The Wastelands

Chapter 14

They spent the better part of four hours walking down the main strip in town. Blue had the strong desire to go into each store and make her presence in town known while they shopped. She was polite to those who smiled, giving out her name to those who asked. Anyone who passed the new girl a snide glance was met with the same twisted snarl and quickly averted their eyes. The twitch and sparkle of her icy blues made them second guess their harsh judgment on the strange kid roaming through town.

Frank took her to the candy store and let her pick out a few sweets to bring back to the house. The owner grunted at her demeanor and disappeared into the kitchen. He wasn't amused with her honesty or the insane story about her life. It was chore to listen in as she explained herself to the cooks in the kitchen. Blue despised his aggravation, but managed to hold herself together while the woman in the kitchen handed her free samples of chocolate cookies and sweets. She made a mental note to avoid the man to keep her monster at bay.

By the time their visit to town came to an end, Frank was exhausted. He couldn't wait to get home and relax on the sofa with a good book. The car door was open and the key dangled from his grip. Blue shoved her things in the backseat, then opened the passenger side.

The roar of a loud motor captured her attention before she sat in the seat. Her eyes fell upon a black bus cruising down the street, turning left at the next corner. The windows had been painted black, with crudely welded bars over the glass. Scents of terror slipped through the cracks in the metal housing and the smile once residing on her face slipped away to something resembling pain.

"Where is that thing going?" Blue asked, closing the car door instead of getting in.

Frank glanced to the bus, then sighed, "To an old auditorium a few blocks over. It's almost time for the next auction."

"Why does it smell like death and sadness?"

He shifted his eyes to the bakery down the street and said, "Why do you think?"

"Slaves?"

He nodded.

"How many?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I don't keep inventory on what they bring in each time."

"Can we go?"

"Blue, that isn't something you want to see. If you want to stay under control of yourself, you'll avoid that place at all costs." He ordered.

She shook her head and backed away from the car, "I think I need to see it. I think in order to understand things out here, I have to."

The sincerity in her eyes screamed with passion. A lack of control burned behind them and he practically saw it ripping through her seams. She was determined to witness an event that broke a normal human being down to a pathetic creature forced into hard labor and abuse. He wanted to hide her from that part of the Wastelands. It would destroy her, but it also might help her get a sense of herself and the majority of the people around them.

He glanced over his shoulders as the last bus disappeared around the corner. An audible sigh slipped through his lips and he closed his eyes.

"Fine." He said, fighting the regret building inside, "I'll take you there. A lot of townies go to watch the new merchandise get off the buses and some from out of town comes to scope them out for purchase."

She held her tongue and clenched her hands to fists without realizing. The glitch in her eyes passed twice in rapid motions and the monster gawked at the world outside.

Frank closed the car door and motioned for her to walk with him, "You have to stay calm and focus on not jumping on whatever your mind tells you to do. This is going to be a real test for your monster and whether or not you can keep it under control. You have to keep it under control. Got it?"