Chapter 1
MILA’S POINT OF VIEW.
My life was perfect; as perfect as it could be for a newly married low-class woman trying to make ends meet with her husband. I gripped the plastic bag of groceries harder, then wiped the sweat from my brow as I made my way to the bus stop. The cool night air whipped past my hair with every step.
‘I’ll be home soon enough; I've got enough ingredients for enough stew to last the night. At least we won't go hungry this time.’ I sighed, breathing heavily; the exhaustion from the long day of scrubbing floors was taking its toll on my lower back. My husband, John, loved me.
He lost his job six months ago, but it didn’t matter to me. I didn’t mind working extra to make up for it because he really did try his best. My lips twisted into a frown when I realized he didn’t reply.
That’s odd.
John always replies; even if it takes him three minutes tops to do it.
‘Are you alright?’ I typed before I got on the bus. The dim green lights overhead dulled the space around me as I picked the seat close to the door. Still, John hadn’t replied.
He’s okay, Mila. Maybe just busy.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, then balanced the bag of groceries on my thighs. It was barely enough, but we would manage. We always did. I checked my phone again, but still, John hadn’t texted.
‘Maybe his phone died.” I muttered, leaning back with a heavy sigh. My eyelids grew heavy as sleep loomed, but I brushed it off; I'll be home soon anyway. The bus came to a stop for a few minutes so people could get off; it wasn’t my stop, so I didn’t.
That was my mistake.
The first was trusting John, the second, getting on that bus, and the last, not running off it when it stopped the first time.
“Miss.” The driver glanced at me. “You didn’t drop your ticket.”
“Oh, my apologies.” My cheeks reddened with embarrassment as I stood, reaching into my purse for my ticket. I didn’t realize I was now the only woman on the bus, and there were three men dressed in pitch black behind me.
“Here it is.” I smiled warmly before I dropped the ticket in. He tipped his hat, his stare on my back as I walked back to my seat. My fingers tapped against my knees as a wave of something passed suddenly. The back of my throat grew heavy with an ache I couldn’t explain. I looked around; the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly prickled when I made eye contact with one of the men.
He didn’t look away from me; not even after I mustered the scariest face I could. I swallowed, breaking eye contact first as I looked around. The bus had completely driven off my lane.
“Um… sir…” I called to the driver. “This isn’t the route to my stop.”
He didn’t answer; he suddenly started whistling, then humming a tune I couldn’t recognize. “I’m talking to you, sir. You’ve passed my stop.” Still, no response. He reached up, flicked a button, and then hard metal music filled the rickety bus.
“How could you just...?” I scoffed, rising on still shaky feet when I realized the men, all three of them now, stared right at me. My grip around my phone tightened until it hurt my fingers. I tapped the driver’s shoulder. “Did you not hear me? I said you passed my stop already.”
“Hey!” A hard, sharp grunt came from behind me. I turned around to find that same guy staring at me, something twisted in his gaze as he stood. “You’re very loud tonight, lady.”
“L-look, I o-only w-want t-to get to my house tonight. I don’t mean any trouble.” I couldn’t stop my eyes from blinking, or the way my heart nearly burst from my chest as it slammed against my ribs. He didn’t stop stalking my way;
“Why? Want to get off so soon?” He glanced from my face to my shoes, then back at my face. “The fun’s just begun.”
“N-no, don’t touch me.” He reached for me anyway, his hand wrapped around my wrist as he pulled me to him. I expected him to rip the clothes off my body, or hit me.
He did none of that.
He wrapped a hand around my throat, then dragged me until I was seated again. Placing a finger against his lip, “Shh.” He whispered. My vision blurred with unshed tears as I nodded as fast as possible. I needed him to see I wasn’t going to break his rules.
“Is she the one we’re looking for?” He asked one of the other men without breaking eye contact with me. That one glanced at a phone screen before he nodded once.
“Yes, boss.”
“W-what is he t-talking about?” I dared to ask, my silent sobs filling the space between us. The sound of heavy metal still filled the rickety van, combined with the driver’s whistles and my sobs.
The one holding me leaned closer, the smell of cigarette and alcohol on his breath. It made me gag, bile rising to my throat, but I swallowed it.
‘You, sweetheart, have been sold to the highest bidder.”
“What does that…?” The word caught in my throat because the next thing I felt was a hot, searing pain spreading through the left side of my head.
Bang!
He bashed my head against the glass; hard. “Ahhh!” I screamed in pain, the smell of blood suddenly strong in my nose as I felt my body slide off the seat. “P-please, don’t do this. My husband is at home waiting for me.”
“Why did you do that?! Boss said to bring her in one piece.” Those were the words I heard last before everything turned dark.
..
By the time I opened my eyes, the smell of blood still lingered, the pain in the left side of my head a dull ache. My eyes snapped shut the second I tried to open them, bright white light nearly splitting my vision.
Am…am I dead?
No; I can't be dead. How will John cope? He can't live without me.
The sound of cheers, a buzzer’s ding, followed by something else I couldn’t place, filled my ears, mixing with the loud ringing. I forced my eyes open, even though they hurt. My hand flew to the left side of my head, where the throbbing continued. I expected to feel blood, but my fingers met what felt like a bandage instead.
I looked around, to my horror; I wasn’t alone. That should have made me happy…if every single girl around me wasn’t completely naked. A sputter escaped me as I looked to my left, only to find the same thing. Naked, bone-thin, some curvy women all around, some crying, some completely devoid of emotion.
I looked down at myself; I found myself bare as the day I was born.
“N-no,” I whispered, my hands flying to cover my naked pussy and my breasts as best I could. “W-where am I? What am I doing here? I-I can't be here…no…no!”
“Quiet!” someone hissed beside me, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders thinly as she shot me a death glare. “If you’re too loud, you’ll draw attention to us. I don't want to get sold.”
“S-sold?” I blinked; the ringing in my ears returned as I looked around one more time. “What do you mean sold?”
“You hear that?” She tilted her head to her right. “That cheer, that noise from not too far away? That’s from the men and women waiting to place their bids on tonight’s market.”
“M-market?” a girl beside me cried, her entire body trembling against the cold marble, tears clinging to her cheeks.
“Us.” The girl rolled her eyes. “We’re the market. I have worked hard to not be noticed for the past three days. Everyone says if you don’t get picked, you get dropped off somewhere on the street.”
“R-really?” I gasped, crawling over to her. That’s when I realized my legs were bound to the next person beside me with a silver chain.
“Quiet!” she barked. “Make too much noise, and they’ll come this way. They’ll take us, and we’ll get sold to one of those men out there!”
“I’ll keep quiet.” I nodded fast, disregarding the pain in my head. My teeth dug into my nails as I tried to push back tears. I have to survive.
For john
We got married barely a year ago; our love was what kept us together through the challenges we faced. If anything happens to me, I know he’ll be heartbroken.
So I have to survive; I need to.
For him.
That plan quickly turned to smoke when the sound of the heavy door opening filled the already tense space. A man with a thin scar running down the left side of his face stormed in, his blue eyes looking around at the crying girls. My heart beat faster, my tongue drier than the Sahara as I muttered prayers under my breath.
‘Please, if you're really up there, don’t let them find me. I need to make it out of here for my husband; he needs me.’
“Stop looking at him.” The girl beside me pinched my ankle; it made me jump.
“Ahh!” I hiccupped before I could stop it, and immediately, I knew it was over.
“You! What are you discussing?” The man yelled, his heavy boots stalking over to us. The moment he reached me, he wrapped his hand around my hair, pulling hard on it before he dragged me on my feet. My scalp felt like someone set it on fire, like it was about to blow. I tried to beg, but all I could manage were cries.
“You don’t want to talk, don’t you? You’re coming with me.” He grinned, yellow, plaque-filled teeth in my face before he reached for my ankle. He unlocked it, his hand wrapped around my arm as he dragged me away.
“No! Please don’t do this!” I cried. “I’m a married woman; my husband will be heartbroken.”
“Quiet, whore.” He spat. “You think I care about your husband? You’re no married woman here.” He scoffed. “You’re a whore; you serve the highest bidder. Now keep quiet, or I’ll give you something to cry about.”
I glanced behind me to see another man had tossed that girl over his shoulder, gripping her hands and legs so she couldn’t fight. She glared at me, eyes bright with anger.
It was my fault. If I’d been quiet, we might have been able to escape, but now, because of me, we are getting sold.
Everything passed in a blur; by the time I came around, I stood on a wooden surface, tears still clinging to my cheeks while I tried to cover my nakedness.
“Drop your hands.” The man glared at me, hand on his pistol. I didn’t move; I couldn’t even if I wanted to. The thought of someone seeing me like this, someone other than my husband..
I waited for a year before I had sex with John; he waited for me too, so he made the night I gave my virginity to him special. Now, they want to see that; I couldn’t.
“Drop your hands right now!” he slammed the butt of his gun against my shoulder hard. My teeth dug into my lower lip as I trembled, my hands giving way due to the pain.
“Ah, much better.” Their collective sighs rang around the hall. All of a sudden, a sharp ringing hit my senses before someone stepped in front of the microphone. Dressed in a clean tuxedo, my eyes widened, and my knees turned to jelly when the stage lights tilted so I could take a look at his face.
To my horror, my husband, the love of my life, John stood in front of the microphone, eyes laced with guilt, while he announced, “And tonight, we have three fresh items on the menu, made for your exquisite pleasure.”
