Chapter Five
She was in a dark, thick forest. Fireflies danced here and there, their soft glow flickering in the night. Stars twinkled intermittently through the canopy overhead, casting eerie shadows around them. Crickets chirped lazily and small animals scurried here and there in the darkness. An owl hooted from somewhere in the distance, its sorrowful sound echoing through the darkness. The air around her seemed to hum with some invisible energy, filling her with a sense of unease and wonder.
- Nope. No, no, no. It finally happened. I have lost my damn mind*. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, hoping to shake the image away. A scornful laugh pierced the calm night, silencing the animals and insects around them.
“You humans are all the same. You always have that look that says, ‘Oh, no! I’ve gone crazy!’ Pathetic. Anyway, I hope you're as excited as I am! I have brought you to your new home!” the man said gleefully. “Now get moving, we have an auction to get to.” He pushed Ellie forward, nearly making her fall. She hobbled through the thick underbrush, guided by the occasional push or shove. She could feel her protruding bone moving with every step she took, but she kept going, afraid that he would kill her if she stopped. After several minutes of walking, they finally reached a clearing.
A large, tall black tent was erected in the center. Flickering lanterns hung from metal poles that lined a path leading to the entrance. Women in long, flowing dark dresses clung to the arms of men dressed in dark oversized shirts and breeches. Some of them wore full face masks while others wore masks that only covered the top half of their faces. But it was clear that all of them were hiding their identity. They watched with curious eyes as the orange-haired man practically dragged Ellie to the rear of the tent. She cried out in pain as he pushed her through an opening. Ellie’s broken leg finally gave out and she collapsed onto the dirt floor at his feet.
“Well, well. What do we have here? I see you brought us damaged goods. Again.” A tall, thin woman with a black velvet half mask stood above Ellie, staring disapprovingly. She wore a long, flowing black dress that fell to her feet. Though she couldn’t tell what color the woman’s hair was, Ellie could see that it was long, dark, and curly. The woman had it pulled back into an elegant bun at the top of her head, stray curls framing her pale, thin face. Ellie was immediately reminded of one of the women from a horror flick that you just knew was in league with the evil forces plaguing the protagonist.
“Oh, man. You’re the super bitch, aren’t you?” Ellie asked before she could stop herself. The orange-haired man kicked her painfully in the side while the woman just clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“At least this one isn’t on the brink of death like the last,” she said casually, ignoring the kick Ellie had just received. She handed the man a small bag. “Here is your cut. Go and help the guests get comfortable, would you?” The man weighed the clinking bag in his hand and smiled sweetly at the woman.
“Yes, mistress.” He bowed slightly and exited the tent. The woman turned her attention back to Ellie, her eyes narrowing. She snapped her fingers twice, and two large, burly men swooped in, picking Ellie up under her arms and dragging her to another room. She screamed, twisting and turning, trying to break free.
One of the men shoved a rag into her mouth while the other quickly and skillfully bound her hands above her head. She was placed onto a wooden table and tied to it before she even realized that she had been set down. She tried to kick, but one of them grabbed her broken leg and squeezed. The pain in her leg surged and she fought to stay conscious. She stopped fighting and instead focused on controlling her panic. She had to keep a level head if she had any hope of escaping. Ellie became limp and studied as much of her surroundings as she could. The two large men were replaced with two, smaller, less imposing men.
Both men had their hair pulled back into ponytails, though one had vibrant yellow hair while the other's was electric blue. Okay. Round face. Pierced nose, light blue hair. Reminds me of a fucked-up Jack Frost, honestly. Oh, perfect! I’ll call you Jack. Got it. Let’s see. Oh, wow. Okay. This man’s cheek bones are insane. God, why can’t I have bone structure like that? Focus, Ellie, focus! she chided herself. Right. Yellow hair, long dangly earring. I'll call him Bowie. Jack and Bowie. Jack and Bowie. She repeated their new names over and over, studying them as much as possible.
They were both wearing loose white breeches with matching white, over-sized shirts. Bowie had red eyes so pale they almost looked pink while Jack had eyes so dark that they almost looked black. Jack was a bit more muscular than Bowie, but Bowie was taller and leaner. Though they were different in appearances, Ellie realized that they had something unsettling in common.
As she watched them bustle around the room, she realized that they both had pointed ears. How did I miss that? she thought incredulously. She couldn’t tell how much of their ears were real and how much were fake, but she had to admit that they looked as real as her ears. This place is just too weird for me to handle right now. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing again that she had just called out of work that morning. It really was just her luck to be dragged away by psychos. She shook her head, trying to shake away the negative thoughts, and opened her eyes, watching everything Jack and Bowie did. Neither spoke, but it was very apparent that they had done this many times before.
There wasn’t a whole lot she could do with her hands bound and tied down to the table, but still, she tried to think of a plan. She could try to kick, but even that was risky. If she missed, or didn’t kick hard enough, then they would know to expect it again. She was so focused on her plan of attack that she didn’t realize Bowie had flitted to the table and tied her good leg down while she was lost in thought. Well, there goes that. I can’t kick with a broken leg, she thought angrily. She was annoyed with herself for being so vulnerable and inattentive.
Ellie watched quietly as they cut her clothes off with a sharp dagger. Her heart began to race as she prepared for the worst. However, they simply brought some warm, wet rags and began wiping away the grime and blood that had accumulated on her. She shivered but remained as still as possible, hoping they would finish quickly. After a few moments of gentle scrubbing and rinsing, Bowie carefully tied her other foot to the table, giving her enough room to move it comfortably if she needed to. Jack brought two sets of thin wooden slabs to the table and began comparing one from each set to her leg. Bowie brought several bandages, a piece of leather, and a small bottle of some foul-smelling liquid to the table. Her panic began to rise again as she realized what they were about to do. She shook her head wildly from side to side, but her quiet pleas were ignored. Tears spilled from her eyes as Bowie carefully removed the rag from her mouth.
“No, please. Please, don’t,” Ellie begged.