Antedate | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Eleven

Two days later I find myself walking with the four women from the bar towards the local docks. I'm wrapped in a thin shawl that one of them gave to me and I changed into the long sleeved shirt I had packed in my bag. My other one got thrown away, it was in tatters and no good anymore. I go over what Anya told me to say once we reached the docks. The other women have a guaranteed spot but I have to convince the captain of the boat to fit me on there as well.

As we get closer, I notice there are a lot more people than I had seen in the small town. There are women, children, and men all meandering around. Some people cry and hug each other goodbye, they're all here to try to get to America as well. I see a woman crouched in front of a child, who's wiping the tears from his eyes. The boy can't be older than eight or so. He clings to his mother's sleeve as she stands and I see a man hand her a thin stack of green American cash. The boy gets escorted away by the man as he screams and reaches back for his mother.

I tear my gaze away from the scene and look around, seeing the same thing happening all around me. Parents trade away their children for money. We reach the wood of the dock and I see four small boats tied to posts to keep them in place. They can't hold more than ten people per boat and there are way more than forty people here. My attention is turned from my surroundings as I hear a familiar voice speak to us,

"Ladies, I knew you would make it. I talked some sense into Anya and she's willing to do the deal. I have your boat right over here if you'll follow me. Kid, good luck." He says, his eyes lingering on me towards the end of the sentence. The others are taken to one of the boats where they cram together on the bench seats. Now I'm truly alone here.

I look around at the chaos and try to find one of the captains. I see a young woman leaning against a support beam, looking around the crowd as if this is an everyday occurrence for her. She must know something. I push through some of the crowd and stand in front of her, where she blankly stares at me back.

"Do you have room for one more?" I ask, not entirely sure how to approach this. Suddenly, it's as if Anya never told me anything, my mind blanks. She smirks and pushes herself off the beam, crossing her arms.

"Look around, everyone here is trying to get on my boat. Some of them already have spots. Why should I take you?" She asks as she looks me up and down. I lick my lips and come up with an answer I hope she likes.

"You didn't have to pay for me, if you take me there will be nothing but profit for you. I have nobody here looking for me." I say. She still looks uninterested.

"I didn't have to pay for half of these people. Men and women offer themselves just like you are right now. We only pay for who we know will be the most profitable." I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to come up with a reason why she should take me over the others fighting for a spot.

"I'm smaller than the men and women, you could fit more people on there if you take me. More space will yield more profit." I watch her with intense eyes. She licks her lips and nods,

"Sure, I'll buy that. Come on." She says and I follow her to the small boat. I get in the unstable boat and sit on one of the uncomfortable bench seats. As I settle in my spot, I take in the scene in front of me. I see people trying to bargain their way onto a boat just like I did. I see people hugging each other before one of them gets on a boat.

Children cry everywhere and are being taken from their parents, who receive a payment as their child gets put on a boat. I watch as one boat fills with primarily men, another women, the third is a mix of men and women, and the one I'm on is filled with young people, mostly children.

The children get put into the boat and find their way to a seat, sniffling and wiping their nose with a sleeve or the back of their hand. Another young woman sits in front of me. She looks nervous, her face unusually pale. I watch as the last child is placed on the boat, and I recognize him as being the first kid I saw at the dock. His face is red and blotchy, his nose runny. He sits beside me quietly, choking back his tears.