The Devil's possession

Auction

As the auction commenced, the girls were brought forth from the dark cage, their tiny bodies were shivering .They trembled in fear..." their eyes wide with terror as they were paraded before the wealthy and powerful men .Their bodies bore marks, their clothes looked tattered, barely covering their bodies.

Justin tried to get Ethan's attention, but Ethan was too busy staring at his phone, not paying attention to what was happening around them

Soon, the auctioneer and the warden stepped onto the stage, addressing the gathered crowd with a friendly greeting. "Good afternoon, everyone. Today, we've got some better goods than last week," the auctioneer said, sounding pleased and couldn't hide the grin on his face.

He signaled to the guard, who brought one of the girls forward. "Come on, line up! Don't let me show you what happens if you don't listen," the guard said, pulling the nearest girl with him

As she was pushed to the stage she could hear the excited voices of the men in the crowd. Meanwhile, the other slaves watched from their spot and shivered in fear. They were put up front making sure everyone with money could see them clearly.

"Isn't she pretty? Let's see who wants to buy her. Bidding starts at thirty gold coins!" the auctioneer shouted. Bids came in quickly, with people shouting out higher amounts. "40 gold coins," someone said. "50," said another. "90!" someone screamed from the audience. The warden looked really happy as the bids went up. "Sold!" he said with a big grin, clearly pleased. The girl was taken backstage, still crying as she disappeared from view. But the auction continued nobody cared !

Soon after the last girl was brought on stage, her skin glowing despite the marks etched upon it, she hesitated to lift her face, consumed by fear. As she was pushed on stage ,murmurs filled the room, reflecting the desires of the men who eagerly eyed her. Their longing was evident, fueled by the girl's seemingly pure appearance.

The girl looked so young, Justin thought to himself !

The auctioneer beamed with satisfaction when he saw the scene before him, without hesitation, he started the bidding process .

With a grin, he exclaimed, "Isn't she a beauty? Who will be the lucky man to claim her?" Then, he announced, "Bidding starts at 150 gold coins!" "200!" someone screamed.

"300!" another voice chimed in.

"450!" came another bid.

Ethan was taken aback, as the prices had never escalated so rapidly before.

Subconsciously, he raised his head to catch a glimpse of the girl, when suddenly, a voice called out confidently, "600 gold coins."

Immediately, he turned his gaze towards the girl, feeling a sense of déjà vu. He tried to shake off the feeling, but it clung to him persistently. "Are you okay?" Justin asked, noticing Ethan's change in expression .

"I'm fine," he replied shortly.

Going, going," the auctioneer announced.

"800 gold coins!" someone shouted, making the auctioneer very happy. But before he could say "gone," a cold and commanding voice said, "2000 gold coins."

The crowd fell silent, surprised by the unexpected turn of events. Their shock was obvious, impossible to hide even Justin couldn't hide the shock on his face. "You... you," he stammered, struggling to find the right words.

Ethan simply glanced at him, seemingly indifferent to Justin's reaction.

Even the auctioneer trembled for a moment, wishing he could raise the bid, but he knew better than to provoke Justin.

With a nervous smile, he declared, "Gone." Of course, nobody dared to compete with Ethan.

Ethan stayed calm, showing no reaction to Justin's taunts. However, he instructed Justin to go and retrieve the girl while he tried to set up a meeting with Mr Brandon. Despite Justin's laughter, he complied and headed backstage.

Once Justin had left, Ethan couldn't shake the sense of familiarity that the girl stirred within him. He wondered why he had bought her and why she seemed so familiar.

Upon reaching backstage, Justin's eyes scanned the dimly lit room until they fell upon the huddled figure of the girl, trembling in the corner. Instantly, recognition dawned upon him. It was her, unmistakably so

He approached her cautiously, his voice softening as he spoke, "Hey there, little one. What's your name?" But the gIrl remained silent, her head bowed in fear, unable to utter a single word.

He repeated his question patiently, "Can you hear me?" But still, there was no response from the girl. Frustrated, he reached out to touch her gently, but as soon as his hand made contact, she recoiled, bursting into tears and pleading, "I'm sorry, please don't hurt me." Justin was taken aback, unsure of how to respond to her fear.

"Uhm," he stammered, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know your name." With tears in her eyes, Ella struggled to speak, her voice barely above a whisper as she stammered, "E-Ella."

"Ella," Justin repeated, trying to reassure her. "You don't have to be scared of me. You should be more scared of the devil outside," he laughed, though his laughter only seemed to unsettle Ella further.

"Ella, do you have parents?" Justin asked gently. "No," she replied, her voice nearly a whisper.

"You don't?" Justin exclaimed, shocked.

"How did you end up here?" Justin asked, his tone firm, though not unkind. Ella's distress was evident, and the questions seemed to overwhelm her. She was on the verge of tears, feeling intimidated by the man in front of her, wanting nothing more than to break down.

Ella didn't know what to say, but she knew she had to say something, fearing the consequences if she remained silent. "I... I... I," she stammered, struggling to find her voice. "You what...?" Justin asked, his frustration evident in his tone.

Before she could reply, they heard a cold voice behind them asking, "How long do you plan on staying here?" The voice was so chilling that Ella couldn't bring herself to raise her head.

Laughing nervously, Justin scratched his head and said, "I was just asking her a few questions, right?" He glanced at Ella, silently urging her to play along.

Ella remained silent, unable to muster a response.

"So useless," Justin whispered under his breath, his frustration evident.

Putting on a fake smile, he said, "Now that you're here, let's go." He gestured for Ella to follow as they headed out.

Meanwhile, Ethan remained absorbed in his phone, seemingly oblivious to Ella's presence. However, Ella recognized him as the man who had purchased her. Deep inside, she wished it had been Justin who bought her instead.