Sealed and Silenced (Watty Awards 2012)

Sealed and Silenced: Chapter 3

My eyes flew open as hands grabbed my flimsy shirt, pulling me upwards from the ground. Carter, my mind yelled. I don’t know, but I wanted him to save me. I wanted him to hold me in his protective arms and never let go. Instead, I wake up brutally to a man hauling me away.

Flash’s of panicked faces streamed by as I kicked out and screamed as loud as I could. My feet scraped the dirt floor. I’m leaving paths for people to follow. The man caring me is on the stairs, I can feel that his body is higher than mine. My feet bang on the stairs, and my screams echo. Lamely, my fists hit the muscular arm that grabs my entire shirt in his thick hand.

“Quite the hell down! It disturbs our finer guests.” Finer guests?  Who in their right mind would stay here?

A door above me opened and my struggle quickened. If I could just get out the door, if I could just call for help.

Light flared above me as I entered the main bar. I could see men gathered along all four walls, watching me. I opened my mouth once more and screamed bloody murder.

“Shut up!” A Scottish accent rang out as I was stuffed in a chair and a gag shoved into my mouth.  Firm hands took my own and tied them behind my back.

A man was sitting in front of me, fingers laced, arms resting on the back of the chair. His scruffy ginger beard twitched as I started to glare. Beady eyes stared right back from behind rounded glasses.

“So, you are the new catch.” This guy wasn’t Jack and I was afraid.

“Who are you?” He asked. I stared at him blankly trying my best to glare.

“Ahh! Of course, the gag.” He chuckled.  I continued to stare as he took out the recently placed gag.

“No? What’s your name?” Names meant nothing to me anymore. Silence screamed within the room. The man’s face was strangely calm. He is patient with me. I suspect he has done this before.

“Where did you come from?”

“I can answer that one, boss.” The voice piped up from behind me. It seemed familiar. “We found her washed up on shore, near our territory. She wa-”

The man in front of me cut the other off with a wave of the hand. A creepily clean hand.

“Did I ask you where she came from?” The man growled.

“Young miss,” he turned back to me now. “Do you know exactly who I am?” I shook my head. “Do you know just what we do here?” Another shake. “Then you are clearly misinformed.” Worry was creeping towards me now.

“I’m Billy, the one who runs this place.” Why was I so special to bring in the boss? Or did everyone downstairs meet him too?

“You, my dear, are in my building. My home. What we do here is confidential,” A few chuckles ran throughout the room. “But since you will be involved…” He trailed off, clearly knowing something I did not. And this scared me.

“If we cut straight to the point, we run a house of prostitution. Here we have other such qualities such as importing fresh drugs and of course the local bar. You will be participating in each.” Participating? I could not live through another three years of hell. I would not be raped again. My thoughts pained me to the very core. I shouldn’t have to do this. Not again.

“Why can’t you speak?” The man in charge asked me. It sounded like I was wearing on his patience.

Expectantly, I didn’t answer. What I didn’t know was that my internal panic had spread and I was shaking from head to toe.

“Jesus, answer me!” Billy demanded standing up so fast, his chair went flying. I had pissed him off and was glad to do it.

Billy reached for me and twitched backwards. A knot started forming in my stomach. It was the knot I got before I was abused.

“Cut this bitch free.” Someone pushed a cool blade against my skin, before cutting my bonds.

“You are going to tell me what I want to know, or this world will end painfully for you.” Billy was now standing over me, my shirt wrinkled in his hand, exposing my body to the audience within the room. I spat at him.

A growl rumbled from Billy’s throat as he started to drag me to a door. It was the door to downstairs.

“Rot down there for a few days, filth.” Billy sung the door open, thrusting me down the stairs. My body started to roll over and over again as Billy’s laugh echoed down the stairs. It was the only thing I could hear.

Thump! I had hit the wall, but I did not stop rolling. My legs provided the moment down the last flight of stairs and onto the dirt floor.

Gasps sounded and footsteps thundered. Someone was picking me up. Someone was shaking me. My eyes slowly blinked open.

Carter.