Out of the Darkness

Chapter 7

Eventually, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I found myself snuggled up against Adam’s warm body, my head resting on his chest. I could feel the soft rise and fall of his breathing. Embarrassed by the closeness, I was thankful he was still sleeping. I lifted my head from his chest, taking care not to wake him in the process, moving away until I could feel the cold bars of the cage on my back. I could see Anna snuggled up with the blonde asleep in the corner of the cage. A soft snore escaped her lips.

Only then did I realize it was the only sound filling the crate. The distant hum of the engine had seized, and truck had stopped moving.

“Adam,” I said quietly, shaking him awake. “Adam.”

Adam reluctantly woke up, stretching his body out. “What’s going on?” He asked sleepily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“The truck stopped,” I explained nervously.

I could hear footsteps approaching outside the crate walls. I held my breath, waiting. Then the lock clicked and a few seconds later the door to the crate swung open. Cal was standing outside the door, his eyes examining us, smiling wickedly.

I reeled backward, falling over the girls who had just woken up in the commotion. Adam threw himself in front of us, using his body as a shield. He stood there, trying his best to appear intimidating. I knew he was afraid. We were all afraid.

Cal grabbed ahold of Adam, yanking him from the cage, like he was a rag doll. He passed him off to another man standing nearby. Next he grabbed me. I twisted out of his grip, reaching for Anna. A second pair of hands took hold of her, pulling her away from my side. I struggled to get free, to reach her, to help her, but everything moved so fast. Cal grabbed at me again, dragging me from the crate.

I frantically looked around, trying to make sense of what was happening. There were multiple armed men outfitted in dark clothing. They bustled around, emptying the crates. Kids were being pulled from trucks, down ramps, and toward a group of warehouses standing nearby. The girls were being herded in one direction and the boys in another.

My eyes searched the crowd for my new friends. Anna was lost among the crowd, but I spotted Adam. I saw Adam one last time before he disappeared through a door into a large warehouse. He turned toward me briefly, our eyes meeting, before the guard shoved him forward.

I stumbled along with the other girls as we were herded forward like cattle. We looked like a bunch of bedraggled animals, filthy with dirt and bruises. Some looked worse than others. The girls were being directed into a warehouse separate from where the boys were. Once inside, one of the guards ordered us to wait for further instructions.

I sat for a few minutes, taking in my surroundings, trying to calm my rising anxiety. The building was a huge empty warehouse with clean and polished floors. There were a couple of folding tables piled with cardboard boxes sitting near one end of the warehouse. One of the men, dressed in black, approached the table and began rummaging through the boxes, emptying them. Another, portly man stood off to the side. His black, oily hair revealed a lived-in face. Bulging grey eyes stared at us, daring us to step out of line.

"Alright ladies, line up," The larger man barked out like a drill sergeant, his voice echoing off the walls.

The guards directed us to make sure we lined up nice and straight, shoulder to shoulder, facing the drill sergeant. There were about forty girls present. My eyes still searched the crowd for Anna, but I didn't see her among the crowd.

“I’ll call you forward one at a time,” the drill sergeant bellowed again.

“You first,” he pointed to a waif-like red head with a shock of freckles on her face. She looked no more than fifteen years old. She started sobbing loudly, not knowing what to expect. One of the guards forced her forward toward the back of the room. Her shoulders slumped in despair as she passed by us.

“Time for decontamination,” the drill sargent bellowed again, the vein on his forehead was popping from the pressure.

A couple of guards stepped forward, pulling her from her clothes. The raggedy dress she had been wearing was left torn apart on the floor. She was now standing before us in nothing but her underwear. The guards forced her into a small, partitioned, cubicle. The girls' screams were heard over the blasting of water. After a few minutes, the water stopped, and the girl reappeared dripping wet.

The guards grabbed ahold of her, dragging her back toward the folding table. The cardboard boxes had been emptied. Now the table was piled with neatly packaged parcels.

"Get dressed," one guard ordered, handing her a parcel.

She quickly opened the parcel, pulling the clothes over her head, eager to hide her nakedness from everyone in the room. The grey linen dress fell to mid calf, and stuck to her still wet skin. She slipped on a pair of plain black flats.

“Now my favorite part," the drill sergeant spoke again, his voice much more sinister now.

Another guard stepped forward holding some sort of contraption in his hands. He pressed a button and the end of the contraption started glowing bright red. Fear rose up inside me as I realized what it was; a branding iron. They're going to brand her. They're treating us like cattle, like animals.

They forced the girl forward onto her knees and pressed the glowing hot metal to the side of her neck. She screamed. Sizzling could be heard and the smell of burnt flesh filled the room.

"Stand up," one of the guards ordered, kicking her in the side.

The girl slowly rose, shaking from the fear and pain. The guards escorted the dejected girl out of the warehouse through a different door.

"Next," the drill sergeant bellowed out.

As they dragged another girl forward, I realized it was Anna. Her eyes found mine in the crowd. I could see her terror in her eyes. She looked at me pleadingly. I shook my head, not sure what she was expecting me to do.

The guards threw Anna on the ground, removing her clothes. I closed my eyes. I couldn't stand to watch and I couldn't do anything. Could I?

I took a deep breath, opening my eyes. "STOP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, stepping forward.

I tried to run to her, but the guards grabbed me, pushing me to the ground. They held me down, pressing my cheek against the cold, cement floor.

"What did you say?" The drill sergeant hissed.

"Stop, please," I cried out, struggling to get free.

"We have a volunteer," the drill sergeant yelled.

The guards pulled me up to my feet, dragging me toward the back of the room, toward the shower. I struggled against their grip.

"Strip her," the drill sergeant said, his tone laced with excitement.

I felt the rip of fabric, as my clothing was torn from my body. They shoved me into the shower, turning it on. Ice-cold water blasted me, stinging my sting. I screamed as shivers racked my body. A few moments later, they turned the water off, yanking me out of the shower. I stumbled forward, my teeth chattering. The guards stood around leering at me. I wrapped my arms around my body, attempting to hide myself from their eyes.

"Get her dressed," the drill sergeant ordered, his excitement replaced with boredom.

The guard handed me a parcel. I didn't waste time tearing it open, pulling the linen dress over my head.

"Now my favorite part," the drill sergeant's voice was once again full of excitement. He had taken the branding iron from the guard standing nearby, and was waiting for me to come forward. I was dragged before him and forced to my knees. My heart was pounding, threatening to beat right out of my chest.

"I love your spunk, little girl," the drill sergeant taunted, grabbing a handful of my hair, twisting it around his fist, and forcing my head to the side to expose the tender skin of my neck. "But I'm gonna have to teach you who gives the orders around here." He held the iron close to my neck, pressing it in, searing my flesh.

I could feel the burning. It spread all through my body, until I was engulfed in a white-hot fire. He held it there longer than needed, enjoying my screams. My screams tapered off, as I felt my head begin to swim from the pain. I tried desperately to hold onto consciousness.

He let me go, and I fell to the ground. My entire body was trembling and all I could focus on was the pain. It radiated throughout my whole body.

I looked over at Anna, who was still sitting on the ground naked. Tears were streaming down her face. "Thank you," she mouthed with silent words.

Then my world went dark.