Chapter 3: How Much Money Is Your Worth?

Claudia Woods' Point of View

Nothing was visible when I awoke. Blindfolded, with my hands and feet bound, I was unable to see anything.

One recognizable man spewed, "She's awake, boss."

As I woke up, I recalled slamming with a man and then being surrounded by loan sharks.

Additionally, my mouth was taped shut. I attempted to wriggle in an effort to free my hands from the knotted rope, but to no avail. Slowly, memories from before my blackout returned, and my heart started to pound violently.

The tape covering my mouth has been removed, and the blindfold is no longer on my face. I noticed a lot of tattooed huge dudes with pot bellies. When I consider that one of them can break my neck with only one hand, I start to feel a little afraid.

"Young lady, where's the mortgage you took out?" The elderly gentleman asked, donning a cap and smoking a cigarette.

I didn't say much since I was too anxious to open my mouth. The money I had been saving up to pay was also taken from us. My worst fear is that it will make them even more angry. As I looked down, I bit on my lower lip. If Franco were aware of this, he would definitely help me out. I had been cautiously optimistic before, but now that he's come clean, I have no hope.

I was going to give it to you. Anxious, I guess is the best way to put it.

He responded, "I don't want to prolong this conversation further," and then he pointed something at my head from his jeans.

I felt my hands shaking as I focused on the little circle at its core. Because of my nerves, I had to hold my bladder.

"Return my money, please. There is no more time for games, Claudia."

I closed my eyes and then spoke. "I told you, it was stolen! The m-money was stolen!"

Their big boss appeared to be disappointed. I've seen a number of movies like this where they kill the individual when they can't repay what they owe them. Still, I told myself to calm down and still have faith that someone might save me, but over the past few hours I was here, no one did.

The only person who turns out to be my savior won't come. He turned his back on me and left me all alone… but why the hell am I thinking of him again, by the way? 

"You lied to me, Claudia. Would I be correct in assuming you understand the repercussions of your actions?"

After thinking everything over, I nodded knowingly.

Their boss chewed hard. As soon as I lost the cash, I knew what was going to happen. And after everything that took place, I suppose it was inevitable that I would meet my end in this place.

That I can recall, I have never done anything illegal. I kept being a decent kid who is friendly and polite to everyone. The thing that hurts the most is that the Almighty God prohibits me to being joyful. When I squared my shoulders, I saw the unrivaled anger of their boss in my eyes. Obviously, he was checking the weight of some bags that weren't on display.

A man intervened just before their boss was going to fire his gun.

"What do you say, boss, if we auction her off? As you can see, the lady in question is quite attractive. In fact, I am aware of an ongoing auction where we can sell her and perhaps recoup 10 times the amount she borrowed." I bit my bottom lip as a man's exclamation caused me to be amazed.

The head honcho took an apparent interest. "Auction? What auction?"

I was praying to God, confessing my sins, and appealing for forgiveness the instant his gun-wielding hands left the ground.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. Instead of getting killed, I just found myself in a transaction with another group of men while my hands were tied, my mouth was taped, and my eyes were blindfolded. I wanted to flee, but I was vulnerable. I want to oppose them, yet I have no power.

"How much would you like to take that girl?"

"See for yourself." 

An new space with black walls and a white ceiling greeted me. That's right, there are four other women in here with me. They are sniffling and blubbering, pleading with whoever is outside to let them in.

Although I had on a shirt, the chill of the atmosphere started to penetrate my flesh. Looking down at my scrawny frame, I noticed that the clothes I was wearing had changed from the day before.

"Where are we?" I inquired of the sobbing teen on the street corner.

"I don't have any idea," she sobbed.

The woman who had been standing opposite the door stepped back as soon as the visitor entered. Five masked men entered, glared at us, and then grabbed our wrists in turn. I attempted to yank my hand away, but the man's grip was too tight.

"Don't touch me!" 

He yelled, "Behave yourself or else!"

I felt a slight glistening in the corner of my eyes. When he entered, the man in the tuxedo raised an eyebrow. Until he became distracted by the documents in his hand and told us to get in a line.

"Anyone who ventured to make a mistake should expect serious repercussions. I guarantee you won't be able to get more than a few feet away from the stage if you try to flee."

The woman in front of us was shaking and crying in horror, and I'm not foolish enough to not understand what he was saying. Despite having been disciplined, she was popular with the security personnel. She was afraid when it was her turn, so the soldiers hauled her outside as usual despite her protests.

While a man talked into a microphone from backstage, I could hear hundreds of voices chanting outside. I've also recently become aware that the girls I'm with are being escorted outside. 

From where we stood in the shadows, we heard the girl who had pleaded with the guards earlier scream and refuse to be sold as she was taken out of the arena by the men. What I saw next frightened me, but after a few minutes, a gunshot rang out and the arena fell silent.

The dread I felt tripled. The man who had previously instructed us reappeared, and he was staring angrily at us.

"If you try to imitate what the girl did, you will meet a violent end. I assure you... When I say anything, it gets done, and I won't stand for any of you to say no to what we need."

Damn. 

Now that I'm the next one, I was praying and making wishes to God in the backstage area before the guards dragged me out. They claim he listens to what you have to say, and I believe them because I know I can count on him now that I need a miracle or help. 

When they call my name and lead me offstage, they tell me to stand perfectly still in the very middle. I felt my skin crawl at the sight of so many men, all dressed in business attire and clutching their own unique decks of cards. There were plenty of men in the throng who were old enough and too mature for my age, and they all seemed to be eyeing me warily, as if I were a feeble animal.

My initial reaction to the idea of being purchased by a man with a potbelly and a creepy demeanor was to run away. But the thought of it makes me want to back out upon reckoning what happened to the girl before us earlier.