05-30-2014, 10:39 AM
The man opened the door and Connor’s first impression was sickening horror and disgust. A little boy, maybe nine, sat on a cot. His clothes were dirty and had tears in them. He was so young, baby fat still on his darkened cheeks. An image of Hayden flashed through his mind- dropping him off at school, Hayden with that big backpack walking to his class, turning around and smiling at him- and Connor felt rage burst into flame inside him. There was a man standing in the room- thankfully clothed- and wearing a biker’s helmet. The room stunk of sweat and dirt and feces and other things he recognized, the odors mingling into a concoction that swirled in his brain and made him breath harder, ready to fight.
Connor wanted to turn on the man, Baronej. Before he could, Baronej started berating the man in the helmet. “You can no invite others. You not Svane. You are-“
. He cut off as Helmet pulled out a wad of bills. This was Jensen? The man looked at the money for a moment, then back at Connor with a cruel leer. “I tell you as I tell him. You break, you buy. And that one,”
nodding to the little boy, “breaks easy.”
White flashed across his mind. Connor was about to slam the guy’s head into the doorframe- he wanted to hurt the man, to hurt someone so bad. His anger and loathing made him crave for it. But the man pushed past him and closed the door.
Connor looked at the man, stilling the rage in his heart. For some reason Jensen just stood there looking at him without taking the helmet off. It looked ridiculous, like he was wearing a tomato. And then the little boy got off the cot and came and stood behind Jensen, hiding behind his legs, fearful eyes peeking out, and Connor’s heart melted. Jensen tenderly cupped the back of the boys head and his gentle voice, muffled through the helmet, reassured him, "It’s alright. Remember the friend I said was going to help?"
The side door opened and four young girls peeked out, all early teens at best, bodies still more child than anything else. God, this place sickened him. These girls and the boy, appeared to be Indian, but then he heard other languages too in another room. How many were here?
Jensen stretched his hand out and Connor took it, shaking it weakly. They were standing in the middle of a nightmare, in the middle of hell. "Thank you for coming. I can't do this on my own."
Connor looked at him, decided to forego asking about the mask, and then looked around.
“Well, ok."
He took a breath. He couldn't believe this. "Then, if we’re going to do this, then let’s do it. Because it could get ugly really fast.”
He looked at the five kids. “Are these all of them?”
The kids, even the one behind Jensen’s leg, still looked scared. So he got down on one knee. “It’s ok buddy,”
he said quietly. God, I can’t believe people are doing this to kids. “It's ok. We’re here to help you get back to your mom and dad, okay?”
He smiled at him to reassure him and then looked at the girls each one in turn. “All of you. We want to take you back home.”
He looked at the girl who looked the oldest. “Is it just you five? Are there any more of you?”
The girl looked at Jensen and then back at him, then answered slowly, hesitantly. “I don’t know. There’s a lot of us. Different kids who speak different languages.”
She paused. “And sometimes they go away. And then there are new kids.”
Connor’s heart smoldered. If it was a coal, it would be smoking and glowing, ready to burst into flame. He stood up. “Ok, Jensen. What’s your plan?”
The man looked around for a moment at the kids in his charge, helmeted head moving slowly.
His muffled voice responded. “I didn’t really have a plan. I wasn’t sure how many there were.”
Connor thought for a moment. No plan. How were they going to get out of this? He went to the door and opened it quietly and peaked out. The corridor was clear, just an empty chair at the end opposite to the one he came in, a cup on the floor next to it.
He waved the oldest girl over and after a moment, she came and peeked out too. Quietly he whispered, “Is there a guard usually at that end of the corridor?”
“I think so. He’s the one with the pony-tail.”
She shivered. “He tells us to cry.”
The coal in Connor’s chest reddened. His heart was beating and he was breathing determinedly through his nostrils.
“Ok.”
He closed the door. He looked at Jensen. “I’m going to see if I can take care of that guard. Then maybe we can sneak out that back way.”
He looked at the kids and then nodded at Jensen, as if to say, You got this, man. Then he slipped out the door and crept to the end of the hall.
His heart was pounding so loud he could feel it in his ears. But his blood was hot. He put his ear to the door on the left and heard girl’s voices. Maybe that was it. A slap and a whimper to his right caught his attention. Carefully he made his way to the door and listened. A man’s, harsh and cruel in a language he didn’t recognize. He heard crying and his heart clenched. That cry, Oh God, that cry. It was primal, to respond to that cry. He’s face screwed up into a snarl and his heart thundered in his chest, his skin flushed and hot. He could not ignore that cry. He put his hand on the door knob and tested it carefully. It turned slightly, and he smiled grimly, breathing harder. He looked back down the hallway and hoped Jensen was getting the other kids together. This was going to go fast.
He got himself ready and turned the handle...
(jensen modded with permission)
Edited by Connor Kent, May 30 2014, 12:07 PM.
Connor wanted to turn on the man, Baronej. Before he could, Baronej started berating the man in the helmet. “You can no invite others. You not Svane. You are-“
. He cut off as Helmet pulled out a wad of bills. This was Jensen? The man looked at the money for a moment, then back at Connor with a cruel leer. “I tell you as I tell him. You break, you buy. And that one,”
nodding to the little boy, “breaks easy.”
White flashed across his mind. Connor was about to slam the guy’s head into the doorframe- he wanted to hurt the man, to hurt someone so bad. His anger and loathing made him crave for it. But the man pushed past him and closed the door.
Connor looked at the man, stilling the rage in his heart. For some reason Jensen just stood there looking at him without taking the helmet off. It looked ridiculous, like he was wearing a tomato. And then the little boy got off the cot and came and stood behind Jensen, hiding behind his legs, fearful eyes peeking out, and Connor’s heart melted. Jensen tenderly cupped the back of the boys head and his gentle voice, muffled through the helmet, reassured him, "It’s alright. Remember the friend I said was going to help?"
The side door opened and four young girls peeked out, all early teens at best, bodies still more child than anything else. God, this place sickened him. These girls and the boy, appeared to be Indian, but then he heard other languages too in another room. How many were here?
Jensen stretched his hand out and Connor took it, shaking it weakly. They were standing in the middle of a nightmare, in the middle of hell. "Thank you for coming. I can't do this on my own."
Connor looked at him, decided to forego asking about the mask, and then looked around.
“Well, ok."
He took a breath. He couldn't believe this. "Then, if we’re going to do this, then let’s do it. Because it could get ugly really fast.”
He looked at the five kids. “Are these all of them?”
The kids, even the one behind Jensen’s leg, still looked scared. So he got down on one knee. “It’s ok buddy,”
he said quietly. God, I can’t believe people are doing this to kids. “It's ok. We’re here to help you get back to your mom and dad, okay?”
He smiled at him to reassure him and then looked at the girls each one in turn. “All of you. We want to take you back home.”
He looked at the girl who looked the oldest. “Is it just you five? Are there any more of you?”
The girl looked at Jensen and then back at him, then answered slowly, hesitantly. “I don’t know. There’s a lot of us. Different kids who speak different languages.”
She paused. “And sometimes they go away. And then there are new kids.”
Connor’s heart smoldered. If it was a coal, it would be smoking and glowing, ready to burst into flame. He stood up. “Ok, Jensen. What’s your plan?”
The man looked around for a moment at the kids in his charge, helmeted head moving slowly.
His muffled voice responded. “I didn’t really have a plan. I wasn’t sure how many there were.”
Connor thought for a moment. No plan. How were they going to get out of this? He went to the door and opened it quietly and peaked out. The corridor was clear, just an empty chair at the end opposite to the one he came in, a cup on the floor next to it.
He waved the oldest girl over and after a moment, she came and peeked out too. Quietly he whispered, “Is there a guard usually at that end of the corridor?”
“I think so. He’s the one with the pony-tail.”
She shivered. “He tells us to cry.”
The coal in Connor’s chest reddened. His heart was beating and he was breathing determinedly through his nostrils.
“Ok.”
He closed the door. He looked at Jensen. “I’m going to see if I can take care of that guard. Then maybe we can sneak out that back way.”
He looked at the kids and then nodded at Jensen, as if to say, You got this, man. Then he slipped out the door and crept to the end of the hall.
His heart was pounding so loud he could feel it in his ears. But his blood was hot. He put his ear to the door on the left and heard girl’s voices. Maybe that was it. A slap and a whimper to his right caught his attention. Carefully he made his way to the door and listened. A man’s, harsh and cruel in a language he didn’t recognize. He heard crying and his heart clenched. That cry, Oh God, that cry. It was primal, to respond to that cry. He’s face screwed up into a snarl and his heart thundered in his chest, his skin flushed and hot. He could not ignore that cry. He put his hand on the door knob and tested it carefully. It turned slightly, and he smiled grimly, breathing harder. He looked back down the hallway and hoped Jensen was getting the other kids together. This was going to go fast.
He got himself ready and turned the handle...
(jensen modded with permission)
Edited by Connor Kent, May 30 2014, 12:07 PM.