1792
Chapter I
The room is dark and hot, small bits of light seeping through the cracks in what Eva could only assume were metal panels bolted together. The walls didn’t act as a protector from the heat but more as a hot-box*. As if they were being cooked alive inside of this container of sorts. She and multiple other poor souls lay on the ground, their nails and hands bloody from trying to dig out of this place from underneath. Though from exhaustion, heat, and hours of trying to break through the hard earth, they’ve given up. Now lying lifelessly against the cool ground; the only sign of life is now their hoarse breath.
She sits near the middle as everyone else, since contact with the skin and the metal panels would burn the cells clean off your body. Her son lays in her lap, trying not to pass out from the heat. His blonde hair sticks to his skin thanks to the sweat that covers him.
The flooring below them was only dirt and rocks, all grass that might have been there now shriveled up and dead. If there was any to begin with.
Eva’s eyes struggle to stay open, her head rocking back and forth to keep her from passing out. She had to stay awake for her boy. The only thing her life was worth fighting for anymore.
Her head turns to the sound of one of the other women calling for her sleeping sister. Her torn up and bloody hands lay on her sister to shake her awake. When her head rolls over to the other side and her eyes stay open, her chest laying still and her lungs lifeless, the woman starts to sob, picking her up in her weak arms. Her body is limp though it will stay warm for longer than a lifeless soul should in this small prison.
She calls her sister's name out while desperately trying to wake her. All of the other women shielding their children's eyes and looking away, holding in tears. Unable to mourn.
Eva stares blankelessly at the body. The corpse’s skin is red, burns and blisters dotting the skin along her body. None of the people in here owned any clothes to cover themselves up with, so the body was exposed for everyone to see. Though nobody minded that, as nudity was the least of their concerns at the moment. Women and children were only allowed in the box while the men were sold away first. The women and children were always bought afterwards as they were seen as less useful.
“Help me” the woman says to Eva, snapping her out of her thoughts. Eva looks at the woman, her brows furrowing in horror as her mind finally realizes what had just happened. She covers her mouth, choking back a sob before looking down at her own son, who was comforting one of the other children, then back up to her. “Bennu” she says softly to her, calling her name. “Im sorry….. She’s gone” Eva struggles to tell her the truth. And though Bennu already knew deep down that she was, she starts to wail, hovering over her sister and shaking her head as her hot tears drip down onto the skin of the corpse.
Eva looks away, squeezing her eyes shut and tries to block it out. Most of the women in here areused to this. Or at least acted like they were. As this was a regularly occurring thing they all have to go through. From when they were old enough to be sold up until the moment they die in this hell hole. But no matter how many deaths Eva witnessed in here, she could never get used to it. She could never get used to the sorrow and pain that they experience.
Cassie, her nine year old son wipes hair out of a little girls face and starts to braid it despite the fact that he was fighting for his own consciousness. His dark skin dotted with small blisters from the heat as well.
“This will keep you cooler” he says with a soft smile towards her as he braids her curls. Eva couldn't help but envy her son and how kind he was even in the darkest of hours.
"See Sophie? It's a little cooler now" he says to her, swiping her baby hairs out of her face. Sophie sniffles, rubbing her face, trying to get the sweat out of her eyes. "I still feel so sick" she complains.
"I know…" Cassie sighs, looking over to his mother then back to the girl.
Soon, one of the panels creak open to reveal a bright white light. Pure of any blemishes or saturation.
All heads turn towards it and a small part of Eva hopes that death is coming to take her away from here and to somewhere better. Somewhere where her and her son can finally have a quiet life.
Though all hope diminishes when a large silhouette takes the lights place in the doorway.
Panic sets into the women inside, the younger of the children clueless. They start to cry, shout, and scrape at each other as the figure steps inside, chains rattling in their hands. They back away from the figure as it comes closer, pressing their backs against the walls and yelping in pain as the metal seers through their skin, leaving a rancid smell of burning flesh to fill the room.
“Its your lucky day ladies. The kids go first” a mans scratchy voice bounces off the metal walls, echoing around them.
These words being the most horrifying words a mother could hear in these times, Eva's heart sinks. Her stomach flips inside out and her lungs give out.
Eva shakes her head as tears gloss over her brown eyes before she pulls her son into her arms as she starts to weep, holding him tightly.
Cassie stays silent for a second, processing what the man said. He doesn't react for a second until Sophie's tiny body is yanked away from the arms of her mother with a loud high pitched scream.
Her mother yells, grabbing her leg to try to pull her away from the man, refusing to part.
The man only tugs harder, forcing the mother to let go in fear that she would tear her daughter's limb away from her body.
Cassie stands up to look at the man, "let her go!!!" He shouts at him, trying to protect them. Everyone goes quiet other than Eva, who’s hand is grasped onto his wrist, trying to gently pull him down, not wanting to hurt her son.
Only able to see the silhouette of the man leaning over him with the struggling child in his arms and Sophie's mother clawing at him, he steps back. Fear shoots through his body and tears swell up in his eyes before he's pulled back down in his mother's arms as she holds him tightly.
The man lets out a bellowing laugh at Cassie’s attempt at bravery.
He starts to shake and panic, his small arms wrapping around her waist as she kisses his head. He coulnt believe that he wasn’t able to protect even a small child like he thought he could.
“I love you so much. Everything’s gonna be alright okay? You’re gonna be just fine” she whispers quickly through her sobs. “Because you’re just so strong.” she scrunches her nose, forcing herself to smile through the tears. “You’re able to get through anything okay?" She tries her best to reassure her son but deep down she was trying to reassure herself that he was going to be alright. That Cassie would live a better life than she did. Than she ever could. That he would one day get out of this place and live the life she believed he deserved.
Though she knew this was a shitty way to say goodbye to her child, this was the only way she could think of that felt right. These were the words she needed him to remember from her. That he’s strong. No matter how tough his life may be. He will get through it.
She needed him to believe that. Or she would have failed as a mother even more than she has already.
Cassie scrunches her shirt into his small fists as hot tears rush down his face, burying his face into his mothers hot skin as he cries.
“I dont want to go. Please mom dont let them take me. I dont want to go.” He pleads with her, his knees and feet scraping against the ground.
He heaves in and out through sobs before letting out a scream as his head is jerked back by his hair.
Cassie feels his mothers hands tearing at his clothes, trying to hold on to them as he’s taken away.
The last he hears of his mother is her screaming at the man and weeping for her baby not to be taken from her before he feels a sudden falling sensation.
He was familiar with the feeling when he would jump out of his sleep because of it. But this was different.
Cassie’s head hits the ground hard along with the rest of his body. The air is knocked out of his lungs and he struggles to breath, gasping like a fish on land.
He rolls over, trying to stay conscious as his vision goes in and out. Voices fade into the back of his fragile mind as his eyes flutter open and shut.
Everything goes black but most importantly…everything goes quiet.
It was peaceful.
What he worked so hard to get a hold of at night to try to sleep was peace. And yet he so easily found it here. Here at the hands of someone so cruel.
