by native89 » Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:30 am
Part 7
Not for the first time, Saffron wished she had her cellphone or at least a watch.
She couldn't tell how much time had passed after the robots returned to retrieve the containers that had once held their food, maybe three to five hours, perhaps. She was full, having finished most of everything aside from the bread-like substance given to them. She decided to keep it, just in case she grew hungrier later. While it was far from being tasty, it was nonetheless nourishment that she was willing to have later on than to let it go to waste. Sabrina, on the other hand, finished everything, leaving the apple cores and cylinders of yogurt in the container for pick up. She briefly pondered what that bread like substance was, but pushed the frivolous thought from her mind.
For the longest time, Saffron and Sabrina just talked. About anything really; from their homes, their childhoods to their favorite television shows and musicians.
Upon first impressions, Sabrina seemed a bit opinionated, outspoken, and brave; possessing a courage most of the women around her didn't seem to have. At least, the women on both sides of her cage. Then again, she realized, she had probably passed that phase after being here for so long. Saffron had learned that she had an estranged father, who left her and her mother when she was only five years old and that from her teenage years until her mother's death, she had always been working. She had been working at a small pub when she met the man who would become her fiancé. She also discovered that she had wanted to be a singer since she was a little girl.
"Can I hear you?" Saffron had asked, but Sabrina let out a sigh.
"Wish I could," she started before jabbing a finger in the direction of the cage next to them, "But for some reason, they can get antsy if I sing too loud. Plus, one of them is going back to sleep."
"Well, you definitely need to show me whenever before..." Saffron went quiet as she starkly remembered their situation. She looked down to her lap in shame before Sabrina pulled her from her destructive thoughts.
"Hey, hey, don't worry. I'm pretty sure I'll get the chance to show you." She said, flashing her a grin. While Saffron still felt terrible, she returned it.
All in all, Saffron liked Sabrina, who she wish she befriended under normal circumstances. Mainly because they shared the same cage, and that after she tried to talk with the others in the surrounding cages, they seemed reluctant to talk, even amongst themselves after a while. Not that she didn't blame them; it would take some time to wrap their heads around what was going on, let alone for them to talk about it. Nonetheless, she felt a bit better knowing that their was at least one person willing to go the mile to help her in this sudden reality.
The two seemed to talk for a long time before they felt tired of talking or just tired. Sabrina had fallen back asleep, leaving Saffron lost in her thoughts, sitting on her cot.
While Saffron was sleepy herself, she couldn't fall asleep. Not without thinking about everything.
Sabrina's story about what happened to that brazen man who stood up to the giant seemingly responsible for everything disturbed her. A lot. The imagery of a man literally having his head popped off would have been darkly funny had it not been what actually happened, instead of being in a cartoon or B-movie. She couldn't imagine being one of the people brought here earlier, and forced to witness a man being used as an example of what happens to whoever defies these giants. Somewhere, amongst these cages, was the girl who could have been in that man's position if he so chose to.
That thought only prompted the dreaded question: Would her "master" be anything like that?
Would the beings of this planet or whatever be so callous and think so little of them that they would be punished, or worse, killed if they even attempted to disobey them? The giants at the facility seemed willing to quickly rectify any rebellious behavior. She reached up and touched the side of her head, distinctly remembering the giant holding it between those massive fingers, as if ready to pop it like a tiny berry. A shiver travelled down her spine and she fought down her rising panic and memory of the incident.
Would her family ever know what happened to her? Would they soon discover that there were aliens around them, holding the entire Earth hostage in secret? Were they safe from them? She truly hoped for the latter to be true. The thought of her parents or younger brother enduring what she had going through almost sent her into tears. She only hoped and prayed that it wasn't the case, and that maybe someday, somehow she would somehow be able to relay the message that she was alive.
At first, she was angry at her government; to willingly kidnap people and give them to these enormous aliens. But her fury quickly died down when she reminded herself that these beings seemed so advanced, so gigantic and physically overwhelming that they probably had no choice but to comply. It wouldn't have made a difference if they had tried to fight, and she knew that the outcome of such a battle would most definitely not have been in Earth's favor. And the giants could have taken what they wanted. Hell, the fact that an agreement was made in the first place was a miracle of itself, given that these aliens could have easily disregarded any human propositions and killed or enslaved them all. She wondered what could have convinced them to allow humanity to live on Earth without knowledge of their existence.
While she couldn't say she was grateful, she was definitely glad that the worst hadn't happened.
At random points, she would stand up and peek outside of the her enclosure, usually to see how every women was handling the situation. She wondered if the men were in their exact same situation; more than likely, she thought. Somewhere, in these enormous place, those of the opposite sex were probably getting the same treatment: being prepped up to be pets by tomorrow. Or at least, she thought it was tomorrow. Several women in the cages she could make out were either talked amongst themselves in hushed voices, as if preparing for the giants to appear at any moment or sleeping. Many of the women looked despondent or sorrowful, of course, with many of them sitting in the corner of their cages, either sobbing, muttering to themselves or just staring. After a while, she stopped peeking outside her cage and just went back to her cot.
After some time, she finally felt the light tugging of sleep and had fallen asleep when Sabrina had started to stir.
-----
"I don't know if I should go for Engineering or Culinary."
Saffron had glanced up to Ricky who was doing the dishes. "Have you thought about double-majoring?"
He nodded. "Did, but it's kind of a lot of work, I heard. Besides, I heard it would be more expensive. I'd probably have to do another year."
"Ah...hm, what are you most passionate about?" Saffron asked, glancing at the elderly couple in the diner, who were chatting rather than eating.
"That's the thing, I like them both equally." Ricky whined, moving on to a large dish pan. "I've always been a fan of tinkering with stuff since I was little, but I always wanted to cook too. Like, be one of those chefs on the Food Network."
Saffron smiled brightly. "Oh! If that's the case, then go into Culinary then. You'll have to cook and send me some money whenever you hit it big though!"
Ricky laughed. "Saf, you'd be getting everything in pennies."
"And this is why I'm going to remind you every day to send a check."
The two laughed for a bit before Saffron composed herself. "But really though. I would recommend Engineering though. Mainly because that is what the job market is looking for nowadays."
"Huh, that's a good point." He said before moving on to the next dish. "Well, then, I guess that makes things easier than."
"Just keep in mind though," Saffron told him before walking by him to fetch the pitcher of water, "You can always change majors at any time. And since your first year is like a practice run, you'll have a better grip on what you want to do afterwards in my opinion."
"Noted."
"By the way, did you hear about Jeff?" Saffron asked, pouring two glasses of water.
"No, did something happen?" Ricky asked, his voice full of concern.
"Something good," she reassured him, "His wife is having a baby."
"Oh," Ricky said with a quick sigh of relief. "I knew that."
"Really?" she asked incredulously.
"Told me Saturday."
"Well then..." she said with a huff, a bit disappointed she couldn't surprise him before handing the glasses of water to the two patrons. "Here you guys go."
The man spoke first, bowing his head in gratitude. "Thank you, ma'am."
Saffron smiled before replying, "You're more than welcome."
She returned back towards Ricky with two of the empty cups that they had finished and placed it next to Ricky, who grabbed it immediately and started working on them.
"Did you hear about those teenagers that were snatched up some time last week in Atlanta?" Ricky asked. "It was apparently around one or two in the morning."
"I heard. One of them was only sixteen."
"So young."
"I know..."
She woke up with a start. She didn't remember falling asleep in the first place.
The sound of those robots were a low thrum that grew louder when she saw them cross the threshold of the room and stop at the cages.
She leaned up and began to panic a bit until she heard Sabrina speak up.
"Relax, they're only bringing in food." the older woman answered, looking at her from her position against the wall. "You've been asleep for a while. I was that way when I first came. Knocked out I mean."
"Have I really been asleep for that long?" She asked, watching the robot open the lid from above and lower a similar container down into the cage. She couldn't help but watch as it placed it down with gigantic claws before lifting up high above. The thought that these giant robots, as huge as they were, weren't even as big as the giant humanlike aliens that controlled them seemed was daunting.
Sabrina nodded. "Don't worry about it. When you're in here, you'll get lethargic. I remember sleeping entire days away. Almost an entire month a complete blur. Then again, we won't be here long."
That's right. If as much time had passed as they said it would, they would probably soon be on the market in a few hours. She suddenly felt very sick.
Sabrina noticed her face become pale and lifted the top immediately, grabbing a bottle of water and tossing it across to Saffron. Saffron fumbled with it before securing it between both hands. "Thanks."
"No problem," she said, opening her own bottle of water. "How'd you sleep. I mean, I had nightmares for the most part of a month since I got here.
"I actually slept well," Saffron answered before taking a swig of water. "I can't really remember my dream much but it was mundane...I think."
"Huh," Sabrina said simply. "Well, that's good."
Once again, there was silence as the two ate. Saffron wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but given that she didn't know when her next meal would come, she forced herself to eat as much as she could.
An hour had passed and the robot had returned.
"Has anyone ever tried to escape?" Saffron asked, watching the robot pull the container between two claws up and out of the cages around her.
"Probably," Sabrina shrugged. "But given that the door is nearly two hundred feet high, there are giants lurking about, and we have no idea what they would have in store for what they'd do if they caught wind of us, I don't think many would try. Plus, I'm going to guess we're on a different planet."
"Never would I think we'd come across aliens." Saffron said, mainly to herself but Sabrina heard her.
"Technically, the other way around," Sabrina pointed out, "Aliens came across us."
"Don't they look too human to you?" Saffron asked, something she was pretty sure Sabrina had thought about to.
Sabrina nodded. "It's too eerie. You'd think they would probably see us as equals or something. I mean, I know they're huge and shit but we look exactly the same, dammit. At least, from what I was able to tell."
"We don't even know what their species is called yet."
"Probably something incomprehensible or something. I don't know."
"They've probably came from light-years away. Meaning we're probably light-years away from Earth too."
Sabrina grimaced. "I know."
The massive door suddenly opened, startling all the women within the titanic room.
The dark-haired giant from before had returned, causing some of the women to back as far away from the front of their cages. Saffron heard a few women start to panic and sob. The giant took several booming steps into the room, surveying the captive women briefly while taking slow, deliberate steps that shook the ground. Saffron took a few steps back as Sabrina narrowed her eyes that the monumentally huge man.
The giant seemed unfazed by the numerous eyes that were on him, as he was more than aware that his presence commandeered their fear-driven attention. After he did a quick sweep of the room, he beckoned for something from outside her line of vision.
A different pair of robots appeared. Unlike the robots that came earlier, these robots were an obnoxiously bright orange with four "arms" each, and were only a head shorter than the giant rather than a little over half his size. They stopped immediately behind the giant, as if awaiting orders. The giant turned from them and looked at the room full of terrified women.
"Good news," he said jovially, which made Saffron cringe, "It's nearly time. You all are going to be sold soon, and owned by whoever will purchase you. Most of you have already claimed, and your owners will probably pick you up once you are released. The ones who are not claimed will be put on sale immediately. We advise you to maintain your best behavior in order to maintain value," His eyes narrowed deviously as he said in a low voice, "We are not afraid to cull those who are too unruly."
There were a few whimpers, and she heard a woman somewhere mutter, "oh god..."
"But I highly doubt any of you will prove to be of any trouble to us," he said, flashing a grin that seemed to be far more sinister to her than it would be on a man that was normal sized. "In any case, I will remind you that the moment you leave this place, most of you will not be addressed in your language again. And for those who have been claimed, you will be separated from those whom you are sharing a cage with once you get to your destination. Consider this a farewell warning."
And with that, the giant left the room as the robots advanced towards the cages.
To her surprise, Saffron's and Sabrina's cages were one of the first to be lifted up. The two women clung onto their cots as they were lifted high above the air, well above the top of the robot. Three cages were in the robot's other claws, with several of them screaming to the top of their lungs at the sudden ascent. They were most definitely higher than they had been before, and the cage seemed to swing, reminding them if the robots were to malfunction a drop the cages, they would fall to their deaths. Saffron fought that morbid thought away as the robot that held the cages went out of the room at an incredibly fast speed.
These robots, unlike the others, seem to decelerate once they had to make several turns, and poured out into the open room they had been a couple days prior.
For the first time since they were forced to separate, she saw the men.
The robots had poured from the opposite hallway with four cages in each claw, with the cages carrying the men. They looked just as shocked and frightened as them, or rather, most of them seemed somewhat more composed. From their various expressions, she could tell that they had just endured the same thing the women had. They wore a vest that strongly resembled the dress they were wearing, along with a pair of shorts that reached right below the knee. Some of them were clanging to the bars of the cage to maintain balance while others tried to lay low onto the cage floor.
She only had a few seconds to look at them before her world literally shook. The robot what going down a ramp of some sort in a hallway, which led to a door that could have been wide enough for the Milan Cathedral to fit in. The door bucked loudly before beginning to lift up. She was blinded by the sudden bright light that seemed to engulf the entire passageway. She only had a split second to glance at Sabrina, who had to cover her eyes, as the robot went unabatedly towards the door. She closed her eyes as the robot finally reached the light, allowing her world to go white.
When she had opened them, she went slack jawed.
She was outside.
The sky was a different hues of pink and orange, completely cloudless with two moons that faded in the background. It vaguely reminded her of sunrise, but it was far too warm for it to be morning. If it was morning. The buildings rose so incredibly high, they became nothing but blurs when she looked as high as she could. They were all chrome, platinum and chrome spires that that reflected brightly like gems, rising infinitely into the sky. The very walkway the robot rolled across was made of metal that shone brightly, almost mirror-like.
But what caught her off guard, were the numerous building-sized people that were starting to crowd around the gathering of robots that held them.
While she shouldn't have been surprised, just the sheer amount of giants that were around were enough for her mind to become overactive with thoughts of the cage suddenly being snatched from the claws of the robot. There were so many people, so many giants. Her heart was pumping through her ears, and she felt herself clutch the cot like it was her only lifeline.
They were all talking, their loud, echoing voices drowning out most of the cries of fright coming from her fellow humans around her. She had to cover her ears when she heard a woman who was awfully close to her cage laugh before saying something in that foreign language they were all speaking in. They were all to cacophonous for her to even hear her own thoughts.
It was when her eyes laid upon an enormous boy who couldn't have been any older than seven years of age look up at her with wide, curious eyes and began to reach up towards her cage that she shrieked.
Saffron couldn't hear Sabrina call out for her when she scrambled under the sink to hide, not that it did much good as the giants still had full sight of her. Faces that took up each side of the cage filled her vision, their gigantic eyes peering in on her and Sabrina, who was taking slow steps back away from them. She turned around to look at Saffron, who was cowering from the numerous eyes before moving in front of the sink, doing the best she could to block the woman from the enormous onlookers' eyes.
A keening voice echoed from around them, saying words she couldn't make out. The people parted away from the robots, and Saffron was finally able to catch her breath. Sabrina grabbed her hand, and slowly pulled her from underneath the sink.
"You alright," Sabrina asked as Saffron got to her feet, regaining her composure a bit.
"Y-yeah..." Saffron said, her voice very unsure. "I think so...there were just...s-so many..."
"I know," Sabrina said and it was when she flashed her a small smile that she realized the hand that was holding her own was also shaking.
"Y-you're brave, Sabrina." Saffron told her, sincerity somehow pushing from her fearful stuttering. "You didn't have to shield me. Thanks..."
Sabrina let go of her hand as the robots moved forward towards the opening of a enormous building that was large enough to nearly high rival most skyscrapers, but looked smaller than most of the buildings around it.
The building was significantly cooler than outside, the change in temperature jarring her a bit. It was twice the size of a football field, decorated with colorful paraphernalia and screens on all sides. There was a counter on the far left the length of a train that was curved outward, as well as several hooks and tables sprawled about. The robot didn't sop in the room, but was taken to a door behind the counter. The door opened automatically, and the robot continued through a completely featureless hallway and into a room with several counters. Sabrina stepped to the side of the cage to see outside the bars. She looked behind and withdrew her head after a moment. "They're not coming in after us...at least, not yet."
"I...I think I still need to lay down a bit."
The robot lowered the cage suddenly, causing both women to stumble.
Other cages were placed down next to her immediately, with people who looked frightened beyond belief. One young woman was in the corner of her cage, rocking back and forth while covering her ears with her hands in an attempt to block out the world. Saffron very much wanted to comfort her, but everyone was just as helpless as her, she realized.
They were at a pet shop. That much was very clear. Apparently, a relatively new one it seemed, as empty, pristine cages aligned the walls as far as the eye could see. Or, it was more than likely the humans that had came before them were all sold off and they were now the next batch.
Echoing footsteps grabbed her, and likewise, everyone's attention as four giants walked in. While one looked old enough to be her father, the other three had to be no older than their late teens to early twenties. Two of them were women probably eighteen-ish, but one was a man who had to be about twenty years old at most. They were all dressed in some sort of green and yellow uniform that reminded her of a server in a restaurant and a flight attendant, but she rationalized that it was more than likely the shop's standard attire. From their angle on the floor, they were even more intimidating, reminding her of Halon's own towering height. The irrational thought that they would suddenly start knocking down cages and squishing them invaded her mind for a split second before the older man said something to the three younger ones.
"Iskif dolika mozzoreen do? Brurerata gon tofa ra."
She had no idea what they had said. As did anyone else, but the three giants responded, the giant boy who looked to be merely twenty letting out an exasperated sigh. The giant looked to the boy, and said something so rapidly, the language words ("words?") seemed to blend into each other. The boy said something before waving a sarcastic hand towards the man.
"Arnove."
It was the second time she heard that word. And this time, she was pretty sure it meant either "Sure," "Yes," or "Fine." Something in the affirmative.
The elder giant gave an agitated shake of the head before pulling something that looked like a pen. It was completely silver and had no point. He pressed the button and, as if like magic, a blue holographic screen popped from the side, materializing from nothing.
She heard a few of the people gasp at the use of science fiction level technology, and even she felt a bit awed by it. The elder giant read for a few minutes before beckoning the three younger giants. He pointed to the cages around their legs and pulled out three of the pen-like hologram projectors from his pocket, handing each of them one.
Holographic screens with characters and symbols she had never seen before scrolled out as the giants activated them as if they were commonplace. And it probably was.
After a few seconds, the elder giant turned towards the cages, which caused many of the people inside to back as far away as possible; not that it did much with the giant's next action.
The elder giant opened the top of the cage which held five women, and fished them out. They were all pressed together in his fist, screaming and desperately fighting against his grip. One woman was punching down as much as possible, but the giant seemed to pay her no mind. With his free hand, he looked at the holographic screen and nodded before pressing a button on the screen. Somewhere, she heard a clank, and she looked down the long aisle and saw that one of the four cage doors had opened. The giant walked down towards them, with the women screaming in his hand.
She didn't get the chance to keep looking as the three giants did the same, opening the cages and plucking out several women at a time and opening the doors of their cages from their devices.
Saffron collapsed onto her knees, with Sabrina rushing to her aid. "Saf!"
"I-I...I'm not ready Sabrina...th-they're gonna...they're putting us on sale...we're going to be bought like animals..."
Sabrina shook her. Hard. "Listen. No matter what, don't lose it. Everything is going to work out."
A gigantic shadow encompassed them and both were forced to look up. The younger, male giant had stood up over them, his legs on both sides of the cage like an enormous arch, his freckled face tilted as he looked down curiously at the two women right before stooping down and opening the lid of the cage. Neither had the chance to even dodge the gigantic incoming hand that soon wrapped around both of them gently before pulling them up.
The two women were pressed uncomfortably against each other. Even though the giant seemed far more gentle than the giants that had handled them previously, his grip was uncomfortable and suffocating. Her head throbbed as he moved towards an open cage that was on the far left. He stopped, and lifted his hand, allowing the women to finally breath as he loosened his hand slightly.
But only a few seconds later did she feel two fingers wrap around her torso and lift him from his hand, her legs dragging across his leathery skin as she was lifted high up. She scarcely began to scream when he lowered her into the cage.
The door closed behind her immediately, and she turned around and looked through the gaps to see Sabrina still in the giant's grip.
Sabrina looked just as shocked as her before Saffron felt panic well up in her and she called out. "Sabrina!"
The giant began to walk away, and Sabrina only had a chance to mouth a quick "See you..." before the giant continued on.
Saffron pushed her head to the side of the doors and turned to see him walk, Sabrina in hand, towards an opened cage that was so incredibly far from view, she knew there would be no way she'd be able to call out to her and for her to hear her.
She frantically shook her head. No...no! There was no way the one friend she made in all this had been so far away now. As she saw the giant deposit the other red-head into the cage, she called out for her name several times, yelling to the top of her lungs. She wondered if Sabrina could even hear her, or even if Sabrina herself was calling out for her. But amongst the other screaming people around her, and the sound of the giants, she doubted it.
Her voice was hoarse and the giants had nearly finished placing the other humans in their "respective" cages. She called out weakly for Sabrina name, but was more than aware that she couldn't hear it.
She slid down from the front of the cage doors, one hand gripping the bars as she pressed her forehead towards it.
Now that she was suddenly alone, in a cage with the same area of her parent's patio, she felt more afraid than ever before. She had only managed because she had someone else with her the entire time. Now, with the side of the cage barred off by metal and the only view was a regular sized metal door, making her enclosure seem very dark, she was completely by herself, unable to tell who exactly was around her and too far across to even make out the faces of whoever was in their own separate cage clearly.
She missed her parents in Florida. She missed her younger brother. She missed Ricky, Jeff, Peter, her patrons, all of Chartersburg and it's monotony...
She missed home.
And now she was far from it and everyone else she came to know.
The giants had finally finished it seemed, as the elder giant called out for them from the other side of the door. The three giants followed, and left through the door, talking to each other in words she couldn't decipher.
As they spoke cheerfully in their strange, foreign language, she merely wept.
Part 7
Not for the first time, Saffron wished she had her cellphone or at least a watch.
She couldn't tell how much time had passed after the robots returned to retrieve the containers that had once held their food, maybe three to five hours, perhaps. She was full, having finished most of everything aside from the bread-like substance given to them. She decided to keep it, just in case she grew hungrier later. While it was far from being tasty, it was nonetheless nourishment that she was willing to have later on than to let it go to waste. Sabrina, on the other hand, finished everything, leaving the apple cores and cylinders of yogurt in the container for pick up. She briefly pondered what that bread like substance was, but pushed the frivolous thought from her mind.
For the longest time, Saffron and Sabrina just talked. About anything really; from their homes, their childhoods to their favorite television shows and musicians.
Upon first impressions, Sabrina seemed a bit opinionated, outspoken, and brave; possessing a courage most of the women around her didn't seem to have. At least, the women on both sides of her cage. Then again, she realized, she had probably passed that phase after being here for so long. Saffron had learned that she had an estranged father, who left her and her mother when she was only five years old and that from her teenage years until her mother's death, she had always been working. She had been working at a small pub when she met the man who would become her fiancé. She also discovered that she had wanted to be a singer since she was a little girl.
"Can I hear you?" Saffron had asked, but Sabrina let out a sigh.
"Wish I could," she started before jabbing a finger in the direction of the cage next to them, "But for some reason, they can get antsy if I sing too loud. Plus, one of them is going back to sleep."
"Well, you definitely need to show me whenever before..." Saffron went quiet as she starkly remembered their situation. She looked down to her lap in shame before Sabrina pulled her from her destructive thoughts.
"Hey, hey, don't worry. I'm pretty sure I'll get the chance to show you." She said, flashing her a grin. While Saffron still felt terrible, she returned it.
All in all, Saffron liked Sabrina, who she wish she befriended under normal circumstances. Mainly because they shared the same cage, and that after she tried to talk with the others in the surrounding cages, they seemed reluctant to talk, even amongst themselves after a while. Not that she didn't blame them; it would take some time to wrap their heads around what was going on, let alone for them to talk about it. Nonetheless, she felt a bit better knowing that their was at least one person willing to go the mile to help her in this sudden reality.
The two seemed to talk for a long time before they felt tired of talking or just tired. Sabrina had fallen back asleep, leaving Saffron lost in her thoughts, sitting on her cot.
While Saffron was sleepy herself, she couldn't fall asleep. Not without thinking about everything.
Sabrina's story about what happened to that brazen man who stood up to the giant seemingly responsible for everything disturbed her. A lot. The imagery of a man literally having his head popped off would have been darkly funny had it not been what actually happened, instead of being in a cartoon or B-movie. She couldn't imagine being one of the people brought here earlier, and forced to witness a man being used as an example of what happens to whoever defies these giants. Somewhere, amongst these cages, was the girl who could have been in that man's position if he so chose to.
That thought only prompted the dreaded question: Would her "master" be anything like that?
Would the beings of this planet or whatever be so callous and think so little of them that they would be punished, or worse, killed if they even attempted to disobey them? The giants at the facility seemed willing to quickly rectify any rebellious behavior. She reached up and touched the side of her head, distinctly remembering the giant holding it between those massive fingers, as if ready to pop it like a tiny berry. A shiver travelled down her spine and she fought down her rising panic and memory of the incident.
Would her family ever know what happened to her? Would they soon discover that there were aliens around them, holding the entire Earth hostage in secret? Were they safe from them? She truly hoped for the latter to be true. The thought of her parents or younger brother enduring what she had going through almost sent her into tears. She only hoped and prayed that it wasn't the case, and that maybe someday, somehow she would somehow be able to relay the message that she was alive.
At first, she was angry at her government; to willingly kidnap people and give them to these enormous aliens. But her fury quickly died down when she reminded herself that these beings seemed so advanced, so gigantic and physically overwhelming that they probably had no choice but to comply. It wouldn't have made a difference if they had tried to fight, and she knew that the outcome of such a battle would most definitely not have been in Earth's favor. And the giants could have taken what they wanted. Hell, the fact that an agreement was made in the first place was a miracle of itself, given that these aliens could have easily disregarded any human propositions and killed or enslaved them all. She wondered what could have convinced them to allow humanity to live on Earth without knowledge of their existence.
While she couldn't say she was grateful, she was definitely glad that the worst hadn't happened.
At random points, she would stand up and peek outside of the her enclosure, usually to see how every women was handling the situation. She wondered if the men were in their exact same situation; more than likely, she thought. Somewhere, in these enormous place, those of the opposite sex were probably getting the same treatment: being prepped up to be pets by tomorrow. Or at least, she thought it was tomorrow. Several women in the cages she could make out were either talked amongst themselves in hushed voices, as if preparing for the giants to appear at any moment or sleeping. Many of the women looked despondent or sorrowful, of course, with many of them sitting in the corner of their cages, either sobbing, muttering to themselves or just staring. After a while, she stopped peeking outside her cage and just went back to her cot.
After some time, she finally felt the light tugging of sleep and had fallen asleep when Sabrina had started to stir.
-----
"I don't know if I should go for Engineering or Culinary."
Saffron had glanced up to Ricky who was doing the dishes. "Have you thought about double-majoring?"
He nodded. "Did, but it's kind of a lot of work, I heard. Besides, I heard it would be more expensive. I'd probably have to do another year."
"Ah...hm, what are you most passionate about?" Saffron asked, glancing at the elderly couple in the diner, who were chatting rather than eating.
"That's the thing, I like them both equally." Ricky whined, moving on to a large dish pan. "I've always been a fan of tinkering with stuff since I was little, but I always wanted to cook too. Like, be one of those chefs on the Food Network."
Saffron smiled brightly. "Oh! If that's the case, then go into Culinary then. You'll have to cook and send me some money whenever you hit it big though!"
Ricky laughed. "Saf, you'd be getting everything in pennies."
"And this is why I'm going to remind you every day to send a check."
The two laughed for a bit before Saffron composed herself. "But really though. I would recommend Engineering though. Mainly because that is what the job market is looking for nowadays."
"Huh, that's a good point." He said before moving on to the next dish. "Well, then, I guess that makes things easier than."
"Just keep in mind though," Saffron told him before walking by him to fetch the pitcher of water, "You can always change majors at any time. And since your first year is like a practice run, you'll have a better grip on what you want to do afterwards in my opinion."
"Noted."
"By the way, did you hear about Jeff?" Saffron asked, pouring two glasses of water.
"No, did something happen?" Ricky asked, his voice full of concern.
"Something good," she reassured him, "His wife is having a baby."
"Oh," Ricky said with a quick sigh of relief. "I knew that."
"Really?" she asked incredulously.
"Told me Saturday."
"Well then..." she said with a huff, a bit disappointed she couldn't surprise him before handing the glasses of water to the two patrons. "Here you guys go."
The man spoke first, bowing his head in gratitude. "Thank you, ma'am."
Saffron smiled before replying, "You're more than welcome."
She returned back towards Ricky with two of the empty cups that they had finished and placed it next to Ricky, who grabbed it immediately and started working on them.
"Did you hear about those teenagers that were snatched up some time last week in Atlanta?" Ricky asked. "It was apparently around one or two in the morning."
"I heard. One of them was only sixteen."
"So young."
"I know..."
She woke up with a start. She didn't remember falling asleep in the first place.
The sound of those robots were a low thrum that grew louder when she saw them cross the threshold of the room and stop at the cages.
She leaned up and began to panic a bit until she heard Sabrina speak up.
"Relax, they're only bringing in food." the older woman answered, looking at her from her position against the wall. "You've been asleep for a while. I was that way when I first came. Knocked out I mean."
"Have I really been asleep for that long?" She asked, watching the robot open the lid from above and lower a similar container down into the cage. She couldn't help but watch as it placed it down with gigantic claws before lifting up high above. The thought that these giant robots, as huge as they were, weren't even as big as the giant humanlike aliens that controlled them seemed was daunting.
Sabrina nodded. "Don't worry about it. When you're in here, you'll get lethargic. I remember sleeping entire days away. Almost an entire month a complete blur. Then again, we won't be here long."
That's right. If as much time had passed as they said it would, they would probably soon be on the market in a few hours. She suddenly felt very sick.
Sabrina noticed her face become pale and lifted the top immediately, grabbing a bottle of water and tossing it across to Saffron. Saffron fumbled with it before securing it between both hands. "Thanks."
"No problem," she said, opening her own bottle of water. "How'd you sleep. I mean, I had nightmares for the most part of a month since I got here.
"I actually slept well," Saffron answered before taking a swig of water. "I can't really remember my dream much but it was mundane...I think."
"Huh," Sabrina said simply. "Well, that's good."
Once again, there was silence as the two ate. Saffron wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but given that she didn't know when her next meal would come, she forced herself to eat as much as she could.
An hour had passed and the robot had returned.
"Has anyone ever tried to escape?" Saffron asked, watching the robot pull the container between two claws up and out of the cages around her.
"Probably," Sabrina shrugged. "But given that the door is nearly two hundred feet high, there are giants lurking about, and we have no idea what they would have in store for what they'd do if they caught wind of us, I don't think many would try. Plus, I'm going to guess we're on a different planet."
"Never would I think we'd come across aliens." Saffron said, mainly to herself but Sabrina heard her.
"Technically, the other way around," Sabrina pointed out, "Aliens came across us."
"Don't they look too human to you?" Saffron asked, something she was pretty sure Sabrina had thought about to.
Sabrina nodded. "It's too eerie. You'd think they would probably see us as equals or something. I mean, I know they're huge and shit but we look exactly the same, dammit. At least, from what I was able to tell."
"We don't even know what their species is called yet."
"Probably something incomprehensible or something. I don't know."
"They've probably came from light-years away. Meaning we're probably light-years away from Earth too."
Sabrina grimaced. "I know."
The massive door suddenly opened, startling all the women within the titanic room.
The dark-haired giant from before had returned, causing some of the women to back as far away from the front of their cages. Saffron heard a few women start to panic and sob. The giant took several booming steps into the room, surveying the captive women briefly while taking slow, deliberate steps that shook the ground. Saffron took a few steps back as Sabrina narrowed her eyes that the monumentally huge man.
The giant seemed unfazed by the numerous eyes that were on him, as he was more than aware that his presence commandeered their fear-driven attention. After he did a quick sweep of the room, he beckoned for something from outside her line of vision.
A different pair of robots appeared. Unlike the robots that came earlier, these robots were an obnoxiously bright orange with four "arms" each, and were only a head shorter than the giant rather than a little over half his size. They stopped immediately behind the giant, as if awaiting orders. The giant turned from them and looked at the room full of terrified women.
"Good news," he said jovially, which made Saffron cringe, "It's nearly time. You all are going to be sold soon, and owned by whoever will purchase you. Most of you have already claimed, and your owners will probably pick you up once you are released. The ones who are not claimed will be put on sale immediately. We advise you to maintain your best behavior in order to maintain value," His eyes narrowed deviously as he said in a low voice, "We are not afraid to cull those who are too unruly."
There were a few whimpers, and she heard a woman somewhere mutter, "oh god..."
"But I highly doubt any of you will prove to be of any trouble to us," he said, flashing a grin that seemed to be far more sinister to her than it would be on a man that was normal sized. "In any case, I will remind you that the moment you leave this place, most of you will not be addressed in your language again. And for those who have been claimed, you will be separated from those whom you are sharing a cage with once you get to your destination. Consider this a farewell warning."
And with that, the giant left the room as the robots advanced towards the cages.
To her surprise, Saffron's and Sabrina's cages were one of the first to be lifted up. The two women clung onto their cots as they were lifted high above the air, well above the top of the robot. Three cages were in the robot's other claws, with several of them screaming to the top of their lungs at the sudden ascent. They were most definitely higher than they had been before, and the cage seemed to swing, reminding them if the robots were to malfunction a drop the cages, they would fall to their deaths. Saffron fought that morbid thought away as the robot that held the cages went out of the room at an incredibly fast speed.
These robots, unlike the others, seem to decelerate once they had to make several turns, and poured out into the open room they had been a couple days prior.
For the first time since they were forced to separate, she saw the men.
The robots had poured from the opposite hallway with four cages in each claw, with the cages carrying the men. They looked just as shocked and frightened as them, or rather, most of them seemed somewhat more composed. From their various expressions, she could tell that they had just endured the same thing the women had. They wore a vest that strongly resembled the dress they were wearing, along with a pair of shorts that reached right below the knee. Some of them were clanging to the bars of the cage to maintain balance while others tried to lay low onto the cage floor.
She only had a few seconds to look at them before her world literally shook. The robot what going down a ramp of some sort in a hallway, which led to a door that could have been wide enough for the Milan Cathedral to fit in. The door bucked loudly before beginning to lift up. She was blinded by the sudden bright light that seemed to engulf the entire passageway. She only had a split second to glance at Sabrina, who had to cover her eyes, as the robot went unabatedly towards the door. She closed her eyes as the robot finally reached the light, allowing her world to go white.
When she had opened them, she went slack jawed.
She was outside.
The sky was a different hues of pink and orange, completely cloudless with two moons that faded in the background. It vaguely reminded her of sunrise, but it was far too warm for it to be morning. If it was morning. The buildings rose so incredibly high, they became nothing but blurs when she looked as high as she could. They were all chrome, platinum and chrome spires that that reflected brightly like gems, rising infinitely into the sky. The very walkway the robot rolled across was made of metal that shone brightly, almost mirror-like.
But what caught her off guard, were the numerous building-sized people that were starting to crowd around the gathering of robots that held them.
While she shouldn't have been surprised, just the sheer amount of giants that were around were enough for her mind to become overactive with thoughts of the cage suddenly being snatched from the claws of the robot. There were so many people, so many giants. Her heart was pumping through her ears, and she felt herself clutch the cot like it was her only lifeline.
They were all talking, their loud, echoing voices drowning out most of the cries of fright coming from her fellow humans around her. She had to cover her ears when she heard a woman who was awfully close to her cage laugh before saying something in that foreign language they were all speaking in. They were all to cacophonous for her to even hear her own thoughts.
It was when her eyes laid upon an enormous boy who couldn't have been any older than seven years of age look up at her with wide, curious eyes and began to reach up towards her cage that she shrieked.
Saffron couldn't hear Sabrina call out for her when she scrambled under the sink to hide, not that it did much good as the giants still had full sight of her. Faces that took up each side of the cage filled her vision, their gigantic eyes peering in on her and Sabrina, who was taking slow steps back away from them. She turned around to look at Saffron, who was cowering from the numerous eyes before moving in front of the sink, doing the best she could to block the woman from the enormous onlookers' eyes.
A keening voice echoed from around them, saying words she couldn't make out. The people parted away from the robots, and Saffron was finally able to catch her breath. Sabrina grabbed her hand, and slowly pulled her from underneath the sink.
"You alright," Sabrina asked as Saffron got to her feet, regaining her composure a bit.
"Y-yeah..." Saffron said, her voice very unsure. "I think so...there were just...s-so many..."
"I know," Sabrina said and it was when she flashed her a small smile that she realized the hand that was holding her own was also shaking.
"Y-you're brave, Sabrina." Saffron told her, sincerity somehow pushing from her fearful stuttering. "You didn't have to shield me. Thanks..."
Sabrina let go of her hand as the robots moved forward towards the opening of a enormous building that was large enough to nearly high rival most skyscrapers, but looked smaller than most of the buildings around it.
The building was significantly cooler than outside, the change in temperature jarring her a bit. It was twice the size of a football field, decorated with colorful paraphernalia and screens on all sides. There was a counter on the far left the length of a train that was curved outward, as well as several hooks and tables sprawled about. The robot didn't sop in the room, but was taken to a door behind the counter. The door opened automatically, and the robot continued through a completely featureless hallway and into a room with several counters. Sabrina stepped to the side of the cage to see outside the bars. She looked behind and withdrew her head after a moment. "They're not coming in after us...at least, not yet."
"I...I think I still need to lay down a bit."
The robot lowered the cage suddenly, causing both women to stumble.
Other cages were placed down next to her immediately, with people who looked frightened beyond belief. One young woman was in the corner of her cage, rocking back and forth while covering her ears with her hands in an attempt to block out the world. Saffron very much wanted to comfort her, but everyone was just as helpless as her, she realized.
They were at a pet shop. That much was very clear. Apparently, a relatively new one it seemed, as empty, pristine cages aligned the walls as far as the eye could see. Or, it was more than likely the humans that had came before them were all sold off and they were now the next batch.
Echoing footsteps grabbed her, and likewise, everyone's attention as four giants walked in. While one looked old enough to be her father, the other three had to be no older than their late teens to early twenties. Two of them were women probably eighteen-ish, but one was a man who had to be about twenty years old at most. They were all dressed in some sort of green and yellow uniform that reminded her of a server in a restaurant and a flight attendant, but she rationalized that it was more than likely the shop's standard attire. From their angle on the floor, they were even more intimidating, reminding her of Halon's own towering height. The irrational thought that they would suddenly start knocking down cages and squishing them invaded her mind for a split second before the older man said something to the three younger ones.
"Iskif dolika mozzoreen do? Brurerata gon tofa ra."
She had no idea what they had said. As did anyone else, but the three giants responded, the giant boy who looked to be merely twenty letting out an exasperated sigh. The giant looked to the boy, and said something so rapidly, the language words ("words?") seemed to blend into each other. The boy said something before waving a sarcastic hand towards the man.
"Arnove."
It was the second time she heard that word. And this time, she was pretty sure it meant either "Sure," "Yes," or "Fine." Something in the affirmative.
The elder giant gave an agitated shake of the head before pulling something that looked like a pen. It was completely silver and had no point. He pressed the button and, as if like magic, a blue holographic screen popped from the side, materializing from nothing.
She heard a few of the people gasp at the use of science fiction level technology, and even she felt a bit awed by it. The elder giant read for a few minutes before beckoning the three younger giants. He pointed to the cages around their legs and pulled out three of the pen-like hologram projectors from his pocket, handing each of them one.
Holographic screens with characters and symbols she had never seen before scrolled out as the giants activated them as if they were commonplace. And it probably was.
After a few seconds, the elder giant turned towards the cages, which caused many of the people inside to back as far away as possible; not that it did much with the giant's next action.
The elder giant opened the top of the cage which held five women, and fished them out. They were all pressed together in his fist, screaming and desperately fighting against his grip. One woman was punching down as much as possible, but the giant seemed to pay her no mind. With his free hand, he looked at the holographic screen and nodded before pressing a button on the screen. Somewhere, she heard a clank, and she looked down the long aisle and saw that one of the four cage doors had opened. The giant walked down towards them, with the women screaming in his hand.
She didn't get the chance to keep looking as the three giants did the same, opening the cages and plucking out several women at a time and opening the doors of their cages from their devices.
Saffron collapsed onto her knees, with Sabrina rushing to her aid. "Saf!"
"I-I...I'm not ready Sabrina...th-they're gonna...they're putting us on sale...we're going to be bought like animals..."
Sabrina shook her. Hard. "Listen. No matter what, don't lose it. Everything is going to work out."
A gigantic shadow encompassed them and both were forced to look up. The younger, male giant had stood up over them, his legs on both sides of the cage like an enormous arch, his freckled face tilted as he looked down curiously at the two women right before stooping down and opening the lid of the cage. Neither had the chance to even dodge the gigantic incoming hand that soon wrapped around both of them gently before pulling them up.
The two women were pressed uncomfortably against each other. Even though the giant seemed far more gentle than the giants that had handled them previously, his grip was uncomfortable and suffocating. Her head throbbed as he moved towards an open cage that was on the far left. He stopped, and lifted his hand, allowing the women to finally breath as he loosened his hand slightly.
But only a few seconds later did she feel two fingers wrap around her torso and lift him from his hand, her legs dragging across his leathery skin as she was lifted high up. She scarcely began to scream when he lowered her into the cage.
The door closed behind her immediately, and she turned around and looked through the gaps to see Sabrina still in the giant's grip.
Sabrina looked just as shocked as her before Saffron felt panic well up in her and she called out. "Sabrina!"
The giant began to walk away, and Sabrina only had a chance to mouth a quick "See you..." before the giant continued on.
Saffron pushed her head to the side of the doors and turned to see him walk, Sabrina in hand, towards an opened cage that was so incredibly far from view, she knew there would be no way she'd be able to call out to her and for her to hear her.
She frantically shook her head. No...no! There was no way the one friend she made in all this had been so far away now. As she saw the giant deposit the other red-head into the cage, she called out for her name several times, yelling to the top of her lungs. She wondered if Sabrina could even hear her, or even if Sabrina herself was calling out for her. But amongst the other screaming people around her, and the sound of the giants, she doubted it.
Her voice was hoarse and the giants had nearly finished placing the other humans in their "respective" cages. She called out weakly for Sabrina name, but was more than aware that she couldn't hear it.
She slid down from the front of the cage doors, one hand gripping the bars as she pressed her forehead towards it.
Now that she was suddenly alone, in a cage with the same area of her parent's patio, she felt more afraid than ever before. She had only managed because she had someone else with her the entire time. Now, with the side of the cage barred off by metal and the only view was a regular sized metal door, making her enclosure seem very dark, she was completely by herself, unable to tell who exactly was around her and too far across to even make out the faces of whoever was in their own separate cage clearly.
She missed her parents in Florida. She missed her younger brother. She missed Ricky, Jeff, Peter, her patrons, all of Chartersburg and it's monotony...
She missed home.
And now she was far from it and everyone else she came to know.
The giants had finally finished it seemed, as the elder giant called out for them from the other side of the door. The three giants followed, and left through the door, talking to each other in words she couldn't decipher.
As they spoke cheerfully in their strange, foreign language, she merely wept.