Chapter 1 The Dumb Wolf
Alberto stared blankly at nothing in particular, walking robotically as he was being dragged along in chains to the famous underground dens technically known as the pits.
He'd long stopped keeping track of time and hoping for someone to rescue him or some sort of miracle.
A silent grunt, more like a gasp, escaped his lips as he was pushed into a cage.
His new home for the next couple of days if he was lucky and sold or the next long agonizing few weeks that would come after once the slave masters realize his dumb poor luck.
He scooted away from the entrance, his back hunched low in the tiny cramp space, which was no more than a square meter. He barely had enough room as he shared that tiny space with three other people.
It was suffocating and hot. There was barely enough oxygen to go round, yet this place was by far the best place he's ever been kept in
Alberto leaned his head back on the sweaty wall and just listened.
It's been three years now, he remembered that much, if nothing else.
Three years since he'd been taken from one slave market to another. It'd been a loop.
He'd stopped trying to fight or escape. He'd learned in the most brutal way possible, it was futile. It didn't matter if someone else did it. Perhaps, maybe his dumb luck could be blamed.
Anything before the last three years of his life was blank. Not even flashes or images crossed his mind. No family or memory to cling on to.
He remembered nothing of himself or his life before the slave market.
In fact, he doesn't even remember his own name. It was another slave he'd shared a cage with in the early years that naned him Alberto, which is such an irony of who he and where he was.
But that name was all he had. The only thing that made sense in his meaningless life.
Alberto took in shorter breaths to regulate his breathing and scooted closer to the door.
The air that got in was stale, thick with fear, sweat, and the smell of rotting corpse.
He'd noticed the endless rows of cages before he was pushed into his cage.
A loud scream further down the hall pierced through his thoughts.
The scream went silent, almost immediately followed by the sound of a knife, —maybe a sword, cutting through flesh. Soft whimpers of the some female wolves reached him.
It was why this place was named the pits. It's the only underground den that deals with only wolves for slaves, they don't care about anything else aside their silver coins yet they made an exception with him.
He was the only human here.
Or maybe he wasn't, he couldn't tell. The handlers and other slaves called him human, so maybe he was that, human.
Any slave who tries to resist, no matter how little, usually pay with their lives.
It's why people, ‐slaves, barely complained, they knew the consequences and only prayed to be chosen and bought in a bid.
Alberto, however, knew this was going to end up like the usual cycle of his life. Being unwanted and the 'dumb human' came with it perks.
Every one of these slaves would get chosen and bought. Only him would remain because nobody wants a dumb human who can't speak to save his life for a slave. After that, he'd get beaten, insulted derogatorily, and tortured to talk before being sent off to another slave black market.
Maybe if he had some unique talent of sorts, they would have looked past his dumbness, but he was just as useless with the title of the least sought-after slave.
A small wave of excitement reached his ears, captured slave opposite, and near his cage seemed to be elated.
Who gets excited to be captured as a slave?
"Oi, dumbass!" A wolf from a cage opposite him jeered.
Alberto blinked.
"I'm talking to you dumbass!!" The wolf sneered, "What? Cat got your tongue? You're actually really dumb as they say? I'm sure your ancestors must be weeping in the grave for you."
Alberto’s lips parted, but no sound made it past. It was of no use.
The wolf continued with a sneer, "What's it going to be this time? Think anyone’s going to want you this time? Maybe they'll finally throw you in the trash where you belong."
Alberto blinked back the tears that gathered in his eyes. He's not gotten used to the daunting words, not yet.
"Stop," a female wolf nudged the other wolf, "Stop being a menace."
"What?" The wolf snapped, "I'm just calling him out for what he is. A waste product, I bet his family thre him out because they couldn't bare to look at the abomination they created."
Alberto glanced away from the wolf as laughter came from nearby cages.
"I also heard he was once auctioned with the lowest price and still, no one wanted him." Someone piped him.
Albert couldn't see who it was.
"Maybe the masters will kill him this year." Someone else said, "No one wants to keep feeding and providing shelter for a bad luck."
"Maybe he'll starve to death."
"I hope his bad luck doesn't rub off in us." One of his cage mate added.
The other wolf from across scoffed, "I bet I'm going to be the first one out of here. One look at me and my muscles, and I'm off the market. Can't say the same for some scrawny little lad."
"Maybe someone might actually buy him to satisfy their urges? You know, as their plaything?"
"Would he even be able to moan to please his master?" The wolf taunted, "the only thing befitting for him is a funeral."
Even though Alberto gave them an expressionless blank look, he was angry and would love nothing more than to wipe the smug smile off their faces, most particularly the wolf from across.
He wanted to yell at them, scream out his rage, and frustration bit like always, even if he tried, no sound made it last.
He closed his eyes instead and focused on getting his rage under control. They were right after all.
He was just a good for nothing worthless human.
"Poor boy is going to cry," the wolf jeered mockingly, "Don't worry, give me ten years, I'll come back to buy you out so you can wipe my shoes neat with your tongue."
"Scum!" Alberto cussed inwardly, his eyes still tightly shut and focused on tuning them out.
A loud clang sound of metal on metal whipped through the air, bringing instant silence in the pit.
Alberto sighed, welcoming the fearful silence filled with tension.
Now, they've temporarily forgotten about him.
"Welcome to the pits, everyone!" The pits master boomed, "Both new and old. Now tomorrow is the auction where hopefully all of you will be bought."
The pits master came into Alberto's view, his gaze lingering longer on Alberto, "If you don't get sold, however, don't fret. There are other ways you can fetch us money. There's a high demand for organs and body parts. Either way, the pit must be empty by dusk tomorrow one way or the other."
Alberto’s heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach.
This was it. His end finally caught up with him.
He's going to be dead by tomorrow.