SmashedGourd

Untitled MonStar Slave Short

Jul 26th, 2017
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  1. The door of the cellar swung open with an ancient groan as he stepped down into the darkness. Behind his mask, he grimaced as the foul stench of rot wafted up from beneath him, fecund and unforgiving. His light pierced the pitch black around him, revealing decrepit concrete crumbling before the pressure of time. Down further he went, the steps creaking in protest as he finally found flat ground under his boots.
  2.  
  3. He turned his rifle with seasoned caution as he held back a gasp. The light shone upon flesh long since rotten, several different species he could not discern lying in a pile of carrion. He heard a sound behind him and swiveled, his weapon snapping to the source of the disturbance.
  4.  
  5. She was crumpled in a heap on the floor before him, sobbing faintly to herself as she curled up under the harsh glare. A brittle iron chain, coated with sharp rust connected to the heavy collar responsible for the bruises on her neck, the other side hooked to a ring in the wall. Even as she tightened her body, he could see her ribs poking against fresh scars on her abdomen. Shudders of cold shook her pained gasps as she rolled towards the wall, her gray skin almost ashen white in the artificial light.
  6.  
  7. He wanted to vomit.
  8.  
  9. The chain broke easily before the force of his boot and hands, the feeble links snapping with a pop. She said nothing even as he took her in his arms, no longer able to protest any action. She whimpered as his hands found their way to her back, holding her aloft. He looked down at her pained expression.
  10.  
  11. Frail. So very frail.
  12.  
  13. The other men rushed to him, and he felt her press into him in fear as they shouted and gasped, a gaggle of voices and questions surrounding him. He shook his head with a gushing motion and stepped forward, handing her off to a paramedic with a solemn face. He watched in silence as they braced her against a stretcher, commands and hand signals flying between them as various tubes and vials were procured from the drawers of an ambulance bay, the girl's naked form shivering in the wind as they pushed her up into the back.
  14.  
  15. He'd done all he could.
  16.  
  17. And he prayed.
  18.  
  19. ---
  20.  
  21. His coffee met his lips hot and slightly sweet as his gaze swept across the papers from the morning, headline after headline still raging about the accomplishments of the department. His icy blue eyes darted to the wastebasket as he dropped the news into it, still glancing at the big one from two weeks ago as it sat on the edge of his desk.
  22.  
  23. 'Slave House Raid Successful, 23 Monsters Saved.'
  24.  
  25. He sighed and scratched his beard even as the chief stopped by his office.
  26.  
  27. "Hey, Davis, good news!"
  28.  
  29. He looked up with one cocked brow. "Hmm?"
  30.  
  31. "You remember that lizard girl you pulled out of the basement a few weeks back? Her host family just pulled up!"
  32.  
  33. The faintest hint of a smile crept onto his face as he stood.
  34.  
  35. "I thought you'd want to see them," the chief said. "Let's go." The two walked past the miniature maze of cubicles and phone calls and into the main hall of the station.
  36.  
  37. "I'm amazed people are still showing up to take these folks in," the chief espoused as they walked. "After the Migration and everyone getting used to the whole alien species thing, you'd think it'd die down a bit, especially with all these trafficking rings."
  38.  
  39. He let out a small grunt in response.
  40.  
  41. "Heh. Shoulda figured you wouldn't have any comments," the chief laughed. "But seriously, so many people just adopt these kids like it's common courtesy. I hate that we can't give them more than a couple of weeks before we put em' in the system and hand them off, but we're not running an orphanage."
  42.  
  43. He nodded in agreement.
  44.  
  45. "I thought people wouldn't want anything to do with 'em,but now it's almost second nature to see one or two of them in every other family. I guess most of them being sent as children helps, but still." The two turned the corner into the main lobby, where a Latino boy and his parents sat waiting patiently.
  46.  
  47. "There they are," the chief said with a wave of his finger. "Diaz family. Pretty well-off, the dad's some kinda artist or something. She should be happy with them. We got her out of the slave mentality faster than most, so let's hope they can get her settled." Their eyes snapped to the door on the other side of the lobby as it swung open.
  48.  
  49. His jaw formed a tight line as she stepped out, wrapped in the blanket they'd given her. She'd clung to it on the first few nights during her night terrors, screaming with everything her feeble body could muster then as she thrashed. They'd only gotten her to give it up last night so it could be washed. She looked fuller than when he last saw her, her tail no longer reed-thin as if poked out from beneath the thick black dress she'd chosen. Her skin has darkened back to its proper gray, showing a mild blush as she hid her lower face behind the blanket. The family got up as she rounded the counter and met them in the center of the lobby.
  50.  
  51. "Davis, you alright?" the chief said as he noticed the scowl on his face. He said nothing as he saw the boy step forward, and raised his arms. He saw her eyes fill with fear for a moment, her body paralyzed, before she relented and embraced him in tears, the parents moving to join them as she heaved and sobbed against them. He smiled and sipped his coffee again.
  52.  
  53. "I'm fine, boss. Just fine."
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