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5.26% Enslaved to Zion / Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Enslaved to Zion Enslaved to Zion original

Enslaved to Zion

นักเขียน: Sultry_Sky

© WebNovel

บท 1: Chapter 1

I awake in utter terror. My legs throb and my ears are ringing. As I inhale deeply through my dry and cracking lips, my surroundings come into view. I must have fainted at some point but everything is hazy. The sound of dogs barking in the distance is enough to pull me out of my semi-conscious state, ready to run. There is no sun in the sky, yet the night is lit with orange dots, getting bigger with every passing second.

I look around, trying to get my bearings straight. What is all this? Where am I? I wonder for only a second before a flashback of waking up from a dead sleep to a banging on the door plays through my memory. Then I recall my father's face as he appeared in the doorway of my bedroom yelling, 'Quickly, Euroah! Don't worry about me! Just run!' That scene sears through my mind like wildfire, and I push myself off the ground.

How long have I been running? It seems like it's been days, but I know that isn't possible. Who are these men and why are they even chasing me? What in the world could they possibly want from my father or I? It's not like we ever visit the city or cross paths with other people, besides the odd traveling merchant from time to time, so how did they come to know of our existence? Where is my father? And where am I even going? Questions flood my brain like raging waters in the wet season, but for now, all I know is that I have to keep running.

Dear heavens, I'm so tired and thirsty, but I don't know what will happen if these awful men catch me. I want to just give in to the exhaustion and melt back into the ground, like a drop of morning dew, but I have to carry on. They've got to have the wrong person. I mean, what reason would they have to burst into a humble little farm house in the middle of the night, especially one so far from the nearest civilization? It just doesn't make sense how they could have even stumbled upon us. Have they mistaken me for someone who's wronged them?

There has to be some sort of misunderstanding! For a fraction of a second, I consider surrendering in order to explain to them that there's no way I could be the person they're looking for. That should clear things up, right? If we can talk things over like grown folk, we can reach an understanding. Once they realize they've made a mistake, they might just leave me be and go after whoever it is they're really chasing... No! What am I thinking? Get your head out of the clouds, Euroah! The look in Father's eyes told me he knew something I didn't. 'Just run!'

Already out of breath, I scan the horizon for any semblance of a place to hide away. There's no way I can keep this up much longer. My stamina is quickly draining. I'm absolutely exhausted and I haven't had any food or water since lunch. I had fallen asleep while daydreaming under the willow tree on the fateful day my home was invaded. Father must have put me to bed without waking me, as he has done so many times before. I'd slept straight through dinner and tea and now I wish I weren't such a heavy sleeper.

Pushing my body to the limit like this much longer will definitely cause me to pass out again. I know I've got to find a place to seek refuge, but where? There is nowhere to hide in this open field. I have to keep running, keep putting one foot in front of the other or I'm bound to be captured. Far off to my left, the welcome sight of a tree line begins to appear along the tops of the tall blades of grass, flowing like waves in the breeze. Maybe there's a cave to hide in, a tall limb to climb and conceal myself amongst the leaves, anything to get me out of these terrible people's sights.

If I can make it there, if I can just find somewhere to stow away, maybe these men will pass right by me and I can return home, back to safety, back to my father. Father always knows what to do! With a glimpse of salvation on the horizon, I make a sharp turn for the forest and as I get closer to the rustling of the trees, a feeling of hope rushes over my soul, bathing me in ultraviolet determination. A chance to rest is so close I can taste it. This is it! I'm going to be okay!

No more chest pounding and panting through parched lips as my aching feet pound the dirt again and again. I'm almost free! This thought barely finishes crossing my mind when I feel a steady thumping on the ground behind me, shaking the earth beneath me violently. I push forward with everything I have, but it grows ever closer. Though I tell myself not to look, desperately trying to convince myself that I don't want to know where the sound is coming from, I can not resist the urge to turn my head. At the exact moment my eyes attempt to get a view of my pursuer, I'm grabbed by the shoulder of my tattered dress.

A burly man on horseback scoops me up and drapes me over his saddle, his calloused hand now holding me by the throat. Pain sears through my spine. What now? How can I escape his grasp? I look around for something to grab on to, but there's nothing. As he slows the horse to a stop, I gather the courage to look up at him. He can clearly see my terror, and seemingly amused by it, he smiles the most wicked, vile display of satisfaction I have ever seen on a person's lips.

"Let me go! I'm not who you think I am! You're mistaken!", I scream at the top of my lungs.

"Of course not. They never are.", he grunts as his giant hand on my neck turns my head left and right for him to look me over thoroughly.

"Please don't kill me! I haven't done anything wrong! Please!"

The man lets out a boisterous laugh that bellows out of him and echoes through the night. His yellow, crooked teeth are illuminated by the torches carried by his equally ugly companions, who have now caught up with us and stopped to watch the scene of me pleading for my life. He looks around at the lot of rugged men and they all begin to laugh along with him. Then, his face changes to a grimace as he leans in close enough to nearly make me gag at the stench of his foul breath.

"You're gonna fetch a pretty penny, you are.", he says with a growl. "We'll get more than enough outta you to cover your uncle's debts."

Debts? Uncle? What is he saying? I have no uncle. I knew this was all a huge mistake! But wait, what is he talking about? How am I supposed to fetch a penny? With the thoughts of all the horrible things that could await me in the near future, my heart begins beating out of my chest and panic takes over me. Without even thinking, I turn to violence instead of trying my hand at words to rectify the situation. I viciously bite his arm and kick with all my remaining might, in a futile attempt to get away. I fight and push against him with every single drop of energy my body has left to offer, but it does me no good.

I'm puny in comparison to this behemoth of a man. He swiftly grabs me by the hair and yanks my head back so hard I feel like it may no longer be connected to my neck. Visibly annoyed by my weak show of defiance, he lifts his bitten arm, draws it back, and the last thing I see is his fist coming down at me. Thunder rolls in the back of my head, crackling through my skull, and then all of existence turns black in the cruel world around me. I see nothing, resist no longer, all is silent, and I feel no more pain.


ความคิดของผู้สร้าง
Sultry_Sky Sultry_Sky

I'm back and updating daily, as of 3/31/2023. If you've already read through the book, try giving it another read. You may be surprised at some changes! In this special edition, I'll be throwing in bonus chapters, adding in scenes that didn't exist in the previous version, and more, before I close out book 1 of the series. I have a secret. I bet you won't guess how the first book ends!

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บท 2: Chapter 2

Coming to my senses, I'm able to make out voices but all I can see is darkness. Who are the voices coming from? I listen to my surroundings as my world comes back together like puzzle pieces in my previously jumbled mind. I don't believe I recognize any of these sounds or voices. Suddenly, my last memories come cascading back to me, crashing into my head with a roar. Opening my eyes, I try to jolt up but my efforts are in vain. Where am I? What happened after I was picked up by that ugly brute on horseback?

Piece after piece, floats into place as the world builds in the darkness around me. My eyes seem to be covered with a dark cloth of sorts and my hands and ankles are bound by some kind of scratchy rope, though it feels more like thorns or barbed wire against what used to be my soft, delicate skin. I can only imagine what I must look like now, covered in sweat and dirt, bruises and blood. As my captors come to the realization that I've awoken, I hear footsteps coming in my direction and I tremble, curling into the fetal position and covering my head as best as I can.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to join the party!", a man's voice says.

As the footsteps cease, the floor creaks beside me, and without notice, I'm yanked up onto my knees. The pain hits me like a ton of bricks and I let out a yelp. My head seems like it's going to explode and I feel myself go limp against my will. My entire body feels like I've fallen from a rooftop and none of my muscles can be convinced to work. The man in front of me lets go of my arms as I fall to the floor, the darkness spinning all around me. I feel as though I'm going to be sick!

"Alright, fine then! I suggest you take advantage of this time to rest now.", he says, almost whispering. "Tomorrow, you'll be auctioned off to the highest bidder. If I were your owner, you surely wouldn't be getting any rest in my company."

A grubby finger traces from my chin down my neck, across my collar bone and stops at the strap of my dress. The footsteps start again as the repulsive touch pulls away, this time sounding more rushed and heading away from me. I hear a door close, not far away. As soon as all the noises fade and the blackness stops whirling in my head, tears form in my eyes and the hot liquid falls over the bridge of my nose and down the side of my face, soaking the cloth that's covering my eyes. Why are they doing this to me? What exactly did I do to deserve this mistreatment? I just wish that someone would explain to me exactly what's going on.

None of this makes any sense at all. How could anyone treat their fellow humans in this manner? Do they not fear the wrath of the heavens? Even though we rarely met a visitor, I was still taught to treat people with hospitality. This room is so cold. I can't even tell whether it's day or night. How far am I from home, from the city, from where I was captured? How far did I run? My legs ache like never before and this deep hunger feels like it's eating my stomach from the inside out. The craving I have for water alone is nearly unbearable. I'm just so incredibly thirsty I can hardly stand it! But I can't even move.

The thought comes to me that maybe I should try to scream. Maybe someone will hear me and come to my rescue... Or maybe my captors will come back and beat me or kill me. No, I have to play my cards right and get through this if I ever want to see my father again. For now, I will just stay silent. The last thing I want to do is to anger the ones who hold my life in their filthy hands. I can get through this! I'm going to try to do whatever I can to stay alive. They have to give me water and feed me some time. I just have to hold on. Things will all work out in the end. They have to.

For hours, I lay there, unmoving. I keep myself occupied by thinking of happier times. Memories of growing up comfort me and I play through some of the most precious moments of my life in my head. Father has always raised me well. And he's never made me yearn for Mama. Not that I can even remember her. She died from pneumonia when I was only 2 years old. And since then, it's always just been me and my father and the animals on the farm. He taught me everything I know. When I wanted to learn something, he would sit right down and make sure to teach it to me. We're happy on our own. He works so hard to make sure I never miss out on having a mother.

And we've always kept to ourselves except for the occasions when we need supplies. Rarely do we mingle with any other farmers and we live so far from anyone else that we never have an accidental meeting. There have never been any cousins, no grandparents, no aunts, and certainly no uncle like the one that the brute man mentioned. Father and I are all each other have ever had! We're all we've ever needed. As long as we have each other, we'll be okay. However, I do have one desire. I've secretly dreamed of meeting a handsome man who works as hard as my father does to marry and take some of the load off of him. I've read books of romantic princes sweeping ladies away to castles, but I'd rather stay on the farm and be happy all together.

I want things to stay how they've always been. Since I was young, every morning, I would wake up, milk the cow, and make breakfast for the two of us while Father fed the animals and tended to other important matters. We'd eat together and he always tells me that I make the best biscuits this side of the Euroan River. In fact, I was named after that great blue river. On the day I was born, he told Mama that my name would be Euroah, because my eyes were the color of the river's beautiful, calm waters. I always loved it when Father would tell me that story as a little girl. Never have we double crossed anyone or caused any trouble. I just can't understand where things all went wrong.

The sound of a woman screaming shatters my happy thoughts like a stone barreling through the window into my past, breaking the glass forever. The horrific sound of wailing followed by moans and smacking goes on for what seems like an eternity, until she makes no more sound at all. All that remains is a faint grunting sound and a bumping on a distant wall. Is whatever happened to her going to happen to me? Am I going to be tortured like that too? Why am I even here? What is the point of all this? I remember that the man said something about a highest bidder. Am I going to be sold like livestock?

Father would send the merchants to auction with a list of our needs and maximum bid. Is someone going to buy me? Am I to be farm labor? If someone takes me far away, how will Father ever find me? How will he ever clear up this misunderstanding and how will I ever get home? I lay there wondering where my father is and why he hasn't yet come for me. Why isn't he here telling these thugs that they've got it all wrong? I just want to go home, back to the simple life I led before this nightmare invaded my sweet dreams. The tiny farm house I've lived my nearly 18 years in isn't much, but it's where I've always imagined I'd be forever. I's cozy... It's home.

I've always pictured my eternity there, building a home next to my father's. I thought of having my own little children running around and messing with the goats, just as I grew up doing. I'd envisioned growing old there with my own lover and we'd sit together under the willow tree while I sang sweet tunes to my little family. We'd live happy days together until the end of time and then be buried on the hillside overlooking the meadow, right next to Mama and Father, when it's time. It appears as though that has all been ripped away from me now. And I haven't even had a chance to find my love yet. This thought makes the pain so intense that the tears come even harder.

The death of all my sweetest childhood dreams is finally too much for me to bear. No longer do I have any control, nor any desire to hold back my devastation or put on a brave face. Taking a deep breath in, I let go of all my pent up emotions and sob unashamedly until any further tears refuse to fall. Though I'm fearful of what tomorrow will hold, I am only human. Eventually, fatigue creeps through my body like some kind of twisted lullaby and I give into the exhaustion. I slip into bitter sweet, much needed sleep.


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Sultry_Sky Sultry_Sky

Updated 3/31/2023

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