Not Everything That Glitters is Gold

Trigger Warning: Physical Torture, Gruesome Death

"Get up!"

A scream on her ear, followed by the sharp pain of a boot connecting to her stomach. She curled up into a ball, only to be pulled up by her arms and forced to her feet.

She couldn't remember how long she had been in captivity anymore. Having been blindfolded most of the time, the days and nights had already merged into one long nightmare.

She was pushed into a new room. No. It was a vehicle, judging by the sound it was making.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Shut your mouth or the gag goes back," was the only reply she received. She kept silent after that.

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she was being dragged out of the vehicle again. The surroundings were quiet. She couldn't hear anything that might give her a clue as to where she was taken to, only that the smell of the sea was no longer present. That meant she was probably somewhere inland.

She was seated once again in a chair. When they finally removed her blindfold, the light was dim enough that her eyes didn't take too much time to adjust to the surroundings.

She found herself inside a room filled with many extravagant items. Everything inside was expensive, from the lush carpet to the exquisitely crafted furniture, to the priceless antiques and paintings that littered the walls and shelves. For a woman like Gertrude Moore, such a room was like a dream.

"Hello, Gertrude."

She turned her attention forward to where the voice came from. Sitting behind the ornate desk was a woman. She was also wearing a mask, but unlike the man who threatened her back then whose body was completely covered making it hard to distinguish his gender apart from his voice, this person was obviously female.

"Wh-who are you? Are you the ones who will kill me?"

"Heavens no!" the woman replied. "How can you say that to the people who just saved you from being sold off at the black market?"

Gertrude felt confused. They weren't the ones who kidnapped her?

"Oh dear, my apologies. My people have yet to untie you." The woman turned to the men standing at the side. "Well? What are you waiting for? Untie our guest!"

"Thank you," Gertrude said when she was finally free from her restraints. However, she wasn't looking at her host. Rather, she continued glancing around the room.

"Where am I?"

"That's not important," the woman replied. "What's important is you have been given a second chance in life. You are given two choices. In one room, we have prepared food, a fresh set of clothes, and enough money to let you leave the country and start a new life. Would you like to take it?"

She nodded vigorously. She was confident they would protect her for fear that she would divulge all their secrets. They had taken too long this time. She could have died.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she paused. The woman said two choices. What was the other one?

As if reading her mind, the woman asked, "Would you like to know the other choice?"

She nodded again.

The woman gestured to one of the men, who opened a large chest beside him.

What Gertrude saw next made her eyes bulge in excitement. In an instant, she forgot the pain, hunger, and suffering she experienced in the past few days. All that mattered was the contents of the chest.

Gold bars!

She swallowed despite her dry throat.

"You are allowed to take with you as many bars as you can carry," she heard the woman say. "BUT, if you choose this option, we are no longer obligated to help you in any way."

Bah! Who needs their help? With all that gold, she can buy everyone she needs!

Quickly, she grabbed a handful of bars. "I'm rich! I'm rich!" she laughed maniacally.

"Are you sure you don't want our help to escape?" the woman asked.

"Who wants your help?" she replied dismissively. "I have gold. I'm rich!"

She had filled the front of her shirt with as much gold as it can hold and when she finally couldn't take anymore, she turned to the woman and said, "Give my thanks to the people who sent you. Tell them I won't be bothering them anymore."

But just when she had reached the door, two big men blocked her way.

"Hey! What the fuck is going on? Get out of the way!" Gertrude yelled impudently.

The woman clicked her tongue. "Ah Gertrude, Gertrude. It seems you haven't learned your lesson yet." She moved forward from behind the desk. It was only then that Gertrude noticed that the woman was sitting in a wheelchair.

"Wh-what do you mean? Let me out! We had a deal!" Somehow, the sight of the wheelchair sent a cold chill down Gertrude's spine. "You… you said I was allowed to take as much gold as I can carry when I leave."

"I also warned you that if you choose the second option, we are no longer obligated to help you escape," the woman replied, drawing closer. "Also, I said bars, Gertrude, not gold." She picked a gold bar from the chest and, taking a knife, scraped the gold on top to reveal a dull metal underneath. "Not everything that glitters is gold, you know." She threw the scraped bar in front of Gertrude.

The old woman finally realized they had duped her. She dropped the bundle of bars she had been holding close to her chest and fell to her knees. "Please… let me go. I won't do it again. I'll disappear from this place and bother no one again."

"I gave you a simple choice, Gertrude. Your life, or your greed. Apparently, you didn't think your life was important enough." She drew closer. "I said I will let you leave with as many bars as you can carry. But I didn't say how. Did you know that in ancient times, thieves were punished by pouring melted gold on them?"

Gertrude's blood turned cold. "No.. no. Please… please, I beg you. Please, let me go." Tears streamed down her face.

However, the woman in the wheelchair seemed unmoved as she continued, "But for your crimes, Gertrude Moore, you do not deserve something as beautiful and valuable as gold. Not after everything you have done. All the lives you have ruined."

"Who… who are you? How do you know?"

"I know your secrets, Gertrude." The woman slowly removed her mask to reveal her face.

An intense wave of fear washed over Gertrude as she recognized the woman in front of her. "No… that can't be. You're dead… How? How are you here?"

"I came to drag all of you back to hell with me," the woman sneered.

"I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt… I swear!"

The woman in the wheelchair placed the mask back on. Two men had entered carrying a cauldron filled with a dull grey liquid. Another group of men held her down while one forced her mouth open.

The woman watched as the hot molten metal was poured down Gertrude's throat.

"This is the price you pay for your greed," the woman whispered.

And so ended the life of Gertrude Moore.