Chapter 2 ~ Slaves

                      •••••Aurora's POV•••••

I slowly opened my eyes hearing the harsh and loud sounds around me.

I'm lying here curled into a ball on the cement floor after many weeks in captivity, beaten, bruised and weak.

It looks like my wounds won't be healing anytime soon. As always I shut my mouth and think back to the happy memories I shared with my family as a child.

 

My world once was free until that dreadful day when I lost everything I ever had, known and loved.

The day I lost my light and the reason to live.

I became darkness to those who thought that I'll be the light in their lives.

 I never knew that the day that was supposed to be the happiest day of my life will become a nightmare that'll haunt me down for the rest of my life.

Only if I wouldn't have insisted on going there.

"STAND UP" a loud voice growled.

I flinched and slowly stood up with shaky legs with the held of old rusted iron bars after many attempts.

A loud creak sound came as I look up and saw that the old rusted iron gate was opened and a guard was standing there looking at me with a bored expression on his face.

" I don't have a whole day now move" he barked loudly before stepping aside for me to move.

Pain shot through my whole body as soon as I took a step ahead. I bit my lips to stop the shriek leaving my mouth and continued walking towards the gate limping.

" AHH..." a painful shriek left my lips as soon as I was harshly pulled and thrown on the floor.

 " Hurry up" the same guard shouted making me close my eyes and flinch back in fear.

Despite the ache in my whole body I stood up and saw all the pitiful looks that I received from all the prisoners.

I kept my head on the floor fully aware that I'm the reason why I'm in this situation and I didn't deserve any pity.

 I followed other prisoners outside the basement and saw some others limping like me and few guards who were angrily barking at slaves to move ahead. 

  I turned my head and saw a couple of guards dragging a man roughly.

 I hung my head down knowing if I kept starting then I’ll be punished along with them as well.

As soon as I stepped out of the basement my eyes closed due to direct sunlight, falling on my eyes after few seconds I opened them again and adjusted them to the bright light before moving again.

 

It's been a week since I last saw the sun.

After adjusting to the light I followed others and picked the things from the janitors closet that we needed to clean the mansion.

Everyone picked the things they needed to do their works and started to work before everyone came back from their morning training.

I started to wipe and scrub the floor making sure not to leave a single spot because if do then I'll have to scrub it all over again as my punishment. 

After scrubbing and wiping the floor for a couple of hours I slowly stood up and looked around to make sure I haven't missed any spot.

 " Let's go.

 We're called to the backside of the mansion." A girl who seemed older than me whispered.

I nodded my head and started to follow her along with all the other servants back to the basement. 

Looks like everyone is coming back from the training I thought as I followed others.

We were sent back to our perspective cells and after some time guards came back with the remaining leftover food.

A piece of bread and water was pushed into my cell.

I slowly grabbed the bread and started to munch on it but due to pain and exhaustion, I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites.

I put the bread back on the plate and leaned back on the wall to sleep.

" Hey"

" Hey"

After few minutes I heard a voice and slowly opened my eyes.

I turned my eyes towards the source of sound and saw the same girl from before looking at me.

" Can I have that if you're not eating?" she asked hopefully looking at me while pointing towards the bread that I left. 

I nodded my head and pushed the plate towards her.

Without wasting any time she hurriedly grabbed the bread and munched on it.

After finishing it as soon as possible she pushed the plate back to me so guards won't notice and wiped her much with the long sleeve of her dirty and ripped maxi dress.

" Thank You for the bread. I was hungry and couldn't help but ask when I noticed that you weren't eating it" she smiled.

" I....it's o....okay. I wasn't rea.... felt l..like eating" I replied and saw her giving me the same pitiful look that I received earlier.

After a few minutes of she silently she asked " What's your name?".

 " Aurora" I replied hoarsely.

 " I'm Lilly" She replied smiling back at me and I nodded my head.

" Why are you here?" She asked and I shrugged my shoulders not knowing why I was here.

 " Why are you here? " I questioned looking at her.

" Well, I accidentally came across the border while I ran away from that horrible place called home"  she replied as she laid back on the cold floor.

" Why did you ran away from your home?" I asked as I listen to her carefully.

" Because I don't want to die and live the way my mother and other woman did back there" she answered with a faraway look in her eyes and continued  " It's much better here. It's better to live as a slave than to be a breeding toy for those animals".

I wanted to ask what she meant by that but decided against it and we both keep silent.

Soon I felt myself falling into a slumber and slept.

" Hey wake up"

I felt something on my arms and slowly opened my eyes.

I don't know how long I was out but I saw a stick poking in my arms.

I looked up and saw Lilly.

" Wake up guards are coming," She said and I nodded my head and slowly wincing sat up.

Soon shouting and begging was heard as guards forcefully started to pull some slaves.

Every day at midnight some guards come and take some slaves with them.

I have been here for a week but none of the slaves came back that were taken during the week.

I have heard someone say that these slaves are taken to the lycan king and are offered to him as a sacrifice.

The thing that scared me was that most of the slaves that were taken were mostly females.

" You know I've heard from some guards that they leave slaves in the forest to run because Lycan king loves to hunt and torture. He makes them beg and run for their lives and then he kills them mercilessly" Lilly said making the hair of my neck stand in fear.

 " Do Lycan's still existed?" I asked remembering the time when my mother told me the story about one.

" Yes but there are only a few left because most of them were cursed " she continued and I nodded my head in understanding.

" Have you ever seen a Lycan?" I question and she laughed looking at me and answered " If I would have seen one then I wouldn't be here to tell you about them" 

" I've only seen heartless and bloodthirsty rogue wolf all my life" she continued.

" What do y...."  as soon as I opened my mouth to ask her more about it I got cut off by a loud voice of the guard.

" Stand up. You need to come with us. " the guard said as soon as he came in front of my cell.

 

OMG.

 Are they also going to offer me as a sacrifice to the lycan king?

My hands started to shake in fear and I turned my head towards Lilly and saw her looking back at me with pity in her eyes.

" Let's go" Before I could understand anything I was roughly grabbed from my forearm and was dragged towards the stairs.

Tears filled my eyes as a whimper left my lips knowing that I won't be coming back here.

Ignoring the pain in my body I looked back once last time and saw everyone was looking at me and maybe they also knew it too that it'll probably be the last time they saw me.

For the first time after many years, I let tears flow out of my eyes freely...

.

.

.

To be continued...

.

Please do support me and give me your reviews...

.

With much love...

                     Elvira🤍