Roses Wilt, Bites Scar [boyxboy]

Chapter III

-- I was going through a phase of using different languages in this book, which makes my life really convenient since I didn't write down the original before I translated it. I'll put the vague translation in the comments beside each part but, surprisingly, I'm not bilingual so it is all Google translate. Apologies in advance to those who are fluent in the languages that I've likely butchered xo :) --

~Saturday 7th May 2011~

"Fuck, Vic, what did you buy me to drink last night?" Arlo grumbled sullenly, rubbing his aching head. It felt as though someone had set off a jackhammer in there, and that was another type of pain he wasn't interested in, the pain that made him almost want to throw up it was so severe.

"Not Vic," Arlo's eyes snapped open when he heard that deep Russian accent once again, a frustrated scoff leaving his own lips. He wasn't in his apartment bedroom, or at Victor's either. He was in a cell, propped up against the wall in the far corner, with that same man he had met earlier standing at the door. He was smiling, but it wasn't malicious, more like just a content expression that he probably wasn't even aware of. A habit, likely.

"I thought I had twenty-four hours," Arlo touched the back of his head where the pain was centered, grimacing when his fingers brushed over a thick gash surrounded by matted hair. He couldn't remember what had happened, everything after his fight was hazy, more so than usual. He didn't like the broken memories, it was awfully concerning, but he thought it was likely he would be able to figure out what had happened based on the context he had woken to.

"Boss reconsidered. Didn't think you could find the payment, didn't think you would try. Seemed like a runner, decided to take a different approach," Arlo looked down at his appearance, finding he was still adorning the shorts he had worn during his fight. Nothing more, nothing less. No doubt he would be changed into something else, he didn't exactly look appealing in that particular attire.

"How much am I worth?" Arlo wasn't stupid, and he knew there was no point beating around the bush. He had seen enough movies and read enough books to be well aware of the types of decrepit and macabre punishments these people would use if their payments weren't made. Whether he was made some high-end prostitute or given another job, he knew the outcome for the rest of his life wasn't a pretty one. He was in human trafficking, he was about to be auctioned off.

"Hundred sixty million," Arlo laughed bitterly, shaking his head, pushing his dark curls out of his eyes, wondering for a moment if they would be shaved off. How much would they alter his appearance? Surely he had to be unrecognisable? Or maybe he didn't. Maybe these people were deep enough in the black market that they didn't need to worry about such trivialities.

"I'm not even worth a hundred and sixty dollars, let alone millions, no one's going to pay that much," Arlo wasn't a particularly self-loathing person, he was just realistic. He wasn't anywhere close to being perfect, and these people paid for perfection. He had scars, internal and external, not to mention his mouth. He would probably be killed for talking too much, or making a snide comment in the wrong type of situation. He wasn't going to last long, paying so much money would be a waste to purchase a boy who would be dead in a week.

"You're pretty boy, feisty, good health, people will pay. Buyers don't look for cheap here," Arlo clicked his tongue quietly, having not thought of that. A hundred sixty million was probably low for the people who came to these kinds of auctions. He had seen how much a kidney went for on the black market, he shouldn't have expected a low price tag on a living, breathing person.

"And Trent? What happens to him?" Arlo wanted to wish death upon Trent, he wanted to hope that he would be found dead in a ditch somewhere, or chopped up into little pieces and fed to dogs. Yet, he couldn't. He still cared about Trent, even after what he had done, he still had feelings for the man.