CHAPTER TWO.

ELEANOR’S POV.

 

 I tried to open my eyes but couldn’t as my head reeled badly, my body sore from the everyday run and hunt for food.

 

Ahhhhh!.

 

I heard a scream, so painful and deafening to the ear. I brought my right palm closer to my forehead to feel my temperature and paused, my hand hurting and hanging midway. I felt something strapped around my right wrist and tried to wave it off with my left to find out it was the same. 

 

 I quickly tore my eyes apart and gasped, the sight in front of me sending shivers through my spine. The whole place was dark, so dark that the only lights visible were those emanating from the fires sitting in the sticks on the wall. 

 

I looked around to figure out where I was since I remember vividly passing out in the woods.

 

But this wasn’t the woods. It was like I had teleported somewhere else or maybe to the past where slavery was rampant, or maybe this was a bad dream I was stuck in.

 

I heard the loud screech again; this time, I could make out where it was coming from due to the loud sound of the whip that had landed on her.

 

Fiam!.

 

It landed on her again, and she yelled loudly, her voice emanating from the next cell. I guessed and clenched my teeth.

 

However, I wasn’t the only one here. With me were different people of different sizes, shapes, and ages. It made me wonder how we all got here.

 

 I watched the gate to the cell open, and a hefty scary-looking man walked in with what looked like a whip in his hand, filled with thorns and sharp edges. I watched as the ones in front scurried backward, toppling over one another, their hands and legs still chained to the floor, to escape the grasp of this scary man. At this point, I was glad I was at the last end. They sobbed and pleaded that he doesn’t pick them, but he seemed to love the hype as he grinned and toyed with them by bending over and pretending to want to pick one and then face another. 

 

Asshole!.

 

I cussed inside my head, hating that he found joy in something of such.

 

“Gotcha!.” He exclaimed in a husky voice, then followed a dry laughter. He grabbed onto a cellmate with his right hand and pulled her up. “You should do.” He said, his eyes examining her. He let the cuffs free and pulled her closer, holding her tightly. 

 

 I watched her beg and plead to live, and my heart ached in pity. My stomach clenched in anger, and I felt the strong urge to storm forward and throw punches in his face. Felt the urge to kick his balls and watch him beg for mercy too, beg to live but I knew that was impossible because I wanted to live too and maybe one day I might be at his mercy too, if not his, then that of another.

 

The thoughts of what he would do to her ran wild through my mind. I was so curious to know what my “soon-to-be” fate would be.

 

Was he going to kill her? Sell her, maybe, or was it to feed her to their animals? Or maybe to butcher like meat and feed on her themselves.

 

Thousands of thoughts ran through my head. I had heard of cannibalism but never have I witnessed one. Back when we were kids, Lucien used to tell stories to Diana and me, and he once told us one about a cannibalistic pack that fed on Wolves like themselves.

 

Was this one?

 

I wonder, beads of sweat breaking out on my face. I wanted to give myself the hope that Lucien had changed his mind and was now out there searching for me but deep down, I knew that could never be true.

 

I watched the door close and lock with his new prey clutched tightly. The blood on my face was drying.

 

“You will get used to it soon.” I heard a masculine voice say from beside me and turned around to look at the older man sitting right next to me, his eyes weak and he looked tired. He looked like he was in his fifties or more, maybe.

 

“Pardon!.” I respond, my brain unable

 

He chuckled dryly, then followed by a short cough.

 

“I noticed you looked so scared to witness that, but I guess it’s because you are new here.” He replied and looked in the other direction before looking back at me as though he was trying to hide from something.

 

“Is that what happens every time?.” I asked curiously to know what fate lay in front of me.

 

“No. Just most days, child.” He responded, which prompted me to ask the next question.

 

“How did you get here? Who are these people, and what do they want? What do they do with their prey? And why are we here?.” I blabbed. 

 

“One question at a time, child.” He said, then cleared his throat. “ I will start with who they are. They are called the ‘Silver Stone pack’. Ruthless and scary, full of evil and very powerful, the people fear them. About how I was captured, hmmm, that's a very long story, child. I had left my house and family to search for what to eat and feed them in the woods because of the famine my town was experiencing. I had settled for animal hunting and had gone with my gun, my heart hoping and praying that I get at least prey good enough to last us days before I headed out to hunt again. Never did I know I would be the prey instead and that I would be the one hunted. All I can remember is hearing their voices from where I stood, and then they found out and hit me till I blanked out. I woke up to find myself here and since then I have learned to live this way. I sometimes wonder how my children and wife must be fairing, but I am at least glad they are not here.” He narrated, and I felt sad for him. “ I think they go around capturing people as enslaved people. About what they do with their prey, no one knows. We watch them leave, and they never come back.” He ended.

 

“Really?. Have you never bothered to know what they do with them?.” I asked curiously.

 

“Bothered!.” He scoffed. “ I have been here for five years now, and not bothering has saved my ass so no, I am not bothered plus, I am so used to it now.” He said in a low tone that one would almost mistake for comfort, but I could sense his sadness and the pain in his voice. 

 

“Five years!.” I exclaim in shock, trying not to make my voice heard so I wouldn’t get caught by whatever he was trying to avoid. “Why?.” I question.

 

He paused for a while as though thinking of what to respond with.

 

Five years!

 

I replay again in my head.

 

Did that mean that I would stay here that long too?. Maybe for five years, ten years or maybe even more? Does that mean I would never see the beauty of the rising sun again?

 

I thought, my heart beating rapidly out of fear.

 

“Why? Isn’t the question, child. How I managed to survive this long is. I have seen the ones I met here get pulled out and taken, and I have seen the ones that come after me witness the same fate. They go out of here and never come back. I would say all thanks to the moon goddess for keeping me safe.” He mouthed weakly.

 

I chuckle softly, irritated by how easily he has accepted this terrible fate.

 

“Moon goddess!.” I scoff and roll my eyes. “I think it’s just pure luck, Sir. The moon goddess has nothing to do with your rescue or safety. I doubt that she even cares about anyone other than herself.” I respond scornfully.

 

I hear him laugh dryly.

 

“You are naive, child.” He said weakly, and I wanted to scream and shout at him what ordeal the so-called ‘moon goddess’ had made me go through, but instead, I kept mute and watched him speak. “The goddess watches over her child, but that doesn’t mean they will be without troubles plus…….” He was saying but paused on hearing the door open again.

 

I watched as three men walked in, each dressed in the same uniform. One was hefty, and the two looked petite, like men I could battle out. They had tested in their hands and soon they placed it down on the floor and passed the plates of food in them to those in the front row who passed to the back and soon it circulated. When they were done, they picked the empty trays up and walked out of the cell, locking it again. 

 

No water, just food.

 

“I doubt that I can call this food,” I mutter as I stare at the vomit in front of me, the whitish sticky mixture laying on the plate, in front of me. The poison they expected us to eat.

 

“How can they feed us this?.” I said, complaining to my newly found friend and cellmate and watched a smile break out on his lips. It almost made me wonder if he was a mad one and if that was why they spared him all this while because they dreaded that he would spread the madness through his meats. Because if not, who laughs at something this serious?

 

He dug his dirty fingers into his plate and scooped some up, dumping them into his mouth. The dried particles of the food from before sticking to his fingers.

 

“It’s not that terrible, you see. It might have a bitter taste and a bad smell, but you will get used to it soon; after all, no one wants to starve.” He replied and ran his tongue over his fingers and between them, licking every single drop off.

 

 I looked at him irritably, then at others as they all devoured the food hungrily, and landed my eyes back on the food right in front of me. I dug my right second finger into it and scooped up a little, proceeding to shove it into my mouth and down my throat. I felt my stomach clench tightly as though rejecting being poisoned, then let out a big sound, threatening to send vomit through my throat, out of my body. 

 

I knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t eat this. I might have starved and might have eaten all manner of things to survive in the woods but this, this I could not do. I would rather starve and die, maybe. Maybe that would prevent me from going through whatever ordeal those who go out face.

 

“I will pass,” I informed him and pushed the food forward, away from me, then rested my back against the wall, ignoring the loud rumbling sound my hungry stomach was making. My lips and tongue dry.

 

“If you say so.” He responded and stretched his hand forward to drag the food over, letting the chain dig into his skin as he did. His hand was nowhere close to it but he kept stretching rather than asking me to push toward him. I wanted to help, but I didn’t since he didn’t ask that I do.

 

 Soon he succeeded and poured mine into his plate then started to scoop them into his mouth.