--Attack--

Outskirts

Ella’s throat was dry, her body weak, and she could feel herself drenched in sweat. It was that feeling—the kind that sneaks up on you when you’re sick, when your body feels too heavy, like it’s sinking into the ground, and sweat hold onto your skin.

Her mind revolved in a haze, and she was dully aware that she was moving, even though she hadn’t opened her eyes yet. The world felt unstable beneath her, like she was being carried or dragged. She could feel her back pressed against something hard and moving, her body swaying with every bump.

She wasn’t fully awake, not yet. The light behind her eyelids told her it wasn’t dark anymore, but she couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes just yet. It took too much effort. The warmth of the above hit her skin, making her even more uncomfortable, and the dizziness rolled through her like waves.

Where am I?

Slowly, she forced her eyes open, squinting against the light. The sky greeted her first—burning orange and gold, the sun sinking slowly. She blinked, her vision swimming as she tried to focus. Faces loomed over her, women and and few kids. The faces around her were haggard, hollowed by fear and exhaustion. Their clothes with dirt smeared into the fabric as if they hadn’t had a chance to clean themselves in days—maybe weeks. They embraced to each other, some with tear-streaked cheeks, others with wide, haunted eyes. They looked broken.

A murmurs reached her, soft and unintelligible at first, until she could make out bits of what they were saying.

“What kingdom do you think she’s from?” one woman whispered.

"Such attire is unlike any I've heretofore witnessed in these lands," another said, looking at the front of her shirt. They weren’t markings—they were just the graphic on her favorite t-shirt, but here, it might as well have been some kind of alien symbol.

Her body was screaming at her to stay still, but her mind wouldn’t settle. She was burning up, her eyes felt raw, and her hands... Why do they feel like they’re on fire?

Suddenly, something caught her eye—a woman at the corner was holding her baseball bat, examining it strangely. The woman turned it over in her hands, frowning as she tried to figure out what it was. Then, to Ella’s horror, she watched the woman positioned it awkwardly between her legs, clearly confused about its purpose, as if trying to figure out whether it had some sort of... other use.

This time not from exhaustion, she had to close her eyes again but to fight the nausea that was creeping up from the motion of wherever they were going. She swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from vomiting as everything around her spun.

After a few moments, she forced her eyes open again, trying to sit up. The world lurched as she moved. She pressed her hand to her head, breathing heavily.

She blinked, her eyes on the wooden floor of the cage, trying to steady herself. She took in a few slow breaths before finally looking up. Everyone was staring at her like she was something strange.

They were all inside the cage. And Ella realized that just by now. She swallowed, trying to suppress the bile rising in her throat.

Beside their wooden cage, she noticed another cage, this one made of iron, rusted and scratched. Whatever was inside it was… furious. She could hear it thrashing, the cage rattling violently as it let out low, guttural sounds. It was big, whatever it was, slamming itself against the bars in rage. The cage shook so hard she thought it might break open, but somehow, it held firm. The men guarding it glanced at the cage nervously from time to time, though they made a point to keep their distance. They seemed to be carrying something—a bundle or object—which they slipped into a small hole in the cage. Whatever it was seemed to pacify the creature inside, though she could still hear it seething, its angry growls never quite fading.

Her eyes drifted to the men riding alongside the cages. One of them a brute of a man with a face that made her stomach churn. His skin was leathery, thick with scars, and his nose crooked as if it had been broken too many times to count. His mouth twisted into a cruel sneer, revealing yellowed teeth. He was riding a brown horse, his posture lazy, as if this whole thing was routine for him. He barked at the other man beside him, who was also on horseback. This one was just as grotesque—his face was marred by a massive X-shaped scar, his eyes cold and empty. A bow hung over his back, swaying as his horse moved.

"SILENCE that infernal noise," the first man growled gravelly. His companion grunted in response, moving toward the iron cage with a huff.

The cage she was in wasn’t the only one. As she glanced down the line, she saw at least three more cages, all of them with people inside—women, all looking just as terrified as the ones around her.

The sky, now a deepening orange, was slowly fading into twilight. Branches from the thickening forest began to block out what little sunlight remained, and soon the men riding with them lit torches.

It didn’t seem like they had any intention of stopping. The journey felt endless, and the forest loomed around them like a suffocating, blackened shroud.

Her head swam, her body feverish and weak, but what caught her attention next made her blood run cold. Some of the men were talking.

One of the riders laughed, his eyes looked on the cages. “Look at ‘em. Plenty of fine choices tonight, eh? That one there, with the brown hair… she’ll fetch a good price.” He grinned.

Fucking perverted men...

Another man, closer now, urged his horse forward and leaned down, running his thumb along the lips of one of the women in the cage next to Ella’s. The woman flinched, recoiling in disgust, but didn’t dare move away.

“Oi, stop it,” a gruff voice called from the front of the convoy. The man’s name was Vargo, from what she could hear. He didn’t sound like he had any noble intentions, though. “Unless you’ve got enough coin to buy one of ‘em for your chambers, hands off.” The other men laughed crudely at that with perverted intent. The men kept laughing, the dark humor only growing worse as they talked about buying women like they were livestock, about what they’d do with them once they had the coin.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

I’m one of them. She was being abducted, just like the others. I’m going to be sold. Her head spinning. Her hands clenched into weak fists, and she cursed inwardly, unable to voice her disgust.

But it was. She was just another body to them. Another price tag.

The nausea returned, stronger this time, and before she could stop it, she leaned over and vomited. Just dry heaving and the bitter taste of bile.

Her co-abductees was looking at her but she didn't mind them. She used at this everytime during her school travel trips. No difference. Disgust.

When it passed, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and realized no more blood stained. Her chest clenched all of sudden as she remember that old man. Sighed. She forced herself to sit back up. Then, she extended her hand toward the woman who had been holding her baseball bat. She couldn't bear to see it in someone's else's hands any longer so she finally opened her mouth.

“Give it back… the bat… it’s mine," she said hoarsely. The woman, startled by her tone, handed back the baseball bat without a word. "Don't get any wrong idea..." she adjusted her position, groaning slightly because of her weakened state and continued. "this thing...is a weapon."

Then, an angelic voice from someone here in the cage reached her ear. “Where are you from?” At first, she didn’t realize the words were directed at her.

While she felt the world was spinning, she lifted her head slightly, squinting through the dark. It was too dark to make out the woman’s face clearly.

“You must be today’s victim,” the woman said, the tone almost resigned, like she had seen this too many times before.

There was no reply but the woman didn’t seem to mind Ella's silent. She continued. “Everyone else in this cage… except you… we were all taken two weeks ago by those vile men. They’ve been moving us from place to place, never staying long. They’re waiting to reach the final destination. That’s where our value will be determined. Where we’ll be sold.”

This was real. They were being trafficked. And Ella was unlucky one among them too.

“They’ll appraise us, you see,” she said, almost as if it were routine. “Each of us will have a price, depending on how much we’re worth to them.”

“What is she talking about, sister?” a young girl spoke as she heard what the woman said.

That sister embraced her innocent younger sister without answering. But Ella spoke instead, "They...they want to use us to make dough. It's all about getting that money."

Silent.

Anyway...

Just as she was starting to vomit again, a strange sound came from the surrounding forest. It grew louder—a series of guttural sounds with much grunting and whimpering noises.

People panicked as they hear approaching sinister noises around.

"I'm scared, sister."

"W-What is that?"

While some people staring blankly.

"Monsters..." someone mumbled whose eyes fixed on something not yet visible from darkness.

For a moment, a hunched figures moving in the shadows, and as the creatures drew closer, she finally saw them in the torchlight. They were short, no taller than a child, with sickly green skin, elongated ears, and sharp, jagged teeth protruding from grinning mouths.

Are those...?

Their eyes gleamed with malice, and each one carried a makeshift weapon—crudely fashioned daggers, rusty swords, and a few primitive clubs. Their skin glistened with a greasy sheen, and their tattered clothes were a mix of scavenged rags and crude leather armor. Their movements were jittery, as if they were both excited and nervous at the same time.

It was exactly like something out of the fantasy novels she used to binge-read.

"Damn it... goblins?"

The goblins’ eyes darted to the cages, and Ella felt her pulse quicken. One of the creatures licked its lips, eyeing the women like they were part of some twisted treasure hoard. They hissed in their guttural language, one of them laughing and pointing toward the cages.

She had read about goblins a hundred times, but seeing them in real life, here, in the middle of a dark forest? That was something else completely.

“Oi! What are those little demons?” one of the men shouted, standing up on his horse and drawing his sword.

“T-They look like they crawled out of the pits of hell,” another man spat, unsheathing his own blade.

The goblins advanced. One of them, braver than the rest, reached through the bars of the cage where Ella was, its grubby little hands grasping at the air, trying to grab the young girl huddled in the corner. The kid whimpered, backing away as far as they could, but the cage left little room to escape.

"Ack!"

Meanwhile, Ella, forcing herself to move despite the dizziness. Her muscles screamed in protest, but she lifted her bat, poking the goblin square in the chest. "Back off, ugly!"

The goblin screeched in surprise, stumbling back and hissing at her like an angry cat. And the men charged forward, swords drawn. The goblins shrieked, scattering in all directions. One of the goblins managed to stab at a guard’s leg, but was quickly skewered by another man’s sword. The battle was brief but violent, with the goblins scrambling to fight back, only to be cut down by the well-armed men.

One of the perverted men from earlier, a goblin leaping onto his back with a screech. The man let out a high-pitched scream—far too shrill for someone who had acted so tough moments ago—flailing wildly as the creature clawed at him.

"Aargh, get them off me! Help me, I beg you! These wicked demons are attacking me from behind, and I'm in dire need of your aid!" he shrieked, stumbling as the goblin bit into his shoulder.

Another man rushed to help, using his torch to swat at the creature. The flames licked at the goblin’s skin, and with a piercing screech, it fell off the man, rolling on the ground in an attempt to put out the fire. Ella winced as the goblin’s skin sizzled, but she couldn’t look away.

This… this is insane.

She looked around, her eyes finding the man with the X-shaped scar on his face. He had his bow in hand, already nocking an arrow as if this was just another day in the woods for him. His eyes focused, calm in the chaos, as he took aim. Then, with a practiced smoothness, he let the arrow fly.

Swoosh

Thud

It struck one of the goblins square in the chest. He didn’t even pause before drawing another arrow, letting it loose just as another goblin tried to jump at him. The second arrow found its mark too, right between the goblin’s eyes.

But even with the archer picking them off, the goblins weren’t giving up. They kept coming. Some of the men were holding their own, but others weren’t so lucky. Ella watched as another man stumbled, his sword slipping from his hands as a goblin slashed at his leg. He fell to the ground, screaming as the goblin pounced on him.

Her stomach twisted. The world around her spun, and she swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from throwing up.

The battle continued around them, but after what felt like an infinity, the goblins finally started to retreat. The remaining men, panting and bloodied, stood tall, watching as the creatures slunk back into the forest, their glowing eyes disappearing into the night.

One of the men picked up a dead goblin by the leg, holding it up like it was some disgusting trophy. “What in the seven hells are these things doing here?”

"By the gods, I have never beheld such a creature so close to our secret route before. What manner of beast is this, I wonder, and how such a monstrosity came to be in these parts?" another man said, wiping his sword clean. “Filthy little vermin.”

Vargo, the leader of the group, grunted. "But it matters not, for it lies slain at our feet and we still draw breath. We shall not tarry here a moment longer - we must press onward, and not halt until we are firmly out of this forest."

The men mounted their horses, lighting fresh torches to replace the ones that had burned out in the chaos. And those abductees inside the cage were stunned and their fear increasingly more. While, Ella, still looking where the goblins went away, slumped back against the bars of the cage. Speechless.

Then, the cages continued to move.