One: The Taking

One: The Taking

I was watching my mom sewing a brand new dress for me. It was another white dress because we only got white fabric here since colored fabrics cost very expensive and almost impossible to find. There was a small smile formed on her face. She looks so peaceful when she's doing what she loves. She used to make dresses for girls all over Tonko who couldn't afford expansive dresses. But that changed when girls started to be taken by force to be sold as slaves.

            There are 2 sides of the city. The Southside is called "The Signature" where all the rich and powerful live. I heard, everything can be found there and any disease can be cured in a blink of an eye. There was even a rumor saying that they have found a medicine to make people able to live longer than 100 years. I've always wanted to take my mom to The Signature. She has a major breathing problem that the doctors here can't really cure. That's because we live on the Northside of the city. People call this side "Tonko".  I call it "Hell hole".

            I remember the kidnapping started when I was 14. My friend, Anna, who was really beautiful, kidnapped from her home. Her father said, bunch of guys came to their house at night and point guns at them, then they took Anna and her mother, who was still quiet young at that time. Now her father is known as "Mad Davis". His nickname explains his condition right?

            Then girls in my neighborhood keep disappearing. After about five months from the first incident, those guys started to publicly do their dirty work. They come to families with daughters and point guns at them. They forced those young girls to come with them or else they're gonna put holes on the head of their family members. People of Tonko don't stand a chance to beat those guys. We are too afraid and we don't have the power. Now some people in Tonko actually sell their daughter before those guys come knocking o their door. Some girls even willingly go to the auction, looking for a better life in The Signature.

            I suddenly heard a loud "bang" on the front door like someone is trying to get in. My mom quickly realized what she should do. I've spent the past couple of years of my life hiding. There was a door on the floor, hidden under the dirty grey carpet. My room is hidden behind that door.

My mom is smart. When the first girl disappeared, she knew right away what was going on. She quickly arranged a hidden place for me to hide. Every time those guys come to check, they find only my mom in this house.

            "Quickly dear. Hide!" My mom oredered, opening the door on the floor. I got in and she closed the door quietly and cover it with the grey carpet. It's always scary every time those guys come. Although, we're kinda used to it now.  I'm lucky to have my mom who is willing to risk her life for me when the others are selling their daughters to be auctioned as slaves.

            I heard my mom opened the door. "Good evening," I heard my mom said. "Oh, it is you again young man. What can i help you with this time?"

            "Good evening, ma'am." I know that voice. It's almost always the same voice every time. "You may or may not know that the request we receive for slaves is pretty high this year and i'm afraid that we have to check your house once again."

            "You've come to my house 5 times. What can possibly change? My husband left 13 years ago and never came back. Do you think a daughter can suddenly appear in this house?" my mom asked calmly.

            "No," I can almost see his evil smile just by hearing his voice. "But recently, we started to try a new method. We offer money to some people who is willing to sell information. Information about families who are trying to hide their daughters. One of your neighbors, Uh-hum, Mr. and Mrs. Norburry, are willing to share a piece of very precious information with us." i gasped. Mr & Mrs Norburry live just 3 houses away from us. Mrs. Norburry used to buy dresses from my mom. I can't believe they told them about me! "They said that you have a 17 years old daughter living, Uhm, no, i mean, hiding in this house. I even get a name. Uhm, it's Bian? Bayley? Oh, no, it's Bambi. Am i right? And now, we would like to claim her."

            "Didn't I tell you? My daughter died from malaria 4 years ago!" My mom lied.

            "Yeah, you told me that before. But according to the information that we received, your daughter is still alive and well, and also, i heard she has a great body too. That's good, we can sell her for a good price." I heard a gun trigger being pulled. They have never taken out their guns before! I feel like i should come out and surrender, to keep my mom out of danger. But I'm just standing in my small room, staring at the door that I can barely see in the darkness. "Now, show us your daughter or...you know."

            "What daughter? How can I possibly show you my daughter when i don't have one. I had one daughter and she died 4 years ago!" My mom yelled bravely.

No mom! Don't yell! 

            "You better stop the bullshit or Ten would be the last thing you heard." He said. "One, two, three, four, five, six," I don't hear a thing from my mom. I know that she would rather die than see me being taken away by these guys. I know she is willing to die for me! "seven, eight, ni-" the countdown continues as i realized that i can't let anybody die for me, especially my mom.

            "STOP!" i screamed, started banging on the wooden door above my head. "Stop please! I'm right here!" Then i heard footsteps approaching. I heard my mom trying to stop those guys from opening the hidden door. But then, the door opened. I first saw a guy with a shiny dark grey suit who can not be older than 30. He got a sly smirk on his face when he scanned my face.

            I gather my courage and climbed up from my hidden room. I tried to look as brave as i could. I saw my mom with her sad face looking at me shaking her head no. Tears streaming down her face. I turned to the grey-suited guy with my back facing my mom.

            "What a beautiful, beautiful girl." Said that grey-suited guy, grabbing my chin.

 "Just, take me. Don't hurt my mom." I whispered. I hate how weak I sounded. Surrendering would be the best thing to do right now.

            "Ow honey. But your mom had been hiding you for years. That is unforgivable. Especially when the one she had been hiding was a treasure like you." He stepped closer to me and kissed my cheek. I quickly turned my head away from him. 

            "Don't you dare touch my daughter you son of a b-" before my mom can even finish her sentence, a loud gunshot echoed through the house. My eyes were both wide open. I turned my body to see my mom and she was frozen at where she was standing. She looked down to see her white dress now turned red because of her blood dripping through it. That grey-suited guy shoot my mom on the chest! I surrendered to him and she fucking shoot my mom!

            "MOM!" I screamed, running to my mom's body which now lying on the floor. She didn't look alive anymore. i didn't know what i should do.

            That grey-suited guy reached my hand and pulled me away from my mom. "LET ME GO! YOU ARE A MONSTER. I GAVE IN! I LET YOU TAKE ME AWAY AND YOU KILLED MY MOM!" I yelled, hitting him as hard as i can.

            "Even if i don't kill her now, she's still gonna die in this rotten place. I was just speeding up the process. You got me?" he said with not even a slight guilt on his face. Tears keep streaming down my face. I scratched his face so that he will let me go. He let go of me and i fell on the floor.

            "Oh, dear. You shouldn't have done that." He said with a devilish smile on his face. He grabs my neck and hit me to the wall. He pulled out a knife and rest it on the ride side of my neck and pressed on it, hard enough to cut my skin. "I can fucking kill you just like this." I'd rather die, so i just stay quiet and let him kill me.

            "Stop it, Nolan! You fucking cut her neck! That's gonna leave a scar, man!"

            I figured that this bastard is called Nolan. Nolan threw me to the floor and i just lay there, starring at my mom's body that was just 2 feet away from me. "Just put her to sleep." Nolan ordered the man who stopped him from killing me. 

            The black-suited guy came to me and injected something to my arm. Then everything turned black.