Chapter Text
Pain.
You thought of nothing else as you began to rouse from an unexpected loss of consciousness. Every nerve in your body seemed to have been tingling, as though alerting you of something important as you felt the cold cemented concrete beneath your bare skin.
Why did your body hurt so much?
You whimpered numbly as the pain induced haze, fogged your otherwise rational mind, hindering you from actually registering the distant voices that seemed to draw nearer. You tried feebly to move your arms, but to your horror, you found that they were bound together behind your back. Your eyes — no doubt were open, but you could not make out anything, the room was far too dark. Panic raced through your body, your hands struggling against their binds when a dim light was turned on suddenly, and you were met with a damp, frayed ceiling. The slamming of a hefty metal door and heavy footsteps that followed made you aware that someone had entered the room you were being held in, and was approaching.
"Three zero two eight," an unfamiliar, deep voice called, before you felt yourself being yanked up unexpectedly by your bound arm.
You wracked your brain restlessly, trying to think of what was happening as you continued to struggle, though in vain, against the rope holding your wrists hostage. Your father had come home early that day because he'd just received his monthly bonus — you remembered being overjoyed when you saw him bring in a bunch of meat upon his arrival, because meat always meant a family barbecue. Your mother had been really excited too, but then what happened? You tried stringing the dots together, but there were hardly any dots to string.
Your eyes continued to strain against the light as you struggled to make out the two figures that stood in front of you — one of them being the person that was holding you up.
They were both older men, judging by the depth of their voices and their stocky forms. One of which was a man that you did not recognize, the other however...you realized, starting to understand that something had clearly gone very wrong with your family's barbecue.
For some reason; you could remember loud knocking at the door when you were still in the kitchen, marinating the meat with your mother. You remembered the frightened look on her face, and the way she screamed when your father opened the door to a bullet in his head. You remembered being told to run and hide when a group of balaclava masked men barged inside with big guns — not so much as a care to your father's body that laid motionless on the ground in front of the door, a pool of blood seeping from beneath as it soaked into the wooden floor.
They were going to kill both you and your mother...so why were you still alive?
You couldn't remember much after they murdered your father then grabbed you before knocking you out, but if that were the case then surely your mother was still alive as well? You had no recollection of ever seeing her fall to the ground and bleed out...surely she must have been somewhere in the strange building, waiting for you.
"Alright, everything's in order. Get her to the stage," the voice of the familiar man knocked your thoughts right out of your brain. You could hear and see them properly now.
"Hnn!" you whined, your plea muffled by a cloth that had been jammed into your mouth as you writhed against your captor, who had begun dragging you out of the cramped room and into a long hallway. You knew that man, the one who had told the other to take you away. He was a close friend of your father's and used to work together with him on the farm you lived on in Groton, Tompkins County. The colour drained from your face. He was one of the men who had raided your place...you realized, and despite being terrified for your own well being, you thought immediately of both your parents — who had trusted and welcomed the man, Benjamin, into your home many times before.
You trembled as tears gathered in the corners of your eyes, betrayed and scared that you would be murdered too for whatever the reason.
The passage was dark, save for two or three poorly placed light bulbs that seemed to have been on their dying breath, and a chilly draft that blew down the omnious hall. You suddenly felt very aware of how cold you were, noting that you were barefooted and wore only a thin, white, noodle-strapped dress that barely reached past your thighs, and certainly did not belong to you. The faint scratch marks you could see and the pain you still felt, reminded you of how much you had fought against the men when they had begun undressing you — replacing the warm clothes you had originally been wearing when taken from your home, with what could hardly even suffice as a decent piece of clothing. Had your arms not been bound, you would have wrapped them around yourself in an attempt to keep warm.
"I don't have all day," the man, who was now behind you, snapped before placing a hand on your shoulder to push you forward.
You let out what said man assumed to be some kind of a yelp before vigorously shaking your head in apprehension. All your instincts were telling you to run when your eyes landed on another metal door at the end of the hallway that awaited you. You did not want to go there.
"Liam, what's the hold up??" the other man, Benjamin, called out from behind the two of you.
"This one's being a prissy little bitch!" 'Liam' responded.
"Well then obviously you're gonna have to be rough with her," Benjamin deadpanned, his tone impatient as his heavy footsteps approached you hastily, causing a tight knot to churn in your stomach. You tried desperately to plead through your gag as you were grabbed in a bruising grip once again, and pulled forward by the strength of your traitor. You did all you could with what little strength you still had, you couldn't remember eating anything ever since you had been taken. Benjamin rolled his eyes when he saw the tears cascading down your face and only continued to mercilessly jerk you towards the door.
He, no doubt, had no guilty conscious of escorting an unwilling young girl to an uncertain future.
The man was simply a farm worker who didn't have much, that was the whole reason your parents had reached out to him in the first place. He was only around twelve years older than you, and you often used to keep him company when he worked in your garden. You had trusted him, the thought that he might pull a stunt as absurd as this one had never occurred to you. You had heard many stories of people selling their family members to underground organisations for large sums of money before. Your mother warned you to be careful of such people, especially since they were prominent in and around New York. Benjamin, like all the other people who lived and worked on the farm, had warned you not to wander far off where someone might steal you away.
You found it funny for it was the very same person who had cautioned you about it, that had stolen you away from your home and family.
Your fear was partially replaced by anger, and then feelings of hatred that compelled you to struggle once again in your third attempt at freeing yourself from his grip and the rope.
"It's either this or I put a bullet through that thick little skull of yours just like they did with your dad, so shut the fuck up and get moving!" Benjamin snapped and continued to pull you towards the door, with Liam following dangerously behind you. Once settled, you now heard the faint chatter of conversation from behind the door.
There were people down there.
But what for? You wondered through the fearful haze in your head. All you knew was that you were confused, afraid, cold and hungry — and that was enough for you to struggle against the two men every step of the way until you were standing in front of the dreaded door. You could do nothing but stare through tears as Liam knocked twice, then once, and twice again. The door pulled open, revealing yet another masked man who wore a white theatre mask.
"Three zero two eight," was all Benjamin said to the strange man before forcefully shoving you inside, with the door shutting closed behind you once again.
The room had been lit by torches that hung on the walls and cast eerie shadows on the faces of the people, men, in the room. They all wore masks of varying designs, shapes and sizes as they sat in rows upon rows of red, theatre chairs and chattered amongst one another. For whatever reason they were all there, you did not know.
It was only when the new man had begun pulling you that you noticed the large stage that stood facing the odd crowd. Was this some kind of a circus? You were taken behind the stage, your gag removed and hands unbound by the rope — finally allowing you a moment of reprieve.
"You're not allowed to speak from here on," he warned before approaching a pudgy looking man who wore a split black and white theatre mask on his face with a microphone in hand. You could just barely make out the mystery man's eyes through the cut out holes in the mask as you rubbed your sore wrists, yet his face was indistinguishable. You did not think you knew him even if you were able to see his face. You wanted to say something in protest, yet chose to remain silent as you watched the two of them converse with one another and gesture repeatedly in your direction. You noticed the man with the mic turn to look at you with a glint of intrigue in his eyes. "The Don's will pay a high price for her," the man commented, and you could only frown and try to take a step back, but your previous captor was quick to grab your wrist once again and effortlessly pulled you towards them.
"No, don't!" you exclaimed fearfully, and feebly clawed at the man's grip.
The room was uncomfortably noisy as hands flew up into the air when another slave was brought onto the stage, some already filled with cash. Everyone was eager to see what pets they would be taking home, shouts were rampant as the masked bidders offered their amounts for the captive specimen on the stage. This continued well into the night.
Some of the Don's had grown bored, unsatisfied with the night's line up thus far, and were waiting for just the right snippet to appear. Dino Golzine was one of those men. He was waiting impatiently for a slave that would peek his interest. None of the previous models had appealed to him and he had begun to lose his hope. He needed something — someone, that would fit well with his current pet at home, to add to his collection. Unfortunately, the night had proven to be fruitless.
Just as he was about to give up and retire for the evening however, another child was pushed onto the stage from behind the thick, red curtain. Golzine paused mid-stand upon noticing the new dark/tan/light skinned slave, trembling uncontrollably on the stage.
The elderly man wondered with growing interest as he raked his hazel eyes over your barely clothed body hungrily, noticing how afraid you were, and sat back down in the chair to listen intently.
"I'm proud to present to you our number three zero two eight, who happens to be a new addition for tonight!" the split masked man announced as he stood behind a podium on the stage. "I can assure each and every one of you gentleman that she is indeed a virgin, and still at the young age or ten. With both her parents killed there's no other place for this fair young lady to return to other than to your gracious homes, where you may do with her as you please," he ended off to the masked people in the crowd who stirred in their seats with excitement.
Many jeers arose from the crowd, some in different languages.
"While I am aware that many of you may worry about pregnancy at such a young age, you need not fear. He who purchases this fine specimen will receive her by tomorrow evening, completely sterilized free of charge!" he explained calmly in order to quell their restlessness.
You blanched at the man's words and shook your head repeatedly, unable to say anything as the gag had been forced back into your mouth, more tears continuing to trickle down your face.
Your mother...was dead?
He definitely wanted you, Golzine thought to himself as he watched your expression intently, doe eyes and all.
"Now that we've concluded any issues surrounding the subject, we'll start the bidding at $20 000. So! Who wants her?" the man asked, stepping away from the podium to fully present himself to the crowd.
Hands rose to the ceiling almost immediately, one after another. You heard the dizzying barrage of numbers being yelled in no particular order, and could only feel yourself tremble more at the intention of all the men in the room. They were all pedophiles, did they not realize you were a child!?
This would not do. How was Dino meant to buy you and create a new breed of pets for himself if all the other damn bidders simply wanted you for the free sterilization that came with? The old man thought, knowing he had competition for the child thanks to the host's big mouth. That damn guy always had to dramatize everything. Golzine simply sighed to himself and stood up to let his presence stand out, over everyone else in the room. "One hundred thousand dollars!" he announced boldly, to be heard over the other people clamoring to buy the slave for nefarious reasons.
Silence instantly befell the room. Dino waited to see if anyone of the bidders would dare challenge him. No one did. Their heinous desires for a child were not worth bankrupting them.
"Sold!" the host declared ecstatically. "Please join my colleague in the registration room to claim your purchase Mister Golzine, and next up we have.."
Your eyes were teary and blown wide as you stared up at the elderly looking man from across the stage, putting up no resistance when another bunch of men came up from behind and began dragging you away. You would have rather died than be sold off to a man, no, a pedophile who would use you for something you wanted no part of.