Captive

One: The Taking

One: The taking

I was watching my mom sewing a brand new dress for me. It was another white dress because we only got white fabric here since colored facbrics cost very expensive and very hard to find here. There was a small smile formed on her face. She looks so peaceful when she's doing what she loves. She used to make dresses for girls all over Tonko who couldn't afford expansive dresses. But that changed when girls started to be taken by force to be sold as slaves.

There are 2 sides of the city. The South side is called "The Signature" where all rich and powerful people live. I heard, ecerything can be found there and any disease can be cured in a blink of an eye. There was even a rumor saying that they have found a medicine to make people able to live longer than 100 years. I've always wanted to take my mom to The Signature. She has a major breathing problem that the doctors here can't really cure. That's because we live in the North side of the city. People call this side "Tonko". I call it "Hell hole".

I remember, it started when i was 14. My friend, Anna, who was really beautiful, kidnapped from her home. Her father said, bunch of guys came to their house at night and point guns at them, then they took Anna and her mother, who was still very young and beautiful. Now her father is known as "Mad Davis". His nickname explains his condition right?

Then girls in my neighborhood keep dissapearing. After about five months from the first incident, those guys started to openly do their dirty work. They come to families with daughters and point guns at them. They forced those young girls to come with them or else they're gonna put holes on the head of their families members. People of Tonko don't stand a chance to beat those guys. We are too affraid and we don't have the power. People are keep dying here from disease and sadness.

I suddenly heard a lound "bang" on the front door like someone is trying to get in. My mom quickly realized what she should do. I've spent the past couple of years of my life hiding. There was a door on the floor, hidden under the grey carpet. My room is hidden behind that door.

My mom is a smart person. When the first girl dissapeared, she knew right away what was going on. She quickly arranged a hidden place for me to hide. Everytime those guys come to check, they find only mom mom in this house.

"Quickly dear. Hide!" My mom said, opening the door on the floor. I got in and she closed the door quietly and cover it with the grey carpet. It's always scary everytime those guys come. Yes, my mom is brave, but those guys have guns that can hurt my mom or even kill her right away. But, that's my mom, she is willing to risk her life for me.

I heard my mom opened the door. "Good evening," i heard my mom said. "Oh, it is you again young man. What can i help you with this time?"

"Good evening, ma'am." I know that voice. It's always the same voice everytime. "You may or may not know that the request we receive for slaves is pretty high this year and i'm afraid that we have to check your house once again."

"You've came to my house 5 times already. What can possibly change? My husband left 13 years ago and never came back. Do you think a daughter can suddenly appear in this house?" Asked my mom calmly.

"No," i can almost see his evil smile just by hearing his voice. "But recently, we started to try a new method. We offer money to some people who is willing to give information about families who are trying to hide their daughters. One of your neighbor, Uh-hum, Mr and Mrs Norburry, are willing to share a very precious information with us." i gasp. Mr & Mrs Norburry live just 3 house away from us. Mrs Norburry used to buy dresses from my mom. I can't believe they told them about me! "They said that you have a 17 years old daughter living, uhm, no, i mean, hiding in this house. I even get a name. Uhm, it's Bian? Bayley? Oh, no, it's Bambi. Am i right? And now, we would like to claim her."

"Didn't i tell you? My daughter died from malaria 4 years ago!" My mom lied.

"Yeah, you told me that before. But accoarding to the information that we received, your daughter is still alive and well, and also, i heard she has great body too. That's good, we can sell her for a good price." I heard a gun trigger being pulled. They have never took out their guns before! I feel like i should come out and surrender, to keep my mom out from danger. But i'm just standing in my small room, starring at the door that i can barely see in the darkness. "Now, show us your daughter or...you know."

"What daughter? How can i possibly show you my daughter when i don't have one. I had one daughter and she died 4 years ago!" My mom yelled bravely. No mom! Don't yell!

"You better stop the bullshit or Ten would be the last thing you heard." He said. "One, two, three, four, five, six," I don't hear a thing from my mom. I know taht she would rather die than me being taken away by these guys. I know she is willing to die for me! "seven, eight, ni-" the countdown continues as i realised that i can't let anybody die for me, especially my mom.

"STOP!" i screamed, started banging on the wooden door above my head. "Stop please! I'm right here!" Then i heard footsteps approaching. I heard my mom trying to stop those guys from opening the hidden door. But then, the door opened. I first saw a guy with a shiny dark grey suit who can not be older than 30. I believe, he is the leader of the other 10 guys.

I gather my courage and climbed up from my hidden room. I tried to look as brave as possible. I saw my mom with her sad face looking at me shaking her head no. I turned to the grey suited guy with my back facing my mom.

"What a beautiful, beautiful girl." Said that grey suited guy, grabbing my chin.

"Just, take me. Don't hurt my mom." I whispered. I hate how weak i sounded.

"Ow honey. But your mom have been hiding you for years. That is unforgivable. Especially when the one she had been hiding was a treasure like you." He stepped closer to me and kissed my cheek. I quickly turned my head away from him.

"Don't you dare touch my daughter you son of a b-" before my mom can even finish her sentence, a loud gun shot echoed through the house. My house were both wide open. I turned my body to see my mom and she was frozen at where she was standing. She looked down to see her white dress now turned into red because of her blood dripping through it. That grey suted guy shoot my mom on the chest! I surrendered to him and she fucking shoot my mom!

"MOM!" I screamed, running to my mom body which was now lying on the floor. She didn't look alive anymore. i didn't know what i should do.

That grey suited guy reached my hand and pulled me away from my mom. "LET ME GO! YOU ARE A MONSTER1 I GAVE IN! I LET YOU TAKE ME AWAY AND YOU KILLED MY MOM!" I yelled, hitting him as hard as i can.

"Even if i don't kill her now, she's still gonna die in this rotten place. I was just speeding up the process. You got me?" he said with not even a slight guilt on his face. Tears keep streaming down my face. I scratched his face so that he will let me go. He let go of me and i fell on the floor.

"Oh, dear. You shouldn't have done that." He said with an evilish smile on his face. He grab my neck and hit me to the wall. He pulled out a knife and rest it on the ride side of my neck and pressed on it, hard enough to cut my skin. "I can fucking kill you just like this." I'd rather die, so i just stay quiet and letting him kill me.

"Stop it, Nolan! You fucking cut her neck! That's gonna leave a scar and her price might drop if she got scar on her body!"

I figured that this bastard is called Nolan. Nolan threw me to the floor and i just lay there, starring my mom's body that was just 2 feet away from me. "Just put her to sleep." Nolan said to the black suited guy who stopped him from killing me.

The black suited guy came to meand injected something to my arm. Then everything turned black.