Just A Nibble

The Dark World

The cell was dimly lit, it smelled of mold and rust. In the back corner sat a girl who hid in the shadows of the cramped space. Her form was frail and littered with bruises and scars. Blonde hair matted in grotesque ways...but it was her eyes that were the most lifeless.  A door slammed loudly and a clanging began to sound. The other humans began to rouse from their less than optimal sleep.

A large man was banging a metal bat along the bars. The metal on metal tinks slowly neared the girls cage. "C'mon scar get your ass up. Your going to the storefront for the next week I want you gone." The man said rather gruffly. Before any protest could be made the door to the cage was hammered open and two well built men strolled in. Picking her up as if she were a doll.

Their grips were tight on her arms and she could feel bruises forming in the shape of their hands. Strength like this was otherworldly...this is why the vampires took over so easily. The woman raised her head ever so slightly as stone pathway turned to stairs. She stumbled trying to keep up with the vampires pace on the steps. A hiss slipped out of the taller of the two at this clumsiness.

Suddenly the dim light gave way to harsh fluorescents. The once locked door now stood open. Slowly the woman's sight returned to normal, and she was able to get a look at the facade of the shop. The sight was all to familiar and so very fake. If only the guests could see what was behind that back door.  Her limp feet dragged across the hardwood as the vampires maneuvered her through the racks of books, and accessories.

They brought her over to the wall of cages, battered humans sat in each of the kennel like containers. Small chalkboards adorned the front of each of the cages. Names given by the owner were scrawled on each, along with vague descriptions of their personalities. Finally at the very bottom was a price. In the corner closest to the window sat an empty cage.

A chalkboard labeled 'Scar, Rather feisty, Sale 230 gp' the woman knew this cage was for her.  One of the men let go of her to open said cage while the other haphazardly tossed her into it. Her rear hit the ground with some force causing her to groan in pain. Before she could flip around the cage door was slammed shut and locked.

As the men disappeared back to the basement of the shop, scar made her self as comfortable as she could in her cell. The dress she was wearing was tattered and obviously much to small for her delicate body. A voice flooded her ears as she sat, a familiar voice at that. "Hey there scar...welcome back to the world up front." A boy in the cage next to her whispered.

He didn't look to be to much better than Scar but that wasn't surprising. His one red hair was almost brown with dirt, and his body was littered with past injuries. He wore a dirtied cream colored shirt tucked into some tattered brown pants. His feet were bare and the bottoms looked burned as scar tissue covered his soles. The chalkboard on his cage read 'Flame, non cooperative, Sale 175 gp' .

"Yeah flame, they're ready to not have to look at my face anymore" Scar responded with a dry laugh catching in her throat turning into a cough. She looked over at the boy who looked younger than her like he was merely 15.

"Awww that's a shame, especially considering it's such a beautiful face." A smirk crossed his cracked lips and he wiggled his eyebrows ever so slightly. This elicited a soft laugh from Scar as she shook her head at him. He was aware he had no chance and so was she, but something about his demeanor was comforting.

Scar moved to change the way she was sitting with a wince as she pressed on a bruise. "Damaged goods are just that. They'll try and get me outta here but they've had me for a year now. I don't know why they thought they'd be the ones to sell me." She said with a shrug as she looked out of the window. Vampires of all calibers passed by the windows, a couple even followed by their humans.