Sindy vanished. I wanted to tell her about my experiences, and get her advice. Maybe she knows something about Molly. I want to know more about her. I haven’t seen her since our night together. I can’t stop thinking about her.
After a couple days of searching, it became clear that Sindy was not around. I asked around about her as much as I could without drawing attention. I felt bad that I had not noticed her disappearance immediately. It made me wonder how many others had disappeared and I had not noticed. Although it is not uncommon for slaves to disappear for a few days or a week. Sometimes I spend days in his room without leaving too.
However, over a week has passed and she has not came back. I always had a sense that she was into something, a little more so than many of us. She rarely slept in the dorms, and when she did she did not look so great. Sick or beaten up, sometimes it was hard to tell which. She would not say. Officially, the health of another slave was not our concern. We were supposed to report any inconstancy to our supervisors, but of course, we never did. It might mean punishment or worse. We never knew for sure. We could not risk it.
Even though she has worked with me in the kitchen, and at the pools, I can’t quite say that I know Sindy. It is nearly impossible to get to know anyone here. Still, I feel a sort of attachment to her, since we have worked in the same area, and we did sneak away with a joint from time to time. She was the only person I felt I could talk to.
I am worried. No one speaks about her absence. Of course, they would not. Finally I asked him. I was frightened of what he might say, but I could not let it go. At first, he acted like he did not know who I was talking about. Later, he told me that she was murdered by Steve. “Steve likes to take some of the slave girls for what he calls a workout, Which is his way of saying he tortures them to see how much they can take. They don’t come back.”
“He bestows girls with gifts and special privileges sometimes, but even then they don’t often last more than a few months after he’s taken a fancy to them. After he gains familiarity and control over them he uses them for his amusement. I’m not sure he even fucks them. I think he just likes to torture them to watch them suffer. It's likely she said something he didn't like.”
He said, “Many of the others don’t want a girl back after he spends time alone with her, if she is still alive. The passion for life drains from their eyes, and they are never quite the same.” After a pause, he said, “Your friend was a favorite of Bob’s. He’s not happy about it.” That’s how they think of us. In relation to who's pet we are.
I thought about her body. Did they just throw her in the trash? How do they dispose of slaves? I could not ask that question. Part of me did not want to know. I thought there must be an incinerator on the island. Certainly they don’t bury us. They must destroy the evidence somehow.
I wondered if her murder had to do with one incident, maybe a week before she disappeared, where Sindy accidentally spilled half a drink on Steve at the pool. It was obviously an accident, she had tripped, but he would not accept her apology. He admonished her for being so careless and humiliated her in front of everyone. One of the other guests took her away from the area. He continued to make comments about it all afternoon after she had left. Another guest told him to let it go, and he started yelling at the guest. He left in a cursing rage.
“Doesn’t his behavior cause problems?”, I asked. I was furious, but tried to keep my cool.
He replied, “We can’t tell him what to do anymore than he can tell us. Unless it endangers our safety here, which it does not.”
“Steve gets off on his power over others. It’s not just the slaves, he’s always looking for an advantage. He finds ways to belittle other people and bully them. He has a few supporters who think he is the ideal immortal, for his lack of compassion, and obvious self interest. However, many of them would never do what he does. It takes a particularly sadistic person to bully people that consistently, and to the ends he takes it. He has an addiction. Over time, his brain has learned to produce molecules that he has a need to refresh or he feels a sort of withdrawal.
A moment later, he said, “Steve is largely disliked, but tolerated. If we do something because we don't like him, we lose our cohesion. He is free to do what he wants, because we are all free to do what we want. If any of us wants to kill a slave, we have a right to do so. We cannot kill each other.”
I remembered, Sindy had told me, “Most of the slaves don’t live much beyond thirty. The few that do grow older, are those that do what is expected of them, and don’t get into trouble. They are favored by more than one guest, They have supporters and refuge, or they cook well and stay in the kitchen.” She had told me to find a guest I liked, and get closer to him. “It is the only way to get some protection”, she had said.