Darkness suffocates the pale moonlight above the sprawling, scorched, desert of ash. A faint red pulsating light can be seen in the distant night like a star on the verge of death.The rhythmic howl of the wind is interrupted by hurried breathing and unstable footsteps in the shifting gray mounds. Two young girls run hand in hand across the monochrome plains, panting as one urges the other to continue sprinting ahead; their feet get heavier and heavier from the accumulation of ash.

"Keep running! You're almost out of range!" The girl running in front yelled back. Her dress flows below as she drags the other girl along.

"I can't...please…let's just go back." The second girl gasped trailing behind. As she ran, gripping a metal collar that hummed with a red blinking light.

Turning around to face her friend, the dress twisted in the wind."No! You can't give up! Just a little further." She pulled with both hands desperately.

"You keep saying that…" The girl in the collar snarks back in between breaths.

"Please just a little more." The girl in the dress pleads with a dusty but sincere smile.

"I…need to…need to rest…" She pulled the collar hard as if to let in more air to breathe.

"Ok…just for…a minute…I don't think they noticed we were gone yet." The dress settled above her feet as she slowed in pace.

"Maybe…ugh!" The girl scratches at the collar tightening around her neck and flops to the scorched earth.

"What's wrong!?" Yelled the girl in the dress.

The metallic noose tightened. "Can't...breathe…". She choked out each word while kicking up dust and struggling for air.

"Beauty! Hang on!" She drops to her knees and holds her friend to provide comfort in the confusion; the dress floating as it falls. But Beauty could only gargle and gasp as she squirmed in the ash, desperately gripping her collar.

"Aw….dree…" Beauty spits out, calling out her friend's name.

"There you are, Miss Durwood! Don't you know it's too late to be taking your pet for a walk?" A slender man spoke coolly as he walked down from a hover vehicle and into the ash.

"Stop this! Now!" Audrey snapped.

"Just because your father's out of town doesn't mean you can misbehave. And look, you got your new dress all filthy!" The slender man replied, resting his hand on the holstered gun at his hip. A metallic band wrapped around his left forearm as he mockingly points at the tattered and dirty dress.

"Stop now! She's dying!" Her voice raised to a screech.

The mocking finger was now stuck firmly in his ear. "Now miss Durwood..." The annoyed tone of voice expressed is lack of patience for defiance of any sort.

"I order you to stop now!" The screech turned to barking as she leaped into an authoritative stance; her finger aimed at the eyes of the man. A stance she had seen her father take only at the peak of his rage.

Words spill out slowly as a slender arm is raised to a pointed chin. "(Sigh) CC: Choke--deactivate...Miss please get on so we can return to the compound."

As he spoke, he placed a firm grip onto the defiant girl's wrist. She struggles, "No! Leave us alone! Don't touch me!". Next, she sinks her teeth firmly into his hand and jerks her neck towards the ground. The man twists whilst lifting Audrey into the air and slamming her back into the ground. Now gripping the blade opposite the hip of his gun, the man reasons while examining the bite wound on his hand. "Ow! Dammit! You can stay as long as you like. But the property of Master Durwood returns with me."

"No! Leave her alone! Beauty run!" Audrey yells out to Beauty with a face full of dirt. Spewing ash from her mouth as Beauty rises. The collar had loosened and now Beauty had fully caught her breath. She only lies in wait for the right moment to make a move. And now that all the attention was on Audrey. Beauty rose up and broke into a full sprint; kicking up gray clouds with every powerful step.

"Sir! It's escaping!" The driver yelped out from the hover vehicle.

"Stop right there! You know the penalty for escape." The slender man yelled towards Beauty in the ever increasing distance.

Beauty stops cold in her run; panting but not yet out of breath. He begins walking towards her and speaking in that annoyed tone from before. "Good girl. Now turn around and walk towards me."

Beauty turns towards Audrey who is still sitting amidst the accumulating dust. The two girls lock eyes…"thank you…so much" just then Beauty turns and the dust clouds return in the wake of her speed.

"Hey! I said stop!" The man yelled out.

"No!" Audrey jumped to her feet and grabbed onto the metallic control band..

"Ahhh! Get off of me you stupid brat!" Now fully agitated, Audrey hit the ground more forcefully this time. "…pick her up," He snarls at the driver. Then leans slowly into her face and whispers insidiously "Now say goodbye to your little pet…"

"No!" Audrey lies on the ground in pain as she looks on at her ill fated friend. “Kill.” A sinister smirk grew across his face as he raised his right hand slowly and gently tapped a button on the forearm band.

The dust in the distance transformed from an ashy gray smokescreen to a pink misty cloud. When the dust settled Beauty lay motionless front down. The ash around grows darker and darker from shades of red to black.

"Beauty…" whispers Audrey through partially parted lips.

"Master is gonna be pissed…" the driver interjects.

Climbing back into the hover vehicle, he responded without mercy. "It had to be done. We'll find a replacement in the morning auction. Grab the brat, we're leaving." 

"And the body?" The driver asks meekly while gathering up the now shocked and limp Audrey.

The man answers sharply "The collar is useless now…leave the body to the wastes."

Audrey stared in awe as her friend was slowly swallowed by the ash in the distance. The vehicle moved swiftly through the desert making her realize how futile her escape attempt really was. In moments they were back at the compound. And now Audrey must prepare for her own punishment.
She knew that upon her father's return there would be consequences to pay. But she couldn't think of that now, the image of her best friend lying lifeless in the wastes stained her memory like the blood splatter on her dress. That tearful smile now ingrained into Audrey's young mind. The thought of losing her best friend had no time to settle in as young Miss Durwood was yanked from the seat of the vehicle and hurried to her room by the driver.
Audrey lies in her bed. Face covered in dirt and dress shredded by the desert wind. Quietly she lies there. She couldn't remember closing her eyes, just the sounds of people outside the next morning continuing on with their daily duty. As if nothing had happened. Bursting into her room without warning the slender man grunted two words "get dressed".

Strange. Audrey thought. 

Maw was a sadistic type who usually would be delighted after torturing or killing someone. Normally he would be walking on air and mocking Audrey but instead his foul mood was as obvious as the scar on his face. Pondering this abnormality Audrey got dressed and was escorted to a vehicle, Maw was already sitting inside impatiently tapping the window with his knuckles. The driver pulled off and headed towards town. The answer finally dawns on Audrey in a flash as the auction blocks come into view. She remembered the law of the house: which restricts transactions made under a house name to only be possible when a person of said household is present. In this case Maw could not bid unless a Durwood was present. With everyone out of the car and into their seats Maw could finally replace the goods he had previously destroyed before the master of the house returned.