Their Scars (COMPLETE)

Chapter 4

He closed his eyes and thought of what he could do. He looked at her.
"This is a safe place; they never come this far out," Collin said. He saw her face grow fearful again, and she looked at him with a glare.
"Who?" She asked.
"The raiders," he answered. He tilted his head in the direction of the only window in the room."They usually come from the desert. They attack travelers for supplies. Most of the time they attack travelers, not outposts. I've seen them do a few raids around here."

Raiders. That was the collective term for the groups of bandits who would ambush helpless victims. Collin knew firsthand what they were capable of doing.

"Why doesn't anyone know about this place?" she asked.

Collin didn't know how to answer that. He went inside and got her some water. He brought it outside the room where she was lying. As he touched her shoulder, she recoiled.

"It's okay, you can drink it." Kayla picked it up. Her hands shook as she lifted the glass and drank a few sips. He could tell that she was afraid of people. He gave her some more to drink. At least now she wouldn't die. How had she survived as an adult without running into any raiders? Was she always a captive? She looked at him like she didn't want to answer his questions, but she was desperate for a kind word from someone.

"There were doctors at the place we were held. I don't know where they were getting them. The men that ran the place wanted to be sure there weren't any diseases." Kayla was trying to speak matter-of-factly.
Collin didn't want to say that he was sorry for her. He was.

Kayla lifted her chin and wiped her eyes.

"I was with girls who were ten, eleven, twelve. They separate us by age. There are a few little boys there too. What will happen to them? Will they keep looking for me?" Kayla asked.

"You won't run into them again. I'll make sure of it." Collin said, with a hint of anger in his voice. Kayla seemed more afraid for the kids left behind than of her situation.

She was curled in a fetal position on the cot. Collin sat on the ground in front of her, holding her hand. "How did you survive out there?"

"I had a bottle of water." her voice was sad and sounding broken, "They made me carry it in my pocket....it was the only thing I had......I thought I would be killed for sure.....When I saw this place, I almost thought it was a mirage."
He braced himself to ask his next question.

"The other girl, who you tried to help, how old was she?"

"Maybe five." She said, shuddering from the memory.

Collin swallowed bile. He was thankful that Kayla was strong enough to survive. The idea of innocent children in a hellhole like that was getting to him.

"Christ, Kayla." Collin felt the anger boiling in him. Trafficking in underage girls was becoming a common occurrence in the post-apocalyptic world. It was a dangerous business and well organized. His stomach churned. Kayla had escaped from the unthinkable, and now there were other girls at risk. He would report it. It would make a difference.
After a pause, Kayla spoke again. "I escaped, but what's going to happen to the rest of the kids?" She looked down, feeling sorry for the little prisoners she knew were still in the building, and for all the little children they hadn't rescued. "What's going to happen to them?"

"I'll get the word out. It'll be alright." He reassured her, but the look on her face told Collin otherwise. She knew better. But he didn't have the heart to say those things. Instead, he just kept talking as she laid back against the wall, listening.
"We'll find a way to save them." He promised.

Kayla didn't seem convinced.

Collin sighed, "I'm so sorry, Kayla. I'd hate for what happened to you to happen to anyone else."