7
For a little while, the camera lingered on Faith, lit by fierce floodlights in the early dawn, leaping and twisting in a wild, hopeless struggle to ease, or at least come to terms with, the torture of her wrists, arms and aching shoulders, fighting to flex her legs, pressing down – against unbearable pain – on her bleeding nailed feet.
Only when she sank with a deep groan of despair did proceedings continue in the Parade Ground below. Gaby was next, her fine, strong body bowed under the weight of her crossbeam, her breasts hanging vulnerable to her captors' lash and goad as they led her up to the platform. Her confession was hard to hear, her mouth had been smashed in by the blow she'd suffered, she was still spitting gobbets of half-dried blood. The Director of Punishments yelled at her, made her repeat it, told her "You'll suffer for that – extra Punishment for this one!" The Fat One saluted, grinning mockingly, "Yes, Sir!", he clicked his heels.
When she reached the area where our Crucifixions were to take place, she was driven past Faith, now moaning softly as she slowly tried to haul herself up on the cross, sweat glistening on her bruised white skin in the cold light of dawn. Gaby's march continued across to the opposite side. In the growing light I could see the row of uprights positioned ready for each victim, but there was other equipment there too, most conspicuously a pair of huge wheels, one held upright, the other in front of it horizontal. I wondered anxiously what – and who - these would be for.
Though bigger and stronger than Faith, Gaby suffered just as severely as the younger girl as she was nailed, abused, humiliated and finally raised. Her screams echoed around the bastion, as she fought madly to try to force her wrists free from the agony of the nails – of course, she was only torturing herself, making her own hideous pain still worse. The walls and Castle buildings behind served to amplify and project the two girl's shrieks out across the city. By the time we're all up there, it will be a ghastly chorus!
By the time Dagmar's turn came, the audience in the stands on the Parade Ground had grown considerably, mainly Elmedan Military in uniform, some with their partners and even children, and quite a few well-heeled Elclud bourgeois who'd welcomed the invasion and were only too happy to witness the final destruction of wretches they'd never regarded as better than scum.
When Dagmar mounted the platform, the camera zoomed in on her sweat-stained, exhausted face. I watched her lift her head and an expression of shock and deep loathing suddenly replaced her apathy. As the picture swung round, I saw the reason. Waiting to greet her, with his tight-lipped smile, was Dr. Sheng, the evil genius who'd lured her father to work with him, and used the poor daughter as his laboratory rat as he explored the frontiers of his scientific realm – pain in the female body.
Now he'd come to witness and enjoy the final demonstration, not one of his beloved hi-tech tortures, just the simple but still supreme mode of woman-torture, Crucifixion! Dagmar almost spat the absurd confession she'd been made to memorise, then she was marched up and around the walls to he place of execution, alongside Gaby. Dr. Sheng accompanied her, watched all the proceedings with smug satisfaction.
The dank rain had eased, the sun was rising, as Dagmar was lifted on her cross, it was still humid and we were feeling hot in the prison, so were our Guards, still aroused to grope and maul our naked bodies as they enjoyed the sight of our friends' excruciation.
Three girls crying in agony greeted the conquered city as it came to life in the morning sun. Three more would soon be joining them – my cousins Erica, Carina and Julia. We were taken out to the yard again and watched them being yoked and burdened with their crossbars. They all behaved courageously, as I knew they would, both the younger girls were actually smiling, though I avoided catching their eyes for fear we'd earn extra punishments. They strode forward boldly when commanded, knelt and held out their arms, as if challenging their Torturers to do their worst. Their attitude gave me a boost, I felt the despair that had crept into me while I watched the first round of cruxing give way to a surge of determination – we Killhope Girls will fight to the end!
The rest of us were taken back inside to watch the next phase. The sun was bright now as the three condemned girls paraded through the city, more traffic and people about, again it was mainly Elmedan Military or horny Elcludan youths who lined the pavements to jeer and urge on the tormentors, other people hurried by or stopped to watch because they feared the consequences if they didn't.
There were no marching bands, no cheerleaders, none of the grotesque holiday atmosphere that had accompanied our mothers to their execution. Outside a school, the students had been lined up to observe, the younger pupils looking frightened and bewildered, older ones sullen and resentful. There were many more boys than girls, in separate groups, the latter in long, dull grey uniform skirts. They were under the stern gaze of men in uniform, too.
My cousins did pretty well, carrying their heavy crossbeams. Of course they each stumbled a few times, took their punishment and staggered on, their long bare legs strengthened by six months of exercise on the Tower Treadmill were proving well up to the first challenge – there will be much more to come!
The stands around the Parade Ground were pretty well filled when the three victims were herded into view, and a wide area at one end of the ground, fenced off with barbed wire, was now crowded. As the camera panned around, I was able to see who were in this cattle-pen – slavegirls, bare-legged, barefoot youngsters in ragged shorts and sweat-stained vests, standing rigidly with hands behind bums, legs apart, whip-wielding overseers patrolling and flicking the thighs of any who dared move.
I remembered when Laura and I were first convicted and sentenced to Corrective Labour, that dreadful night we'd been marched from our slavery on the Tip to witness the slow burning to death of thirteen girls on the Night of Fire, our first glimpse of the depths of hellish evil into which the Military Security Commission intended to drive us. We were like those girls then, wide-eyed, terrified, unable to believe what we were being forced to watch. And now the girls of Elclud – hundreds of them, by the look of it, already, and no doubt these are only the first of thousands – are being rounded up and initiated into their destined lives as slaves.
Erica, Carina and Julia knelt before the platform. Erica was called up first, made to repeat her confession, heard her sentence, made the long progress round the Castle walls to the Place of Execution. She was crucified next to Faith, who was hanging now fairly still, accepting the agony just twisting a little and occasionally jolting or lunging as a spasm of agony surged through her small, stretched body. I glimpsed a support that had been fitted beneath her groin, trickles of purple blood streaking the insides of her splayed white thighs. I shuddered, remembering how Mum had been provided with a seat like that on her cross, a seat with an upward-pointing spike!
Erica acted bravely as she was prepared, positioning herself and holding out her arms for nailing with a look of determination in her blue eyes. She howled, of course, when her cross was raised and dropped into its socket, her struggle was strong and prolonged before she submitted to hanging, panting, sweat streaming, another crux-victim on the city's horizon.
Carina was feisty too, while she was being nailed, she kicked so vigorously she managed to send one of her tormentors – a grinning little twerp no older than his victim – flying onto the bastion pavement. He got his revenge, of course, when her legs had been nailed, raping her with savage brutality, squeezing, biting, tearing at her neck, breasts and body as he repeatedly thrust his tool into her then pulled out again to inflict further punishment before he finally released his sperm in her.
Her cross was next to Erica's, and her sister shouted some word of encouragement as her cross was lifted – I didn't catch what she said, it earned her a thrashing across her lover abdomen from one of her Guards, but it heartened Carina – and even me, watching in the prison. Carina had always been a natural dancer, if she'd had more patience and self-discipline she'd have been better than me, and on the cross she displayed her capability to the full, with deliciously supple, lively twisting and flexing of her tortured legs and body, I felt a strange pleasure in watching her, knowing I'd soon by up there competing with her!
And young Julia too made a lively victim, not in the least subdued, she rattled off her confession in a bright, clear voice, snapped "Yes, Sir!" to accept her sentence, almost seemed to hurry ahead of her captors as she was taken to the Place of Execution. She let out some good sharp yelps as she was nailed, and gave her legs a good wild waving before they were held down and nailed. She was crucified alongside Carina, and when her cross was up, all three sisters screamed in chorus, a strong, determined sound. "They're going to last well, all three of them!" I heard one of the Officers say who was standing behind me watching the show.