Chapter 1
A hard jerk on her neck had her eyes shot opening gasping for air.
Wheezing, her hands shot up to her neck feeling a leathery rough material with a hasp in the middle wrapped around her throat making her breathing sparse.
The rough metal floor beneath her, trembled awfully hard as if moving on a rugged splintered land.
She felt croaking resounded around her, realising she isn't alone there. She peeked around perceiving so many girls, all wearing the same collar as hers.
Immediately she tried to sit straight but hissed out in pain from her ankle. All scared eyes shot to hers, making her gulp in fear as few of them put fingers on their lips, their eyes pleading her to not make a sound.
She faintly discern the swell of her ankle as it was almost dark in there, but not enough to make it pitch black.
Confused and scared she tried to recall what's happening, but nothing flashed her mind making panic to emerge in her veins, because she can't even recall her name.
The thing they were in was a small metal cage to which there leashes were secured. A large black cloth was placed on the cage making it impossible to see what's outside.
She tried to get the leathery thing off of her but every time she tried to loosen it, it became dense.
"Stop trying! It will only tighten." The girl with blonde hair and blue eyes whispered beside her.
"W-where am I?" She croaked out with extremely parched throat, the blonde girl stayed silent staring at the floor, she tried again. "Do y-you know me?"
"I know you Scarlett, you are my best friend. You are under their magic, but it's going to fade away anytime now." She muttered slowly.
Befuddled she stared at the worn out faces of all the girls. They were nine in total including her. One of the girl in the end with brown hair and brown eyes was continuously clawing at the collar and was yanking on it. She was the only one trying to get free.
She peered at the blonde girl beside her, observing long deep fresh nail mark gashes on the left side of her face, it was still bleeding. "What happened to yo- Ahh!"
She holds her head in her hands as she felt shock waves of pain prickling her head like it'll explode. Gasping she tried to hold in the pain but it was excruciatingly tormenting, flashes begin emerging making her scream out in pain.
The blonde girl promptly muffled her screams before it can be heard by placing her hand on Scarlett's mouth.
A roaring had their hearts leaps to their throats. A large metal clanked with their cage making the whole cage to tremble as the numbing echo resonated their ears.
The blonde girl holds Scarlett's trembling figure as she rocked her body back and forth to provide some comfort to her.
Scarlett's face was ashen as her life flashes in front of her eyes. Her father, her mother they were brutally killed by kings men as they sucked them dry.
Those creatures were simply like humans but their strong forms, pale white skin and those sharp fangs were clear give away of their reality.
Her village was attacked last night. They were only supposed to collect blood from all the villagers but they burned their houses, killed the weak and captivated the others.
They only said two words which sealed their fate. 'Kings orders!' She felt utter hatred towards the king.
The men from the village were taken in another cart and the girls! Her eyes widened in horror when every inch of her life erupted back to her.
Gasping she tried to control her breathing along with her heart rate. With teary eyes she hugged Sophia the blonde girl.
Her mother had warned her to stay hidden but she couldn't help but to lash out when they were about to kill her father, but those creatures didn't stopped instead they made her watch as they killed her parents and burned their bodies.
The cartwheel of their cage stopped. Sheer silence resonated in surrounding only the whooshing wind can be heard.
The girls didn't dared to move as they stilled on their places. A metal, again clanked with the cage making the vibrations to hit their body as their teeth's chatter together in pure fear.
Scarlett stared at the black cloth covering their cage, she can feel them lurking just beside the cage as she can see their shadows.
Another clank had them yelping, as they cower back in fear. A rumble of laughters erupted from their surroundings. The girls stared at their surroundings in hysteria as they wait for the unknown attack but it never came.
When they would thought there's no threat a loud rumbling clank will scare them out of their wits as the anxiety will start creeping in all over again.
They didn't know for how long it went, but the clanking stopped in the late night but the cart kept moving, the next time Scarlett opened her eyes, is because of the scorching rays of sun light, peeking from the shredded cloth.
Blinking hurriedly she straighten up as the hissing and mumbling along with chatting reached her ears. A delicious smell hit her nostrils as her stomach growled out in hunger, but the smell soon faded as they pass away from there.
All the girls were attentive as they heard various noises in their surroundings, from the sounds of it, it felt like they're in some sort of a busy place.
Scarlett's face changed into a horrified one when she recalled all the stories her mother told her about. When she was kid she thought they're mere stories but as she grew up she realised it's their reality and from the way things are going, she knows what's going's to happen.
Her hands searched for grease or dirt anything for now and soon she found it in the corner behind her. She rubbed her greasy hands on her face and neck, covering her arms also.
"Sophia here," She rubbed her dirty hands on Sophia's "apply it on your face." Sophia was about to ask why, when the cloth was yanked away from their cage and bright sun light fall upon their forms.
While adjusting their sight Scarlett immediately rubbed her dirty hands on Sophia's face.
"No one of you is allowed to look up! If y'all tried you'll be dead the next second!" A voice yelled at them with menace, the girls shrink back in fear.
Soon the cage was opened and the girls were yanked outside with their leashes like dogs, she could barely walk because of her swollen purplish ankle. They all were made to stand in a line.
Scarlett can see large boots through her vision. At that time she knew they were in the territory of these creatures and they all were surrounding her. They're in a market and are about to be sold as slaves.
Clenching her fists she prayed that the magic her mom did on her eyes is still there as it is still early for the spell to fall off. She remembered her moms words. "Dear I know you love the way your eyes are and we love it too but my dear your eyes are unique they catch unwanted attention. That's not good for you, those creatures strives on unique things and I don't want to lose you."
She kept her head bowed as the ones who brought them here asked for biddings from the crowd of few surrounding them. He was alone but yesterday there were more with him.
She stayed as still neither fighting nor crying, because once her mother had told her that these creatures go after the feisty and rebellious ones because it's thrilling for them.
If possible her shoulders slumped down and she was glad that her hairs were greasy and dirty, she's probably smelling like a pig and that's a plus point for her as these vampires love nice smell as they say 'As good the human smells the better they taste.'
From her peripheral vision she saw a lean tall man yanked brown haired girl from her hairs as he smelled her next. "Feisty huh! How much for this bitch here?"
The one who brought them replied. "Ten gold coins."
The lean guy scoffed at him. "Is she a slave or a fucking princess! That's too much for this!" He motioned at the brown haired girl in his hand.
"They are all unbitten!" The man who brought them replied gruffly.
The lean guys eyes sparkled in amusement. "I see! Here ya go." He handed the money and yanked the girl away with him, the more she struggled the more he tighten her leash.
Soon one by one the vampires bought the girls and the sky was loosing its light and was drowning in darkness. No vampire came towards Scarlett and Sophia along with the girl who was standing between them whose face was covered in dried blood.
But those creatures do passed insulting remarks on how ridiculous they smell and how ugly they look.
Slowly the market was snoozing off and the creatures were leaving to their places.
The man who brought them was a middle aged vampire, he was happy after selling almost all the girls but the three of them were left. "You three-" he motioned them to come to him. They slowly obliged. "tell me a single way of your beneficiary or I'll have no other choice than to sell you to the rogues, they'll pay me less but it's better then nothing with the faces like yours."
The girl with the blood smudged on her face tried to make a run but Sophia holds her hand firmly stopping her.
She knows these creatures need food as much as they need blood.
"W-we know how to c-cook some of y-your people's famous r-recipes. We can cook for you...s-sir." Scarlett mumbled keeping her head bowed.
The other two girls stood silent as rocks. "Why the fuck should I keep you three when only one is enough for this purpose human!" The man hissed out at her.
Gulping Sophia replied this time. "W-we can cook for as many of y'all as you want, y-you sir can get a lot of m-money with this business. The bright side is you'll not even have to pay us. Trust us sir we cook delicious." She ended with a bit of confidence.
Scarlett just wished that this creature would give them a chance. Only then they'll be able to get enough time to work everything out and ran away from here.
"Fine! I'll decide what to do with y'all filthy shits tomorrow." He hissed on their faces as he yanked them with their leashes back in the metal cage and covered it with the same cloth again.
"I didn't know how to cook!" The girl with blood on her face started crying. Sophia slowly patted her shoulder as she said. "Neither do I but this friend of mine here is excellent in cooking, she'll teach us. Scarlett only told that creepy old man about 'we can cook for you thing' just to gain time." Both girl's shared the knowing look. Scarlett was glad that Sophia is with her, if not she would've probably lost her mind.
"What's your name?" Sophia asked the girl. "Leah." She replied softly. "Well I'm Sophia and she's Scarlett." Sophia introduced them both.
Sofia slowly dabbed the wounds on her cheek, hissing out as Scarlett observed her swollen ankle.
A loud clanking sound had their throat constructing in threat as the door slightly opened and the old man threw few pieces of bread enclosed in a rough paper inside the cage as if tossing a bone in front of a dog.
