CHAPTER THREE

DINNER

The sunrise up, it shined through the old shattered window of the room. The two kids are still sleeping on my side, they are heavily asleep, and I do not want to wake them up because they seemed drained. Rossi and Trevino, are physically unhealthy, their arms and legs are malnourished, through the skin their bones could be seen. I want to get out of this place, I want to get them out of this place, I maybe do not have a home since my mother became a bitch, I still have a father, I just hope... I just really hope he is looking for his youngest.

"Is...Is it morning?" Rossi woke up, she got up and stretched her body. The more I stare at her, the more I feel responsible. I'm the oldest, they are probably six or seven, they could be eight, and I am fourteen. "Trev, wake up. He's coming." Rossi said it in a whispering tone. It made me swallow my saliva. Who the hell is coming? The kidnapper? The old man?

Trevino woke up immediately when his twin, Rossi, slapped his cheek that is still puffy—at least his cheek isn't malnourished as his arms and legs. "Dinner time." He murmured as he stretches his arms.

"Dinner time? But it's morning." I got up and look at both of them. There's no more fear in their eyes they are both smiling sweetly. Trevino walked over the door and unlocked it, he opened it without fear and I could see his eyes shining probably in joy or something connected with happiness. Rossi took my hand; they both lead me out of the room. And I was in a shock to see a narrow hallway, there are five more doors and wooden stairs way upstairs and downstairs, it means one thing, this place could be huge—enough for thirty—thirty-one children to fit in. Trevino knocked on all the doors with a huge smile on his face, as if we aren't kidnapped, as if everything's fine, as if this place is home. Every door opened and other children that are around ten to eleven of age walked out of the room and greeted both Rossi and Trevino.

"I thought they aren't supposed to see me?" I asked Rossi in a low tone of voice.

"Oh, your ritual has ended," Rossi explained. She let my hand go to talk with the other kids, they are having a conversation, a serious conversation.

"You are new?" I got stilled when I heard a voice behind me, it was too late when I realized someone's standing behind me. I got trembled, in shock but mostly in fear, I turned around and meets his oceanic eyes. He is inches taller than me. Making me think that he is just around my age, and he seemed more mature than the rest of us—than me. "You're new, how come? Are you the thirty-first?"

Thirty-first?

"No, she is not the extra one anymore." Rossi came up to answer, after it she grabs my hand and dragged me away from the boy with blue eyes. Is he a danger? Is he the Clifford? I heard it, the time I woke up. Rossi said I'll be in danger once Clifford knows that there's a new girl. "Stay away from him, just stay with the kids." She said, and it is more like a warning to my ears. All of us headed downstairs, it was a long stairway. There are portraits—portraits of the kids hanging on the wall. It was weird, definitely weird, and just gives me creeps. We headed downstairs, to the kitchen, it was musty and the smell—it smells like something is rotting.

"Rossi—" I got cut off when I noticed how her eyes starting to get filled with fear. She was stilled and looking over something, I traced where she was looking at, I soon realized that we shouldn't have left our rooms. He was there, on the long wooden table, sitting on a wooden chair that is placed in the center. On the table, there are plates for thirty—no for thirty-one children. I swallowed hard as I felt his gaze was on me. He is a creep.

"Come on, come to Papa and eat."

Rossi and Trevino, as well as the other kids immediately did what he said. They went over to the table and sat down on their chairs. But I seemed glued on where I am standing, I could not move, I don't want to. This is hell, this is shit, I want to get out of this place, this is isn't my home and the dish that is prepared on the table isn't food at all. It was—it was a corpse of rotting animal... of a rotting head of a dog. The dog's eyes are popped out of its socket and its tongue was cut off and served to the one kid.

"You're the new girl, aren't you, my sweet? You don't want papa to get mad, do you?" he chuckles, the chuckled of a demon. "Please, sit with us and join us. It's already dinner, you're probably starving, my poor child."

My eyes went to find Rossi and Trevino, but my eyes landed on the boy who has blue eyes. He was looking at me. "Seat down." He mouthed as he continues eating with his hands.

I shakily nodded and sat down next to Trevino. On my plate, there is a dish—a slice of raw meat from the dog—it's the ear part, it has no fur but it has yellowish and like a slimy texture dripping out of it—it is a yeast discharge or probably something like that. There are white worms, like maggots, swarming inside and out of the meat. I looked at the other kids, they are swallowing the meat and doesn't bother to remove the maggots.

"Just swallow it," Trevino whispered.

But I don't want to. What will happen if I do not?

"What is wrong with the food? Don't you like it? my other children like it, you're being disrespectful, kids these days have to learn a lesson." The old man—our kidnapper slammed his hands on the table making all of us startled with fear. I could feel that the other kids are looking in my direction, they are probably hoping I'll eat what-the-hell-ever is on my plate, because probably if I do not do something bad, something terrible, something like shit will happen in all of us.

I opened my mouth; my hands were trembling as I put the whole meat on my mouth. I could feel the slimy, awful taste, it was so disgusting because aside from the unpleasant taste something is moving, the maggots.

"Swallow it," Trevino whispered, I did what he said I swallowed it but I feel like throwing it up, vomiting it, spitting it out of my mouth. "Don't do it, he'll get mad. Just bear it," he whispered again, giving me a warning not to throw it up.

"How's the taste?" the old man asks with amusement written all over his eyes. "It's probably good, I cannot taste it 'cause I don't have a tongue." He laughs as he shoved the dog's meat inside his mouth.

I put my hands on my stomach, it was already aching, I am throwing up. Did he just say he doesn't have a tongue? How does that happen? He can still talk clearly...

"Fuck—" My mouth opened without a warning and threw up the whole meat I just swallowed. I threw up again, and again, 'til everything I ate came out from my mouth. My stomach is swirling, and I could still taste everything, the dog's flesh, the maggots, the last thing I ate yesterday, and the blood.

"How dare you to spit it out!" I got frozen when he yelled. I remembered what Trevino told me, he warned me not to spit it out because it will make him mad. "Ungrateful kid, I cannot believe you!" He yelled; it made my tears fall from my eyes. "But..." I heard his letting out a deep breath as if he is trying to calm himself. "I'll let you get away from this since you are the newest. But you must know that I hate ungrateful kids."

I wiped my lips using the back of my hand. He is just an old man, why can't we just fight him? Yes, right, why can't we?

"Fucking bastard."

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***