Chapter 4- Meeting Misery

"The man who has no inner-life is a slave to his surroundings."

Chapter 4

River's POV

3 months later~

Life here wasn't so bad, the bread was semi-edible, the water semi-drinkable, and the people semi-tolerable.

Yesterday, a man who looked like he was in his early thirties tried to steal my bread. He didn't get away with it and was pulled out by Dane.

He never came back.

Dane had been trying to make advances. Touches here and there whenever he delivered my food.

Sometimes he gave me extra bread which made the touches semi more tolerable. Thankfully, he hadn't gone any farther than weird caresses here and there.

I'd come to realize lately that Alice was very protective of me, whenever one of the people had tried to take food from me she'd made sure they regretted it, physically. She also wasn't very happy with Dane's caresses but there wasn't much she could do about that; that doesn't mean she didn't try, though. Once, she tried to bite off Dane's hand when handing her, her daily portion of food because she had caught him trying to feel me up. Let's just say, he reverted back to just simple caresses out of fear of Alice. I found it quite comical, someone finding Alice, someone so small and petite, intimidating.

Sometimes I wondered if that was what it was like to have a mother. Someone sweet and loving, always looking after you. If I were to imagine myself having a mother, it would be Alice.

**

6 months later~

It's been half a year already. Half a year since being sold here by my own father.

I don't know how much longer I can stand being here, it was dreadful.

Lately, Dane's caresses had been lingering a little too long, which was getting me very nervous. The fear and paranoia of being raped in this mold infested metallic room was suffocating me and leaving me with a ghost-like persona.

Alice kept telling me how scared she was for me. How I'm too fragile for a place like this. Not that I can argue with that...I don't know how much more I can take.

**

8 months later~

I can't take it anymore.

Every day I woke up and the stench of blood and corpses just kept getting worse and worse. So many were dying. We used to have 63 people trapped in this small, metallic waste, now we're down to 50.

The winter was very harsh this year and the people who kept us here hadn't provided us with enough blankets. There was only one blanket given for every 4 people. I'd been sharing with Alice and two other people, but one died. Now, there was only me, Alice, and a small boy who looked around four sharing one blanket.

Recently, the boy has been heating up, a fever I predicted. I was getting nervous. He was so young, too young to die. Too young to be put in such a horrible condition. The people who put us here are monsters.

10 months later~

The boy died today. It was horrible. He tried so hard to live, he struggled for 2 months straight but death held him by the neck and wouldn't let go. He was so young. His birthday was supposed to be in three days. He would have been five...

March. That was his name.

When he was born his parents didn't know what to do with him, not to mention what to name him, so they just called him after his birth month; March. After years of struggling to raise him, they sold him, nice huh?

I guess I was not the only one that was sold by my own flesh and blood.

After being here for almost a year I had gotten to know most of my fellow captives. Many were, similarly to me, sold by their relatives either because of poverty or family feuds. Either way, it was horrible how a fellow family member could sell their own flesh and blood to a life like this. A life where death is waiting patiently outside on your doorstep.

12 months later~

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me.....

It was at times like this that I feel like I'd be here forever. I'd live here and die here. Alone. Well, not alone per se, I have Alice, I guess. And our happy, friendly fellow corpses, courtesy of death himself.

"Happy birthday, cutie," Alice said with a wide smile.

"Happy birthday to me," I answered monotonously.

Alice frowned, "Why aren't you happy, cutie?"

What was there to be happy about on one's birthday? You were born. Was that really something to be congratulated for? I couldn't remember ever being happy on my birthday. In my house my birthday was less of a 'celebration' and more of a 'funeral', after all, it was the anniversary of my mother's death.

While others' birthdays consisted of presents and parties, mine consisted of beatings and terror.

It was a day I looked toward every year as one of terror, one I mentally prepared myself for weeks before my birthday, knowing I wouldn't be able to walk days after from the harsh beatings I would receive.

I remembered waking up on my birthday that fateful day a year ago. I had expected my yearly beating. I had no idea that I would receive a sentence much more horrific.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Alice's shrieking voice, "Did that dog touch you again?!" she asked, obviously referring to Dane.

"Not more than usual."

"That little piece of-"

"It's fine, Alice."

"No, it's not! He-"

"No matter, there's nothing you can do to change it."

Silence.

Uh oh, when Alice went silent that usually means.

"Don't start coming up with ridiculous plans that will get both of us into trouble, Ali."

"They're not ridiculous!"

"Uh huh..."

She humphed and crossed her arms dramatically, "So how old are you going to be anyway..?"

"I'm now, 17," I said with a small smile.

"Wow, almost an adult, you know." She said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes, "As if that's going to mean anything when they bury my corpse."

"Whoa! Way to be morbid there Rivvy!"

"It's the truth." I sighed, leaning back against the cold wall.

"You know, just because we're in a place like this doesn't mean we're going to die here."

"Doesn't it?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"No," she dragged, "we were sold here to be servants or something so they're going to have to sell us at some point and when they do, we'll be out." She smirked.

"Yes, out of this dungeon and into another dark basement, not any better Ali."

"We won't go into another dark basement."

"No?"

"No. We'll escape."

"Uh huh, and how do you plan on doing that, exactly?"

"Well, once we're outside we can compose a plan and escape."

"And that plan will be..." I tried.

"Not sure," I raised my eyebrow, "I'm working on it, but it will be a genius one that's for sure."

"For sure," I mumbled.

"If I could reach you, I'd so punch you right now."

"Wow, feeling the love, Ali." I laughed while sticking my tongue out at her.

She blew me a fake kiss and stuck her tongue out in return.

"Real mature, Ali, real mature, makes me wonder who's the real older one here." I joked.

"You obviously, I don't look a day over 16." She smirked.

"Totally," I said sarcastically.

She stuck out her tongue before pulling the blanket over herself.

"Hey, sharing is caring!" I yelled at her.

She pushed some of the blankets in my general direction, "only because you're the birthday boy." She winked.

"Thanks." I scoffed, pulling the blanket over me and crawling into a ball.

I hope whatever plan Alice manages to concoct works...

14 months later~

Lately, my body has been hurting, my head was pounding, and my stomach has been acting up.

I didn't want to tell Alice because I knew it would only bother her and I didn't want her worrying.  She has a tendency to resemble a mother hen when it came to me.

Sometimes I had a hard time standing up to get my food. I felt so weak that when I would manage to get on my feet I would get dizzy and immediately sit back down. I was not sure if I was coming down with something or just generally malnourished. Either way, making Alice nervous wasn't going to solve anything.

I would be fine. Or at least that was what I kept telling myself.

Recently, I'd realized that Dane and the crew kept taking people out of the room. They didn't return, so I was beginning to assume that they were starting to sell people. A good sign, I'm assuming, as according to Alice's giant smirk that's been plastered across her face for the last couple days.  Either that or she was crazy, a fact that I'm quite, already aware of.

"Rivvy, guess what this means!" Alice screeched from her corner.

"That I'm going to have a busted ear drum by the end of this week..?" I yelled back, covering my ears.

"No," she said rolling her eyes, "that we're this close to escaping." she indicated with two of her fingers.

"Or being sold into slavery, but whatever works for you."

"Always the pessimist, Rivvy."

"Well, not everyone can be an optimist after being stuck in a dark, mossy room for over year." I deadpanned.

"I feel ya." She said with a sad smile.

Shoot, I didn't mean to make her sad...

Suddenly, a loud slamming sound broke my train of thought as Dane and the crew filed in.

"Everyone left in this room is be deported to the town over." Dane declared.

Town over..? Which town is that..?

Wayne and Tim walked around the room removing the chains from each person.

"Everyone file out in a straight line. No funny business, or you'll regret it." Dane sneered.

With heads facing downwards, everyone filed out. Alice placed an arm around me to settle me as I began to wobble.

"What's wrong with you Rivvy? Why aren't you walking straight?" She whispered nervously.

I shrugged, "Don't worry yourself over it. I've just been a bit under the weather."

"And you just didn't feel like sharing this with me." She hissed.

"I didn't want to make you nervous or anything. I'm fine." I smiled.

"Fine my àss." She mumbled under her breath.

"Hurry up!" Dane shouted as he ushered everyone into the open wagon.

I was pushed into the corner, next to Alice. I snuggled into her lap and went to sleep as she leaned against me.

...............

"All of you must be completely silent. We are at the carriage check and if you make any noise I will kill you on the spot, understood." I heard Wayne say through a haze of fatigue.

I felt a stabbing pain in my stomach and bit my lip to keep from making any noise. There was a tense silence as Wayne eyed each person before jumping out of the carriage. He picked up bundles and bundles of straw along with three others and threw them on top of us.

I squeezed my eyes shut and bit deeply into my lip as the pain in my stomach got worse and worse. I tasted the salty, metallic taste of my blood as it soaked into my mouth. Tears streaked my face as the pain became more and more overwhelming.

Oh G-d, this is the worst time to get a stomach ache...

I breathed in and out of my mouth slowly, hoping to ease the pain but it only made it worse.

I heard Alice cooing in my ear as I whimpered and buried myself deeper into her lap.

Suddenly, a smell hit me full force. It was amazing and made my mouth almost water. It smelled like a mixture of exotic fruit and cinnamon.

"Your majesty, where are you going!" I heard a man call nervously.

The scent got stronger and stronger until it was so close I could almost taste it, "What's in this wagon?" A voice asked it sounded so familiar, so beautiful...

"Umm, straw Your Majesty," Wayne answered he sounded off, almost scared.

"No, not just straw. I smell something else like....vanilla." The man said.

"You must be mistaken Your Majesty, the only thing in this carriage is straw." Wayne's voice quivered, yeah, definitely scared.

"Hmm, let me see." the voice got closer as he approached the carriage.

"Umm, I wouldn't go in Your Majesty!"

"Why?"

"T-there might be r-rats in the carriage I wouldn't want Your Majesty to be exposed to something so vulgar." He was breaking I could hear it in his voice.

"I think I'll take my chances." His voice was harsh this time.

Suddenly, I heard a squeak as someone climbed into the carriage.

The scent hit me so hard I would have fallen backward if I wasn't already in Alice's lap, it was amazing so...mouth watering...

Suddenly, the previous pain hit me at full swing. I bit my lip deeply, reopening my previous wound.

"Blood..." the voice was so close, the smell so intoxicating...

"Wait!!" I heard the scary man scream and the carriage shook as he jumped in. I fell out of Alice's lap and hit my head hard whimpering as I fell with a loud thump.

"What was that..?"

"M-must be those r-rats I was telling you about. Don't worry I'll kill it."

My eyes widened by what he was implying. Oh God, he's going to kill me.

I felt tears trickle down my, already tear-stained, face as I felt a hard impact as someone stomped on my stomach.

I screamed a blood-curdling scream as the pain I previously felt tripled. I felt the bile rise in my throat as the pain became so extreme I started seeing stars.

Suddenly, light hit my face. I closed my eyes as the straw above me was yanked away and was instead replaced with the most handsome face I'd ever seen.

The man that stood above me was more perfect than man. His skin had an olive tone to it, completely the opposite in comparison to my pale complexion. His face had striking features with high, defined cheekbones. His hair was such a deep black that it made his hazel eyes almost appear yellow. Only one word filled my mind as I peered up at the beautiful man before me.

Mate.