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Chapter 5

Elsie's Fear

It had been three weeks since Megan started working at the farm, and everything had pretty well fallen into a rhythm. She worked hard at the tasks she was given, and everything went quicker with her help. Preparation and cleaning took half the time now, leaving Henry with more free time than he knew what to do with.

They were just finishing up after a Friday afternoon shift. Most of the girls had wandered off by now, but there were a few that always stayed to chat afterwards.

Clairibelle and Sophie always stayed, tossing playful insults back and forth. Megan had noticed that most of the other girls kind of ignored CB. Everyone got along well enough, but only Sophie ever really took the time to talk with her for any extended length of time.

Sometimes Daisy would stay. Cassidy had started tutoring her son, and Megan could tell that she was concerned. Frankly, so was she. They may have been two completely different species, but they were still teenagers. Megan was just concerned about them doing something improper however, and she could tell there was something else that was worrying Daisy that she wasn't letting on.

Elsie always showered last. She didn't really need it as much, since she never took part in the sexual aspect of the milking. At least not in the time Megan had known her. She wasn't so much shy as she was withdrawn, and she could tell there was clearly something complicated going with her and Henry.

Henry...

Megan had grown to like Henry. She was attracted to him even. She just didn't know enough about the situation to act on it.

They all started working their way out of the barn once the cleaning was done. Daisy went ahead of them, opening the door and stopping. Then turning to call back into the room, "Duke is here."

"Shit..." Henry said under his breath, picking up his pace to get to the door.

Megan had never heard him swear before. It concerned her, and she followed him out quickly.

He was there, leaning back on his truck wearing loose jeans and an expensive striped shirt with a bola tie. He wasn't as tall as Eli or Sophie, about six and a half feet of solid brown hair with wide horns that curled up in a twist at the ends, and topped off with a fancy stetson hat with gold rope around it for flair.

Henry had placed himself about halfway between Duke and the barn, and he was not happy, "Dammit, Duke... I told you not to come here without arranging it with me first."

"What can I say?" He said, stretching his arms out to the sides and leaning away from the truck, "I'm a man who makes his own destiny."

"You're a man who makes a living rubbing out loads into a jar." Clairibelle had come up just a pace behind Henry off to his left, "What do you want, Duke?"

Duke just laughed at the insult, and they could smell the whiskey as he started walking toward them. He wasn't hammered, but he had clearly been drinking, "Get in, CB. I'm taking you out tonight."

Clairibelle looked him over for a moment, then shrugged, "I have a headache."

"Leave, Duke." Henry said. The size difference was significant, but Megan wasn't sure that Henry would lose if this came to a fight.

"Come on, man. We're all just trying to have a good time, right?" He said, looking over at Megan now in a way that made her very uncomfortable, "I see you got yourself a new little toy to play with... What's wrong with me wanting a little time with the old models?"

"Duke..." Henry said, "Leave."

Elsie had just emerged from the barn with no idea what was going on outside, and as she did she caught Duke's attention.

"Hey Elsie... Let me know when you want try again, eh?" He said, giving her a cocky nod, "Forget about that insemination crap. Let me do you up right and maybe you won't lose it this time."

Elsie stood there in shock at first, but quickly tears started to form. She collapsed to her knees and started to sob.

"God dammit, Duke!" Clairibelle yelled, moving up to face him, "You fucking asshole! I don't know why I ever let you fuck me!"

Duke just smiled, taking a little bow, "Because quality... Speaks for itself."

"Most of your qualities need to shut the fuck up!" She yelled back at him.

Daisy had run over to try and comfort Elsie at this point, but Henry just stood his ground. "This is the last time I'm going to tell you, Duke. It's been a long time since I castrated a bull... But I'm betting I still remember how."

That threat actually seemed to give Duke pause. He was pretty sure he could destroy the man, but one lucky shot in the groin could put him out of work for weeks.

"Fine..." He finally said, reaching over to shove Clairibelle away hard enough to make her fall, "Looks like I'm done with this little slut anyway."

Just as quickly Sophie rushed past the others to get right in his face, "Try pushing me, you pampered little prick. See what happens."

Duke was big. Wide at the shoulders naturally strong. He spent a lot of time in bars though, throwing money around and being served. On the other hand, Sophie worked the fields. She spent her days breaking earth and hauling crops. As she towered over him, it was clear to anyone looking that he was clearly outmatched, and after a few seconds he decided better of it and turned away.

"By the way..." He called over his shoulder while climbing up into his truck, an extended cab with the seats modified to fit him, "Just so you know. Your rates just went up. I'm thinkin' about double."

With that he peeled out and took off down the dirt toward the main road, throwing up dust and swerving a little as he went.

"Double?" Megan asked, once Henry had relaxed a little, "Is that going to be a problem?"

It wasn't Henry that answered, but CB, slowly pulling herself to her feet and dusting herself off, "Duke is an idiot, Megan. We don't need anything from him."

"All of the children here are his, except for Eli." Sophie spoke this time, "If they want to have kids of their own someday, it's not going to be with him. He hasn't figured that out yet."

Sophie turned to Clairibelle then, adding quickly, "Did you just turn down an offer for sex?"

"A girl has to draw the line somewhere." Clairibelle shrugged, "And I wasn't kidding about the jars. It's kind of a buzzkill having sex with a dude that jumps off and runs to the bathroom to finish himself off. Bastard doesn't want to waste a drop."

"Way more than I needed to know." Sophie laughed.

Henry had walked over to Elsie during all of this, hunkering down beside her to put a hand on her shoulder, "Elsie..."

She just shook her head, still crying, "Not right now, Henry... I can't right now..."

"Okay." He said quietly, pulling his hand away and watching her for a bit longer.

Daisy had her in a tight hug, and she watched him with a mix of sadness and pity. Everyone knew how he felt. If it was a secret, it was the worst one ever kept. Her reaction had clearly hurt him.

"Sophie..." He said, rising to his feet and taking a few steps away, "Get her home, would you?"

"Of course, boss." She said, walking over to bend down and pick her up in a gentle cradle. Elsie didn't even resist as the larger woman started carrying her back toward their bunkhouse, "Come on, kiddo. Lets get you to bed."

They wandered off with Daisy in tow. Clairibelle waited a bit longer before starting off herself, pausing to give Megan a pat on the back as she went, "Welcome to Hoyt's Dairy Farm, honey. It ain't all pretty."

Megan stood there watching Henry for a while. He had his arms folded across his chest, watching the dirt road that the other girls had all just left on. He was always a kind man, quick with a smile and a friendly hug, but you wouldn't have known it to look at him then. He just looked empty inside.

"You love her, don't you?" Megan asked quietly.

He said nothing. He just let the question hang for a moment. Then he nodded, turned and walked away.

By the next day things were mostly back to normal. The girls were all laughing and carrying on during the morning shift. Elsie was quietly trying to be ignored in her corner. Henry was focused on the job.

The only one who was out of sorts was Megan, it seemed. She had a lot on her mind. She'd been thinking about what happened with Henry and Elsie the day before, and from everyone's reactions today she had to wonder if that wasn't the first time something like that had happened. She decided she wanted some answers, and there was only one person that could give them to her now, and only one time and place where she could get her alone.

Megan walked into the showers once Henry had left. Elsie was still there, as always, having just stepped out and drying herself with a cloth.

Megan realized upon seeing her that this was the first time she had even seen her topless, much less naked. She always put on her own cups and kept herself covered. It had taken Megan time to get used to women with heads that were mostly cow, but out of all of them she had to admit...

Bright white, long blonde hair, perfect figure...

Elsie was beautiful.

She finally noticed Megan with a startle, quickly covering herself up with the towel, "Megan? What are you doing there?"

"I'd like to talk, Elsie..." She said, looking away nervously at having been caught staring, "If that's alright."

"If this is about yesterday, I..." She started to reply.

"It's about every day." Megan cut her off, "There are things I don't understand, and I think you might be the only one that can help me."

Elsie just looked at the small woman, surprised but saying nothing.

"Henry's a good man. I like him a lot." Megan finally said, "A girl like me would be lucky to have him, but... You and I both know that's just wishful thinking."

Elsie stared back at her, "Are you asking my permission?"

"No..." Megan said, "Look, I don't know how I would have felt about the two of you being in love before I came here, but I know how I feel about it now. You're all he wants... And I think you feel the same way."

Megan sighed, and then asked, "So why not?"

"You don't understand..." Elsie said, shaking her head.

Megan just shrugged, "Then explain it to me."

"They're watching us." She said, forgoing her modesty just enough to drop her towel once her back was turned and start getting dressed, "He told you that, right?"

"He did." Megan said, looking away politely, "But he didn't say who."

Elsie got her dress on and turned around, fiddling with it to get it to sit right, "Everyone, Megan. The other farms... Local police... Those 'Human First' activists. Everyone is watching us to see what's going on here."

Megan had no idea it was so severe, "What about the other farms? Why not just tell them, if what you all do makes everyone happier?"

"There's one about ten miles from here... Wolfkill Dairy." Elsie said, closing her locker, "They've been collecting girls from all over the state. They have over a hundred working there now."

She sighed before going on, "They wanted to buy Henry out. They wanted to buy... Us."

"Jesus..." Megan said, shaking her head, "That's slavery!"

"Henry never would of done it, of course..." Elsie went on, "But he took them up on their offer of a tour. He wanted to see just how bad things really were."

"What did he find out?" Megan asked.

"They keep them in cages, Megan." She said, looking away sadly, "Most of them didn't even have names. Some never even learned to talk. They're just... Livestock to them."

Megan could hardly believe it. It was true, the laws weren't changing fact enough to give the changed the rights they deserved, but she didn't know it was this bad.

"Now imagine what happens if they find out why this farm works." Elsie continued, looking back at her now, "Imagine how they're going to implement it. Imagine how they're going to force it upon those girls. Imagine what they'll do... With our secret."

Megan's jaw dropped. It was something she didn't want to even consider, "That's horrifying."

"That's whose watching, Megan." Elsie said, taking a step over towards her, "They couldn't buy us, so now they're looking for anything they can use against us. Any weak link in the chain."

"That's why you turn him down?" Megan asked, understanding now what she was getting at, "You're afraid they'll find out he's with you?"

"That might be all it takes." She said quietly, "One word about it to the police or those activists, and the farm could be raided."

Megan shook her head, putting her hands on her hips and looking to the ground.

"You're right, Megan. He is a good man, and I do love him." Elsie went around her, making her way to leave, "I'm just trying to protect him. It's all I can do."

Megan turned to watch her go by, adding before she got out of the room, "The way you're protecting him, Elsie... It's hurting him more than he deserves."

This made her pause in the doorway. She turned her head a bit, not quite looking back over her shoulder as if she was going to say something.

Then she left.