Cold Ashes

Chapter 11 - Symptoms

"You look hungry, sir!"

"A tin for a rat!"

"Take your pick!

"A bottle for a blanket!"

"At that price?! You must be joking!"

The chorus of dealers and shoppers went on, a typhoon of noise in the depths of the market. On both sides of the widened street, there were people opening windows and doors for business, tables wheeled out into the plaza filled with nick knacks as well as piled essentials.

People could barely walk around without getting caught into the loudness of a crowd; there was barely a smile in sight, everyone trying to find men willing to buy and sell, trading and desperately dealing the goods they had.

In this, Ryan was thrown into, walking only in Leah's guiding shadow; both of them weaved through the crowds, sometimes pushing their way around the claustrophobia that boxed them in.

He could barely follow behind and felt his breaths become much more shallow and squeezed. Before they were consumed, she clutched onto his hand as a viper would on a fresh meal. He held onto her hand tighter, and she tethered him with her voice.

It didn't take long before she was lost among a sea of faces and he was just following false friends, forcing their hands to part, getting pushed and shoved in all directions but the one that he was trying to go in.

Falling over wasn't an option. Anyone who had didn't survive long to talk about it - the plaza was a death trap for anyone with legs too weak.

The madness obstructed everything he tried in his attempts to escape, he felt hot and sweat was already soaking his body in nervousness and exhaustion. Staying still couldn't be done, nothing could be seen.

"Leah!" he cried before getting smothered among the others. "Where are you?!"

"Take his scarf! Anything, please!"

"Give me your hair-!"

"My ring! It's diamond, I swear!"

"He can work. I promise that he can work!"

Ryan turned to the sound of that voice in particular. The eye of the storm. A woman in the far end of the torrent of people was holding a strong piece of leather in one hand and was strongly arguing with the man before her.

In a flash of movement and darkened colour, she was gone again and he could only hear her voice echo through his ears.

"The kid's too scrawny, look at him."

"Nah way. He's too young for the mines."

"But he's young enough! He'll learn, please!"

"We can't take him, we told you, now move along!"

"Just take him! Take him for a sack, half if you want!"

"That's barely anything."

"It'll feed us a few days more, won't it?"

"Yeah but-"

"Just put him to work, will you!? I'll take anything."

"Half a bag."

"A bag?"

"Right, that's it, next!"

"No!" The crowd parted and the woman was there again, at the end of the leather leash sat a boy.

His eyes damp with excessive crying and begging and his neck red raw with her tugging and pulling, scratching at the end of her dress for some attention.