The tropical sun beat down on the muddy square, baking the moisture out of the air. Haley stood in the line, the heat pressing against her skull like a vice. Her lips were cracked and dry. A thin line of blood seeped from a split in her lower lip, leaving a metallic taste on her tongue.
A sharp, agonizing scream tore through the heavy air. Haley jerked her head forward. Two spots ahead of her, a girl was thrashing against a guard. The guard raised the heavy wooden stock of his rifle and brought it down across the center of her face. The sickening crunch of cartilage echoed across the yard. Bright red blood sprayed across the mud.
Haley's knees buckled. A wave of dizziness washed over her. She dug her fingernails into the sides of her own thighs, using the sharp sting of pain to force her brain to stay awake.
A man walked down the line. He wore a short-sleeved button-down shirt and a thick gold watch. His name was Rico Vargas. A thick cigar sat clamped between his teeth. As he stopped in front of Haley, a cloud of acrid smoke and sour body odor washed over her. Her stomach lurched.
Rico reached out with a thick, calloused hand. He grabbed Haley's jaw, his fingers digging painfully into her cheeks. He wrenched her face side to side, his eyes scanning her features with the cold, calculating detachment of a man inspecting a piece of machinery.
Haley kept her eyes fixed on the top button of his shirt. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, rapid breaths. She kept her facial muscles entirely slack.
Rico's thumb pressed against her lower lip, forcing her mouth open. He dragged a rough finger along her teeth. The degradation burned through her veins, a hot, suffocating flush that crept up her neck. She did not move. She did not pull away.
Rico released her jaw. He pulled a tablet from his pocket, tapped the screen twice, and looked at the guard standing next to him. "Grade A."
The words had barely left his mouth when two heavy-set women stepped out from behind the guards. They grabbed Haley by the upper arms, their grips like iron vises. They yanked her out of the line, dragging her across the wet dirt.
Haley stumbled, trying to keep her feet under her. She opened her mouth, her voice cracking. "Where are you taking me?"
The older woman, Alma, turned and swung her hand. The back of her knuckles collided with Haley's cheekbone. The impact snapped Haley's head to the side. A high-pitched ringing filled her left ear. Black spots danced at the edge of her vision.
They dragged her toward a low, concrete structure at the edge of the square. It was a half-open washroom. The floor was sloped toward a central drain. The air inside was thick with the chemical burn of industrial bleach. It stung Haley's eyes and burned the back of her throat.
Alma shoved Haley toward the center of the room. She pulled a pair of rusted, heavy-duty shears from her apron. She grabbed the collar of Haley's NYU t-shirt and jammed the shears against the fabric.
The sound of the thick cotton tearing echoed off the concrete walls. Haley's arms instinctively crossed over her chest, her hands clutching her shoulders. A hot tear slipped down her cheek, cutting a clean line through the dirt on her face.
Alma ripped the remaining fabric away, leaving Haley standing on the cold, wet concrete. Alma placed a heavy hand on Haley's shoulder and shoved her backward. Haley's bare spine hit the rough cement wall. The cold transferred instantly into her bones.
A heavy valve turned. A high-pressure hose roared to life.
Freezing, untreated groundwater blasted against Haley's skin. The force of the water felt like a barrage of tiny knives. It instantly stripped the heat from her body. Her lungs seized. She couldn't draw a breath. She slid down the rough wall, her knees hitting the concrete, curling her body into a tight, shivering ball.
Alma stepped forward holding a stiff-bristled brush and a heavy block of coarse, industrial livestock soap. She grabbed Haley's arm, pulling her away from the wall, and began to scrub.
The stiff bristles tore across Haley's skin. It felt like sandpaper grinding against sunburn. Long, angry red welts appeared on her arms and shoulders. A low, guttural whimper vibrated in Haley's throat.
The scrubbing was chaotic, rough, and entirely devoid of humanity. The harsh, chemical-scented lather burned the cuts on her wrists. The freezing water continued to pound against her back.
The image of Richard sitting in the airport, counting the crisp hundred-dollar bills he had pulled from an envelope, flashed behind Haley's eyelids. The memory was a spark. The spark caught on the humiliation, the pain, the freezing cold, and ignited into a massive, roaring fire in her chest.
Haley's eyes snapped open. The panic in her pupils hardened into something sharp and cold.
She uncurled her body. She pushed herself up from the floor, planting her bare feet firmly on the wet concrete. She straightened her spine, dropping her arms to her sides, exposing her skin to the freezing water and the harsh brush. She stopped pulling away.
Alma paused. The older woman's eyes narrowed, registering the sudden shift in the girl's posture. The brush strokes slowed, losing a fraction of their brutal force, though the coldness in Alma's eyes remained.
The hose was finally shut off. The sudden silence in the concrete room was deafening. Haley stood dripping, her skin flushed a violent, angry red. Her lips were entirely blue. Her jaw was locked so tight her teeth ached, but she did not shed another tear.
Alma tossed a garment onto the wet floor. It was a thin, semi-transparent white slip dress. The uniform of the A-grade assets.
Haley's fingers were stiff and numb. She fumbled with the thin straps, dragging the cold, damp fabric over her head. The dress clung to her wet skin, offering zero warmth. It made her feel entirely exposed.
Alma stepped forward, grabbing a fistful of Haley's wet hair. She dragged a wide-toothed comb brutally through the tangles, pulling hard enough to make Haley's scalp burn. Then, Alma grabbed Haley's left wrist. She snapped a thick plastic band around it.
The band emitted a sharp, electronic beep as the locking mechanism engaged. It was a barcode. Haley stared at the black lines and the numbers printed beneath them. The plastic was cold against her pulse.
Two armed guards stepped into the washroom. They raised the barrels of their rifles, pointing them toward the open doorway.
Haley took a deep breath. The bleach burned her lungs. She stepped forward, her bare feet leaving wet prints on the concrete, and walked out into the heat, heading toward the stone path that led to the center of the compound.
