Traffic

Ch 4: Silence

Silence as deadly as if you were submerged a thousand feet under. Silence as if you were floating in endless space. Silence as if you were lost in the desert with no sign of life for a thousand miles

Darkness as black as pitch, as vast as space, and as unwelcoming as a shark's cold stare seconds before death.

And cold. Cold as the icy arctic, cold as the depths of the dark ocean, and cold as unsettling as the breath of a demon who waits behind you, breathing down your neck.

All these and more are the emotions Kelly felt as she lay half conscious on a hard floor in an unknown place.

She heard, felt, and saw nothing but these things. She was scared, alone, and in pain. All she wanted was for it to stop, to go away, or for her to wake up and be home again with her family. She longed for the warm hugs of her brother, the kindness of her sister, and the words of her mother as she told her she'd be alright.

She knew now that because she disobeyed and went to that party, she is now at some unknown location, unclothed and freezing.

She was scared, and grew ever more fearful as she gained full consciousness. She looked around her, straining her eyes to see something...ANYTHING that would allow her to feel some sort of comfort.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, a blinding light shone from above her. She was unable to see for several minutes, but she heard a voice.

"Don't worry, my child. Don't be scared. I'm sorry I did what I did, but you see, I had to. Your father was paying me to get you, but I was aloud to decide the means." her vision cleared and she was able to see a dark figure walking towards her, talking, "I decided on the party and I decided to try you out before handing you over. I was going to hand you over, I swear it was my intention, but you were just so damn good, I couldn't let you go. I had to have at least a LITTLE fun with you. Until Friday, at least..."

Kelly was now able to see and she frantically looked around her. She saw, to her surprise and horror, another little girl only feet away from her, but she wasn't moving. She looked pale and thin.

As she stared, she realized that the girl had died and her body was left there to rot. It couldn't have been more than 48 hours previous to Kelly's arrival. She shook with fear as the man came closer, kneeling down and touching her chin.

"Don't be afraid. I'll take care of you, as long as you obey. Samantha over there...she didn't like to listen, she didn't like to obey my rules and she paid for it. But I promise you, as long as you obey, no harm will come to you."

He was looking at her with wide eyes and a wide grin as he continued to speak, "Now," he said slowly, " Are you hungry? Thirsty? We can get you cleaned up and clothed and fed if you want. Do you want to come with me and get dressed and fed?"

Kelly hesitantly nodded, more wanting to know where she was so she could call for help if the chance presented itself.

"In this house, we use words to SPEAK," he said with the same scary grin and wide eyes, "If you don't, well...You know what'll happen."

Kelly shook her head, "N-no..."

"I'll throw you down here and Samantha can tell you all about it," he said, dragging her slowly up the stairs.

Kelly's breath froze in her lungs. She got shivers down her spine as she looked from Samantha's body back to the man and then around her.

"I see you're scared. No need to be...As long as you obey.  do you understand?"

She began to nod, but remembered the first rule and stuttered, "Y-yes..."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, ma-mast-ter."

He smiled again and stood up, "Very good, now, come with me and we'll get you what you need."

He led her up the stairs and she saw a small house of which they'd been in the basement of, and she saw doors lining a hallway. They walked down and he opened one, leading her inside where she saw a beautiful little girl's room set up.

"This was Samantha's room. You'll be sleeping in here."

He handed her a pile of clothes, "Wear these," he commanded before leaving to let her change. She looked at them, upset with the choice. It was a short dress with no sleeves and a low rising front so it showed off her chest. She quickly changed, wishing it was into sweats and a t-shirt, and sat on the bed, wishing she could go home and wondering what she was going to have to do next.