Chapter 1
1352 Words
Gabriella stood in black, before the graves of her parents' as the realization of the moment dawned on her. An empty, uneasy feeling grew tighter in her chest with every passing second.
They were gone.
Truly gone.
Barbara and Francis were everything to her. They gave up a whole lot, working relentlessly to take care of her.
Gabriella was born during a harsh winter, along with multiple health complications, but they never saw her as a burden or ever complained.
Now she was thirteen.
And completely alone.
The burial ceremony was peaceful. Friends, neighbors and family all paid their respects. Tears were shed, hugs were exchanged.
Then they came.
The serenity shattered when a black SUV screeched to a halt by the cemetery gates. Men burst out harshly, armed, unwelcomed. Guns gleamed coldly in their hands. Some carried bats.
Within seconds people were screaming and were scattered.
But Ella didn't move. She remained rooted to the floor, in grief.
Renee, her godmother stepped defensively in front of her, "You can't take her."
A man stepped forward. He was ginger-head and potbellied, his suit straining at the seams. A thick cigar smoldered between his yellow fingers.
"I can and I will." He scowled, puffing smoke into Renee's face .
“Roland please she's just a child” Renee cried, falling to her knees and gripping at his pants like a desperate mother hen.
Roland squatted down beside her with a grin, his cigar inches smoldered inches away from her face.
“I am here to collect the debt owed to me. Your friends borrowed two million dollars from me. And now they are dead” Roland sneered, glancing at the graves. His men, laughing behind him.
“So how am I getting my money, With your little flower shop?“ He asked, his voice dripping with disdain.
“Give me time I will..I will arrange something please” Renee pleaded.
Roland stood, brushing ash from his lapel.
“When you have the money you can come for her. Until then, I'll take little Ella as insurance.”
“Take her" he ordered his boys.
“No please” Renee cried, trying to fight them off, but was thrown aside with ease.
Two men grabbed Ella by the arms dragging her away.
Ella didn't resist, her mind was far too dislocated from her body, every memory of her parents' kept replaying in her head . She took one last look over her shoulders at the graves.
Her parents.
Her home.
Her life.
She remembered her mother's last words
“Keep living Ella, you have to live.”
As they dragged her away, Renee's screams only blurred into the space between them.
•••••
Ella had come to her senses, finally aware of her surroundings. Her head throbbed slightly from the hours of crying. She was in the black SUV with four hefty heavily armed men. One on each side beside her and two in the front seats.
They had been on the road for hours, driving away from the small town she only knows as home.She focused her gaze outside the window on the busy highway, and the trees growing thicker by the mile.
They had finally arrived in Riverland; the largest and richest town in the county.The city was dangerous but full of opportunities.
The SUV stopped in front of a blue building pulsing with bright light . A large neon sign blinked above the doors.
"ROLL'S CLUB: Get High Get Laid."
The car stopped in front of the club and the men got out of the car ordering her to get down.
The bright lights caught Ella's eyes and her heart dropped. She didn't need anybody to tell her where this is.
It was a club.
A brothel.
“Look at it well, kiddo this is your home now" Came the voice of Roland snapping her from her thoughts. "Until Renee pays….if she ever pays” He added, puffing smoke into the atmosphere.
She didn't respond.
They just dragged her inside. The club's atmosphere was thick, it reeked with the smell of cigars, alcohol and something else in between... Something she couldn't quite place.
They walked past the crowds of people and deeper into the club until they got to a door that led to a staircase.
'Probably the basement' Ella thought. But it wasn't.
She descended the staircase. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, there was a long, dimly lit corridor lined with doors.
Behind the doors, She could hear muffled moans like someone was getting killed. Her heart jumped at the thought of that, but her suspicion was cleared when a man walked out of a room, his pants unzipped.
A half naked woman followed behind.
With the look on their faces, Ella felt utterly disgusted.
The man asked the men escorting Ella.
“Is she fresh? Can I have her?“ He asked looking at Ella with a sick look of lust.
“Get the hell out of here Damien she's a special case” one of the men said to him shoving him away.
“I'll speak to Roland not you buffoons” Damien snarled, walking up the stairs.
The men led Ella further down the corridor until they reached a brown wooden door hanging off it's hinges.
One of the men turned the knob and the door creaked open.
The room was a filth, stained walls and crusted windows everywhere, the windows, the toilet barely recognizable in the dirt.
“This is your place, the toilet is over there, breakfast is at 8am sharp and your duties will be relayed to you soon”
Ella took a final look at the room and for the first time after her parents death he spoke.
“Thank you”
The men paused, surprised by her politeness and nodded, then turned to leave.
“Can I please get some detergent please?“ She asked, her voice soft
The men exchanged looks, and they looked at the chaotic mess passing silent information.
“Fine” one of the men answered.
“Thank you” Ella said, offering a sad but brave smile.
The men grunted in reply.
Ella was going to make the best of every situation no matter what.
As soon as they closed the door behind them, Ella got to work.By the time she was done, she was exhausted. But her little prison was cleaner. With the final satisfaction, she drifted into sleep for the first time in days.
A while later, the drunk man from the basement slipped into her room. He was still in his drunken state.
He gently closed the door behind him and headed towards Ella. She was still asleep in nothing but dainty shorts and a T-shirt. He traced her his fingers along her waist, trying to pull her shorts down.
Ella jerked awake, her breath ragged.
Her gaze darted around the room and it fell on the man between her legs. She was in her panties. Her shorts were thrown carelessly across the floor.
It was the man from earlier, Damien. He was trying to pull down her panties.
"What are you doing?" She gasped.
Without another thought, she let out a piercing scream, but his large hands covered her mouth, muffling the sounds.
Ella pushed him back, creating a distance between them and sprinted toward the door. But he was fast. He immediately caught her and pinned her against the wall, his hands moving back to cover her mouth. Only muffled sounds escaped her.
She yelled, cried, struggling to get out of his grip, but it was in vain.
Damien's other hand slid into her panties, and she trembled in fear. She knew exactly where this was leading to but it was impossible.
He couldn't do this.
His fingers ran over her soft skin teasingly and inched closer to her entrance.
A loud sound echoed. Again and again.
Damien fell to the floor, his head covered in blood. Ella stood by the wall, trembling, holding a lampstand, her face in tears and her T-shirt stained with blood.
- Writer
