Page 44 of Uprising

When we do come to a stop the silence around us is deafening.

Darius grabs my arm hauling me out of the car and I yelp as my feet find the sharp stones imbedded into the ground.

Behind us I can hear the other men, the taunts, the laughter, and the crying of the girl as she’s dragged along too.

I look up, I stare at the massive building in front of me.

“What is this place?” I whisper.

“You’re about to find out.” Darius says.

All around the perimeter are armed men. Dressed in black. With helmets and masks that seem to obscure their faces, twisting them into more monstrous manifestations than what they already are.

I shudder when I look at them but Darius ignores them all, walking past them as if they don’t exist.

Inside it’s barely warmer than outside.

The concrete floor soaks away what tiny bit of heat is left in my feet and they feel like ice blocks.

As the girl takes in the building she starts whimpering more, pleading, begging them not to do this, whatever this is. I think she knows what this place is, I think she understands exactly what’s going on while I’m still stuck, petrified but ignorant all the same.

We walk further in. My eyes dart about looking for some clue, looking for anything that will tell me what this place is and when we do come to a stop I gasp in horror.

In front of me are glass kennels like the ones a vet would have. Only they’re bigger. Much bigger. And inside, trapped inside are people.

I let out a cry. Darius tightens his grip but clearly this here is what he wanted me to see. Only I still don’t get it.

Why would he be locking people up like this? Surely we have prisons for criminals and none of these people look like they belong there. Some are children for fucksake.

“Do you know what this is?” Darius half whispers.

I shake my head.

“This is the main source of my wealth. Your father’s wealth too.”

“How?”

He grins. “What price would you put on a life?” He asks.

I frown, shaking my head more in confusion. What sort of a question is that?

“If Lara was sick, if she was dying, what would you do to save her?” He asks.

“Anything.” I say fiercely.

He nods. “Say she needed a new heart. They’re tough to come by. Hard to get a good match…”

My eyes dart to the people staring back at me. What the fuck is he saying right now?

“There’s a good market for it Rose.” He continues. “A very good market.”

“For what?” I ask.

“Organs.”

My stomach lurches. I think I’m going to puke. I try to pull my arm back but he yanks me hard into his chest.

“No you don’t.” He says, gripping my face, forcing me to stare back at the people he is all but selling like spare parts. “Look them in the eyes.” He states. “Each one of them pays for your lifestyle, for those jewels you have, those pretty dresses…”