CHAPTER 20
THE BUTCHERBIRD
Ever since I was a girl, the woods have been my sanctuary – that was until that fateful day.
It was a place where the air is sharp and pure, untouched by the staleness of human hands.
No wonder Grandpa loved it so much. Trees and their whispers carried in the wind, birds weaving songs through the canopies, and flowers stretching towards the sun.
Grandpa called the woods a gift – a glimpse of the world as it should be.
But even gifts carry shadows. For every patch of sunlight, there’s a corner cloaked in darkness – the opposites of life.
The woods are no different; they hold secrets, the kind that test courage and quicken your breath.
That’s why we trained. Day after day. Hour after hour.
He taught me how to survive – how to disappear into the shadows, because the forest doesn’t owe us its mercy.
I guess he knew this day would come. Maybe that’s why he was relentless, pushing me harder with every passing year.
It seems the past doesn’t stay buried, after all, no matter how many tracks I cover.
Eventually, it finds me, and when it did, I’m left with two choices: keep running or fight.
I’m startled awake, disorientated, as I’m hurled into a cold, dark cell. The impact sends a sharp ache through my body, but I grit my teeth, forcing myself upright.
‘If you knock me out again, I swear I’ll cut off your fucking hands,’ I growl, my voice low and venomous as Paul slams the door shut and walks away. He doesn’t even flinch, just smirks.
A cool breeze blows through the corridor into my cell, brushing against my skin as a cruel reminder of how exposed I am.
I press my back against the wall, trying to steady my breathing, and let my mind claw through the haze of the past few hours.
They’d sent a team – trained, relentless – to bring me in.
And no matter how much my grandfather had taught me, no amount of drills or discipline had prepared me for this.
I push off the wall and sit on the edge of the narrow bed, the metal frame creaking under my weight.
My gaze drifts to the iron bars, and beyond them, looking out to the corridor stretching endlessly.
Cells line both sides, some empty, others filled with the shadows of girls – some no older than five, their small, fragile forms huddling in corners, with wide eyes.
I push my head through the bars, straining as far as I can to glimpse the source of the faint light down the corridor, light flickering on stone steps that descend into our suffocating darkness.
I’m underground.
The light flickers, as I see a large, shadowy figure emerging.
The sound of a branch scraping against metal bars echoing down the corridor.
The haunting noise sending a shiver down my spine, my heart pounding so violently it feels it might burst. Every drag of the branch makes me flinch, the sound itself carving into my nerves.
With a sudden hum, a single yellow bulb flickers to life. But the woman who steps into view isn’t here to help.
‘Let’s get you all cleaned up,’ she announces.
She passes cells, handing out bowls and clothing, the steam from the kettle swirling lazily in the air as she pours hot water into each one.
My dread deepens with every step she takes, a slow, creeping weight settling as she finally stops at my cell.
From here, I can see four other cells, the soft light casting shadows across the faces of the other girls as they wring out their cloths.
‘Oh, dear. I’ll have to get some concealer for that,’ she says, her eyes locking onto my swollen face, a smile curling at her lips in a way that makes my skin crawl.
‘Please, help me, us,’ I whisper, the words tumbling out before I can stop them.
Her laugh cuts through the air, sharp and hollow. ‘You’ll be out soon,’ she says, mocking and cruel. ‘Then you’ll be in a new home. Maybe.’
She crouches slightly, her eyes glinting with something dark as she pushes the bowl towards me, the harsh scrape of metal against the floor making me flinch. ‘But first, we need to get you cleaned up. Make you pretty.’
Her smile stretches wider, a parody of kindness. ‘Come on,’ she urges, her voice coated in false cheer. ‘I’ll even get you a sandwich if you’re a good girl.’
I curl my lip, glaring at the bowl as anger churns beneath the fear gripping my chest. The promise of a sandwich feels like an insult, a taunt that twists the knife already buried in my gut. I lift my gaze to meet hers, my voice steady but cold. ‘Where am I, and what do you want?’
The woman looms, her broad frame seeming to swallow the space between us. Her dark brown hair curls softly at her shoulders, a deceptive contrast to the hard glint in her eyes as they lock onto mine. ‘So, you’re the tough one?’ she sneers.
I meet her gaze with a glare, my hands gripping the bars so tightly my knuckles ache. She takes a step back.
Wise.
But her smirk just deepens. ‘But now you’re trapped, like a rat in a cage. And then…after…’ Her laugh is sharp, dripping with mockery. ‘You’ll be set free.’
‘Free?’ The word slips out before I can stop it, a flicker of hope igniting in my voice.
‘ Si, nena ,’ she says. The hope dies as quickly as it came, snuffed out by the cold, menacing look in her eyes .
‘And that’s it?’ I press, despite the dread curling in my stomach.
She sighs, exasperated. ‘Hablas mucho! Whoever buys you will finish you off, once and for all.’
The words hit me like a blow, robbing the air from my lungs. I want to respond, to fight back, to spew venom, but my throat tightens, and all I can do is press my lips into a thin line, a defiant line.
‘Good,’ she says. ‘That’s better. Save your breath for the games.’
With that, she turns, walking off down the corridor and ascends the steps, her figure disappearing into the shadows, and plunging us back into the suffocating darkness.
‘Pssst,’ the sound is faint, barely audible over the heavy silence of the cells. I tilt my head, my eyes locking onto the girl in the opposite cell. She leans against the bars, her lips moving in a whisper so quiet I can’t make it out.
‘You’re going to have to speak up,’ I whisper back, glancing towards the steps, afraid that any sound might carry too far.
‘Shush!’ she hisses, her eyes darting down the corridor. ‘You’re going to make it worse for all of us, asking all of those questions.’
‘What’s going on? Where are we?’ I ask, desperate for answers, for anything that might explain this nightmare.
‘Didn’t you see on the way here?’
‘No,’ I reply, shaking my head. ‘I was drugged. I woke up here. Who are you?’
‘Jessica.’ Her voice cracks. ‘My family is here on holiday, down on the coast. I just wanted to go out. I was told it was safe, but…’ her breathing quickens, her hands trembling as she grips the bars.
‘I-I was walking home, and out of nowhere, these people grabbed me. They covered my mouth. I tried to scream, but…’ Her voice falters, tears glisten in her eyes.
‘They shoved me into a car. We must have driven for hours, and then they dragged me through this dark forest. The ground was uneven. I kept tripping, but they just yanked me along like I was nothing.’
No, no, no. I can’t be back there.
Her words settle in my ears, cold and crushing.
‘What else did you see?’ I press.
‘A large stone building,’ she whispers, her gaze unfocused as if reliving the memory. ‘The walls were covered in ivy. And…I heard them talking about an auction.’ She swallows hard. ‘Are we…are we for sale?’
I pull back from the bars, sinking to the ground.
I know where we are.
‘Psst,’ she hisses again. ‘I’d do as that woman asks if I were you. Before you, there was another girl. She too asked lots of questions, disobeyed, kicked and screamed.’
‘What happened to her?’
The girl went quiet, so I changed the subject. ‘How old are you?’
‘Fifteen.’
Jesus. Almost the same age I was when I first came here.
I hear her swallow hard before she continues. ‘They set the dogs on her. I could hear them, wild and ravenous. When they passed my cell, they moved like they knew, tugging at their leads, desperate to get to her.’
Her words falter, but she presses on, her eyes widen at the memory. ‘Then her door opened, and they were on her in seconds. Their teeth sank into her arm, tearing at her clothes, her skin. She fought – God, she fought – but it was like they were possessed, like nothing could stop them.’
Her voice trails off, fading into the muffled whimpers and cries of the other captives. This time, it seems my captors learnt from their mistakes and are keeping us separate – little to no chance of escape confined to stone and iron.
If it weren’t for these bars, I’d do it all over again. Only this time, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d grab anything sharp, anything I could use, and drive it straight into the throat of whoever’s keeping us here.
Don’t hesitate. Just do.
Then I’d free everyone – every last one of them – and vanish into the night. If only I had made that choice all those years ago, we wouldn’t be here now. But this time, I swear, I’d rather die trying than leave anyone behind.
The sound of heavy, deliberate footsteps echo down the corridor. The light bulb flickers to life, as the woman returns. She wants us broken, meek, compliant.
‘Get dressed,’ she sneers, shoving a pile of clothes through the bars.
Her voice is sharp, grating, and it takes everything in me not to lash out.
I grind my teeth, Jessica’s story about the dogs replaying in my mind like a warning.
Fighting back now would only make things worse, for everyone.
Instead, I force my battered body away from the bars, my muscles screaming in protest, and pull the pile of clothing towards me.
‘P-please,’ I whimper, weak and pathetic. The plea clawing up my throat as I lock onto the woman’s eyes.
‘What did you say, puta ?’ A whore , that’s precisely how I feel, and what I’ll be dressed like wearing what she’s handed me.
‘Shush,’ Jessica whispers.
‘I see you’ve made a friend. Get dressed, quickly. We’re moving you.’
The girl screams, ‘Why is she so special?’
The woman snarls. ‘I suggest you stay quiet, before you’re fed to the pigs early, and your new owner hasn’t had their fun.’
‘She’s right,’ I swallow. ‘Why are we here?’
The woman smirks. ‘For our 50 th Anniversary of the Wilderness Warfare.’
My chest tightens. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘So many questions…’
‘Yes! So many questions. We deserve to know!’
‘You deserve nothing. You’re all weak, little rabbits. I’ll be watching. Watching you all squirm, and fight, and hide while you’re hunted.’
‘Hunted?’
Of course. This is a hunting reserve, only they’re hunting us.
‘But, of course, if you survive the allotted time, you’ll leave this place, breathing. It all depends on you. ’
My grandpa’s words echo in my ears, ‘Remember, my darling Tarran, the key to outsmarting your opponent, whether it’s an animal or a rival lies in understanding their habits and thinking one step ahead.
Patience and observation will be your greatest allies.
Know when to move, when to stay hidden…A wise hunter never underestimates their prey. ’
An animal or a rival…
He knew.
‘Come on,’ the woman drawls. ‘We need to get going.’ She insets the key into the lock, the sound clicking as I take a deep, steadying breath.
‘Don’t worry, nena , I’m not that stupid,’ she adds with a smirk, lifting a gun and pointing it towards me.
Her casual motion is as chilling as the weapon itself.
She motions for me to step out, and with reluctant obedience, I comply, walking into the corridor.
Jessica’s eyes follow me, her face pale against the soft light.
The icy breeze filters down from the steps, sending a shiver down my spine, biting at my skin as I edge closer.
The woman’s grip on my arm is unnecessarily tight, digging into me as if to reinforce her dominance.
The world outside blazes too brightly, forcing me to squint my eyes. And then, my breath catches.
There he stands, a familiar face twisted into a smirk that sends my pulse racing in all the wrong ways.
‘ Ah, carino ,’ he says smoothly. ‘Long time, no see.’