She walked down the hallway of the slave building, the corridor narrow and long. Her left side was built with walls, her right side she passed by the cells. Some that were open and some that were closed with the slaves sitting inside.

It was Penny's fifth day in the slave establishment. She had spent two days in the confinement room which had avoided her from being branded as the other slaves. She had been careful at the word of her cellmate but it was after she had come to see the blood seeping from the dress that the slaves wore which worried her. The screams and cries in the night didn't stop and neither did it stop in the morning or the time of noon. It wasn't difficult to get into trouble with the guardsmen of the establishment but it wasn't hard to escape it either until one knew how to handle them with a sexual favor.

She had been worried about the brand mark as every slave in this establishment carried one on their body. But the marks weren't necessarily in the commonplace which made it easier for her to hide when all the slaves were sent to take bath.

Penny who had opposed the idea of previously removing her clothes with the others had been compliant to listen to the orders of the guards without a sign or murmur of protest. It wasn't that she was comfortable stripping herself and the stares by the other slaves especially the men made it uncomfortable. The last thing she needed was a brand on her skin which would imprison her for the rest of her life here. Taking the woman, Caitlin's advice she had started to deduce the plan to get her name in the list of the slaves who would be sold in two days.

She stood with hot water dripping down her body which had turned the entire bathing area in steam which she was thankful for. Quickly washing, she picked the garment that was laid to the slaves. Wearing them, she headed out of the bath like the rest when another slave walked by her. It was a male slave, his hand pushing her arm as he walked by where he didn't bother to apologize but after walking a few feet away from her he turned to look at her and gave her a smile which wasn't polite.

Ignoring the man, she decided to walk along with the other slaves. Another thing to note here in this establishment was that, apart from the warden and the guardsmen who guarded the place, there was a hierarchy in the slaves itself. Groups of people who often picked on the slaves who were new. Penny had been wise enough to observe and remind herself not to step into certain parts of the establishment where the guards didn't guard.

Though Caitlin had given her the idea to run away, she didn't take part in helping Penny to escape from the world of the slaves.

Coming to the far end of the corridor, she deviated her footsteps from the rest of them by slowly slipping away from the guardsman's sight who had been stationed at that corner. Peeking from behind the wall, she stared at the room where a guard stood. It was the room where every single slave's details had been recorded when a person was admitted to be a slave here. How was she going to get inside with the guardsman standing outside the room? asked Penny to herself. Biting her lips, she stood there staring before catching sight of another guard who was walking towards where she was. Quickly turning around, she ran back to join the other slaves who were still walking out of the bath.

Going back to the cell that she was assigned to, she sat down, her hands supporting her face as her elbows rested on her lap, "There is a guard there," she whispered to her cellmate who was busy biting the split ends of her red hair. Picking one strand after another,

"There are guards everywhere," Penny sighed at the woman's lack of interest, "Haven't you ever tried to escape yourself?" the young girl asked a little curious about her cellmate. Until now, the woman had revealed nothing about herself, "When did you come here?"

"A few years ago," the woman answered. By the tone of her voice, she realized the woman wasn't interested in dwelling into her personal details. The woman then lifted her eyes to look up at Penny who had been staring at her, "The slave establishment runs with an iron fist. Getting people in here is easy but stepping out isn't. People get scared for life for what they see and experience here. You haven't seen even an inch of it yet."

"You want me to experience it," murmured Penny.

"Never told that," the woman went back to biting her hair and removing the ends of her hair with her teeth.

"Help me, please. The guard won't let me inside the room."

"Of course, he wouldn't. Do you think he will bow his head and let you in, a mere slave just like that?" her cellmate rolled her eyes, "I haven't been bitten by a dog to assist you. If you get caught, it won't be just you but I will get into severe trouble too," Penny covered her face, "And don't wail now. I don't want you crying too. I am going to sleep."

Penny started to sob in her hands, her shoulders shaking as stifled sobs surrounded the cell. In the beginning, the woman didn't pay attention to the young girl. She had seen many slaves come and go in the long-time she had stayed in the slave establishment. They cried and screamed which had turned her almost deaf. With an unbothered attitude, she laid down on the ground and closed her eyes, beliving the girl would stop crying after a while.

Just as the woman started to drift away to fall asleep, she heard,

"Ahhh!!!" and her eyes snapped open. It wasn't that she hadn't heard people in here cry but the cellmates she had had until now were the quiet ones who would silently cry. Also, the scream and cry took place away from the cells which didn't disturb the sleep the way it did now. She cursed the girl under her breath.

"Stop crying! Do you think crying is going to do anything here? Fine, I will help you," the woman rubbed her temples.

Penny sobbed where she had drawn her knees close to her chest to hide her face, "Really?" came the muffled voice.

"Yeah, sure. You have my word," the woman answered half-heartedly. When the young girl raised her head there was not a single drop of tear that had come out of her eyes and her face looking perfectly normal. The woman narrowed her eyes, "You little actress..." Penny grinned, pushing her hand on the ground to stand up and say, "Let's go now."