His by Right (2 page)

            She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay, Merry. Watch your blood pressure. You're imagining all of this, all right? You're dreaming. You're really back inside your car, and the cold is starting to get to you."

            But in this new reality, she was starting to overheat. She was still wearing her layers of clothing, including her sweater and coat. All she was missing was everything else, including her purse, her keys, her cell phone, and her car.

            She began to unbutton the coat one-handedly. Sliding it off, she slipped it down her cuffed arm and let it bunch in a heap. Next was the pullover sweater, which proved to be more of a problem.

            Pausing, she wiped her brow with her shirtsleeve, when a movement outside her cell made her look up. A small shriek jumped from her throat, and without realizing it, Meredith scuttled backwards until she reached the far wall. From there, she nearly hyperventilated in fear as the creature with red eyes and a mouth filled with enormous teeth hovered over her cell.

            In the light, it was easier to see the monstrosity, and to note that it stood a good five or six feet tall. It was hard to tell, cooped up inside the little box. Meredith glanced at the cube around her and prayed it was strong enough in case the thing attacked.

            "Why did you remove your skin?"

            The words echoed inside her skull. Meredith stared up at the monster that continued to bend over her. From this angle, she could see it was built like a centipede, but with an overall purplish exterior. Hundreds of yellowish tendrils coiled and slithered like snakes around the creature's underbelly.

            "Can you understand me?"

            The words were there, but the thing's mouth, if it was a mouth, didn't move.

            "Uh, yeah. Yes, I heard you."

            "Then answer me. Why did you remove your skin?"

            "My skin?" Meredith frowned, then looked down at where her clothes were bunched up on the floor. "Oh! You mean my coat and all! It's not my skin. It's clothes."

            "Clothes?"

            Something wriggled through her mind, like a worm going from one end to the other. The feeling was unpleasant and irritating. Meredith put a hand to her head.

            "Hey, if that's you, stop it."

            "Clothes. Outerwear. Warmth. Protection. Modesty." The thing raised up slightly. "You are emitting water. You are not comfortable?"

            "No, I'm not comfortable!" Meredith gave the monster an angry scowl. The nearly impenetrable cube gave her a sense of security, albeit a false one. She was sure the thing had a key, or at least some way of accessing the cell.

            The last thing she expected was for the walls to fall away from her, like a magic box suddenly dropping its walls. Now the being loomed above her with nothing to stop it from swooping down and taking her head in its massive jaws, and—

            Meredith threw an arm over her head as she ducked, a scream forming in her throat. But when nothing occurred, she slowly opened her eyes and peeked upward. The monster remained where it was. It hadn't moved.

            "I do not mean to frighten you," it finally commented.

            "You're not going to eat me? Or shred me to pieces?"

            The thing reared upward, and its body shook slightly. Was it laughing at her?

            "No. I will not eat you. Nor will I tear you apart. You probably would not taste good, even if I tried."

            "Then why am I here?"

            "Are you ready?"

            "Yes."

            "Stand."

            Meredith looked at the neon bracelet. "How?"

            "Stand."

            Giving a little shrug, she got to her feet. Her coat and sweater slid the rest of the way off her arm and remained at her feet.

            Impulse took over, and Meredith took off, running as fast as she could away from the creature. Running for any place that would lead out of this huge room filled with transparent cubes and nightmarish animals.

            It was as if an invisible hand grabbed her by her wrist and threw her onto the floor. Meredith hit the metal plating with a grunt that knocked the air from her lungs, and she skidded partly on her chest and stomach before coming to a stop. Her chin struck the floor, scraping away the skin and leaving a slick of blood. Pain blossomed and spiked in her head with a hot, red flash.

            Dazed, it took her a moment to realize what had happened. Turning her head so that she rested on her cheek, Meredith stared at her cuffed arm. It resisted any attempt to lift it. She could move, but her wrist appeared to be permanently adhered to the plating.

            Something approached from her blind side.

            "Will you try to escape again?"

            "No. I've learned my lesson."

            And just like that, she could move her arm. She rolled over to find the creature hunched over her. A single tentacle squirmed out and touched her chin.

            "We will heal that."

            Oddly, the thing no longer frightened her. It withdrew its extension and stepped away. Meredith slowly, painfully, got to her feet. She would have bruises to show for that stunt, but she didn't regret trying. At least, now she knew her limitations.

            Facing the thing, she realized her original estimate wasn't too far off. She was five foot five, and the top of her head barely reached its mouth. "Where are we going?"

            "To your room."

            "
My
room?"

            Without commenting further, the creature turned and began undulating toward one of the far walls. Meredith turned around to see the huge, almost dome-shaped area held nearly a hundred of the crystalline boxes, like the one she had been inside. And every one of them contained something beyond description. A catwalk of sorts circled the room, overlooking the floor below. A few aliens patrolled from overhead. Although she couldn't see any weapons, or recognized any, she bet they were armed with some way of stopping her.

            A hard tug on her cuffed arm was her signal to follow her captor. Reluctantly, she obeyed.

Chapter Three
Gleeth

            Meredith hobbled along. She must have busted her knee during her attempted escape, but it was difficult to see the extent of damage unless she stopped and dropped her pants. Biting her lips, she endured the increasing agony as she followed the giant millipede through the wall and down several corridors until it stopped in front of another section of wall. To her, there didn't appear to be a door anywhere, just long seamless and endless partitions of grayish-white. Even the ceiling and floor blended together. But apparently the thing could tell where the openings were.

           
If I tried to make a run for it again, I'd probably crash right into the barriers, but I guess that's the intent of this whole thing. Don't want to make any escape any easier by showing the way out.

            "This is your room." It waved a tentacle at a spot. Frowning, Meredith started to walk inside when she stopped and turned to face the creature.

            "I don't know your name. What do I call you?"

            "I am called Gleeth."

            "Sorry. What?"

            "You may call me Gleeth."

            "Glee
th
? Or Glee
f
?" She circled her mouth with an index finger. "I'm sorry, but it's hard to tell because you don't have any lips, just a bunch of shark teeth."

            "It makes no difference. Go inside."

            "But I—"

            The creature suddenly loomed over her, its normally purplish exterior now a definite lavender. The voice inside her head sounded peeved. "Go inside before I activate your containment band."

            Meredith hurried into the room where she noticed a simple pallet on the floor. Glancing around, she waited until Gleeth came inside. The thing pointed to the bedding, which resembled a very thick bath mat.

            "Sit down."

            She sat, then watched in amazement as the creature parked itself on the other side of the narrow space.

            "Allow me to explain, then you may ask questions. You have been brought on board this
iktpwmutolspg.
"

            Something crackled in her head, sending a minute spark of pain through her skull. Meredith winced and pressed a finger to a spot behind her earlobe. Gleeth's enunciation of the place sounded like harsh static. She was surprised to feel an unusual tenderness in the area under the skin, but held her tongue as ordered.

            "In the past few months, we have seen an increase in the number of humanoid clientele. This required us to find more humanoid products to satisfy them."

            The truth hit her hard, nearly making her pass out. "Humanoid
products
? I'm a
product
? Why? Are you selling me?"

            "All products are given a shelf span of two years."

            "
Shelf
span? Are you talking people or groceries?" Meredith demanded.

            Again, Gleeth's mantle flashed a pale purple color.

            "Sorry." She quickly apologized.

            If it was possible for the creature to heave a deep, irritated sigh, it did. "Your two years of servitude will begin with your first client."

            Meredith frowned, and she started to open her mouth when her eyes caught sight of the glowing pink bracelet on her arm. To keep herself from inadvertently interrupting again, she placed a hand over her mouth.

            Gleeth rose up and undulated over to the wall opposite the door. A panel slid open, revealing a yellowish square box.

            "Gown."

            From underneath the cube, a pale green something emerged. Gleeth took the greenish object and brought it over, holding it out to Meredith.

            "Put this on."

            She took it and stared at the translucent material. Once more, Gleeth appeared to sigh. Taking the object from her, the creature adjusted it and held it out in front of her.

            "This way."

            It was either a shift or a short toga. It was also so transparent, she might as well not be wearing anything. Briefly, Meredith wondered would happen if she refused, then thought better of it. If she continued to butt heads with the thing, it could possibly decide Meredith wasn't worth the effort and kill her. At least, in her opinion, it would be an easier option to jettison her out into space, rather than turn around and take her back to Earth.
No. It's better I play along for now. Sooner or later it might slip up, and I'll find a way to get out of here. If I get a reputation for being docile, it may not be watching me as closely than if I've been branded a trouble maker.

           
She stood and started to remove the rest of her clothing until she wore only her bra and thong. She reached for the shift when Gleeth stopped her.

            "To your bare skin."

            "Well, hell. Okay." The underwear followed her slacks and blouse, including her knee hose and shoes. She noticed how Gleeth examined her closely once she was completely naked. "This is it. All me. Nothing else. Promise."

            Gleeth deftly dropped the shift over her. Actually, it was more like fitting her head through the hole in the material and letting it fall from her shoulders. She had worn towels that were more complicated.

            To her pleasant surprise, the garment was soft and incredibly luxurious, and stopped just above her knees. Meredith ran a hand over the fabric. It was also warm to the touch, not to mention the fact that she could see every inch of her body through the iridescent cloth. Even if someone else couldn't see through it, just casually walking would blow enough of it aside to allow people to eye her business.

            "Now you may ask your questions."

            "I hope you have an hour to spare, because I have a ton of them. First, where's the bathroom?"

            In a way, it was funny to see the millipede tilt its head at her. It made the thing appear almost human.

            "Explain bathroom."

            "It's where I clean up. Where I can pee. Where I can—"

            "Here."

            Gleeth went to the opposite side of the room, near the head of the pallet. Another panel slid back, revealing an oddly tube-shaped cylinder standing vertically. Meredith limped over and stuck her hand inside. Lukewarm water sprayed from the tube's sides, and her body reminded her of its dehydration. Cupping her hands, she quickly gulped down three handfuls before wiping her face and shaking the wetness from her fingers. Although the water was warm, it tasted fantastic. Meredith heaved a deep sigh and turned to face Gleeth as the thing seemed to nod.

            "What else do you wish to inquire about?"

            "My two years of servitude. What kind of servitude?" She brushed a hand over the shift. "Dressed like this, I look like a—" She started to say call girl, or slut, or porn star, when her mind finally clicked, and realization burned through her like a bolt of lightning. "Your
humanoid
clientele? What is this place? Am I on a space ship?"

            "You are on an intergalactic vessel."

            "Just what am I supposed to be to your humanoid clientele?"

            "You will allow them to pleasure you."

            "
Pleasure me?
What am I? Are you telling me to prostitute myself? What the fuck are you? My pimp?" Fear combined with indignation, and Meredith glared at the creature.

            Rather than answer any further questions, Gleeth started shuffling toward the doorway. Meredith hurried to place herself in front of the creature. There was no way she could allow the thing to leave without first getting a decent answer, and that meant one she could accept.