Chapter Three—The Slave House
887 Words
The carriage stopped just before sunset.
Elena's head lifted from the wooden wall she had been leaning against.
For hours, she had watched nothing but darkness through the tiny window. Her wrists were still bound, and the constant movement of the carriage had left her sore and exhausted.
The door opened.
"Get out."
Elena climbed down slowly.
She looked around.
They were nowhere near a market place.
Instead, she found herself standing before a large stone building surrounded by a tall iron fence.
There were no welcoming lights.
No signs.
No warmth.
Only guards standing at the entrance.
Elena's stomach tightened.
"What is this place?"
The man who had escorted her from home grabbed her arm.
"The slave house."
Her blood ran cold.
"No."
He pulled her toward the entrance.
Elena resisted.
"I was told I was being sold."
"You will be."
"When?"
"When they find a buyer."
He pushed open the large wooden doors.
"Until then, this is where you will stay."
Elena stepped inside.
The smell hit her immediately.
Damp stone.
Sweat.
Fear.
She heard crying somewhere down the hallway.
Then a whip cracked.
Elena froze.
Another crack followed.
Her entire body went cold.
She wanted to turn around.
But the door behind her had already closed.
The slave house was nothing like Elena had imagined.
There were rows of small rooms with iron doors.
Some held one person.
Others held several.
The slave were given little food and even less water.
They were forced to work throughout the day.
Those who disobeyed were beaten.
Those who tried to escape were punished even worse.
Elena was taken into a room containing six other girls.
One of them immediately looked up.
She was perhaps a few years older than Elena, with long black hair and tired brown eyes.
"First day?" She asked.
Elena nodded.
The girl looked at the bruises around Elena's wrists.
"I'm sorry."
Elena swallowed.
"How long have you been here?"
"Three weeks."
Elena's eyes widened.
"Three weeks?"
The girl nodded.
"They keep us here for a month."
"Why?"
"So they can prepare us for the auction."
Elena stared at her.
"Prepare us?"
The girl gave a bitter laugh.
"They wash us. Feed us enough to make us look healthy. Dress us in pretty clothes. Teach us how to behave."
She paused.
"Then they sell us."
Elena felt sick.
"What's your name?"
"Lydia."
"Elena."
Lydia studied her for a moment.
"You shouldn't be here."
Elena frowned.
"Neither should you."
Lydia smiled sadly.
"You're right."
That night, Elena barely slept.
She kept thinking about her parents.
Her mother crying.
Her father's lowered eyes.
Noah asking where she was going.
She pressed her face into her knees.
She didn't know whether she hated them.
Maybe she did.
Maybe she didn't.
But she knew she couldn't stay here.
The next morning, Elena was taken outside with the other slaves.
They were given work to do.
She spent hours carrying heavy buckets of water from one side of the compound to another.
Her shoulders ached.
Her feet hurt.
By evening, she could barely stand.
Then one of the guards shouted at her because she had stopped for a few seconds.
Elena was dragged forward.
"Move!"
"I'm tired."
The guard raised his whip.
Elena's heart jumped.
She stepped back.
"Please."
The whip came down.
But Lydia suddenly stepped between them.
"She didn't mean to stop."
The guard glared at her.
"Back away."
Lydia didn't move.
The guard raised the whip again.
Elena grabbed Lydia's arm.
"Don't."
The guard eventually lowered it.
"Both of you. Back inside."
That night, Lydia whispered something to Elena.
"There is a way out."
Elena looked at her.
"What?"
"The eastern wall."
Elena's heart began beating faster.
"There's a gap underneath the fence."
"Too small."
"Not for us."
Lydia looked toward the door.
"Tomorrow night, several slaves are being taken to the auction."
Elena frowned.
"Tomorrow?"
"They've completed their month."
"So?"
"We can go with them."
Elena stared at her.
"You want to escape by pretending to be one of them?"
Lydia nodded.
"Once the carriage leaves the slave house, we'll jump off."
Elena's heart pounded.
It was dangerous.
They could be caught.
They could be killed.
But staying here meant something worse.
"I'll do it."
Lydia smiled.
"Then tomorrow, we run."
The next evening came quickly.
Elena spent the entire day pretending nothing was wrong.
She worked.
She ate.
She kept her head down.
But beneath her calm expression, she was terrified.
That night, several slaves who had completed their month were brought outside.
They were dressed in clean clothes and lined up beside a carriage.
Elena and Lydia quietly joined them.
One of the guards counted them.
"Eight."
He checked his list.
"Good."
Elena held her breath.
They were loaded into the carriage.
The door slammed shut.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Then the carriage began moving.
Lydia grabbed Elena's hand.
They didn't know what would happen next.
They only knew they had made it out.
For the first time in two days, Elena allowed herself to believe that perhaps she had a chance.
But she was wrong.
Because they hadn't escaped slavery.
They had only escaped the place where it began.
And the next destination would bring them face-to-face with something far more dangerous than they could ever imagine.
The auction market.
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