Love for the Slaves

Chapter One

I carried the basket of fruit on my shoulder to the market where my master was waiting. I carefully put the basket down on a table near my master. “Good job, Luna, you actually managed to follow orders,” he said with an evil grin. I did not react. I just stared at him with a blank face. “That’s the least I can say about your little friend,” he said and pointed to Terra, my closest and only friend. She was carrying a basket of fruit back but she had tripped on the chains around her ankles. She fell and all of the fruit she was carrying fall out of the basket. Hurriedly, she tried to pick it all up, but our master walked over to her. “She clumsy little winch,” he said before he grabbed her by her hair and yanked her up. She winced and stood up. He drug her up the stairs and into the palace where he could whip her without anyone interfering. I sighed and closed my eyes. I knew when they came out, Terra would be covered in painful wounds, but no one could do anything about it. She would also most likely be crying. She was almost in tears just by him yelling at her. Suddenly, the sounds of a whip crack before the sounds of it slapping her skin and her shrieking in pain were heard in the market. Every time I heard her shriek, I flinched. “I can’t believe how bad he treats her,” another slave said, standing at the table where I was. “Well, she is his slave,” I said, not making any facial expressions. “I know but it seems he treats her worse than he treats anyone else. One of these days, he’s going to end up killing her,” she said. My eyes widened. I didn’t want him to kill her. I didn’t want him to kill me. I wanted both of us to escape together. The door opened and everyone immediately went back to their work. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw our master shoving a stumbling Terra out the door. Her skin was ripped up in bloody flesh. I couldn’t bare to look at her. She picked up all of the fruit she had dropped and put it back in her basket. She brought it to the table where I was standing. “Alright, Luna, Terra, go back to the wagon and get the weapons off. However, if either of you attempt to use any of the weapons, I will overpower you and neither of you will see the light of day again,” master said. The both of us nodded and we started walking to the wagon which was about a mile away. Once we were far enough away, we began to chatter. “Does it seem like you are always the one he picks on?” I asked her. “I was thinking the same thing. He praises you and the others, but he never gives me any praise. Even if I do something right, I either get yelled at or whipped,” she said. “I’m sorry we got into this,” I said. “It’s not your fault. We’re getting out of this as soon as we get to the weapons wagon,” she said. I looked at her with wide eyes. “Why?!” I asked her frantically. “Because I’m going to cut off these chains and then I’m going to kill our master,” she said. “Are you nuts?! If we do that he’ll kill us both!” I yelled. We got to the weapons wagon and grabbed the remaining weapons. “I would rather die than have to put up with this anymore!” she said. She grabbed a sword out of the bag of weapons. “I don’t want you to die!” I said. “Join me and I’ll make sure neither of us die!” she said. “Terra, I’m scared,” I said. “Why? I am from the Dark Continent. I have incredible strength and speed and still, you doubt me with a sword. I can rip open a lions belly with just one kick. Imagine what I can do with a sword!” she said. “It’s too dangerous, Terra. I know you have incredible strength and agility, but we need to think of what could happen if you weren’t able to defeat our master,” I said. She sighed and put the sword back up. I guess you’re right,” she said in defeat. “Terra, I’m not saying you’re being stupid, I just-,” I stopped talking when she held up her hand. “Forget it,” she said, and we walked back to our master. “Good job, Luna, you were able to follow orders. Terra, I’m not going to whip you right now. Guards, take her,” master said. “What, what did I do?” Terra asked as the guards grabbed her. “You took too long,” he snarled. “What?! I took the same time she did and you said I did a good job!” I snapped at him before I realized it. “What was that, Luna?” master asked. He grabbed me by my throat and cut off my air. “You do not talk back to me,” he said. Then he threw me on the ground. I rolled for a minute and then stood back up. I then realized that if I would have let Terra do what she wanted to, we both had the possibility to be free. I cursed myself in my head as I watched the guards drag Terra away. I knew what master was going to do to her. He was probably going to rape her. That’s what a few other slaves had told me he did when he had a slave sent back to the prison. “Oh Terra, I’m so sorry,” I thought as I watched her get dragged away. “Everyone, back to work, and as for you, Luna,” he got closer to me. “If you ever talk back to me again, I will not hesitate to kill you,” he said. I gulped. Then he left. He followed after Terra and the guards. I got up off the ground and joined all of the other slaves in selling the produce. I may have seemed like my mind was on what I was doing, but in honestly, I was thinking about Terra and what would happen to her. I feared for her life and her purity. With those thoughts running through my mind, I sold produce to the commoners and servants that came in the market place to either buy food for their family, or buy food for the royal family. No smile graced my face and no color was in my eyes. I was hollow. All of my spirit was sucked out of me the day men with swords and spears stormed the Dark Continent and ripped me and Terra away from her family.

            Later that afternoon, I walked into the slave bunkhouse and found my bed which was right next to Terra’s. I didn’t look at her bed because I doubted she would be there and looking at the bed would just make me anxious. My stomach rumbled and I rubbed it. We only got one meal a day and that was at night. It should be about time for dinner for us. It appears, I was right. The door to the bunkhouse open and all of us looked up. Servants walked in, each baring bowls and trays and pots. Each slave was given a hearty helping of rice with chicken and potatoes mixed in. This was to give us energy and keep us healthy so our master did not have to spend so much money to replace us. The servants poured each slave a cup of water to keep us hydrated. It was then that I noticed they put food on Terra’s bed. I heard her bed move and she emerged from the blankets. “Terra?” I whispered. I was surprised but I was so happy to see her. The servants left and the slaves began to eat. Terra and I both grabbed our bowls and began to eat. “How are you here? I was sure master was going to rape you,” I said. She was silent for a minute. “He was going to. He had me tied to his bed, naked, but one of the guards came in because there was a commotion. He untied me and clothed me. He grabbed my arm and drug me outside. Once we got there, the commotion was gone.

~Flashback (Terra P.O.V.)~

            Once we got outside, the commotion had left, so master decided he would strip me again and tie me back up. However, I used my strength and ripped my arm from his hand, breaking his whole arm from the force. I stomped my foot into the ground, breaking the concrete, and I ran as fast as I could. No one could catch me. The only thing slowing me down was the chains around my ankles. They tried to trip me. While I was running, I stole bread and fruit. I hid them under my dress and continued running. Then something wrapped around my middle and I was jerked back. There was a rope of wires wrapped around my waist. “Bad girl, Terra,” master said and he pressed a button. Electric shocks coursed through my body and I screamed. “That’s what you get,” he snarled and made the shocks worse. I screamed louder, then it all stopped. Everything was weak. “W-what did you do to me?” I asked. “I suspended your strong muscles. You will barely be able to walk now,” he said. I was expecting him to drag me back to his room, but he didn’t. He took the wires off me forcibly and stood me up. I wobbled for a minute. “I’m tired of dealing with you. Tomorrow, I am selling you in the market. You can go to another unlucky master, but you will never be good enough for anybody,” he said. I grew fearful. I knew I was going to have to strip naked and I was probably going to be sold as a sex slave. “Now get out of here and get to your bunkhouse. Say goodbye to Luna, she will be staying here,” he said. Tears fell down my face and I stumbled away. My muscles were weak from the shocks. I made it back to the bunkhouse before anyone so I took the stolen food out from my dress and put them under the sheets. Luna and I could share them later.

~End of Flashback (Luna P.O.V.)

            “I can’t believe you’re going to be sold. I’m never going to see you again!” I cried. I was sitting on her bed and we were holding each other. “I know, but it will be ok. I will always be with you no matter what happens,” she said. We were crying on each other. “We have to do something,” I said. She shook her head. “There is nothing we can do. We had a chance to escape earlier and we missed it. It’s time to face that you may be rescued from slavery, but I will always be a slave and I deserve it. I have to accept it,” she said. “No Terra, you don’t deserve it,” I cried louder. “Shh, Luna, calm down, I don’t want to spend out last night together in tears,” she said. I whipped my tears. “I guess you’re right,” I said. She pulled the food out from in her bed and we ate quietly, just enjoying each other’s company. Later that night, we fell asleep, holding onto each other. I knew we were both terrified for tomorrow to come, but she was right, we had our chance to escape, but we missed it. There was nothing we could do anymore. But for some reason, I had a feeling that everything was going to be ok. I didn’t know why, but I felt like we were going to be together long after tomorrow.