The Owner Himself (1)

The hallway was lit by candelabras interspersed on dark wooden tables sporting dead flowers in vases long since neglected and long streams of wax. Very fitting for a place that routinely slaughtered people. Her bare feet were quiet against the cool tile as she made her way past thick closed doors.

There was a draft in the place that caused goosebumps along her arms although maybe it was the smell of blood. The irony scent laced every breath and although it was disturbing, she almost looked forward to when that might feel normal. Almost.

One thing she noticed was the lack of windows. It could have been to discourage anyone trying to escape or to keep the world from seeing the horrors that lay within. The whole thing was disorienting. What was she even supposed to be exploring? So she could stumble upon more freaky experiments or children locked in the dark?

There was an open room ahead where she heard laughter and the sound of glasses clinking together. A toast, she figured. Ari peeked inside. The goblets were filled with thick red wine that were nearly overflowing. She decided to keep moving. Whatever they were celebrating she wanted no part in.

As she continued on the ceilings grew to be vaulted, painted with murals from a history she couldn't quite decipher. She'd never been the scholarly type but still nothing seemed familiar. The scenes were often gory and dark; painted in swathes of deep grays and impossible black. Creatures lurking in the shadows until nightfall where they paraded terrors unknown.

"Spying?" Someone said from behind her. "Not really a place for collared people such as ourselves."

Ari nearly jumped out of her skin, clutching the place over her heart as she whirled around. "I wasn't spying. I'm just exploring. I wasn't given much instruction beyond don't go outside."

"You don't really want to go in there honey. They'd eat you alive." A extremely looking gay man stood behind her, smeared eyeliner, red lipstick, and a half balding head.

"I know. It's why I was only looking. Thanks for the tip though. I guess I really don't understand what I can and can't do yet." She reached up to adjust the collar around her neck. Slipping a finger beneath to loosen it a bit. "This is all new to me."

"I can teach you a bit if you'd like. I'm a low collar rank." The man said, scratching at the slight bald spot on the crown of his head. He had a goatee that seemed unkempt and untamed. The door was pulled open, a tall young yet white haired man glared down upon them. His eyes were as silver as steel.

"Where's our wine?" Hissed the white haired man, clearly speaking to the both of them.

"I wasn't sent here with the wine, were you?" He asked Ari, the balding man.

Ari shook her head, visibly confused. "I wasn't told that I was supposed to bring anything. Sorry." The bald man seemed nice enough and despite being told not to trust any other collared people, she felt like he meant well. He would have known if they were supposed to grovel or something she figured.

The white haired man extended his hand, bare chest puffing out and restricting against the two chains that crisscrossed across his chest. Someone beyond the door, too far pushed to the left, handed him a whip with glass shards on the leather flogger.

He swung and caught the balding man on the face, glass digging in deep before he tore back, leaving bloody meaty marks that looked like a tiger had its way with the man. "Both of you go get my wine. Quickly. I'm timing you."

The balding man cupped his face, blood pooling down his fingers. "Ah fucking christ."

She grabbed hold of the man's arm and began to drag him away. Unsure of exactly where they were supposed to go but it was better than standing around waiting to find out. "Do you know where the wine is? I'll carry it and then we can clean you up." Her stomach twisted at the sight of so much blood pooling down his face, punished for something that hadn't even been their job in the first place.

"It's uh," He wobbled a bit as he turned around . "It's down the hall to the right, wooden pantry. I noticed he didn't hit you. Probably because you have a high collar." The man muttered, seeming a bit scared of her.

"I'm not so sure about that. Either way it was cruel." Ari offered her arm to him for support. "I'm not your enemy." She could tell he was more reluctant now though. Honestly she hadn't thought the collar meant anything beyond that she was spoken for. "We need to hurry though. He doesn't seem like the patient type and I really don't want to see you hurt."

"Really? Everyone here is an enemy. Even if they're like us. I told you this." His hands were shaking, but he managed to guide her down the darkened halls all the way to the closet that kept the wine. "Here." Lifting one bottle, he handed it to her and frowned.

The bottle was tucked beneath her free arm to keep it safe. God forbid they drop anything. "It's hard to think that way, but I guess you're right. Come on," She said while supporting him back to where the cruel young man waited for them.

Ari slipped the bottle free and offered it to him. "We're sorry for keeping you waiting."

The white haired man snatched it from her without a thank you. "You know how to dance whore?" He asked Ari.

Despite it being a simple question it somehow seemed sinister. Her gaze fell to the floor, hands wringing together while she tried to find a way out of it. They were asking for entertainment while the man beside her bled all over the floors and clearly needed medical attention. "I'm afraid I don't."

"What a shame. You probably would've looked good on the pole. Wh- who owns you again?" They narrowed their eyes towards the collar and shimmering silver on its front. "Yours doesn't have a single name. And you're high up yet I haven't seen you around here. You stink too, you'd think they'd give you a bath."

"Zadkiel." The opportunity to bathe hadn't been given to her since they drug her out of the cage earlier. "He didn't have time to put a name there. I will go clean up now if you like," she offered. Hopefully his name carried enough weight to get them out of there.

"Please do. And when you're done, bring me another bottle of wine with clean hands this time. I'm sure this will already taint the taste. Take her to go bath. Proper high up slaves shouldn't smell like pussy and ass. Zadkiel you say? Hm." He said nothing else but turned, a mischievous glare in his eyes.

The balding man grabbed her by the arm. "Zadkiel owns you? Like, THE Zadkiel?" Blinking once, then twice, he then said. "Oh man, I'm going to have to keep you around. You're great at lying." He hiccuped.

Ari hurried down the halls turning this way and that, eager to get away from the leering albino. "I'm not lying. What? Why is that hard to believe? Let's focus on finding a bathroom first so we can patch you up and," Her face heated from embarrassment. It was humiliating being told she reeked that badly in front of others. "And I can clean up."

"But, alright. So are you permanently here?" The man asked while heading the opposite way they went lay time. There, down some stairs, was an open bathroom without a door. All white tiles and individual stalls for showering like a football locker room. "Here you are." He bobbed his head, then asked. "How'd you manage to get under his wing?"

"I-I don't know. No. I mean.." The curls on her head bounced as she shook her head. "No. Someone will come for me." Her throat bobbed suddenly feeling like something was choking her; grief, despair? She couldn't tell. Ari coughed trying to push past it. She had to stay optimistic. "They took me to the lab and after a test he decided that I was his. Something everyone wants but can't have."

Ari turned her back on him to step into the room. Looking around she spotted an open cabinet with clean towels. She grabbed the first towel she could reach and brought it over to gently dab it against his face. "My name is Ari by the way. What's yours?"