Silence

Chapter 5

The previous men barged into her rooms, knives and switchblades drawn.

"Where's my money?" the biggest and scariest one demanded. "Where is it?!"

"Please, just give me a few more days! I'll get everything to you, I promise."

"Sorry, mate, I've waited long enough."

The man raised his knife above his head and brought it down. Blood spattered onto the floors and walls. Adalina flinched, and her mouth dropped open in horror.

"NO!" her mother screamed in hysterics, leaning over her father's lifeless corpse. "No, no, no! How could you?!"

"SHUT UP!" the man yelled.

He didn't even raise his weapon as he ended her mother's life. More blood soaked the floor, intermingling with her father's blood. Some of it got onto Adalina's face and dress.

The reality of the situation hit her all at once, and she broke down onto the floor in sobs and screams.

All of the men came over to her, and she closed her eyes as she prepared for them to kill her as well. But instead, one of them grasped her hair in his hand and pulled her head up so they could see her face, multiple tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What do you think, lads?" he smirked. "Think she'd work for us?"

"Can't be too bad," another answered. "We'll add her with the rest."

The man painfully yanked her up off the floor by her hair and forced her out to the wagon they had arrived in. One man got in front and drove the wagon while two remained in the back with Adalina to make sure she didn't try to escape.

Adalina shivered and huddled together with several other teenage girls. All of them were dirty and starved and had thin clothing on that covered less of their bodies than half of the prostitutes on the streets. There were only two thin and worn blankets in the room that only covered about three girls if stretched far enough. That left many other girls with nothing to warm themselves with other than the small fire that lit the room.

Adalina gave her small food portion to a girl who looked very, very ill and feverish. Death was not far behind for this girl.

Though Adalina's stomach began to growl and a sharp pain hit her from the lack of food, she ignored it and continued to feed the sick girl. Then she took one of the worn blankets and draped it over her. The girl let out a hoarse cough and continued to shiver.

Adalina and another black-haired girl served the owners of the household: the men who had come to her home and taken her away.

The girl served the men a platter of food.

"Away with you now," one of them said as he waved his hand dismissively.

"Yes, sir," the girl answered quietly.

Without any hesitation, the man stood up and hit her forcefully on the cheek so hard, she went tumbling to the ground.

"What did I tell you about talkin' back?!"

"I'm...I'm sorry, sir."

"SHUT IT! I warned you that you were not to speak while in our presence!"

The man began kicking the girl forcefully over and over again. Adalina could only watch for a few seconds before she stepped in and threw herself over the poor girl in an attempt to stop the abuse.

"Out of the way!"

He kicked Adalina in the stomach and face to get her to move. Other men grabbed her arms and hauled her away. Meanwhile, the black-haired girl continued to be beaten.