Chapter 2

Fayre was awoken by the sound of voices chattering. She became agitated with the sudden noise causing her to open her eyes—only to see several men around her. The men didn’t seem to notice she was already awake and she took that opportunity to scrutinize them all. 

They were all wearing the same clothing style; a black uniform with a peculiar symbol on the top left corner.

It was a black dragon shaped like a letter S with two pairs of wings. 

Who are they? Fayre questioned herself. They don’t look familiar to her and she has no idea what those men wanted from her and her family. Her head hurts like hell as if she was hit by a baseball bat. The last thing she remembered was her brother lying on the road. Bukod do’n ay wala na siyang matandaang iba pa. Naging malaking palaisipan sa kanya kung paano siya napunta sa loob ng sasakyan.

Pinalibot niya ang paningin sa paligid ngunit wala siyang makita kundi mga nakaitim lang na lalaki. Madilim na ang paligid kaya’t sigurado siyang gabi na. Nang ma-realize niyang wala talaga siyang kakilala sa loob ng kotse ay saka lang sumagi sa kanyang isipan ang pamilya. Bumaha ng maraming tanong sa isipan ng bata. She was too worried because as far as she could remember, her parents and her brother were both wounded. There’s only a small chance that they would be able to survive. 

Fayre remained positive. Alam niyang malakas ang kanyang pamilya. They will survive no matter what. The only problem now is, how would she escape? Wala siyang alam kung saan ba siya dadalhin ng mga lalaking ito at kung anong pakay ng mga ito sa kanya.

“Don’t be scared, little girl. We’re no harm,” a man beside her suddenly spoke, causing her to flinch. The other men glanced at her place and they’re all staring at her now. Fayre felt conscious and unsafe by the way the man talked to her. His voice sent chills down her spine.

Napapagitnaan siya ng dalawang lalaki at may mga lalaking nakaupo rin sa harapan niya. Kahit saan siya lumingon ay napapaligiran siya ng mga ito. She felt so hopeless at the moment. Gustuhin man niyang yakapin ang sarili ay hindi niya magawa dahil nakatali ang mga kamay niya.

Naramdaman niyang may humawak sa kaliwang braso niya. Agad niyang nilingon ito at iniwas ang sarili palayo sa lalaki. The man just laughed mockingly at her. “If you’d be a good girl for a while, we’ll give you some candies. Isn’t that nice?”

Fayre is a smart kid. She knows this kind of stupid deals. She had seen this countless times in movies. Hindi rin nagkulang ng paalala ang kanyang mga magulang na huwag siyang maniniwala sa mga ganitong bagay. Kahit natatakot ay sinubukan niya pa ring magsalita.

“Ayoko po no’n. Pakawalan niyo na po ako,” mahinang tugon nito ngunit sapat na para marinig ng mga lalaki. Mukhang nainis ang lalaking kausap niya sa narinig at hindi na ito nakapagtimpi kung kaya’t malakas na sinampal nito si Fayre sa mukha. Sa lakas ng sampal ay halos tumilapon na sa upuan ang bata. Nang tumama ang kanyang katawan sa isang lalaki ay marahas lang siya nitong tinulak pabalik sa kanyang pwesto. 

Hot tears pooled her eyes in an instant. There was a stinging sensation in her left cheek. Hindi man niya nakikita ang sarili ay alam niyang namumula na ang pisngi niya dahil nararamdaman niyang mainit at masakit ang parteng sinampal ng lalaki. Paniguradong nag-iwan ng marka ang kamay nito sa mukha niya.

The man just smirked at her, may bahid ng pagka-aliw sa mukha nito dahil sa naging reaksyon ng bata. “Does it hurt? Don’t worry, I could do more.” The man held her jaw once again and Fayre couldn’t help but wince in pain. “That’s what you will get for being a bad girl,” dagdag pa nito.

Mukhang hindi pa ito nakuntento at muli siyang sinampal sa parehong parte ng pisngi. Fayre screamed to the top of her lungs. Sa sobrang sakit ng sampal ay para bang namanhid na siya dito. She couldn’t feel that side of her cheeks anymore. Walang ampat sa pag-agos ang luha niya at wala man lang siyang magawa upang punasan ito. Wala rin namang pake ang mga lalaki sa paligid niya kahit na gano’n na ang kanyang kalagayan. Binalewala lang nila ang pag-iyak nito na para bang wala silang naririnig.

“Enough of that, nandito na tayo,” anunsyo ng isang lalaki.

Bumukas ang pintuan sa kanan niya at doon bumaba ang lalaking sumampal sa kanya kanina. Nang hindi siya gumalaw ay padarag siyang hinigit nito palabas at diretso siyang dumausdos pababa ng sasakyan. When she let out another scream, the man immediately covered her mouth with a tape. 

“You’re too loud. Ayoko ng maingay, ha? Kung ayaw mong masampal ulit, manahimik ka diyan.”

Hindi pa do’n natapos ang lahat dahil kinabitan pa nila ang bata ng tali sa leeg na para bang aso ito. Malakas ang tawanan ng mga lalaki at ang iba ay nakuha pa siyang paglaruan.

The tape stifled her words, making it inaudible. Nang igala niya ang paningin ay napansin niyang tumigil sila sa isang parang parking area. Nagsimula nang maglakad ang mga lalaki at kinaladkad siya ng mga ito papunta sa isang hagdanan pababa. Ni hindi man lang nila hinayaan itong tumayo. Sinikap ni Fayre na i-tayo ang sarili habang kinakaladkad siya ng lalaking may hawak sa tali niya. Kahit na nagkakatalampid-talampid na si Fayre ay para bang walang nakikita ang mga ito at patuloy lang sa paghigit sa kanya.

“Konting bilis naman, oh! Anong klaseng aso ka ba?”

Sugat-sugat na ang tuhod ni Fayre at umaagos na ang dugo mula sa mga gasgas at pasang natamo niya ngunit para bang bulag ang mga lalaki at hindi man lang ito binigyang pansin.

After a few minutes of dragging her now weak body, the group came into a halt in front of a large metal door. It created a creepy sound once it opened. The sight was terrifying and horrible for Fayre. The room smells awfully bad. There were traces of bloody handprints on the wall and the whole area screams danger and death. The place is more of like a dungeon—where they torture their hostages before mercilessly killing them.

The man who was currently behind the girl kicked the behinds of her knees, causing her to kneel on the floor. A faint scream escaped her lips as her skin made contact with the rough surface once again, creating new sets of scratches on her already wounded knees.

Soon Fayre felt someone dragging her somewhere. The pain in her knees was excruciating, but she was too tired to even complain. May bakas ng dugo niya ang bawat daraanan nila, ngunit wala na siyang lakas para umiyak o sumigaw man lang.

Her eyes fluttered shut; she felt so drained. The ropes around her wrists loosened, revealing red marks and bruises imprinted on her once porcelain skin. She heard a sound of metal clattering nearby and then the next thing she knew, there was a cold metal around her wrists and left ankle.

She hazily opened half of her eyes and there she spotted a metal shack in her wrists and ankle connected to the wall through a rusty chain.

Sinubukan niyang igalaw nang kaunti ang paa ngunit masyadong maigsi ang kadena para makagalaw pa at naglikha lang ito ng panibagong sugat sa balat niya. Aabutin na niya sana ang paa nang makalimutang nakakadena nga rin pala ang palapulsuhan niya, dahilan para maipit ang balat nito sa bakal na nakapalibot dito. At that time, all she could do was to sob in pain while calling her family’s name in her head, thinking they would come and save her.

But no one came.

Soon her gaze averted to the front as soon as she heard a sound of footsteps.

Her eyes soon came in contact with a wooden stick. Sa tuwing maglilikha ng ingay ang pagtama ng tungkod sa sahig ay lumalakas nang lumalakas ang kabog sa d****b ni Fayre.

All she could see was a pair of black leather shoes, so she mustered all the courage to look up. Pagtingala niya ay isang nakangising matandang lalaki ang nakita niya. Natatakpan ng sumbrero ang kalahati ng mukha nito, ngunit makikita ang ngisi na nakaukit sa labi nito.

The man kneeled so they would be at the same level. Fayre continued to make noises that were stifled by the tape. Walang pasabing tinanggal ng lalaki ang tape na nakadikit sa bibig niya dahilan upang sumigaw sa sakit ang bata. Her lips were already chapped and dry and some parts were even bleeding because of what happened earlier.

Nalalasahan na ni Fayre ang dugo sa bibig ngunit hindi niya ito binigyang pansin sapagkat ang mga mata niya ay nakatuon lamang sa bultong nakaluhod sa harap niya ngayon. Matagal siyang pinagkatitigan ng matanda at naiilang siya sa uri ng titig nito sa kanya.

“W-who are you po?” With a weak voice, Fayre still managed to ask.

The man touched the side of her face which caused her to shiver. Nanindig lahat ng balahibo niya sa katawan at wala siyang ibang maramdaman kundi matinding takot para sa sarili.

 He then stood up, the smirk still not leaving his face. Hindi nito mai-explain ang sayang nararamdaman. He had finally obtained his new toy. The next following weeks will surely be exciting and fun for him, but not to Fayre.

“Harrison Torres. Remember the name, dear.”