if you're stuck in there for four days.” Laurie commented.
“Thank you Laurie…” Rochelle grumbled.
“Four days?!” Kai spluttered.
“Yeah, I mean, normally? That's what my mom said.”
“Ugh…” Kai muttered, slightly unsettled.
Everyone fell silent for a second, other than the rhythmic banging of Taylor’s foot on the door farther away.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“What about paper towels?” Kai suggested after a moment.
“ I don't think that’ll work either.” Laurie hummed.
“Maybe if we had a towel?”
“That- ahh, hm, maybe?”
“I am not doing that!” Rochelle growled.
“ Relax, we don't even have a towel.” Kai spoke with a short huff. “I'm just thinking out loud.”
“ Then could you think in quiet for a damn second?!” Rochelle growled, mood absolutely piss poor.
The two went silent.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“What's up with her?” Kai whispered after a few seconds. “I mean, besides the… eh.”
“ Hormones I think. The time of the month makes girls moody. Happens A LOT with my sister. She yelled at me once because my nose was whistling when I breathed...”
“Huh.” Kai grunted. “And you're sure guys don't get this?”
“I mean… 90%?” Laurie mumbled. “That's pretty much all my mom and sister would tell me. I asked my dad once but his face just went red and he told me to ask my mom.”
Rochelle just groaned, frustrated and in pain.
Suddenly the door slot slipped open.
“-hat do you little brats want?! The light are fucking on! Stop hitting the door! ”
Doc.
Out of the three, Rochelle supposed she'd rather Doc be involved with this than the other two…
“ Listen lady, we need some… feminine products in here, ok!” Taylor snapped back. “ Or do you LIKE mopping up blood?”
“...Oh.” Doc muttered before humming. “ N’alright. I'll see what I can do.”
“Yeah you do that…” Taylor mumbled once the slot was pulled closed again. She sighed and Rochelle heard footsteps returning back to stand near the bathroom. “It's coming.”
“Thank you…” Rochelle mumbled, rubbing her face tiredly. “Ugghhhh…”
“Whats wrong?” Kai asked around the wall.
“It just HURTS.”
“It hurts?!” Kai splutters. “Why does it hurt?!”
“I don’t know, my mom said it can make you sore, but she never said why…” Laurie mumbled.
“I have no idea about ANY of this.” Taylor responded as well, sounding tired. “My mom said she’d talk to me about the details, but she’s been busy at the hospital…”
“Oh, your mom works at the hospital?”
“Yeah, she’s the Supervising Nurse at Hobson-Yates General Hospital.”
“Wow! I was born there!” Laurie said, sounding shocked. “I mean, I was born IN the car park… but still, my dad says they rushed me in…”
“My dad has his Physiotherapy practice in the medical building across the street from the hospital.” Kai muttered thoughtfully.
Laurie chuckles “Small world huh!”
“I mean, small county?” Taylor said.
“Do you think that could be a connection? Could all our parents be in the medical field?" Kai asked.
“HA!” Rochelle couldn’t help but laugh LOUDLY at the suggestion. “You forget my mom is an ‘influencer’ already?!”
“Yeah, my parents don’t do medical work either. My mom owns the Dairy Queen in Peaks Valley, which is almost, like, the opposite kind of job…?”
“Oh…” Kai grunted.
“I swear Kai, these guys were just looking for easy grabs and we were it.” Taylor sighed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Get away from the door!”
Feet scuffle and Rochelle can imagine the others huddled in the corner closest to the bathroom. She hears the door slot slide open.
“Where's Glasses?!” Doc shouts into the room.
“Ugh, in the bathroom, waiting for the stuff you're bringing?” Taylor sarcastically responded.
“...Oh.” The locks rattle and the door slides open. She can hear Doc’s heels click as she walks in, the sound coming closer and closer until Rochelle sees the woman’s shoes on the other side of the stall wall. A hand pops up over the wall, holding a box. “Here. Pads.”
Rochelle quickly takes them and looks them over. Its No Name brand and the box is sealed. She sighs and starts to read the instructions. She makes it partway into the first sentence before Doc grunts behind the wall.
“You're welcome, you little brat.”
Rochelle rolls her eyes irritably, but freezes when she can hear Doc’s next mumbled words.
“Least we know one of them started their cycle.”
…
What?
Rochelle sits as Doc marches away, shoes clipping on the floor. She barks orders at the other girls, but Rochelle can’t focus.
….
What?
Rochelle swallows what feels like a stone in her throat, making the leather collar bob.
She hears more shouting in the other room and she sluggishly starts to ready herself to head back out. Managing to settle everything, she hurries back out to the main area, seeing Doc standing near the doorway.
“-and I mean it! You won’t get another box for a while, so you better share and you better make them last!” She snaps, shaking her finger at them.
Taylor snorts and Rochelle looks over, finding her as she usually was in these situations. Shielding Kai and Laurie. “Ok, thanks.”
Doc huffs, spinning and heading back out to the hall. Moe, in his creepy Winne the Pooh mask, had been guarding the entry and let her through. He looked the girls over before closing the door behind them.
“At least that's settled.” Taylor mutters tiredly, starting to relax her guard again.
“Hey, can I see the stuff?” Kai asked, reaching out for the box. Rochelle absently hands it over, her mind a million miles away. Kai seems to flip it around and look the box over at every angle, Laurie sliding in beside her. “Whoa. So this is what you use?”
“One of the types, yeah.” Laurie nodded. “We have some under my sink at home.”
“One of the types?”
“Well…”
The conversation continues but Rochelle just turns and heads back to the bed, crawling onto the pile of clothes and curling up quietly. She stares at the wall as talking echoes behind her, until a set of footsteps approach her.
“Rochelle?” Taylor asks, voice quiet. “You ok?”
Rochelle exhales heavily and grips her knees.
“Doc…” Rochelle mumbled. “She, ummm, she said something….”
“Yeah, I heard her call you a brat.” Taylor huffs. “Better a brat than a bitch if you ask me…”
“No… not that.” Rochelle says, voice cracking dryly as she did. “I…She said…” Rochelle wipes her face roughly. “She said ‘Least we know one of them started their cycle.’ … She said that…”
Taylor was quiet behind her.
“You KNOW what that means Taylor.” Rochelle whispers roughly. “You KNOW why they want to know that…”
Taylor just stands behind her, silent.
Rochelle inhales tightly before a rough, whimpering sob crackles out her mouth. Taylor is quickly climbing up onto the bed with Rochelle and wrapping her arms around her. Neither say anything more as more cries break out of Rochelle’s lip, tears starting to run down her face.
There's the squeaking of shoes.
“Hey, is she hurting again? “ Kai asks softly, crawling up to join them on the bed.
“ Wish we had some Advil for her…” Laurie is with her, but she shimmies around to be in front of Rochelle. The blond frowns down at her, tilting her head. “ I think heat helps. My sister has the heat pad on her constantly when she has hers. We don't have that, but maybe if I lay in front of you, that could warm you up and help with the pain.”
“That's a good idea.” Kai agrees. “ You wanna try Rochelle?”
Rochelle stares up at Laurie's warm, happy smile before sobbing loudly and opening her arms. The blonde tucks herself against her friend, trying to help. So sweet and trusting and…
Rochelle cried into Laurie's hair, snuffling as Kai’s hand stroked her head. Slowly she started to feel warmer, and slowly the pain ebbs.
Nothing else changed though.
Rochelle dearly wished she was home with her mom now, so she could help her through this… and she wished could be safe… That they'd all be safe …
Here, they were anything but.
Rochelle is too sore to move for a bit.
Laurie valiantly tries to stay at her side most of the day, but eventually she needs to run to the washroom and stretch. She switches out with Kai, who just finished her run, and Rochelle is grateful. Having them take turns acting as living hot water bottles has greatly reduced the pain by the end of the day.
However it becomes clear that, until Rochelle can manage to run again, they need to push back their plan. It won't be happening tonight…
None of the others complain. Laurie and Kai are too busy trying to help Rochelle and cheer her up. Taylor, meanwhile, has taken some time to be alone on the other side of the room. When Rochelle rolled to her other side tiredly, she could see Taylor sitting, staring at the floor with her knees up to her chest. She had a scared look on her face, or what you could see past her arms…
The silence stretched on and Taylor didn’t move until the alarm on her wrist went off. She seem to slowly shake out of her fog and look down at it before turning it off. She made her way back to the bed and everyone arranged themselves for sleep.
As the lights turned off and the darkness fell, Rochelle dearly hoped things would look up the next morning…..
The night was uneventful. While still sore Rochelle was already feeling better, so she didn’t mind much when Laurie started getting up and detangling herself from Rochelle before the lights turned on. She could hear the blonde stumbling around in the darkness on her way to the bathroom before starting to nod off again.
BANG!
All the girls jerk awake frantically, light flooding in from the hall. Slightly dazed Rochelle sat up, watching someone stand in the door before they grumbled.
“Shit, right, the lights…”
PEW!
Momentarily blinded Rochelle hissed, face pinched. She blinked rapidly and looked around. Doc stood in the door, holding a box under her arm. Glancing back over Rochelle found Laurie standing outside the bathroom, frozen in place like a deer in headlights.
What in the…
“Alright, up and at ‘em ladies!” Doc shouted, coming into the room. Moe, once again, used his boulder like body to block the doorway behind her. “Lets make this quick!”
Rochelle isn’t sure what she means by that, but jumps when Doc marches across the room quickly, right toward Laurie, who is too shocked to move. The woman grabs Laurie by the upper arm and practically starts dragging her across the room.
“Hey!’ Rochelle splutters, scrambling to her feet.
“What are you doing?!” Taylor is only seconds behind her.
“Oh calm down!” Doc snaps at them. She doesn't take Laurie to the door, only to a bench in the middle of the room. “Lights better here.” She forces the girl to sit, roughly shoving her down by the shoulders. Then she yanks on the leather around Laurie’s neck, reaching for the padlock on it. Laurie’s eyes darted nervously with her head tilted to the side to make room. Clearly confused and uncertain of what is expected of her.
Doc fiddles with the lock until it opens, taking it all off Laurie’s neck. She then crams Lauire’s head forward, looking over the back of her neck closely.
“Good.” Doc says simply, opening the box and tossing the collar in. She pulls out a bottle of disinfectant and sprays it onto Laurie’s neck, making her yelp. Doc gunts grumpily and lightly whacks Laurie on the back of the head. “Shut up and get up! You're done.”
Laurie must have taken longer than Doc wanted though to get moving, because the woman scooped her up under her arms and thrust her off the seat. Laurie landed on her feet, but stumbled away with a squawk. She started to rub her neck sorely as Doc looked up. “NEXT!”
Kai practically ran to take the spot, already getting her head in the proper place for the lock to be worked on, evidently wanting the collar off sooner rather than later. Doc blinked, but got to work.
Laurie was quick to rejoin the group, but Rochelle and Taylor grabbed her the second she did. “Turn around!” Rochelle ordered, both of them manhandling her to face her back. Lauire, for her part, did so without a word. Taylor’s hands reached Laurie’s neck before Rochelle’s did, brushing hair up out of the way. There was a small, puckered scar the length of a dime on the back of Laurie’s neck. It was red, but not infected, thankfully. Taylor's hands pulled around it, but it was firmly stitched shut. The thread seemingly the kind that dissolved over time.
What the hell was that for?
“Ow!” Kai yelped as Doc applied the spray to her neck as well. They turned back just as she let the girl go.
“Quit complaining!” Doc grumbled, letting Kai get up. She was soon switched out with Taylor. “We’re almost done.”
The work went on, from Taylor to Rochelle in less than a few minutes. Just as Doc finished up on her and Rochelle could finally rub her neck, someone came up behind Moe.
“Hey! Hey! Move god damn it!” A hand flew up, smacking Moe on the back to try and get by. All the girls grimaced at the voice.
Joey.
Doc watched Joey struggle to get by Moe, becoming more and more aggravated before she sighed. “Moe, come on.”
Only then did Moe slide to the side. Joey sent him a dirty look behind his mask before turning to Doc. “It's Sammy on the phone about the transport dates.” He said, holding up a cheap looking flip phone.
“Thats the big emergency?” Doc sighs, packing up her stuff.
“He said he might be able to move things up to next week.”
Doc paused in surprise to glance back up. “Oh! That's good.” She came and took the phone. “Sam. What's the word?” She slipped past the two men into the hall. “What are we looking at here? … Yeah I can fit two to a crate.”
The door pulled shut behind them.
The girls stood, huddled together before Kai breathed out frantically.
“Oh shit….” She looked at the others. “OH SHIT!”
“Transport?!” Laurie whimpered, wringing her hands. “Do they mean us?!”
“SHIT!” Kai yells, starting to pace. Rochelle herself needs to sit back down. Her stomach hurting for a completely different reason now.
“Crates?” Rochelle muttered tightly. “Oh god, where are they sending us in crates?!”
“No where! They aren’t sending us anywhere!” Taylor growls angrily, though Rochelle can see the fear lingering in her eyes. “Everybody calm down! We have a plan!”
Right. Right, the plan…
Rochelle took a deep breath.
Remember the plan.
“This just means we can’t wait around anymore…” Taylor mumbled, rubbing her sore neck. She looked down at Rochelle quickly. “You good? Are you feeling well enough to run?”
Rochelle straightened her posture. “Like the damn wind!”
“Then we have to do this tonight… or I don’t think we’re getting out of this.” Taylor mumbled, glaring over at the locked door with her hands balled into fists.
The girls all shared a look before nodding.
Tonight, they’d give it their all.
Tonight they'd escape.