"Now honey, you look real sweet," Billy said sarcastically. "You get that pretty ass of yours moving into the next room, and maybe we'll give you a nice treat if you clean up good and proper."

"And don't forget the chow," Pop exclaimed from his chair. "It ain't enough just to have a maid, we gotta get some vittles in our guts if we's gonna make a good job of it tomorrow. Be real nice to have some home cookin' after ten years of penitentiary soup."

Ellen felt a strong wave of humiliation rush through her as the men laughed heartily at the old man's remarks. She was completely unaccustomed to being treated this way, and, despite her fear of any further struggle over her already violated body, she suppressed a rebellious feeling that increased as they assigned her the demeaning task of cleaning up the filthy, so-called apartment.

"All right, Cash," Billy said, thrusting his thumb towards Ellen. "You show the little lady what's got to be done."

Ellen followed Cash through the dimly lit doorway into an adjacent room. God, she had never seen such a slovenly mess in all her life! Piles of filthy mattresses were heaped below the tall warehouse windows, and pieces of broken furniture covered with mold and dust were scattered across the rotting linoleum floor. She thought she would become sick when she breathed in the stale odor coming from a pile of dirty dishes lying in the sink in a far corner of the room, but she didn't. It seemed as though her humiliation from the insults to her body and spirit had strengthened her somewhat. Perhaps she was already becoming accustomed to this animal world, she thought. It was possible that the law of jungle survival had been affecting her in ways her own civilized mind could only instinctively understand.

"First, get them mattresses nice and clean," Cash commanded, pointing towards the window. "We may need them later on if there's any trouble with the fuzz."