After Humanity

Chapter Eight

Rachel

Rachel spent the night in and out of a troubled sleep. Unable to find comfort in her cramped prison, slumber continued to elude her, the haunting echo of the boys' screams range in her ears, the smell of blood still stuck in her nose. Rachel could not help but wonder how long it would be before the same fate found her. It seemed as if she had barely closed her eyes for a few minutes before the sound of the creaking door woke her and light flooded the room. Rachel feigned sleep at the sound of heavy footfalls walking towards her cage, hoping to avoid her new waking reality as long as possible. But fluttering her eye lids she could see Gifre standing over her, a scowl on his lips. Apparently he was not fooled by her act.

"Wake up," he ordered as he kicked the bars.

Rachel closed in on herself even more as his boot kicked the cage again.

"I know you can hear me girl. Wake the hell up!"

Seeing no other option, Rachel opened her eyes obediently and the man tugged the door of her cage open, grabbing ahold of her hair, in an attempt to drag her out. Rachel crawled forward on her hands and knees. Every once of her ached from both the slaver's beating and the confined space in which she had been trapped through the night. When Gifre pulled Rachel to her feet, her legs felt unstable, wobbling beneath her body like jelly.

"Look sharp human," he said eying her critically. "Your new owner has come for you early." 

Rachel said nothing as he tightened the ropes around her wrist, though she winced as fibers dug into the already raw skin. As Gifre gave a great tug on the rope, Rachel felt her legs slip out from under her and she fell to the ground face forward. Her arms shot out to stop her fall and the pain radiated through her body as her elbows and forearms made contact with the hard cement floor. The slaver had no sympathy.

"Get the hell up!" he demanded.

Rachel did her best to comply, but with her bound hands and aching limbs, the seemingly simple task was not easy. Not that Gifre had no patience for her struggle. Eager to get her to his customer, the sibla grabbed the collar of Rachel's dress and forcefully hoisted her up from the ground.

"Do try to stay erect," he said irritably. "Want to make a good impression on your new master don't you? I need the second half of his payment human, and if you do anything to keep me from it I swear you will suffer."

Rachel nodded. When he tugged on her rope again she did her best to keep herself steady, walking awkwardly as the feeling in her legs began to return.

Gifre lead her through a series of doors until they came to what appeared to be some sort of office. She recognized the man standing in wait immediately as the buyer. Rachel could feel his eyes boring down on her as Gifre pushed her towards him. The cold pale blue gaze that made the hair on her arms stand on end. Her stomach sank as he frowned in disapproval and she pulled her head down, trying as much as possible to escape his stare.

"What in the world did you do to her?" the sibla man asked angrily. Rachel cringed as he reached out and snatched her chin in his hand, her heart beating quickly as he examined her swollen eye. Tears dripped down her cheeks and his frown only deepened. "She is even more skittish than she was just yesterday!" he said releasing his grip, and turning his anger towards the slaver.

"We only followed your orders," Gifre answered defensively. "When she resisted we had no choice but to use force to make the animal comply."

The man looked at Rachel and then back to the slaver. 

"This creature weighs less than 50 pounds. I highly doubt much force was necessary to give her a simple bath and see her fed and clothed."

"Well she's your problem now," the slaver replied. "Perhaps you will have better luck with her."