After an hour, Jim couldn't stand it. Carol had been in the shower for the last forty-five minutes. Walking into the bathroom, he saw Carol sitting on the floor of the shower, sobbing heavily as the water rained down on her.

"Carol," he said. "Get up."

She looked at him and didn't seem to understand what he said.

"Come on, Carol," he said, turning off the shower and reaching to help her to her feet.

Carol didn't resist and let him lift her to a standing position. She'd been sitting in the shower long enough for the blood to be completely washed off. As she started to step from the shower, her legs gave out and the woman fell to the floor.

Jim sighed. Bending down, he scooped her up and carried her to his office. Setting her on the couch, he covered her with a light blanket.

"Rest, Carol," he said. "Try to get some sleep."

He turned out the light and shut the door behind him as he left. Before the door had finished closing, Carol was asleep.

***

"How is Carol," Bernadette asked as Jim entered the break room. She was surprised to see his clothes completely soaked.

"She isn't doing well," he said. "She's now sleeping in my office."

"Do you know why she chose to be a psychologist?"

"What," he asked.

"Carol could've gone into any field she wanted. She was in the top of her class in all subjects. Do you know why she chose to be a psychologist?"

"No. Why?"

"She's always had a soft nature. She couldn't stand to see people hurt. Although she excelled in all classes, any class where she was dealing with truamatic injuries caused her serious distress. She's cried on my shoulder more than a few times after disturbing classes."

"Wow."

"Yes," she said. "Carol decided that dealing with emotional issues was more to her style than working in an emergency room. So, she focussed on psychology to avoid situations where she had to deal with extreme injuries."

"And now, she's had to not only deal with serious injuries, but inflict them as well."

"Yeah," Bernadette said. "I'm going to go sit in your office and keep watch on her. She's not going to deal with this very well and I don't want her to be alone for a while."

"Then I'll leave her to you. If you or she need anything, let me know."

"Where will you be?"

"Arnie and I will be in the cutting room. We need to edit this film and put it together."

"When do you expect it to be ready for release?"

"Two to three weeks."

"I'll call Elaine and let her know."

"Thank you, Bernadette."

***

Carol woke in Jim's office, her eyes crusty with dried tears. Rubbing her eyes to clear them, she sat up and noticed she was naked.

"That's right," she said to herself. "Jim carried me here from the shower."

"Yes," a voice said in response. "He did."

Carol turned to see Bernadette, a worried look on her face, watching Carol closely.

"Bernadette," the naked woman said, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Twelve hours. We thought it best to let you rest until you woke."

"Thank you."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Carol shook her head silently. She wasn't ready yet.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes," Carol said, realizing that she was indeed hungry.

It wasn't too surprising considering that she'd last eaten around eighteen hours earlier.

"Let's go, then," Bernadette said, handing Carol's clothing to the naked woman.

Carol got dressed quickly without saying another word.

***

Bernadette was scared. Since waking an hour before, Carol had said only one word; the 'yes' in response to the question about her being hungry. There was a haunted look in the psychologist's eyes.

Bernadette excused herself, claiming a need to use the restroom. On the way, she made a detour to the parking lot. Seeing that Carol couldn't see her, the receptionist made a phone call.

"Salisbury residence," a voice said.

"Yes," Bernadette said. "Can I speak with Elaine Salibury, please?"

"Who may I say is calling?"

"My name is Bernadette. I work with Jim and Arnie and I am calling about Carol Naylor."

That last name elevated the priority of the call.

"Just one moment, I'll get Miss Salisbury."

Alice knocked on the door to Elaine's bedroom. It was almost one in the morning and she was loathe to wake Miss Salisbury, but this was about Miss Naylor.

"Yes, Alice," Elaine replied, rousing from a deep sleep.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Salisbury, but there's a telephone call about Miss Naylor."

Elaine was instantly awake. For there to be a call at this time of the night, it had to be serious. She sat up immediately, picking up the line beside her bed.

"This is Elaine Salisbury."

"Miss Salibury, I don't know if you know me, but my name is Bernadette Andrews. I'm a friend of Carol Naylor's."

"Yes, Bernadette. I do know you. You work with Jim and Arnie, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Is this about Carol?"

"It is," Bernadette replied, suddenly aware that she'd called this woman in the middle of the night.

"I am sorry about the late call, but I believe Carol needs some friends right now. She's in a bad way."

"What happened, Bernadette?"

"I don't know if you knew, but she took part in the film we were producing for you and played a pivotal role. It seems to have disturbed her deeply. She slept for twelve hours but still seems to be in a state of shock."

"Where are you," Elaine asked. If Carol played a role in the movie and was in shock, then she had to have been one of the torturers, at least. That ran counter to all that Carol was.

"I'm at the all-night diner on the corner of Mace and Third. Do you know where that is?"

"I do, Bernadette. I'll be there shortly."

"Thank you, Miss Salisbury."

"You're very welcome, Bernadette. And call me Elaine. I appreciate you letting me know there's an issue."

"Thank you, Elaine."

***

Twenty minutes later, Elaine pulled into the parking lot of the diner. If any of her socialite friends had seen her, they would've been shocked. Her hair was askew and she was wearing torn jeans and a t-shirt. She'd been in a hurry and just grabbed whatever was close, not caring about appearances.

Bernadette had seen Miss Salibury before and was shocked at the appearance she presented. Elaine saw the two sitting at a table, Carol with her back to the door. Elaine raced over and sat beside Bernadette.

Elaine was horrified. She'd seen the look Carol had on her face. It was common to people who'd experienced traumatic mental shock. This would take some careful handling if they were to help the psychologist.

"Thank you for calling me, Bernadette. I see you were not understating the issue. Tell me about the role Carol played."

Seeing that Carol was in her own world, oblivious to the two of them, Bernadette complied with Elaine's request.

"The three mothers had killed their daughters. When it was time for their executions, they asked Carol to do it to them."

"Dear, God."

"Yes. Carol felt an obligation to help out and agreed."

"How was it done?"

"She used a chainsaw on the first of the women. She split the woman's pelvis prior to the woman being torn in half by two trucks. She suffocated and beheaded the second woman."

"My God," Elaine said, looking back to Carol. "This is bad."

"That wasn't the worst."

"Tell me."

"The third woman had some extreme requests. Carol had to use a baseball bat to break the woman's arms and legs. Then, she had to stab the woman a few times with a knife that completely pierced the woman. Then, she had to slice the woman's breasts in half. Each one was cut from top to bottom, bisecting the nipple. Only when that was done, was Carol able to finish the job, cutting off the woman's head."

"Fuck me," Elaine said.

She'd been getting more and more concerned on the way to the diner, but, hearing this, that concern reached epic proportions. Carol wouldn't have done any of this willingly and must've been traumatized as she did it.

"Thank you for calling me, Bernadette. I'll take her home with me and take care of her."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm a trained psychologist and will help her come to terms with what has happened. You're free to come as well. In fact, I would request it. You were right in claiming that she needs friends right now. You may need to call Jim and Arnie and tell them you may miss some time at work. Don't worry about your pay, I will take care of everything."

"Thank you, Elaine. I didn't know what else to do."

***

Carol woke in a strange bed. She had no idea of where she was, but that seemed to matter very little. The crushing depression she felt was all-encompassing. She'd killed three women. Brutally and bloodily. There was no taking that back. It couldn't be undone.

"Good morning," a voice said as Alice entered the bedroom.

"Alice," Carol said. "So, I'm at Elaine's."

"Yes, Miss Naylor. You're at Miss Salisbury's residence."

"How did I get here?"

"Miss Salisbury and a Miss Andrews brought you here last night."

"Bernadette," Carol said. "Is she still here?"

"Right over there," Alice said pointing to a form on a couch. The form was indeed Bernadette and she was sleeping.

"She was unwilling to leave you alone," the housekeeper continued.

"She's a good friend."

"Awake, are you," Elaine asked as she entered the room.

"Elaine."

"If you're awake, then come with me. You need a bath."

There was no arguing. When Elaine wanted to exert her influence, no one could fight back.

"Yes, Elaine."

Carol got out of bed and was surprised to find herself in a nightgown.

"It's one of mine," Elaine said, seeing the surprise. "I couldn't have you catching a cold. You know how depression affects your immune system."

"How much do you know, Elaine?"

"Bernadette told me everything. She's very concerned about you. You gave her quite a fright last night."

"What happened?"

"Well, you were in shock. Apparently, your activities the other day were bothering you."

They began to leave the room, but Elaine suddenly stopped.

"Alice, when Bernadette wakes, bring her directly to us. We'll be in the bath for the next hour. Then, we'll be on the veranda."

"Yes, mistress."

***

As always, Carol was amazed at the bath. It was the size of a small swimming pool.

"I've always said that you can't truly relax unless you can stretch out," Elaine said, something Carol had heard several times before.

"You'll get no arguments from me," the psychologist said.

"I was wondering if you could help me, Carol."

"Certainly. How?"

"I need your professional expertise."

"Ok."

"I have a dear friend. This friend has had to do something that ran counter to their personal values and it's affected them deeply. They seemed to feel it had to be done. It would've been done with or without my friend's help, but my friend was asked in a way that made it practically impossible to refuse."

Carol, lost in her own misery, failed to connect the dots and realize that Elaine was talking about her.

"If it was going to be done anyway, there was no reason to not do what needed to be done. If your friend felt an obligation to do this, they were helping the other person, weren't they?"

"They certainly were. And you're right, there was no stopping it. It was definitely going to happen."

"Then, your friend needs to understand that he or she, rather than doing something wrong, was actually doing something right in helping the requestor."

"You know all this," Carol said, suddenly remembering that Elaine was also a trained psychologist, even if she did not practice.

"I do," Elaine confirmed. "And seeing that you do as well, I say to you that you only did what needed to be done. If you hadn't done it, someone else would have. Your friends would still have died, but they'd have felt abandoned by you. They would've felt alone. I know it hurts, but you really had no choice in the matter."

As Elaine was talking, Carol began crying. Everything the older woman was saying was true. She, however, could still see the blood on her own hands. The blood that splashed from a slashed throat.

"Oh, Elaine," she cried. "I know that, but... but..."

Elaine encompassed Carol in a hug and gently stroked the younger woman's hair.

"But me no buts," she said. "You did nothing wrong. You didn't hurt anyone. You only helped them to achieve their desires."

The youger sobbed in Elaine's arms as the older woman spoke gently and held her close. When Bernadette entered the bath, Elaine motioned her to join them. The receptionist did so, adding her caresses and comforting words to Elaine's. They stayed there until Carol cried herself to sleep.

"She is sleeping a lot," Bernadette said as they carried the unconscious woman back to bed.

"It's natural, given this type of trauma. This'll likely continue for the next few days."

"What are we to do?"

"Just as we have been. We hold her, talk to her, and remind her that none of this was wrong. She only did what needed to be done."

"That'll help her get better?"

"It should. Carol's strong. She received a heavy blow to her character, but she will recover. We just need to be patient."

"Thank you, Elaine."

"No," Elaine said. "Thank you. If I hadn't known about this, I wouldn't have been able to help one of my dearest friends. And you were absolutely right. She needs us now, more than ever."

***

Carol awoke in the same bed as last time and recognized that she was still at Elaine's. Looking to her left, she saw Bernadette, again asleep on the couch. Getting out of bed, she approached the couch. Sitting on the floor, she reached out and stroked Benadette's face and hair.

"Bernie," she whispered. "Thank you."

"I hope you're including me in that declaration of appreciation," Elaine said from behind her.

Carol shot to her feet and spun, seeing Elaine sitting in a recliner on the other side of the bed.

"Elaine," she said.

"Who else?"

"I mean, of course I include you. Thank you very much."

"Do you feel any better?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been asleep for the last thirty-six hours."

"What?"

"You received quite a shock on Friday. It hit you very hard and caused a downward spiral of self-incriminization and self-loathing. You were distraught and needed rest. You'd been pushing yourself too much and had worn yourself out."

"But to sleep for thirty-six hours?"

"I helped with that," Elaine confessed. "I drugged you to help you sleep."

"You what?"

"I drugged you. It wasn't difficult. You'd cried yourself to sleep in my bath. As you were unconscious, you did not fight the injection that kept you asleep."

"Why?"

"Like I said, you needed rest. I made sure you got it. Are you still upset over the movie?"

Carol thought about it. The pain was there, but the crushing depression was gone.

"It hurts, but not as bad, I think."

"Good. Then, let's get you some food. You haven't eaten in several days. You must be starving."

The rumbling stomach was all the answer Elaine needed. Carol blushed in embarrassment.

"Let's go feed that beast," Elaine said, grabbing Carol's arm and dragging her from the room. "Bernie'll join us when she wakes."

"Bernie," Carol asked. "Just how close have you two gotten?"

"We've spent most of the last few days watching over you. We talked quite a bit. She reminds me a lot of you. I think we could truly become close friends."

***

Breakfast was normal fare; eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, and sliced fruit. Though normal fare, there was a lot of it and Carol soon found herself stuffed.

"Ouch," she complained, holding her stomach. "I think I ate too much."

"You were hungry," Bernadette said.

The receptionist had joined the other two women half an hour after they started eating. Bernadette and Elaine had finished eating thirty minute before and sat, watching their friend shovel food down as fast as she could. Carol was on her fourth helping.

"How are you doing," Bernadette asked.

"Better. I needed to work through the events of last Friday. I've always hated violence and filling the requests of the three mothers hurt far more than I'd imagined. I'd convinced myself, I thought, that I was mentally prepared. I was wrong and I had to closely re-examine my role."

"And now, you've reached a reasonable conclusion?"

"I believe so. I know that I was doing the ladies a favor. They were going to die anyway and they wanted a friend to do it. If I hadn't done it, they still would've died and, maybe, died feeling abandoned and alone."

"That's absolutely correct," Elaine said.

"On the other hand," Carol said, "I won't do this again unless something extraordinary convinces me to do so. I don't see something like that happening anytime soon,"

"I can understand that. Jim says the film will be ready in two to three weeks. He was wondering if you'd be willing to watch the film."

"I will," Carol said. "I don't want to become desensitized, but I told Jim that I'd help him with identifying those who would be valid actors/actresses for further snuff films."

"He's going to need you," Elaine said.

"I'm not sure, but I feel that Danii might benefit from seeing this. I want her to see where her fascination with BDSM could lead."

Bernadette and Elaine weren't sure either. The idea of exposing a 10-year-old to this level of violence was troubling. On the other hand, the little girl had been in BDSM films for the last few years and maybe it would do her good to see where her actions could lead.

"When is she due to return," Bernadette asked.

"On Wednesday," Carol said.

***

Danii returned on Wednesday and while Carol was able to maintain a positive attitude, the little girl noticed something was different. She was confused, but she loved her mother and believed that if something was truly wrong, her mother would tell her.

***

Two weeks later, as they were on the way to the theater, Danii had to ask a question.

"Mommy," she said. "Did I do something wrong?"

"What do you mean, baby?"

"You've been gripping the steering wheel really tightly. It looks like you're angry."

"I'm not angry," the mother said. "I'm just not sure I want to see this movie."

"Bernadette sent you those tickets, right?"

"Yes."

"Will she be there?"

"I think so."

"This is the movie that I auditioned for a couple months ago, right?"

"It is."

"I wonder how it went."

Further discussion was cut off as they arrived at the theater. They parked and got out. Walking to the entrance, they were joined by Bernadette, Jim, and Arnie.

"Hello, Danii," Arnie said. "How are you tonight?"

"I'm good. Mommy tells me that this is the film I auditioned for a couple months ago. The one with Tyra, the black girl, and the little redhead,"

"That's right."

As they got to the front of the theater, Danii noticed the film's title.

"'Three Little Bitches Beheaded'," she said. "What does 'beheaded' mean?"

The adults looked at each other a moment.

"It means that they had their heads cut off."

"Oh," the little girl said, "like in that movie where Tyra died at the end."

The adults couldn't reply to that one. They took their seats and the theater lights were dimmed. The screen came to life and Jim appeared on the screen.

"Hello. I'm Jim. This film you are about to see is different from any child bondage film you may have seen before. Recent changes in legislation have allowed parents to sign their children up for extreme roles in plays, films, and other productions. Where there were limits before, those limitations have largely been removed."

"The result is this film. It's far more extreme and violent. None of the violence is simulated. It's absolutely real. If you have a problem with children experiencing real torment, I recommend leaving now. Otherwise, I hope you'll enjoy 'Three Little Bitches Beheaded'."

The screen went dark and then Renee's first day of electrical torture began. The segments would follow a simple pattern, It would be as follows:

 Renee (Day 1)
 Kelly (Day 1)
 Tyra, (Day 1)
 Renee (Day 2)
 Kelly (Day 2)
 Tyra (Day 2)
 Renee (Finale)
 Kelly (Finale)
 Tyra (Finale)
 Monique
 Lauraine
 Leanne

With each segment lasting approximately fifteen minutes, the movie would last about three hours. By the time Tyra's second segment was finished, Danii was crying.

"Are you okay, baby," Carol whispered. "It get's worse from here and if you want to leave, we can."

"No," the child said. "It's sad, though. I know that they enjoy the pain, but I can't imagine losing my arms or legs."

Carol was inwardly pleased. This reaction showed limitations within her daughter. The little girl was nowhere near as masochistic as the three starlets had been. At least, not yet.

When the conclusion of Renee's third segment ended with the little girl's head being blown off, Danii grasped her mother's hand tightly.

"He said this was real," she whispered to her mother. "Is it? Really?"

"Yes," Carol said.

"That means that she's dead."

"It does. She died when her head came off."

Danii said nothing more as she returned to watching the end of Kelly. At the end of Tyra's segment, the little girl had her hand over her mouth as Leanne gutted and beheaded her daughter. As the mother then pulled Tyrs'a heart from her chest, Danii started crying again.

"Do you want to leave," Carol asked again.

"No," Danii said weakly. "I want to see the end."

She continued watching the movie and was surprised to see the three mothers that had killed their daughters were also killed themselves.

"The mothers died, too," the little girl asked.

"Yes. They did,"

At the end of Leanne's segment, the screen went dark and the theater lights came back up. As the audience left, talking quietly amongst themselves, Danii sat with her mother, the producers, and Bernadette. The little girl was almost in shock. She'd never considered the possibility of death in a film.

"That could've been me," she whispered.

"What," Carol asked. She'd heard something but couldn't make it out.

"That could have been me," the child said in a louder voice.

"Yes," Carol said. "It could have. Jim and Arnie knew that you didn't enjoy the pain as much as those three did, though. That's why you failed the audition. They wanted girls that would be okay with dying at the end."

"They wanted to die?"

Danii then remembered the reactions of the three during the torture segments.

"They did," she said to her mother. "Didn't they?"

"Yes."

"I could never do that."

"I was hoping you would say that," Carol said to her daughter. "In fact, I am thinking of preventing your participation in any more films."

"Why?"

"We have found that most of the actors and actresses in those films end up like Tyra. They usually end up hurting themselves so they can feel the pain. Almost all of them end up making mistakes and killing themselves."

"You don't want me ending up like that."

"No," the mother said. "I don't. I want you to grow up and have a good life. I don't want you to need pain so badly that you end up killing yourself."

"I never liked the pain," Danii said. "The reason I liked working with Jim and Arnie is they faked it."

"They do. Other producers, though, haven't faked it. They really hurt the little girls and boys."

"You don't want me to be in any more films?"

"No. I don't."

"Okay," the little girl said, surprising everyone.

"You don't mind?"

"Not really. I only did it because you seemed proud of me."

Carol sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Danii. Thank you very much."

The End