The whispers of the Archive

10: Dropped off in Dullstream

To lie or not to lie, that was the question. As brave as she tried to be, what could she do against this fully grown man when she didn't have so much as a liquor bottle to defend herself with.

"A friend gave it to me," she said cautiously.

The man's finger trembled slightly, causing the lace to flutter. "What is your friend's name?"

Eva paused, guilt tightening her throat. Would being honest here hurt the kind woman she considered to be her initial investor.

Before she could refuse, a blur sped past her face, and she tumbled over the carriage seat. Pain exploded across her cheek, the taste of iron seeped into her mouth. Staring blankly at the red silk beneath her, it took a while for Eva to realize she had been struck her across the face.

A strong hand gripped her jaw, forcing her upright to meet the man's furious gaze. His composure shattered, his voice now a growl akin to that of a rabid stray dog, "What is your friend's name?"Blood trickled down from the corner of Eva's mouth.

In a fleeting moment, the curtain stirred, allowing a shaft of daylight to illuminate the dim interior of the carriage. For the first time she could clearly see her attacker's face: wild bloodshot eyes that knew no limits bore into her. In the shadowy corner of the carriage where the third person lay slumped to the side, a battered woman's face covered in bruises and blood came into view. She was motionless. There was no way for Eva to tell if she was alive or not.

Fear gripping Eva's heart, she heard her voice before she decided to speak, "Miss Fifer."

Leaning in closer, a fearful grin twisting his crazed face, the man continued to press Eva for information about Miss Fifer. Despite her shame, driven by fear for her life, Eva couldn't help but answer his questions.

Only once he was satisfied that Eva was telling the truth, did the carriage come to a stop. By that time there were fresh marks around Eva's neck to match her swelling face.

She was thrown out of the carriage, her barrel tossed out alongside her. The wood splintered as it hit the hard ground. As the carriage pulled away, Eva heard the tinkling of metal. She picked up the two shiny silver marks with trembling hands biting back her grief, humiliation and self disgust. She wanted to hurl the silver coins back at the carriage and scream that she couldn't be bought, that she was a good person and that she would never betray her friends. Untrue as those thoughts were. In the face of pain, she had given up Miss Fifer's name and address.

Not strong enough to throw the money away, or to put it in her pocket, she shakily walked home with the coins tightly clenched in her fist.

For the duration of her interrogation, the carriage seemed to have randomly driven through the quieter districts along the harbour.

Eva was eventually thrown out near a neighbourhood just West of the bay, a place she had heard of but never went to before — Dullstream, where that water from the harbour snaked inland creating a lagoon. The bays of Dullstream were filled with shanties, makeshift homes for many impoverished families, mainly those of fishermen. The shanty dwellers ventured inland during the day to beg in the wealthier parts of the district. Which was why you could find people in tattered clothes on every street.

Coming from Saltspindle this place was perhaps a few degrees worse in terms living conditions.

In full gloom, Eva turned a corner and saw a small group hunched against the walls of the narrow street. A woman with sunken cheeks cradled a small child in her boney arms, next to her sat an elderly man staring blankly at the hard dirt road below his hole-filled shoes. Across from them on the other side of the alley was a young around boy Eva's age, but it was hard to tell because of his skinniness. He wore the same dull expression, but when he saw Eva a glint of fierceness flashed across his dark eyes.

Holding a dry and dusty wooden stick, he rose from the ground. His legs were marred with cuts and bruises, he must have taken a beating recently. Eva remembered the fishermen at the pub talking about the gangs in Dullstream.

Threateningly raising the stick in both hands, the boy said, "Take off your shoes, and give me the barrel." His parched lips were so dry, tiny bits of blood was seeping through the cracks.

Eva stared, surprised. It had been ages since she had been robbed. Of course, since she had started working at the inn, the people of Saltspindle recognised her as one of them, too poor to be worth stealing from. But to the people of the shanties, even her old worn shoes and the discarded wine barrel she took from the inn was worth something.

When Eva didn't move to take off her shoes or hand over the barrel, the boy became enraged. Raising the stick above his head, he shouted, "Give them to me now!"

Perhaps another day she would have been frightened by this wild looking boy, but after her encounter with the man in the carriage, she believed the look in this boy's eyes was more fear than wrath. Not that fear wasn't dangerous, but it didn't hold a candle to the rage filled madness that she witnessed before.

Wordlessly, she walked toward the boy. His frown was laced with his internal struggle. He knew he was doing a bad thing, but his family was desperate. He didn't want to hurt anyone, so why didn't this idiot just give up his barrel and take off his shoes?

Why wasn't he scared?

Why was he coming closer?

At his breaking point, the boy let out a loud shout and took a swing at Eva, but his boney arms couldn't deliver much force. Eva easily dodged. Before he could get over the shock, she snatched the club from his hands and threw it to the ground. His face was full of fear and regret. Nevertheless, she grabbed his dry hand and stuffed the two silver marks into his palm, then dashed out the alley.

Without the 2 marks, she felt lighter somehow.

Clutching her barrel straps she darted off in the direction of the Main Street. She was lucky that she encountered an emaciated young boy instead of someone bigger and more skilled.

Refreshed and filled with determination, instead of running home, Eva headed for Miss Fifer's apartment. By the time she arrived daylight was turning vibrant, and some boats were already back in the docks. Eva ran into the alley, already practicing her apology to Miss Fifer, but she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of men carrying furniture and luggage out the door.

The orange glow of the fading light blazed in her panicked eyes. Eva stormed through the door and ran up the stairs to Miss Fifer's apartment.

Almost all of Miss Fifer's nice belongings were gone. She ran up to a man who had some blankets slung over his shoulder and a wooden chest tucked under his burly arm, "Do you know where Miss Fifer is, she's the woman who lives here? Why are you taking her stuff?"

Annoyed by the nagging, the man shook Eva off his leg, "All I know is that the person who lived here moved out. The boss wants us to move her stuff. You're blocking the way, scram." He disappeared down the stairs.

Miss Fifer suddenly moving out was happening a few hours after Eva gave Miss Fifer's address to that man. It was not hard to think the worst. Wracked with guilt, Eva stared at the empty space where the bed by the window used to be. Where Miss Fifer laid her down to rest after being knocked out.

Eva never had the chance to payback her kindness. If anything, she had repaid the debt with ingratitude.

Thinking back to her traumatic time in the carriage, Eva's cheek twinged. Was it her imagination, or had the crazed man seemed very concerned about Miss Fifer?

He'd relentlessly asked after Miss Fifer's appearance, how she seemed, wanting to know if she was injured. Although she was panicked at the time, looking back, Eva clearly remembered his grip loosening around her throat when she recounted how she'd saved Miss Fifer from being attacked in the alley.

From Katherine's experiences of fiery passion, Eva somehow felt that the man's deep obsession with Miss Fifer leaned more towards the side of... No, that was just wishful thinking.

Staring out the small window, Eva didn't know anything, except that she needed to do something.