The Beast - Part 2

Beast

I have been running through the woods for hours now. It’s getting dark and cold and my legs start hurting a little. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I have had worse anyway.

I haven’t eaten anything for the whole day; I’ve never learnt how to survive in the wild. I can kill, though. Maybe I can catch something, but how am I going to prepare it... I may not know a lot, but I do know that I can’t digest raw meat. So starving it is. I’d rather stay hungry than end up sick in the middle of the woods.

As the sky gets darker I search the woods for a place to rest a little. In the distance I notice a huge tree, I don’t know what kind of tree it is, I was never taught that, but its branches look thick and sturdy enough for me to climb on it and rest a little. I head straight towards it, trying to avoid having my eyes gouged by some lower spiky branches in my way. Can’t end up blind, right?

I don’t know if I can climb a tree, but it’s worth trying. Who knows what lives on the ground. Also, with my feet bleeding from going barefoot the whole time I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay on the ground.

The tree may not be the smallest, but it’s pretty easy to climb, as the lower branches are about a meter and a half above the ground.

I climb up the tree quite fast, especially considering the state I’m in, going from branch to branch, reaching higher and higher until I’m satisfied. When I’m almost on the top, I look around to see what I can make out of the surroundings. I should be finding some source of water, or I will die of dehydration. I almost did once and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. But I don’t think any near death experience would be pleasant.

From the branch I’m sitting on, I, unfortunately, can’t see any source of water. Shit, it doesn’t look good. I may be a hardened fighter, but I still need water and food to survive. I’m not a robot, though I don’t know what a robot is. I learned that word from a guard when he told me to eat. “You have to eat something Beast. You’re not a robot. You’re gonna die of starvation, you know.” It happened after I stopped talking, so the only response he got from me was a grunt. Not that I care, he was an asshole. Another word I learned from guards.

Resting on the branch, I think about my life. I know nothing about “normal” life and I don’t remember a lot from my childhood. My most vivid memory is my parents selling me to HIM and I still dream about it a lot.

Flashback

“Mommy, daddy, I’m home” said the little 6 year old girl as she walked into her parents’ house. She was never driven to or picked up from school; she had to walk the whole way. Hearing some voices in the living room, she went there looking for her parents. Normally she would go straight to the kitchen to make herself something to eat, but today something fell odd. She didn’t hear her parents’ yelling and crashing sounds as they threw things on the floor. They were quiet. It was as if they were hiding their usual selves. Why though? What was happening?

Getting to the living room, the first thing she noticed were the guests. A huge man was sitting on the couch by the window with two men in suits standing behind him. The huge man looked her over a few times and she immediately felt uncomfortable. Something about them made her want to run away from there.

“That’s her. How much?” From her thoughts pulled her out her dad’s voice. What? What were they talking about? ‘How much?’ For what?

The girl was confused thinking what was her father talking about, but again a voice pulled her out of her reverie. It was the huge man sitting opposite to her father. The one that looked her over.

“She’s cute and shit, but... what can she do?”

“Whatever you want her to. Again, how much can you give me? She’s healthy, obedient, maybe even smart, I don’t know...”

Hearing that, the bulky man looked at her again. She wanted to run away, but her feet just wouldn’t move. They were frozen in place. That only scared her more. At least when her parent beat her, she could run away when she found a chance of escape. With the huge man, she couldn’t even move. As if his eyes somehow bound her in place with some invisible chain. She couldn’t breathe, paralyzed from fear of the dangerous man. She felt her eyes brim with tears, but still didn’t look away from his inquisitive stare. Then he spoke and her whole body went rigid.

“Undress her.” He told his companions, who immediately went to do their boss’ bidding. She didn’t even trash in their hold as they took her clothes off. Her young mind simply stopped working. The only thing she could do was to hold the stare of the huge man in front of her and listen to her parents while her world crumbled.