Slave

What… was happening to him.

There was a clink, a grating of metal on metal as the gate opened and Gab was thrown inside, struggling to shield Mel as he rolled over the stone.

Another rasp of metal as the gate closed, leaving Gab and the little girl in a darkness filled with barely discernible shapes and strange sounds.

The smell was terrible, an overwhelming combination of sickness and bodily waste trapped beneath the cramped ceiling and crumbling masonry.

Blinking he began to make out figures moving around him, most huddled around the edges of the pen.

Humans? No..

They looked wrong, with warped or elongated limbs, twisted faces or bodies that seemed more beast than human, each with a scar ringing their neck.

The little girl clutched Gab closely as the strange dreamlike state left them, her eyes wild and frightened.

“Gab. Scared.”

Her voice began to shake.

“Where Sis?”

“She’s…She’s…” Gab felt the words freeze in his throat, his face contorting in grief.

Seeing the look on his face Mel began to cry, wailing at the top of her lungs.

“It’s ok, you’re going to be ok.” Gab said, rocking the little girl desperately to try and calm her as the other creatures in the pen made rough noises, growing more and more agitated.

“Awoo.” A gentle noise sounded beside gab as a woman knelt beside the little girl, her features a mishmash of human and a canine.

Gab shielded the little girl, watching the woman warily as her tail dropped between her legs.

“Yooh.” She cooed gently, pressing a piece of mouldy bread into the little girl's hands as she patted her head.

Gab slumped back against the wall in relief.

It was working.

Mel’s wails slowly turned to sniffling as the woman stroked her hair with gentle cooing noises, her tail wrapping around her comfortingly.

He felt his breathing slow as he watched Mel reach up and tug on the animal-like ears and tail of the beast woman.

The beast woman only smiled as she did.

Clank.

A rasp of metal and the gate opened once more, filling the pen with light from behind the silhouette of the demon, his finger pointing directly at Gab.

He uttered a word and the two demi humans at his side entered the pen, striking any of the slaves that were too close as they grabbed a hold of Gab and wrenched the little girl from his arms.

“No.”

He struggled futilely against the massive demi humans until they slammed him against the stone floor, his vision blurring as he watched the beast woman scamper to pick up the little girl and pull her to safety.

Mel.

As he was carried from the pen his one solace was the sight of the beast woman cradling the little girl in her arms, tearing the least mouldy parts of the bread off and putting them into the little girl's mouth.

…

“Rihh.”

A regal demon sat on a twisted mimicry of a throne, a multitude of broken bodies merging together to form a seat, faces locked in an eternal expression of agony.

He gestured for Gab to be brought forward, sickeningly perfect face devoid of expression as they held Gab before him.

And then, almost lazily he reached forward and tapped Gab’s forehead sharply, the sensation echoing within his skull like electricity.

Gab fell to the floor as he began to convulse, the hissing sounds of the demons swirling around his mind, slowly contorting themselves into words and understanding.

“So.” The demon reached down to grab his sweaty head by the hair, lifting Gab’s eyes to his own. “The gift of tongues has been given.”

He released Gab’s limp head, wiping his hand in disgust. “The beast is intelligent enough for that at least.”

Reclining back in the throne with an expression of boredom he nodded to the demi humans who pulled Gab to his knees.

“Human.” He asked. “Can you use magic?”

Gab shook his head, compelled to respond by some unknown force.

“Can any of your kind use magic?”

Again Gab shook his head.

“Strange.” The demon frowned down at him, gesturing at one of the demihumans who left the room before turning away and leaning indolently on his hand.

Gab followed his gaze, past the lanterns lining the balcony and out towards a dim sky spotted with the tips of jagged towers.

The silence of the chamber was broken only by the wind whistling through the open room, sounding like the wailing of tormented souls.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound of footsteps and the demi human returned holding Mel’s tiny body by the neck, her eyes wide, too terrified to cry.

Mel.

“No.” Gab struggled to stand before the demon once again grabbed his head, looking into his eyes.

“Can any of your kind use magic?” The demon repeated ominously.

“It doesn’t exist...”

Frowning, the Demon dropped his head, nodding to the demi human.

“Begin.”

Without hesitation the demi human dropped the girl, kicking her with a nauseating crunch of bone.

“Can any of your kind use magic?” The demon repeated ominously.

“No we can’t..” Gab begged, “Please.”

The demon nodded and the little girl was struck once more.

“Let her go.” Gab screamed, stumbling deliriously to his feet and rushing to the demi human with a fist raised.

The man on the throne lowered a finger, dropping it to the floor along with Gab's body as if the two were linked by some unseen thread.

“As the others. Truly nothing. Not a hint of suppression.” Whispered the demon on the throne, leaning back in disappointment. “It seems… the invasion shall provide no amusement at all.”

The demon at his side nodded, looking down at Gab’s body crushed against the floor. “And the beast?”

“With the other slaves.” The demon said as Gab was carried away once more, watching in stunned horror as the little girl’s lifeless body was thrown to skulking horrors in the shadow without a hint of feeling.

“A truly sorry species.”

…

Gab stumbled against the cage as he was pushed into the slave pen, the light fading away a moment later as the demon left.

“Sorry.”
He felt a woman's hands clutching at his clothes, the beast woman's face wet with tears as she grabbed a hold of him, shaking uncontrollably.

“Your puppy they, they….”

Gab felt a rush of hatred towards the woman, raising his hand to push her off.

This was her fault

“Why didn’t you protect her?” He yelled, deaf to her pleading apologies.

“So sorry.” She whispered again.
He grabbed a hold of her arm to tear her away, freezing as he felt something wet on his hand.

I see…

There was blood under her broken fingernails where she had clawed at someone, dripping from her bruised face and mangled body.

…He didn’t hate the woman, she had done more to protect the girl than he ever had.

He slumped numbly down to the floor, arm wrapping gently around the woman as she sobbed uncontrollably against him.

He hated himself.