He released the girls one by one that morning and allowed them to do their business. Now back from the store, he carried two new buckets into the workroom and placed them next to the chairs occupied by Kristen and Bethany. Earlier, they’d had fits of hysteria, but now they sat quietly, their heads lowered. Their faces wore red welts from being slapped. He reminded them they would be punished every time they acted up. He needed to keep them under control. The girls were only there to act as donors and if they behaved, they would remain unharmed.
Sam disappeared into the garage for a moment and returned with a folding chair. He pulled it open in front of Kristen and Bethany and took a seat. Molly already knew the drill. With a deep sigh, he looked from one girl to the next and began.
“I’m going to tell you why you’re here, and you’re going to listen closely—your life depends on it. I’m not a horrible monster, and my intentions aren’t to cause you harm. Simply put, I’m going to take blood from you ladies every three days. Now, there’s a huge difference between taking blood and draining blood. Taking blood means you live, and draining blood means you die. As a matter of fact, you can die in twenty minutes if I drain your blood, and the choice is yours. Your roles are to do everything I say, and we’ll get along fine. Understand?”
They both nodded.
“Good, then it’s time to begin.” Sam moved the folding chair close to Kristen. Then he crossed the room beyond Molly’s gurney and rummaged through the old desk. He returned with everything he needed and sat down. He placed the sterile blood bag on Kristen’s lap. The long slender tube attached to the bag held a port on the opposite end. “Okay, here’s how this works. I’ll find a healthy vein and insert the needle. It’s going to be taped in place so you can’t dislodge it. The tube is also going to be taped to your arm, and your blood is going to flow into the bag as soon as I flip the valve. When the bag is full, you’re done. Easy peasy, right? I’ll do the same thing with Bethany as soon as we get you started. All you have to do is relax and act like you’re donating blood, which is exactly what you’re doing.”
“We’re going to die.”
Sam looked over his shoulder at Molly and glared. “Shut the hell up.”
“But we will. Nobody can give whole blood that often. I’ve donated blood before, and that’s what they told me. You’ve already taken plenty from me, and I can tell I’m getting weaker.”
“Too bad. It’s once every three days, like I said. You’re on a rotation, so deal with it, and you aren’t going to die. Eat the food and drink the juice I give you, and you’ll be fine.”
He tapped the vein on the inside of Kristen’s elbow and noticed how it popped up. “Good, you’re hydrated. Ready? I’m putting the needle in.” He pricked her vein and pushed the needle in deeper.
She moaned.
“There we go. Now I’ll tape it down and connect the tube to it. We’re almost set.” Sam held the roll of white medical tape and tore off a strip with his teeth. After making sure the needle was positioned properly, he taped it to Kristen’s arm. He inserted the port at the needle’s end to the clear plastic tube and taped it near her wrist. “Okay, no kinks. Everything looks good.” He flipped the valve. Deep red blood flowed from her arm to the bag.
Tears ran down Kristen’s cheeks as she stared at the bag that would soon be filled with her blood.
“Suck it up. The whole thing is only going to take fifteen minutes, max.” Sam stood and picked up the folding chair then moved on to Bethany. “Have an arm preference?”
She looked away.
“No? Okay, then it will be the same for everyone—the right arm.”