World of Terror

I woke up, barely able to see in the darkness. My throat burned, and my sides ached with every breath. The air smelled of rotten fish and ammonia, twisting my stomach.

Crying and shouting came from every direction.

"Woah!"

 "Help!"

"I wanna go home!"

I tried to sit up but couldn't. My body was too weak. That's when I felt someone clutch me tightly, shaking and crying softly against my chest.

"Wh… who?" I croaked, my voice raw and painful.

"Lu-Lucian?" the voice sobbed. "I thought you were dead." Then she broke, sobbing louder as she wrapped her arms around me.

I blinked, slowly recognizing her. It was Lizzy, terrified.

"Lucian?" she whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… okay," I whispered, though I didn't feel it. I reached up and gently patted her back, trying to soothe her.

When I finally managed to sit up, I looked around. We were trapped inside a large iron cage that creaked as the water beneath gently rocked it. The wooden floor was wet. A single torch flickered on a nearby wall, casting dim light over the space. We must have been on a ship.

In the flickering light, I saw other cages too, filled with children and adults. Some cried, others stared silently, their eyes empty. The whole place felt cold and hopeless.

"Wh-what day is it?" I asked, voice rough and low.

"I don't know," she whispered, still clinging to me.

"It's been three days," a man's voice said from the next cage. "Three days since we were shipped."

I turned toward him. He was older, maybe in his thirties, but looked tired and beaten down. I didn't know him, but I recognized that look on his face—hopelessness.

Far above, I heard footsteps—loud, heavy, approaching.

The iron door groaned open, and a blast of cold air swept through the dim cargo hold.

A large man descended the stairs, boots thudding against the metal with each step.

He carried a wooden tray stacked with bowls and a cloth sack slung over one shoulder. He said nothing as he walked down the row of cages, his face hard and expressionless, eyes dull as if this were just another chore.

When he reached our cage, he stopped. Without looking at us, he tossed a piece of hard bread through the bars. It landed near my feet, damp from the floor. Then he pushed a shallow bowl of watery soup through the gap, some of it sloshing onto the wood.

I reached for it slowly, careful not to seem like a threat.

Behind us, a child began crying again—loud and panicked.

The man turned sharply. "Quiet!" he barked, slamming the tray against the bars of the nearest cage. The crying didn't stop fast enough.

Without hesitation, he stormed toward the source of the sound. There was a scuffle, shouting, metal clanging, then the thud of something heavy striking flesh. The child screamed, then the scream was cut short.

A heavy silence fell over the cages.

The man slammed the tray one last time, then walked away without a word.

The only sound was the flicker of the torchlight.

…

More days passed before the ship finally docked somewhere—some kind of island, I think. I had no idea where we were, but the second I stepped off, I could tell this place was different.

The clouds were black with a reddish hue, hanging low all around the island.

The port looked like a battlefield. Buildings were half-collapsed, their walls cracked and blackened. Some structures were patched with wood or torn cloth. Dead bodies floated near the docks, bobbing gently in the water like trash.

Even so, people were still living in this kind of environment.

Pirate and merchant ships sat docked along the water, their sails tattered and stained. Some traders had set up makeshift stalls nearby, selling strange things: unknown body parts, stones, charms, and other things I didn't recognize.

We were herded into another cage with other kids who were screaming and crying, while a strange flightless bird dragged us along the ruined road. Its skin was leathery, and its eyes glowed faintly.

"Lucian, I'm scared," Lizzy whispered, her hand trembling in mine.

"I know," I said quietly, keeping my eyes on the road ahead. "Just hold my hand."

As we were dragged toward what looked like a town, I started to notice the details.

The buildings were stacked close together, leaning like they might collapse at any moment. Some were made of stone, others of scavenged metal or rotting wood. Rusted signs hung crookedly above doorways. Strange symbols were scrawled across the walls in faded paint.

Thin, pale faces watched from the shadows. Some looked sick. Others looked hollow. No one said a word.

But not all of them were the same.

Some looked like guards, wearing mismatched armor with weapons strapped to their sides. Their faces were hidden behind masks, and they moved silently, patrolling.

A little farther down, I saw a group dressed in heavy robes, their heads bowed. They stood in a circle in the middle of the street, murmuring in a language I didn't recognize. I felt something cold brush against my thoughts just watching them.

There were pirates too—tattooed, loud, and drunk, laughing as they tossed bones into the dirt like dice.

A group of young people, wild-eyed and armed with everything from pipes to blades made of sharpened scrap, leaned against a wall. They laughed as we passed, spitting at the cages, shouting things I couldn't understand.

Suddenly, someone threw a knife.

It barely missed me—but hit the kid next to me. He screamed, clutching his side as blood poured out everywhere.

"Shut the fuck up, kid!" one of the drunk pirates yelled. "I'm losing!"

"You damaged the goods!" shouted the big man guarding the cage.

He charged at the pirate, ready to strike. But as soon as his hand lifted, the rest of the pirate group closed in around him. The air filled with shouts and the sounds of fists hitting flesh, and the clatter of weapons echoed as the crowd spilled blood. Nearby, others grabbed sticks and stones, rushing into the fight. The ground shook beneath their feet with every heavy step and fall.

It turned into an all-out brawl.

Lizzy grabbed me, covering her eyes. Her body shook against mine, barely holding it together.

The guards didn't stop it. They just stood there, watching the scene.

And then the carriage slowly began to move again, rattling over the broken streets, carrying us deeper into the town.

…

We stopped at a large, broken-down warehouse. The roof had holes in it, letting in pale light that barely touched the floor. The tall concrete walls were stained with black scorch marks and dark red smears.

The place was filled with cages of all kinds. Some held people: men, women, even children. Others held beasts. Some were small and others massive, their glowing eyes barely visible in their cages.

The screams were everywhere. Some were loud and panicked, others weak and full of pain. It was a terrible sound that made my skin crawl. My chest tightened, and my breath turned shaky. This place was horrible. It smelled like blood, sweat, and something rotten.

My heart pounded hard. A chill crept down my spine.

Then a man walked up to our cage.

He had a thick coat, a deep scar on his cheek, and eyes that looked like they hadn't felt anything in years. He stared at us for a moment, then pointed.

"Get the girls. The buyer's waiting," he said coldly.

The guards opened our cage and grabbed Lizzy and four other girls. Lizzy screamed and reached for me.

"Lucian! Don't let go!" she cried.

I grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

"I won't!" I shouted. But a guard slammed his boot into my side, knocking the air out of me. I hit the floor hard and gasped in pain.

"What a sweet little lovebird," the man said, laughing.

They dragged Lizzy away while she kicked and screamed. I tried to crawl after her, but pain seared through my gut like it was being ripped open. I couldn't move. I just lay there, dizzy and shaking.

A few minutes later, they came back and opened the cage again. This time, they pulled the rest of us out. We were all chained, hands bound in front of us. Some kids cried quietly. Others just looked empty, like they had nothing left inside.

They forced us to walk across the warehouse. We passed more cages filled with people and beasts. Some of the animals snarled. Others just watched with glowing eyes. It felt like walking through a nightmare.

We stopped near the back of the building. There was a tunnel ahead—dark, damp, and going deep underground. A single torch flickered beside the entrance.

I looked at the man shackled beside me. He was older, with a shaved head and blank eyes. I swallowed hard and asked him,

"Where are they taking us?"

He didn't look at me. He just stared straight ahead, his voice hollow.

"Hell," he said softly.

Then he went quiet again.

The line moved forward slowly. Chains dragged across the concrete.

I stayed quiet, watching the torchlight flicker on the damp walls ahead.