Kill Me, My Love

Chapter 17

Minutes passed, hours passed... Lina made herself a nest under the bed. She stuffed it with a blanket, a pillow, and, curling up like a baby in a mother's womb, observed the door. Whenever she heard any footsteps or voices, she tensed up terribly. She was still afraid. Her subconscious painted horrifying images of how they would turn her into a laboratory rabbit. They would torture, torment, experiment on her with various horrifying things. Yet, for now, everything was calm. Occasionally the guard changed, and no one peeked in at her. It was as if they had forgotten about her existence.

And when the girl began to fall asleep, unable to fight her fatigue any longer, she heard the jingle of keys.

The door opened.

A woman in a long crimson dress with low heels entered.

– My dear girl, don’t be afraid, and come out. You need to be prepared for a meeting with the high priest.

Her voice was low and pleasant, like from some advertiSament for expensive French perfumes.

Lina did not engage. She burrowed deeper into her corner, dreaming of simply dissolving into the darkness like a chameleon. Disappearing. Teleporting somewhere.

– Either you come out voluntarily, or we will force you. Anton wants to tell you the reason for your presence here, explain everything, and you resist! I’ll count to three; if you don’t crawl out from under the bed by then, we will inject you with sedatives, and you will become obedient as a lamb. Either way, I will get what I want.

The tone of the woman’s voice had become much sharper. Lina realized that she had no choice, and she didn't want to feel the drowsy influence of the drugs, so eventually she slowly crawled out from under the bed.

– Good girl! – the woman smiled.

She had a very strange appearance. A face without makeup, hair in a tight hairstyle, a dress with a neck under her chin, buttons, and long sleeves to cover her body as much as possible. Though she was not old enough to wear such an ascetic outfit. She appeared to be around thirty-five, no more.

– My name is Karin de Plessen, I am a baroness and a mistress. My job is to ensure your proper appearance.

Karin took the girl by the arm and led her into the corridor.

At the exit stood four burly men. Two orderlies and two guards. All of them, one and all, stared at the floor as if they were forbidden to look directly at Lina.

Walking straight down the corridor, Karin led the girl into the bathroom.

Everywhere, flickering black candles were placed, and the air was filled with some strange fruit aroma and the smell of melted wax. Steam rose from the filled bathtub, and the surface of the water was milky in color.

– Undress, – the woman ordered.

– I don’t want to, – the girl whispered.

The last thing she wanted right now was to take a bath in front of a stranger.

– I’m not asking you if you want to or not. You will take a bath and do everything I tell you to.

She looked at Lina unblinkingly. So the girl gave in and removed the tattered shirt that had become familiar by now.

The baroness grabbed the clothing and tossed it into a trash bag.

The girl felt terrible. She covered her breasts with one hand and held her lower abdomen with the other.

– How much longer are you going to stand there? – the woman hissed, prompting the girl to quickly get into the tub.

Then she took a lotion from the nightstand, rolled up the sleeves of her dress, and began rubbing it into Lina's skin. The baroness washed the girl roughly and harshly. Not caring about her feelings. The woman carefully washed her hair, neck, back, and legs. As if she intended to strip away the old layer of skin. Soon, the water became grayish, but Karin didn't care. After a while, she opened one of the cabinets and took out a razor – a straight razor with a sharp blade.

Lina couldn’t take her eyes off the small instrument, watching it approach her leg.

– Are you afraid? – the woman finally spoke.

The girl nodded.

– You see, new razors don’t shave as thoroughly.

She lifted a fragile leg out of the water and began shaving Lina’s shin.

– Why are you doing this? – she asked.

– The meeting with the high priest is a very responsible moment. So you must look perfect even if no one will see it.

Lina wanted to shove her away from her body. She wanted to knee her in the face, but she couldn't do that. Her gaze was glued to the shining blade that slid back and forth along her leg.

When everything was finished, the woman helped Lina out of the tub and carefully dried her off with a fluffy towel.

The girl felt like a washed, fragrant pig, being prepared for slaughter. Tears quietly dripped from the corners of her eyes, but she didn't even try to wipe them away.

– Now, now, what’s with this bad mood? Don’t be so upset over normal bathing procedures, – Karin stroked her victim's head gently and turned on the hairdryer, surprisingly drying her hair carefully. – You know, using a hairdryer requires skill as well. It should be held at a certain angle and at a certain distance to avoid drying out the hair follicle.

The woman continued to explain something about the correct technique and hair care, but Lina didn’t listen. Her voice was drowned out by the loud noise of air being sucked through the dryer.

When her hair became dry and smooth, the baroness pulled out a bundle of clothing from the nightstand and dressed the girl in black lace panties. Then a strapless bra to match. All her size. Everything perfect, brand new, and comfortable. Then came the turn of the dress – crimson, the same cut as Karin’s. It was not very comfortable, tightly hugging her neck and chest, although it felt pleasant to the touch. The fabric was soft and apparently very expensive.

The woman stepped back, inspecting Lina closely. After a few moments, she smiled slightly, evidently very satisfied with the completed work.

– Now you are ready. Anton LaVey is waiting for you.