The Cage (Part 2)

[Warning! Readers may find the chapter's content disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.]

The group of four with Ana as the lead entered an inn.

The Innkeeper beamed seeing customers arriving.

Ana standing before the reception put the gold bracelet that belonged to Zulkernyn on top of the reception desk.

"A large room for four." Ana said to the innkeeper.

"That will be 100 flowers." The innkeeper replied smiling slyly with greed in his eyes.

"20 flowers a night. Don't you dare scam me, you lowly slave!" Ana said with an angry tone to the innkeeper in the Tevittar tribe language, Tevittarian.

Beside Ana was Zulkernyn. He didn't understand what Ana was saying but hearing her angry tone, he focused a bit of his intent on the innkeeper.

Feeling scared by Ana with Zulkernyn highlighting her anger with his dangerous vibe, the innkeeper flinched.

Assuming that the group in front of him are not new to the Cage, he hurriedly nodded before taking the bracelet.

Placing a key in front of Ana, the innkeeper told her the number of the room that they will be staying.

After telling her where the room is, the innkeeper put 9 silver coins with a unique flower pattern on it on the desk.

Taking the coins, Ana left with her group to their room.

~~~

"This city is definitely unique!" Ian said jumping on the bed.

"You 'aven't zeen anything. The carriage didn't come through the main road. Vhat you zaw iz nothing but an illuzion, you vill know vhat kind of place it iz later vhen ve go out." Ana said placing her backpack on top of a table.

"Get up! Ve need to clear up the room. There are 'idden cameraz all over the room." Ana told Ian before turning to Erisviel.

"You bought everything I azked right?" She asked Erisviel.

The three were surprised to learn that there are hidden cameras in the room.

Erisviel nodding to Ana took out her laptop and some gadgets Aaron made for Nameless to find out hidden cams and bugs.

15 minutes later, they finished cleaning up the room.

The group found 26 cameras and 10 bugs inside the room.

"Whoa, too many cams and bugs fam!" Ian said looking at the pile of small cams and bugs.

The three looked towards Ana, for her to explain.

"They zell information to the vardens to make zome money. There'z alzo blackmail and other ztuff they can do, you know the uzual zhits." Ana shrugged.

"It'z not just thiz inn but everyvhere. Vhat can the customerz do? Zue them? That'z a joke. There'z no law 'ere. Kill them in return? Yea', they can do that vut another vill juzt take it'z place. The inn will operate normally like they 'ave veen, there will ve no change."

"Mozt juzt deztroy theze camz and bugz. Not going after them after finding these, sendz a varning to them. They von't do anything ztupid to uz anymore."

Ana feeling tired sat on the bed.

"You know a lot about the Cage, Ana..." Ian said with a frown.

Ana turned to Ian before she told him.

"5 yearz ago vefore going to country O, I lived in the Cage for a few monthz."

"Erisviel you can go frezhen up firzt, I vill go next after you. You two decide vho goez after me." Ana said to the three as she unpacked her things from her backpack.

Nodding to Ana, Erisviel took some necessities and some clothes from her backpack before she went to the bathroom.

Ana sitting on the bed was looking at the watch on her wrist.

She had a smile on her face.

'He should be here soon!' Ana said in her mind.

~~~

The four misfits took a nap since they were tired.

It's afternoon, Ana ordered some food for the group.

After finished eating, they heard some knocks on the door.

Ana getting up put on her mask before she went to check who was at the door.

Looking through the peephole, Ana saw someone wearing a mask of a wolf.

Recognising the mask, Ana opened the door.

"Tell me 'ow many timez I beat your azz!" Ana said to the person with the wolf mask.

Hearing Ana, the person with the wolf mask sighed.

"Four hundred and twenty times, Ana..." The person with the wolf masked replied.

Ana hearing the masked person hugged him.

The two hugged each other for a few moments before they separated.

Letting the person with the wolf mask in the room, Ana locked the door.

She then took off her mask.

"'ow are you, Zakior!" Ana said to the person with the wolf mask.

The person with the wolf mask took his mask off.

A handsome smiling face with curly hair and brown eyes was revealed after the wolf mask was taken off.

The boy was wearing a black jacket with grey accents over a black t-shirt, navy blue jeans and grey sneakers.

"So-so, Ana. It's great to see you. How are you?" Zakior said to Ana.

"Great az I'll ever ve!" Ana said to Zakior with a smile on her face.

Turning to her friends, Ana introduced Zakior to the three.

"Zakior, meet Zulkernyn, Ian and Erisviel. They are my bezt friendz and family. Guyz, meet Zakior. 'e iz a child'ood friend."

"Zakior 'Wolfgang' Haze." Zakior introduced himself to the three.

"Erisviel Le Fay."

"Ian McCullum."

"Zulkernyn Yazid Hassan."

The three also introduced themselves to Zakior.

"So I became your childhood friend from brother?" Zakior said to Ana raising his eye brows.

"Brother?" Ian was the one who voiced out first.

Zulkernyn and Erisviel both were surprised hearing Zakior.

"'e iz alzo my sworn brother... Jeez, do you alwayz have to do that!" Ana rolling her eyes commented.

"I do."

"Vhatever."

The five then started to talk about Ana and Zakior's childhood stories.

~~~

The group of five were walking around the ward known as 'The Market'.

Zakior was leading the group.

Aside from, Ana who was indifferent.

The other three were having a hard time restraining themselves.

Especially, Zulkernyn and Ian.

Erisviel on the other hand was pale under her mask.

The things she saw were so horrible and outrageous, she wanted to throw up after seeing the things she saw but Ana told her to restrain herself and hold on.

Ian and Zulkernyn were having trouble restraining their intent.

"We are currently at the place called 'The Market'. Anything or anyone you lay your eyes on has a price tag. As long as you have that ring on your finger, you won't have a price tag on your self. So keep in mind, don't lose that ring!" Zakior said to the group since Ana has made him their tour guide for the Cage.

The first thing they saw at the Market were the slave traders.

Men, women, children, elderly, no age group were spared.

They were displayed as commodities for sale.

There were also dead bodies for sale too. Like the living, no age group couldn't be found as 'not for sale'.

Further in, they saw more shocking and horrible things.

Murders, ra*e, cannibalism, etc in broad daylight.

The three now found out why Ana kept reminding them to restrain themselves.

Why she kept on telling them to treat this place as a hell on earth.

Ian saw a child being beaten to death.

He couldn't restrain himself anymore and was about to snap!

Ana took hold of Ian's arm and stopped him.

"Don't! Even if you vere to zave that girl now, zhe vould ve killed zooner or later. You can't zave them, Ian."

"Am I supposed to watch and do nothing! Do they don't have any shred of humanity left in them? Ana, I'm human! I can't ignore and watch this madness from the sidelines." Ian forcefully pulled his arm from Ana's grasp.

Ana sighed.

'I didn't wanted to do thiz, but it seems like I don't have any choice...' Ana said in her mind.

"Ian our livez are in your handz! If you do anything, then ve all vill die for zure. If you don't vant Erisviel, Zulkernym, Zakior and me get killed then ztop! There'z no way for uz to get out of 'ere unscathed after you act. You've zeen what this place iz, it will eat uz alive! You're the mozt tenaciouz person in our group. I'm zure you vill zurvive, but ve von't. Chooze, do you vant to zave that girl or uz!"

Ian stopped on his tracks.

Zulkernyn approached Ian and whispered into his ear.

"I know what you are feeling my brother, I beg of you to restrain yourself."

Ian stood there and watched the child be killed in front of him.

Ian was seething in anger.

Anger at this place, the Cage.

The people living in the Cage.

He was angry at Ana.

He couldn't believe that humans could fall so low.

There's no hint of humanity left in these people around him.

Zulkernyn turned to his friend Ana.

"Why are we here, Ana?" He asked Ana.

Sighing once more, Ana replied to Zulkernyn.

"Ve are 'ere for buzinezz. Alzo, to let you guyz zee a glimpze of hell that Aurora, Aaron, Nyx and Sabastian 'ave zeen through in their previouz life. You 'ave 'eard about their livez, didn't you? Thiz can't be compared to it, but at leazt it can give an idea about vhat kind of place their previouz vorld vas."

Zulkernyn and Ana stared at each other for a few moments before breaking their contact.

Ana turned to Zakior and told him to lead.

Zakior once more started guiding the group to tour the Cage.

Zulkernyn, Erisviel and Ian watched the horrors and grim reality of humanity at it's lowest.

To them, it felt like they were experiencing a dreadful nightmare.

The experience made them realize how low can a human fall.

Everything they saw was etched on their memories.