by Snow, Jenika
People were laughing and walking by, children were complaining about being hungry and tired—which she could relate to—and a small group of younger guys stood off to the side smoking cigarettes and speaking low. Ruby leaned over and grabbed a few of the pamphlets she had seen about the motels. She looked them over, not knowing exactly where to start, and feeling a little out of place. But truth be told, as excited as Ruby was to start this new chapter in her life, she felt lost inside of herself. She had never felt like she belonged back in her hometown, never thought she was anything special, and certainly didn’t ever make an impact on anyone. She had just gone through each day in a repetitive motion. It worked for her, and she had always just chalked up her inner loneliness to the fact that her home life was anything but filled with the love and happiness that a lot of families experienced. But then there were the darker desires she had, the ones that invaded her dreams with pain and pleasure. She kept those desires hidden, didn’t allow them to control her, even though they tried. They were sick and twisted, and she knew they served no positive purpose in her life. Suddenly there was silence as everyone made their way from the bus station.
“Hey, pretty girl.” The small group of guys walked up to her. There were three of them, and as she looked around, already knowing she was alone, she felt a dread settle in her belly. She stood, feeling the weight of their stares on her as if they had reached out and took hold of her. The bus had already pulled away, and a look in the small operator’s box showed that it was currently empty. Ruby’s pulse increased and the flight or fight instinct moved through her with each step the guys took toward her.
“You shouldn’t be all alone here. This isn’t the best part of town,” one of the other guys said.
“I’m waiting for my boyfriend to come. He should be here any minute.” The lie tumbled out of her easily, but the three guys chuckled and looked at each other.
“That right?” The guy ahead of the other two stopped a few feet away and grinned. He brought his cigarette to his mouth and inhaled deeply before blowing the smoke toward her. “How about we wait with you? Keep you company?”
She shook her head. “Not necessary, but thanks.” Her throat was feeling tighter, her mouth very dry. He moved closer still, and the stench of stale cigarette smoke and sweat filled her nose. He reached out to touch her, but she took a step back. The bench behind her stopped her retreat, and his grin widened.
“The next bus won’t be here for another half hour, and the asshole dishing out the tickets took a cigarette break just a second ago.” He snagged a strand of her hair and gave it a hard enough tug that her head jerked to the side. “Girl, you got a mouth on you that was made to suck di—”
“Hey, punks, get the hell out of here.” The deep, scratchy voice to her side had the three guys stepping away from her. “If I see you loitering around here again I’m calling the cops.” They turned and all but ran in the other direction, and Ruby sagged in relief. She turned and looked at the guy that had saved her, and she realized he must have been the one they had said went on a smoke break. He wore a uniform with the bus company’s logo on it and had a cigarette hanging from between his lips. If he hadn’t shown up when he did … she shook her head because she wasn’t even about to go there.
“Kid, you better be careful. This is a shitty part of town, and not some place a young lady like you should be traveling alone, even if it is morning.” She licked her lips and nodded. She bent down and picked up the paper, pamphlets and her bag, and looked over at him again. He was probably in his fifties with a pot belly and a receding hairline.
“Thank you.”
He nodded, and looked down at the stack of papers she held. “If you’re looking for a place to stay that is relatively decent, you can check out Liberty Inn. It’s about a thirty minute walk from here. Or a cab can take you, but some of the cabbies will try and rip you off.” She nodded and offered him a wavering smile. Shouldn’t afford a cab, and certainly not if she got jerked around with the price. But walking sounded much better after being on that bus all night anyway. “Just take a left at the intersection up there.” He pointed to the main road that led off of the bus station property. “Follow that all the way down until you see the donut shop with the giant freckled girl statue. Take a right and you can’t miss it.” He took a long puff from his cigarette. “It ain’t the Hilton, but the sheets are clean and no one should bug you.” She nodded and gave her thanks once more, and headed to the main road. It seemed like her visit to the city of Fort Hampton was not starting off on the right foot.
It had taken her longer than she would have liked to find a motel for the night, mainly because she had ended up getting turned around, even if the bus station attendant had given her pretty straightforward directions. Ruby was used to crowds, used to filth and shoulder-to-shoulder bodies as she moved down the street, but Fort Hampton seemed ten times worse than where she had lived. She was pretty sure the few women she had seen on the side of one street corner had been prostitutes, and the numerous homeless people that had been sitting in the corners of alleyways and against the sides of buildings had looked half dead. She had known this city wasn’t the best place to live, but it was the biggest close to her, and the one where she’d most likely find work. She would travel tomorrow toward the better parts of the city, hoping to check out any positions she found in the classifieds.
She had ended up finding the Liberty Inn, and it pretty much matched the scenery she had experienced thus far. It was a dump, plain and simple, but it had a roof and four walls, and the older woman at the front desk had been nice.
She tossed her bag on the floor and looked around the room. There was a full-sized bed in the center of the room with a brown and what she assumed was once white comforter. A TV that looked twenty years old sat on a scarred dresser across from that, and the bathroom was on the other side of the small hallway. She took the bag of fast food to the bed and sat down. Her mother would have already realized she wasn’t coming home, or maybe she was too drunk or high to notice. Either way, she’d know eventually that she was all alone now. But Ruby knew that if her mother did care she wasn’t there, it was only because she wouldn’t be getting any more money. After she finished eating she spread the paper out on the mattress and grabbed a pen. Looking over the classifieds didn’t show much, mainly positions that she wasn’t qualified for. But she did see a couple secretary jobs, some positions for flipping burgers, and one for a maid. She circled all of them, set the stuff on the ground, and went over to the window.
The parking lot was riddled with potholes, a few rusted cars and trucks sat in some of the spots, and in the distance she could see the tall buildings that made up Fort Hampton. She was about to close the drapes, but the sight of something flashing on the main road had her glancing that way, and what she saw had her heart momentarily stopping. A black, gleaming stretch limo sat across the street. Cars moved back and forth, obstructing her view partially, but she could clearly see the limo. Was it the same one that creepy guy from the bus had gotten in? The likelihood of that was slim, but Ruby couldn’t help but feel the tightening of her skin, and a very strange sense of familiarity washed through her.
She closed the drapes and checked the locks on the door. She was tired from walking for so many hours this morning, and from the long bus ride. Sleep sounded heavenly. It would get dark soon enough, and with that limo out there, even if she knew it most likely wasn’t the same one she had seen this morning, Ruby didn’t want to put herself in a position that made her feel uncomfortable. She went over to the bed and lay down on it. For several seconds she just stared at the cracked and water-stained ceiling, but soon her eyes grew heavy, and she submitted to the temptation of sleep.
What woke Ruby was a soft clicking sound, but when she opened her eyes the room was dark, and she passed off the noise as a dream. She closed her eyes again, and soon the heaviness of relaxation took hold once more, but a noise right beside her, and the feeling of another presence in the roo
m had her eyes opening and her heart racing. Before she could react there was a stinging pain in the side of her neck, and then a flash of fire following that. She opened her mouth to scream, but someone clamped their hand over her mouth and nose. She struggled, God did she struggle, but even with her eyes wide open she couldn’t see a thing with the thick cloak of darkness. Flailing out her arms, hoping to connect with the intruder, she was able to slam her fist into the side of his face. There was a masculine grunt, and then he pressed his hand down harder on her mouth until her air supply became cut off and she felt on the verge of passing out. She couldn’t get any oxygen in, and it felt as though her heart would burst right through her chest. But then her limbs started to feel like they were filled with lead, and her head felt like it was becoming detached. This had nothing to do with the lack of oxygen, and everything to do with whatever he had injected her into her neck. Right before the drugs in her body completely claimed her, Ruby realized that her life before now would most likely seem like paradise.
* * *
A jarring motion roused Ruby, and she tried to blink but she quickly realized something covered her eyes. Her head felt funny, her stomach roiled, and every muscle in her body ached. Trying to move her arms proved they were bound behind her back, and when she tested her legs she realized they were in the same type of restraints. Everything came rushing back to her, and as if her memories brought the pain to the surface, her neck throbbed. Ruby took note of her surroundings, as much as she could with one of her senses diminished, and she knew instantly that she was in a vehicle. Given the fact she was laying on a hard metal ground, she assumed she was in a van or truck. She listened, but all she could hear was the vehicle moving. No one talked, and so she didn’t know how many people were in the vehicle with her, but although she couldn’t see, and knew someone was obviously driving, she also felt someone very close to her. That presence surrounded her, had fear slamming into her over and over again like a sledgehammer, and had her feeling sick.
Sucking in a great lungful of air only caused her belly to cramp even more, and she knew she was going to throw up. Ruby rolled onto her side and emptied the contents of her stomach. There was shuffling beside her and she tensed when someone jerked her over and forced her to sit up. The sound of something being opened preceded the feel of something being pressed to her mouth. Ruby turned her head, not knowing what they were trying to give her.
“You’d do good to behave.” The voice was deep and slightly scratchy. Whoever spoke was right next to her, and he grabbed her chin harshly between his fingers and jerked her head back around. “It’s water. Now drink it.” He pressed the bottle to her mouth again and tipped it back before she even had her mouth open. Some of the water got past her lips, but a lot of it spilled down her chin and covered her shirt. It went down the wrong tube and she coughed and gagged. She felt water spray out of her mouth, and when she heard the man curse she knew she had spit it all over him. Good, the bastard. “You fucking cunt.” Ruby braced herself for the hit that was inevitable, but another male voice, much sterner and filled with authority, came through.
“Don’t lay a hand on her. You mark up the merchandise and the price decreases. You already bruised her jaw, you fucking idiot.” The man beside her grumbled, but didn’t harm her. He pushed her back down on the hard floor, and fear kept her immobile. She didn’t know how long she lay there, keeping her mouth shut and just trying to listen to anything that would give her an idea of what was happening. Maybe she should have screamed, struggled more, but all she could think about was getting drugged again. After what seemed like hours the vehicle pulled to a stop, and the car doors opened and closed. There was a moment when all she heard was the sound of her frantic breathing. She felt the man’s presence still in the back with her, and knew he was watching her despite the fact she couldn’t see.
“Where are you taking me?” Ruby had no idea where she got the strength to actually ask the question, but it had been tumbling around in her head, and apparently just spilled free. She clamped her mouth shut, expecting pain for speaking, but only heard silence. She felt the man’s eyes on her even though all she saw was darkness, but he didn’t respond, and her fear grew. “Are you going to hurt me?” It was a foolish question since they had already hurt her, but pain was a very real fear, as was the unknown, and she knew that they could cause so much more of it. Her tears came out hard and strong, and their saltiness soon soaked the cloth that covered her eyes. The sound of deep murmurs right outside the vehicle was somewhat clear, but she could only grasp at parts of what was being said. She strained to hear more without looking like she was doing just that.
“She should fetch at least five digits. She’s got a good body, decent face, pretty young. If she’s still a virgin that price will jump exponentially, but she needs to be checked out thoroughly before we put her on the block.”
The voice was muffled, but Ruby could hear him clear enough. It didn’t take her long to realize what her fate was. She had seen enough shows about human sex trafficking to know that must be what they were talking about, and what they planned on doing with her. Something in her snapped as fear, survival, and adrenalin pumped through her veins. She cried harder and started straining against her bonds, kicking out even though her legs were bound. She probably looked like a fish out of water, but she didn’t care. All Ruby had on her mind was escape and survival.
Hands grabbed her upper arms, but she kept moving. She had to get out of here or she’d die. If this was what her life was, then she wouldn’t go down without a fight. Kicking both of her legs out again, Ruby renewed her strength when she came into contact with the man holding her down. She opened her mouth to scream, but the sound came out garbled. He smacked a hand down on her mouth hard enough that her eyes burned from the pain.
“You stupid fucking bitch.”
She continued to struggle, but he moved his hand from her mouth to her throat and pressed down hard enough that she struggled to breathe. It was the same sensation as when she was taken from the motel bed, and she tried to scream, even though the sound came out strained. With her hands tied behind her back she was helpless, and her crying only made the suffocating feeling worse. He tightened his hand on her throat, and a low laugh came from him as she struggled. The sound of a door opening came through her distress, and then suddenly she could breathe. Ruby sucked fresh, cool air into her burning lungs. Over her gasping she heard the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh. It was only seconds later that someone grabbed her bound feet and pulled her down. She cried harder and kicked out, but whoever had her jerked even harder until she was no longer in the van, but on the hard ground. The air whooshed out of her from the impact, and then she was violently hauled up. Her head was tugged back by the hair, and then someone gripped her chin and turned her head from side to side. A moment of silence passed.
“Decent body, if on the thin side, but she’ll look good with the others on the stage.”
“Please. Just let me go.” No one spoke after her begging, and instead she was thrust forward and into the arms of another man. “Please, just let me go home.” Ruby cried, begged and pleaded, but there was silence. “I won’t say anything to anyone, I swear.”
“Little girl, your home will be with whoever purchases you.” That had her blood chilling and her body tensing. She had assumed as much, but actually hearing it out loud made it solidify inside of her. There was a low, sadistic chuckle. “That’s right. You have no life anymore, and are just an object up for bid.” Before she could say anything else there was another sting in her neck, but this time the drug slammed into her fast and hard.
“Put her in the cargo hold with the others.”
That was the last thing she heard before she slumped forward and darkness was her only companion.
Chapter Three
Ruby hung her head and shuffled forward with the other females. She didn’t know where she was or how long she had been in captivity. Time had run together until she didn’t know if i
t had been days, or even weeks. All she knew was that after she had woken up the second time they had drugged her she no longer had the blindfold on, but was now bound and gagged, in what appeared to be a storage compartment on a plane, and with a handful of other females crammed inside, all in the same restrained manner.
After what felt like hours on the airplane they had finally landed. They had been blindfolded and hauled out as if they were nothing but worthless cargo. They had kept all of the women in one large room with no windows, only one exit that was always guarded, and a hole in the ground to be used as their toilet. They were made to sleep on stained and nasty-smelling mattresses on the floor, eat disgusting food that didn’t even look edible, forced to drink brown-tinted water, and wash in a communal shower room. The men that stood guard over them never touched or hurt them, just barked orders like they were dogs. They had taken her away once, drugged her, and restrained her to a table. But she had blacked out after that. She didn’t know what they had done to her and had woken up back on the disgusting mattress in the room with the other females. Images of them touching her while she was unconscious, of violating her had played through her mind. She hadn’t felt any differently, wasn’t sore, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that they had done something very wrong to her.
Even now, as she slowly moved forward in line, all she could hear was the screams of one of the girls that had dared to speak out. She had scratched and kicked at one of the men until they had taken her away, but it hadn’t been very far because Ruby had heard the woman’s screams as she lay there at night. It had seemed like forever before they brought her back to where the other girls were, and when they did Ruby had known that whatever they had done to her had broken a part of her. She had a distant look in her eyes, an almost lost expression. It was one of the most frightening things Ruby had ever seen.