The Dacabre Killings

 14 ~ xander

*Unedited*
Xander

     People crowded the dock continuously, so much that my child-sized hand slipped from my mother's.

     "Xander!" My mother's soft voice cried out. "Stay with me!"

     A man shoved me away, muttering angrily under his breath about children getting in the way. My feet stumbled, causing me to land to the ground in a heap of snot and tears, crying out for my mother.

     The docks of Hins, the small Asian town, were overcrowded with people trying to board the sailboats headed to the West. Like my mother and I, the locals were hoping for a more prosperous lifestyle than this poverty-stricken town provided.

     Feet of all different shapes and sizes slapped my thin and frail body, trampling me until I couldn't breathe. "M-mother!" I wailed, the sound ripping from my ear-splitting lungs. "W-where are y-you?"

     "Last boat to Ragnar! Last boat to Ragnar! Only sixty more spots left! Sixty more spots left!" The bell began to ring as the captain continued yelling.

     A piece of leather gave me a firm nudge. I looked at the feet, finding that this person owned a pair of rare shoes. My head craned back as I took in the rich person who owned them.

     "Well what do you think you're doing, young man?" The large lady huffed. Her thick, fiery-red hair was done up in a bun. Her eyes were a beautiful solid blue, while her face revealed that she was about as old as my own mother. This was a foreigner.

     Not sure whether to be intimidated, or grateful, I studied her some more, letting gooey drops of snot run down my lips.

     "Well?" She placed a hand on her hip, her face becoming even more annoyed. "I don't have all day."

     "M-my moth-ther. She g-gone." I hiccuped, wiping my tears on my grime-caked arms.

     The lady heaved an exasperated sigh, gripping my arm and yanking me up, dragging my flailing body across the dock.

     "S-stop! I w-want M-m-mother!" I sobbed.

     "Last boat to Ragnar! Last boat! Only eleven spots left! Eleven spots!" The captain stopped yelling when the woman approached him, my body still in tow.

     A look of distaste crossed his face for a moment, but, remembering his manners, he smiled down at me. "What can I do for this lad?"

     "His mother. He lost her." Her large hand jolted my body upright, coercing me to stand.

     "M-mother," I sniffled, the hiccups from my tantrum still plaguing my speech.

     His cold eyes trained back on me, the odd, displaced, smile still plastered on his bulky face. "Is your mother small with black hair and quiet voice?"

     All women in Hins are small with black hair and a quiet voice, I thought, but nodded instead.

     "Good," he cooed. "Your mother was looking for you. She's on the ship already."

     Wrenching myself free, I started to bolt past the captain, making a beeline for the boat.

     "Hey! Somebody stop that boy!" The captain's voice carried above all the others.

     I ran between somebody's legs, pride surging within me as I escaped the grabs of men and women.

     Unfortunately, my euphoria did not last long as two meaty hands wrapped themselves around my arms.