Enslaved to Love

Chapter 2

I shot up in the cramped bed, waking my brothers. Wet trails ran down my face from my eyes. My whole body shook; not from the temperature of the room but from terror and shock. I shakily pulled back the covers and stood up. A wave of nausea and dizziness came over me, threatening to show the meager supper of last night again. I gasped and heaved but fortunately nothing came up.

Finn walked up to me and rubbed comforting circles on my back. “Rox, what's wrong... Bad dream again?” Unable to speak, I nodded my head. “You should stay here; I can go and work for today.” Before I can interrupt, he carried on. “It's only ironing, I can handle it. I'm old enough to work and I've done it before, please.” He added. I was about to give into him when Bo came tugging at my sleeve. He rubbed his eyes with a chubby fist; yawning. I picked him up and set him on my knee.

“I can't, Finn.” Finn opened his mouth ready to argue but I raised my hand; silencing him. “It's only ironing; I know, but the room's suffocating and the last time you went there to help, you spent the whole time being violently sick.”

He gave me a pleading look. “I'm older now.” He reasoned. “Just for today and just because you look really pale. If it doesn't work out, I won't ask you again.” He widened his eyes and puckered up his bottom lip; giving me an adorable face that I couldn't say no to.

“Fine.” He fist-pumped the air. “But I get to go out and steal some food from one of the other pens while you're working.” He sighed, a long and weary exasperation; a gesture far too old for someone so young and nodded his head. I copied his earlier movements and fist-pumped the air causing a small giggle to escape his lips, reminding me about how young my brother is. Bo joined him in his hysteria even though he didn't understand what was so funny.

Before long, Finn and I had to depart to work and to find food. “Okay Bo. Remember to lock the door and to not let anyone in, only, when you hear the secret knock do you open it and no loud noises while we're away.” I bit my lip worried about what will happen while we were away. “If you want we could  drop you off at Maggie's and you could stay there till we come back.” 

“No. She's mean. I promise I'll be good.” Bo gave me his signature grin and I gave in to him. I gave him a kiss and headed out with Finn giving him a hug and a thank you before walking in the opposite direction as him. I took a deep breath of air, forgetting about the putrid odor of sewage and unwashed bodies. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, still not used to the smell. Walking faster, I decided right at the last moment to turn away from my usual route and instead took the road that was quieter.

Thinking back on it, I shouldn't have even took a second glance towards that direction. Vampires, demons and werewolves are all very strong creatures of the night, they didn't want wars between them so they were allocated different pens and roads depending on their species and in these roads, and these roads only, were they allowed to hunt. As a young child, my parents and all those around me took care to tell me not to venture past the mortca line, the hunting line, the line that told the superior beings where to hunt and where not to. Of course, I was always curious but not curious enough to disobey my parents. I guess, on that fateful day, the day that will turn my world and those around me upside down, I forgot.

I pulled my coat tighter around my small frame as an icy chill spread through my bones. Tendrils of mist curled around my ankles. Resounding footsteps followed my every movement. I stopped, spun around but the fog that now surrounded me only gave away a distorted figure. Sensing that my life was in peril, I swiveled around to run but before I could, two more shadowy silhouettes appeared before me. The mist parted slightly allowing me to see an alleyway towards my left. I ran for it, arms outstretched. I followed the maze of graffiti lined walls and metal bins. My heart pounded against my ribcage causing bruises to appear and tendons to split, it became harder to get oxygen into my lungs, the burning made me see stars but I didn't dare stop.

“Run, Roxanne. Run.” whispered the monsters. The clashing of bins driving me on. A tile from above fell down, narrowly missing my head. I leaped over it and kept on sprinting. My lips felt dry and cracked, I stumbled over a rock and fell onto my front. A sudden roar of pure lust and hunger caused me to awkwardly crawl back to my feet. The lack of food in me taking it's toll. I saw the end of the alleyway, light shone in  pulling me towards it. A small grin formed on my lips as the warmth of the rising sun hit me. But before I can emerge out of the darkness a body slammed into me. I hit the ground, when I raised my eyes all I could see were the very long, sharp fangs of a vampire. I sucked in a breath through my teeth as a cruel laugh rang out, sentencing my death. I had just enough time to send a short prayer before he grabbed my head and rammed it against the ground beneath me.

An excruciating pain at the back of my head pounded to the beat of the annoying clang of metal hitting metal with intervals of hissing every now and then. I groaned as I raised an arm to my forehead; my hands instead felt some sort of slimy moisture. My eyes blinked open, a bright crimson light shone through the cracks in my eyelids causing a hiss to escape from my lips; not unlike the hisses in between the infuriating noise. When I was finally able to see again I realized that I was in a small cot; dressed in a thin white nightgown and soaking wet. The painful light and the noise turned out to be a large metal container. Pipes were attached to the machine. A metal flap right above me opened and ice cold steam rained down on me. It looked like a boiler but much larger.

Taking a deep breath, I swung my feet off the bed and shakily stood up. Blood rushed to my head causing me to sway but after a few minutes it disappeared  and was replaced by a migraine. An area at the back of my head started throbbing, I reached behind me and prodded it with a finger gently, wincing as I touched the tender spot. Memories of the vampires flashed through my mind.  At the end of the flashback, an image of Bo and Finn waiting for my return had me standing pale and still like a fresh corpse.

I've been taken.

There's nobody left to take care of my two boys, nobody to make sure that they won't starve, nobody to tell them that everything's going to be alright; even though it isn't. A tear slipped down my cheek as I realized the startling reality of the situation I'm in. It suddenly felt like the whole planet was pushing down on me - depending on me. My legs gave way and I ended up curled in a fetal position on the cold, cold floor. Wracking sobs overtook my body. There I laid and cried till my tear ducts ran dry.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

I wasn't supposed to upload this till after my exams but...my bad!!

Yes, It's short and yes, it ends on a cliffy but tell me what you think?

Sorry, to all those who are confused, I had to delete and rewrite! My other stuff disappeared! T.T

Comment, Vote, Fan!

CookieWisher xx