Sold

A Chapter by John

Nailah had never hurled a sack of potatoes before, but she’d seen it. Sometimes, workers would come with them hurled over their shoulders, and it had always seemed curious to her. As heavy as it seemed to be, the men who carried them seemed to make use of the change in gravity point to carry them around. Observing them, she saw that by applying a lot of force when getting the sacks up on their shoulders, it was way easier than lifting them slowly and carefully.

The thought crossed her mind simply because�"as soon as the van’s door opening up with a clang brought her up with a jolt�"Mr. Ellwood grabbed her by the ankle and threw her out, full force. That, she imagined, was how a sack of potatoes must have felt. The thought didn’t last more than the time it took for her body to hit concrete, rolling. It was then replaced by a world of pain as stars fought for a place in her vision. She groaned and tried to find support on her elbows.

“Hey, man, be careful with the lady! Mr. Abricci is paying nice money for her,” some distant voice said, but Nailah couldn’t focus to see who it was. As an afterthought, she wondered where Sabah was.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. Where is Abricci anyway? Dude hates tardiness and yet here I am, waiting and waiting.” Mr. Ellwood grunted angrily, reaching deeper into the van and pulling Sabah out in the same manner as Nailah.

“I can assure you he is deeply sorry for that. However, he is already here, checking some other cargo on the ship. Soon he’ll be down and we can all settle this matter,” the other voice answered, serene. As Nailah’s eyes began focusing again, she saw he was a tall white man in a jet-black suit. He would’ve looked like a businessman if it wasn’t for the variety of tattoos covering his bald head.

“Tell him to be fast about it, aye? Running out of patience here.” Mr. Ellwood sat on the door of the van and tried his best to look frustrated and angry. They didn’t have to wait long. Soon a man came walking down the stairs that led to the cargo ship above, accompanied by two other men. They all wore black suits, though the middle man’s was unbuttoned, showing a silver vest. His long hair was tied in a ponytail that rolled all the way down to the small of his back, forming a sort of red rope.

“Ah, Mr. Wood. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to make sure some other…providers weren’t trying to con me. You know how it goes in this business; easier to catch the fuckers before I depart.” The man, presumably Abricci, smiled warmly and extended his hand, which “Mr. Wood” shook, standing up from the van. “So, what have we today?”

“The two you see on the ground, Abricci. Both look good, and healthy too. Well kept.”

Abricci turned and sat by the two of them, crossing his legs. Sabah had started to sit, and Nailah helped him up. The man faced them both, his red hair creating a weird contrast with his ice-blue eyes. Nailah faced away but Sabah just looked back, impassive. Abricci smirked and turned his head to Mr. Ellwood.

“Bet the boy is a fighter. Is that why his face is purple?” he asked curiously.

“So it is, so it is. Had to teach him some manners, but I held back. I know you don’t like them broken.”

“Why, of course. You’d be robbing me of the pleasure of breaking them myself. But these seem good, I’ll take them. Wasn’t there a ginger boy too?” Abricci stood up and cleaned his suit, slapping Nailah gratuitously, even if lightly, on the face before walking back to Mr. Ellwood.

“Ah, yes…but you know how it goes in this business.” It was his turn to smirk. “Someone pitched a higher price. Way higher. So the wife took him.”

“Afraid it can’t be helped, then. There is only so much I’m willing to spend for this merchandise, and gods know the crazy prices young gingers can fetch. Poor sod, though, it’ll be a rather miserable life.” Abricci stretched and signaled. One of his men came close, carrying a small metal case where there couldn’t be a lot of money.

“What will happen to James?” Nailah screamed suddenly, sobbing.

“Shut it, g�"” Mr. Elwood started, but Abricci’s hand interrupted him.

“It’s quite alright, Mr. Wood. They’re curious at this age, and that is something that must be cherished and fed,” he said patiently and moved close to her again. “As for your friend, girl, hard to say. Ginger boys can be treated in wildly different manners depending on where they’re off to. Some, uh, patrons will make short work of them, while others prefer to keep them going until they’re “ripe”. Pray your friend finds the former one, as he’ll be dead before the month is past. That will be as kind a fate as he’ll get.”

At hearing this, Nailah started sobbing even harder, and Sabah put his arms around her, offering what little comfort he could, and looking for some himself.

“Pretty, aren’t they? Anyway! Take the card in the case, Mr. Wood. It contains the amount we discussed before, and you know the password.” Mr. Ellwood did as he was told and got back into the van, saying nothing to the kids. “Men, load them up! Not into the container, though. Take them to my quarters; I want to have some fun.”

Sabah and Nailah were led by the men through the gangway that led to the deck of the ship. It wasn’t large like cargo ships usually are. Instead, it held only a few containers, a dozen at the most, stacked nicely in front of the wheelhouse and crew’s quarters. The men took them inside the quarters, where they had to go in single file because of how tight it was. The air was humid and there were constant dripping noises that seemed to come from a hundred different places. After going down two flights of stairs, they were escorted through a badly lit corridor, their footsteps echoing through the metal that surrounded them. The men stopped at the end of it, turning a latch that opened the door and leading the kids inside.

“Wait here, and don’t try anything. Mr. Abricci will be with you shortly,” said the same bald man that had been at the docks. He then closed the door and they heard it getting locked again.

“So, what now? We just…wait?” Sabah mused, checking out the room. It looked very simple, with a bed, a few lockers on one wall, and a door on the other. No tables or chairs, nothing hanging around that they could use. He tried the lockers, but they were shut. The other door as well.

“What do you think he’ll do? To us?” Nailah asked him, sitting beside the entrance door.

“Nothing good, I bet. We can survive this, Nailah. Try to do it like me, just remove it all from your mind. All the bad stuff that’s happening. Focus on something else. A fantasy, the future, I don’t know. It’ll help.”

She smiled, even if for a short moment. “I’ll try.”

They heard the latch of the door as it unlocked, and Abricci entered, closing it quickly. He ignored the kids and went to one of the lockers, producing a key to open it. He rummaged through it and got two chocolate bars, which he threw in the children’s direction.

“Eat. You’re going to need the extra strength for the night.” He observed them as they eyed the bars suspiciously. “Come on, go ahead. It’s just chocolate, nothing more.” Abricci removed his suit and vest, leaving only the white shirt underneath, and put them in another locker before sitting on the bed.

They opened the packages and started devouring the bars. Sabah finished a little before Nailah, and as he did, Abricci stood up once more and unlocked the second door. “Good, you’re first. Come with me, boy, and fast.” As if to make sure of this, he took Sabah by the arm and started dragging him toward the darkness beyond the door.

“Sabah! No! Leave him alone!” Nailah screamed, grabbing his ankle but unable to match Abricci’s strength.

“Leave it, girl. Your turn will come after his,” he muttered, kicking her hand away and entering the dark room with Sabah.

prev chapter