CRAVING

CRAVING - THREE

JARVIS'S POV

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A murky smell permeated the air, as dust particles floated around, mixing with the shallow breathing that was heard throughout the dark cell.

If you looked closely, you could see a bunch of naked bodies huddled together, each one seeking a semblance of warmth in the freezing cell. The occasional clang of chains couldn't mask the sound of chattering teeth.

It was cold.

In the darkness, a palm reached out and rested against my face.

It was warm.

Instinctively, I shrank a little, until a very familiar voice responded.

"You're freezing, Jarvis."

It was Maria.

My chattering teeth stopped a little and before I could respond I felt my self being pulled into a warm embrace.

My body was hugged and I could feel her bare chest against my head, although, it was still cold, her body was warmer than the air around us. I leaned into her embrace, letting her hold me close.

Through the tiny holes in the grey moss-covered walls, flickers of moonlight shone through, making the eerily dark cell a little brighter in front of us.

Maria's tail swayed slightly, then curled around my leg. The other slaves in the cell were also freezing, their chattering teeth muffled by silent sobs - it was a common sight.

Maria started patting my back soothingly, whispering, "It's okay. Everything will be alright."

Before she could continue, her cat ears perked up, and her whole demeanor changed, becoming fierce.

With a venomous hiss, she spat out the word, "Vampire!" As soon as she said that, the whole cell became rowdy, everyone trying their best to blend in with the darkness or the icy walls.

The sound of heavy boots filled the air, causing everyone to freeze in terror. Maria's grip on me tightened as the boots stopped in front of the cell.

The slave trainer's red eyes glared at each and every one of us, sending a shiver down our spines.

His mouth held a sneer as he said the words we had all been dreading.

"Tomorrow morning, each and every one of you will be sent to the auction house. Best be prepared. Your lives will finally be put to good use." He smiled, and I could feel the blood draining from my face.

The slave trainer's words caused an uproar, but only a few brave souls made any noise of protest. The others were silent in their dissent, knowing full well what would happen if the trainer heard them. The fear in the air was almost palpable.

I could hear the sound of my heart beating in my ears, and I knew Maria's grip on me was the only thing keeping me from trembling.

She whispers in my ear, "It's going to be okay. We'll find a way out of this." I wanted to believe her, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

The auction house was known to slaves as either heaven or hell. You could be lucky and be bought by a kind master, or you could be doomed to a cruel one.

The worst was if a slave was bought by a "hoarder" - that's what we call masters who had too many slaves, and were seen as little more than free or public commodities, often used for s****l purposes.

If a slave was bought by a hoarder and then used by many masters, they were seen as nothing more than prostitutes, and their lives were considered to be lower than those of other slaves.

A slave was only ever to have one master in their life.

To be used by multiple masters was looked down upon, and it would ruin a slave's life. Their value would be lost, and they would never be seen as anything more than a s****l object.

I didn't want that to happen to me, and I definitely don't want it to happen to Maria either.

Just the thought of being bought by a horder filled me with a sense of dread and panic.

I didn't want to be used like that. I knew I was just another slave, and I would probably die as one.

But I couldn't help feeling a resistant knowing my life was worthless.

I felt Maria's hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at her. She gave me a reassuring smile, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

She was just as scared as I was. But we both knew that we had to stay strong, no matter what.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice the slave trainer approaching the cell, keys in hand.

He opened the door and began to walk in. I felt my heart sink into my stomach, and my breathing became shallow.

The slave trainer approached a girl who was human, just like me and a few others in the cell.

He grabbed her hair and yanked her up by it. The look in his eyes was full of ridicule, and his voice held mockery.

"What was that?" he said, sneering. "Didn't hear you the first time."

The girl was dangling in the air by her hair, her hands gripping the ends of it. But the look in her eyes was full of unbridled hatred, and her voice was full of anger.

"I said, 'Damn you all to hell, Damn you all to hell!" she repeated, a little louder this time. "You'll get what's coming to you! You'll see what it's like to be used and abused!"

The slave trainer backhanded her, and she fell to the ground, the back of her head hitting the stone floor.

Blood trickled down the side of her face, but she didn't seem to notice. She was staring at the slave trainer with pure hatred in her eyes.

"Is that so?" he said, a cruel grin on his face. "How about we put that to the test?"

The slave trainer's blood-red eyes held no trace of humor. He was serious, and if the girl continued to speak out against him, she would surely die.

I couldn't sit by and watch this happen. I opened my mouth to try and help, but Maria's hand covered it. She held me back with one hand, and her gaze was as sharp as a dagger.

I tried to ask her why, but she silenced me with a look. I could see the hopelessness in her eyes, but I knew she was trying to hide it. She was asking me a question without words.

What can you do?

That's right. what can I do?

I felt completely helpless, staring at the situation with a sinking feeling of hopelessness.

My hands curled into fists at my sides as I glanced around, searching for someone who might help. But the other slaves all looked just as frightened as me, their eyes wide and their bodies tense.

I knew that no one else would dare to intervene.

Let me go!" The girl screamed, her voice shrill with anger.

I snapped back to reality and saw two other vampires enter the cell.

Maria's hand quivered, and I felt a rush of fear course through me. Before Anyone could realize what happened the smell of blood filled the air, and my pupils dilated.

The girl's screams pierced the air and I froze, unable to move. Before I could turn to take a good look, Maria's hand still covering my mouth reached up and covered my eyes.

I struggled against her grip, but she was stronger than I was. Another earth-shattering cry rang out, and the smell of blood was now overpowering.

I could hear the girl's screams turn into whimpers, then to silence. My heart raced as I imagined the worst.

"Don't look," Maria whispered. "Please."

I clawed at Maria's hands, desperate to see what was happening, but she wouldn't let go.

As more cries filled the cell, I didn't need to see to know that some of those screams were coming from the other slaves.

Maria pulled me closer and pressed my head against her chest, covering my ears with her other hand.

Seconds stretched out into what felt like hours, the air heavy with deathly silence, the stench of blood all around us.

I hear a thud, and I could guess that the girls body had hit the floor. My eyes were still covered, and I couldn't see anything, but I could hear the slave trainer ordering one of the vampires to drag her out.

I didn't want to think about what was happening to her, but I couldn't help it.

The girl was being dragged out of the cell, her loud voice now hoarse from screaming. She was muttering unintelligibly, her words broken and lost in the chaos.

The other slaves were silent, their terror palpable in the air.

I knew for a fact that I was terrified.

She was barely alive, but I won't say how long she lasted.

The girl's voice drifted further away, and the slave trainer who was still in the cell scoffed, asking, "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

Silence.

"Hmph!" the slave trainer bellowed, and I flinched. Maria's hand tightened on me, and a low hiss escaped her mouth. She was clearly angry, but was trying to remain calm.

"I thought so," the slave trainer sneered with a gloating laugh. "Since you're all so rowdy, there will be no food tonight. Let's see how you like that, you bastards."

The door slammed shut, following the sound of the key in the lock jiggling. The slave trainer, and the other vampire left, cursing and laughing cruelly. Their footsteps faded away, leaving us all despair.

I could feel Maria's hand trembling on my shoulder. She was trying to stay strong, but I could feel her fear. I knew she was scared, just like me.

This was the end of the road.

There was no way out.

I rested my head against Maria's chest, wishing I could disappear, or that tomorrow would never come. But I knew that was impossible.

Tomorrow would be the start of a hellish nightmare, and I had no idea how to escape it. All I could do was cling to Maria, hoping that somehow, we would survive.

-----------------

- NEXT DAY.

In the morning, everything was a blur.

I could only remember the sound of the cell door opening, boots stomping on the floor, the slave trainer's voice, and bodies being pulled out. There were chains, cries, and whips. And then... nothing.

I open my eyes, my head scrambled. My vision was blurry.

Just noticing my body that was thrown haphazardly onto the metal floor of a vehicle at least I guess that what Maria called these in her stories.

I blinked a few times to clear my vision and looked around Noticing both my hands and feet were chained to the floor.

But that was the least of my problems the most important was Maria!

Where was she?

Shooting up, I almost fell back onto the floor, when I feel pain all over my bare body. But I ignored the pain and looked around, frantically searching for Maria.

I released a breath when I spotted her, pressed against the other side of the vehicle, looking around. I counted eleven, no, twelve people in total, all huddled together and unconscious.

Unlike me, they were all chained together.

I tried to move towards Maria, but I felt a tug at my hands and feet, restricting my movement. I pulled against the chains, trying to break them, but they wouldn't budge.

"Stop that, or you'll hurt yourself," Maria said. I looked up at her. She looked tired and anxious, but her voice was steady. "It's no use their secure I've tried already."

My face lit up with a huge smile at the sight of Maria, but it fell when I saw her body was covered in more wounds than mine. Some were clearly whip marks.

"Maria, are you okay?" I asked, my voice trembling. "How did you get those wounds? These chains...they won't let me get to you." I tugged against the chains again, but they were too strong.

My voice quavered, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Crying wouldn't help the situation, but it was the only thing I could do. I was scared, and couldn't think of anything else.

Maria's eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of fear there, but her voice was strong and steady when she spoke. "I'm okay, Jarvis. we'll get out of here and I'll get you to safety."

I wanted to believe her, but it was hard when we were both trapped and injured. I felt helpless, but I knew I had to stay strong for her sake. I took a deep breath and tried to think of a way out of this mess.

"We'll figure it out," I said, more to reassure myself than her. "I won't let anything happen to you." I finished.

Maria smiled back, but it was a helpless smile, her ginger cat ears twitching slightly. Her tail reached out and curled around my leg, as if by habit, and she said, "I know. Just relax for now, okay? We'll find a way out of this."

I nodded, but I couldn't relax, not while we were in this dangerous situation. I tried to focus on breathing, but my heart was still racing.

But I knew we couldn't do anything at the moment.

It was silent for a while the only sound was coming from the so called vehicle.

"Hey Maria...is this the vehicle you mentioned in your stories? I ask Maria trying to find a topic but also curious about the vehicle.

"It's a truck," Maria announced, stretching out a finger. Her nails were suddenly elongated, and she used them to tap on the metal floor.

"A truck?" I asked, confused. I had never heard of such a thing. "What's a truck?"

"It's a large vehicle used for transporting goods and people," Maria explained. "It's powered by an internal combustion engine, which uses gasoline to make it move."

My head was spinning as I tried to process all this new information. "That sounds very complicated," I said. "How does it work again?"

She chuckles, "all you need to know is that a truck is used to transport heavy cargo, like cargo that weighs thousands of pounds," Maria explained.

"In this case, we're the cargo."

I oh-ed

"I don't like trucks ," I said, and then I felt myself blushing when Maria laughed.

"I also don't like trucks."

"It's okay, Jarvis," she said, "I know this is all new to you. It's okay to be confused and scared."

I was still nervous, but I felt a little better hearing her say that. "I just wish we weren't stuck here," I said.

"To vampires were seen as commodity and nothing else." Maria scoffs, "Our lives mean s**t to them as long as they have their fun."

I pause, silently lost in though about what Maria said.

She seemed to notice and she waved her hand dismissively infront of her "Don't ponder any further and get some rest." She spoke, "we'll need all our strength if we have any chance of getting out of here."

I furrow my brow as I stared at her "what about you?" She shook her head her Ginger colored hair swaying heavily with her movements. "I'm not sleepy you go on ahead and I'll keep watch."

"Why don't I keep watch and you go to sleep?" Her cornflower-blue eyes pierced my green ones shutting anymore refutal.

"Jarvis rest I'll keep watch." I stare at her unwillingly. Maria bit her lip then sighed heavily "If I'm tired Jarvis I'll wake you I promise now GO. TO. SLEEP."

I couldn't say anything else so I huddled onto the floor of the truck my back against one of its side.

It was cold but it was a lot warmer than the cell. My stomach panged dully and I couldn't help but huddle a Little tighter trying to suppress the pain.

I haven't eaten for nine days.

The heavy chains on my hands were a constant reminder of our current situation.

I settle myself as comfortable as I could and made sure I could feel Maria's tail still wrapped around my leg.

With the hum coming from the truck I close my eyes and fall asleep hoping when I open them this would all just be a dream.