Page 4 of DaR (Darverius, House of DaR #1)

Chapter Four

KIRA

I haven’t taken two steps away from the scanner when I feel something pushing me into a dark room.

No , it’s not really a room but appears to be a long hallway of sorts.

Hands materialize out of the walls, grabbing at me, forcing me forward to a light at the end.

A set of steps arise in front of me and I’m not sure I have the strength to lift my legs to walk up them.

I’m dehydrated, starved, and torn to pieces.

I want to lie down and wake up from this nightmare.

I put my foot on the first step and falter, falling forward. I barely catch myself before I slam face-first into the steps above me. Those dreaded hands are back on me again, yanking and pulling. But at least this time they release me as soon as my feet are back under me .

Blinding lights surround me as I stagger forward.

I instantly put my hands up trying to shield my eyes.

To my abject horror, I realize I’m standing on a stage or a platform of some sort, and all around me are more monsters.

I shut my eyes and pray for either a miracle or death; one or the other would be preferable.

The sounds blur together as different languages flow and surge by me. I catch random words here and there, but I can’t tell who or where they are coming from. What I do know is it’s not English I’m hearing, it’s clicks and growling noises.

There are others on this stage with me. The poor creature in front of me is short and thin, pink in color, and has long, pale hair hanging down her back.

She stands in front of me weeping, and I watch as large, green tears run down her face as she turns, looking around.

Apparently , no matter the species, no one wants to be ripped from their lives and subjected to this nightmare.

Looking further down the stage, I notice all of us seem to be female.

Not that it’s as obvious on some of them as it is on me.

I pull my long hair over my breasts and lower my hands, trying to cover myself any way I can.

I have never been one to flaunt my body in front of others and at my age, there are certain things that should remain hidden from the public eye.

But at this point, me being naked is the least of my worries.

I’m trembling all over when the noise gets louder, and I hear the females start to scream. One by one, we are pushed to the front of the room, where once again our bodies are subjected to whatever perversions the creatures in front of us want to perform.

I stand there, no fight left in me and watch helplessly as there become fewer and fewer of us left on the stage.

The noise starts to get worse and fights break out in the crowd.

Then the weirdest thing happens. I see a door slide open near the back of the room and something or someone extremely large consumes the light coming through it as it walks forward.

It’s as if the whole room turns to look at the newcomer, and you could hear a pin drop.

The only sound remaining is the girls who are left, crying.

If my face could have formed a smile, it would have been a big one.

It’s nice to see the beasts cower for a change, and their looks of terror is almost priceless in this room full of atrocities.

I feel that way up until the large form makes its way closer to the stage and me.

Whatever it is walks right up to the stage and stands there, looking at each one of us like we are all rare steaks on its menu. With a wave of a hand, the auction continues as if it was never interrupted.

As it walks away, I notice there is a huge axe fastened to its back and that shocks me because it’s a human weapon.

I watch warily as its large form settles against the wall closest to me.

Leaning back, it crosses its massive arms across its chest. It seems to swallow up the shadows around him.

Eerie , yellow eyes stare out into the crowd as it watches from the hood of the large black cloak covering his whole body.

Shoved forward, I turn away from the newcomer.

One after another in front of me are taken off the stage, some fighting, others weeping because they know all hope is lost. I’m next and the will to fight has left me; I have no tears left to shed.

I don’t even scream when I see the first set of alien hands reaching for me.

I’m torn up and bruised all over anyway. I mean hell, I’ve had my damn nipple torn off, and even my mouth was forced open to examine my teeth, for heaven’s sake. The only thing they haven’t done at this point is shove something inside of me, and I know that’s just a matter of time.

I feel my mind splintering from the pain and heartbreak of losing Rick .

Everything I ever loved or cared about in my life is gone.

I have nothing left to live for. Why did I ever get on that plane?

Why didn’t I listen to my inner voice? It kept warning me that something was wrong, but I was so excited to get away, I ignored it.

Now look where I am; standing on a platform, all torn apart, and my husband is dead. Some dream vacation.

I start to shake, and I feel numb and cold all over. My mind drifts back to the snuggles and laughter Rick and I shared the last few days before this hellacious trip.

The blood loss is making my mind foggy and I can’t stay focused on anything. I sway back and forth like a zombie, seeking something familiar. I start to hum softly to myself. The sound has always been soothing and I let it distract me from all of this vileness.