"What're you do---".

     "OI! COME FIGHT ME YOU ASSHATS! I BET NONE OF YOU COULD EVEN LAND A HIT ON ME! C'MON I'll SHOW YOU MY FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD SPUNK!"

     He takes a half-time break. Then, he inhales once again.

     "I COULDN'T HEAR YA'LL BEFORE BUT NOW MY EARS ARE CLEAN! WELL, MAYBE NOT CLEAN AS THEY SHOULD BE, BUT THAT WON'T MATTER! TALK TRASH, I DARE YA!"

     Again.

     "I KNOW YOU GUYS CAN HEAR ME, DON'T IGNORE ME! I'LL KEEP SCREAMING UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS! I KNOW MY VOICE IS ANNOYING AS HELL!"

      Alonso keeps this routine for what must've been an hour-straight. A puddle of sweat has formed around him. He pants like a thirsty animal.

     "Is this your plan?" Lisa covers her ears, "To keep screaming until they kill you?"

     "Well, I'm hoping they skip the killing part, and just y'know, come over here", he inhales, "SO I'M NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL YA'LL NOTICE ME!"

     "For fucks sake shut the hell up!"

     There's a collective sigh of relief within the room as one of the men finally enters the fray. This man is bald, fat, and old. That's all there is to know 'bout him.

     Baldy stomps towards Alonso's cell. His stomach and man-boobs bouncing with each step he takes. He stops in front of the cage. 

     "Shut. Up".

     "HOW 'BOUT, NO?!"

     Baldy grips the bars and shoves his face as close as he can, "Look here, the product isn't supposed to be damaged, So stop while you're ahead".

     Alonso lifts his hands in surrender, "Okay, sounds good. But can I ask a question?"

    "No", the man pushes himself away, "If you start screaming I will hurt you".

      Alonso scoffs, "I'm already hurting. Look here boss, my question is this---".

     "---Last warning", Baldy cuts in.

     "Y'know what, my question has changed", Alonso says, "Baldy, how's your day been so far? You look like you've got a lot on your mind and---".

     Just as he warned Baldy stomps towards the cage. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out another set of keys, almost identical to the man from before, and opens the cage.

     From afar, an enraged Baldy was sort of entertaining to watch. The way he fumed and clenched made him look like some sort of a child who got told, no. However, from close up it's a different story. With his eyes burrowed and his expression similar to a wild boar, it's only natural that Alonso retracted a bit.

     "H-hey there pal. How's your day be---".

     Without wasting any time Baldy gets right to work. Getting stomped on by bare feet is bad enough, but getting savagely stomped on like a bug by boots, is a different story.

     Alonso tries to protect himself, but when faced with a man with a mission, his attempts are in vain. But the goal was never to leave this unscathed, quite the opposite really. The little boy's mission may not be accomplished on the first try, for all he knows he'll have to bear this multiple times.

     Baldy spits on the little boy as he exits the cage, "Next time it'll be a lot worse".

     "I-I'm looking forward to it", Alonso manages to croak out. He clutches his ribs and rolls around in pain. 

     "Well, that was a massive failure', Lisa says, "What was your plan anyway? If you were trying to get his keys then you get absolutely zero points for originality".

     "W...w-worth a shot".

     "Also---".

     Alonso holds up a finger to stall her barrage of insults. He inhales and exhales in slow succession. Each movement involving an extreme amount of trembling. 

     Lisa of course notices this. She looks away from his injuries and towards the ceiling instead.

     "O-okay, you can continue".

     She shakes her head, "No, I'm good", she side-eyes his various injuries, "Does it not hurt?"

     "Whatcha mean?"

     "All those bruises and stuff".

     Alonso looks down at his body, "Yeah, they hurt. Especially my legs, I can't wait to get these chains off---ah, shoot! Even if I do get the keys how are we going to escape! I can't run in this state!"

     "Aside from that, right now you just got utterly annihilated---".

     "---it wasn't that bad---".

     "---And you somehow don't seem...defeated".

     Alonso shakes his head, "Then you weren't looking hard enough. I lost my cool and acted like a scared little puppy. Trust me, dude, I'm worn down to the bone. All I really wanna do is sleep", he sighs, "But y'know, I really don't have the luxury to do that, neither do you--OR ANY OF YA"LL!"

     Alonso grabs the bars and drags himself to his feet. He looks at the rest of the inmates.

     "I know you guys heard me yelling my ass off earlier! I don't know what kind of life you guys lived, but it's gotta be better than this one!"

     He gets a couple of awkward glares, but nobody responds.

     "Last chance! If anybody wants to escape with me, you better say something!"

     "Hey! They're gonna hear you!"

     Alonso blows raspberries, "Well, too bad for you guys! You just lost your chance at survival!"

     "They saw others try and fail", Lisa explains, "It's only natural that they wouldn't join you in your suicide mission".

     "It's suicide to stay here", he scoffs, "You're still coming with me, right?"

     "...Yeah", Lisa sighs, "So, what's the plan, now?"

     "Plan? Ha! I have an idea, not a plan, though. You just sit down and watch me do my magic", Alonso suddenly remembers that man from earlier, "Man, if only I had whatever he had. I could just blast my way outta this...well, sucks-to-suck".

     Once again, Alonso begins to scream his head off. Like clockwork, Baldy came in and beat the absolute shit out of the little boy. Just as he thought, the process of freedom wasn't going to be an easy one. 

     The cycle continues for a couple of hours. Alonso continues to scream his heart out and Baldy gives him the work. Each time his beating becomes worse and worse. Bloodier and bloodier. Any bystander would be astonished by the fact Alonso isn't dead.

     As is Baldy. He clutches the side of his stomach and breathes heavily. This is probably the most exercise he's gotten in months.  

     "What the hell kid", he leans on his feet, "Why aren't you dead, yet?"

     Alonso lies on the floor, his body completely limp and if it weren't for the slight movement caused by his breathing, he'd be mistaken for a corpse. 

     The little boy's lips are swollen to hell and so is his face. Every part of his visible body is inflated like a balloon. Blood has begun to dry and fresh blood pours over it. 

    "Fuck it, I'll use the crossbow", Baldy exits the cage, but does not close it behind him, "Stay right there".

     Through his swollen eyelids, Alonso glares at the opening. 

     Our opening, it's right there! C'mon dude, get up! It doesn't matter how much it hurts!

     Alonso tries to worm his way to the exit but to no avail. He moves about an inch or two, but not enough to make his escape. By the time he makes some distance, Baldy has returned with his weapon of death. He points it at Alonso and---

     "Henry! What're you doing man!?"

     The voice resonates from the end of the hallway. Baldy looks in that direction and immediately scowls. Without saying another word he puts away the crossbow and marches off. He mutters something under his breath as he departs.

     Marco slides into the cage, shutting it closed himself. With a bright smile on his face, he gets on his knees and scans the injured boy.

     "Man, I left for a couple of hours and you look like a squashed snail", he pokes at Alonso's wounds, "Feel like one, too".

     Alonso wants to retort but is unable to lift any of his limbs at the moment.

     "I guess you tried to escape---multiple times it looks like", Marco laughs, "You were very lucky I cam when I did". 

     Marco shoves his finger into his ear, "Although, I'm not sure why anybody would want to escape this place. Isn't it so nice!?"

     Alonso scowls, "I-I don't know what kind of life you lived...nor do I really care", he manages to croak out, "But this is not, 'nice'...Y'know what? Marco, I'm going to give you the same option I gave to all of these people. Do you want to escape with---".

     "No, not really", Marco cuts in, "You can go ahead, but I think I'll pass".

     "Why?"

     "Oh well", Marco scatches his thighs, "For me, this is a better place than I was before...See, my parent's ab---".

     "Okay, okay", Marco interrupts, "Y'know what, don't say another world. I take back what I said. I really don't care 'bout your sob story...Either way, I guess that gives me less work to do".

     Marco looks at his surroundings, "Hey, I won't go with you---but I'll help you out".

     Alonso glares at him through the corner of his eye. At the moment it hurts too much to speak, but his eyes say it loud and clear. 

     "On one condition, though", Marco smiles, "...You have to buy me when everything is over".

     "W-what? Why would I do that?"

     Marco shrugs, "You seem like an interesting person".

     "On what basis are you saying that?", Alonso tries to push himself up, "I only met you a couple of hours ago, and even then I barely said anything interesting".

     Marco gets on the floor and stares right into Alonso's eyes.

     "I don't know, it's just something in those eyes of yours", he inches closer, hardly any space between them, "They're so...captivating".

     "...I'm not going to buy you".

     "Welp, no help from me, then".

     "Fine with me", Alonso groans in pain, "J-just don't get in the way".

     Marco raises his hands in surrender, "You got it, boss".

     Lisa watches as her new partner-in-crime tries to get on his feet but utterly fails every time. Her eyebrow furrow each time she hears the SPLAT that comes from his wet skin. At one point she clamps her hands over her ears to stop hearing him in such pain.

     Of course, Marco takes great pleasure in his pain. He smiles like a proud parent watching their child taking its first steps. 

     "...D-dangit!"

     Alonso's chest rises and falls at a rapid pace, the pool around him becomes a mixture of red and beads of sweat. 

     "Doesn't look like you'll be getting out today", Marco says, "You got two---well, after tomorrow one day until the auction starts. If you sleep off today maybe you'll feel better tomorrow".

     "I don't think a day's rest will do much of a difference".

     "Trust me, it will. And even if it doesn't, I was being honest about what I said. If you're all hurt like that nobodies leaving here. So, rest up".

     Alonso ponders on the idea, then finally gives in to it.

     "You better not do something weird, hear me?" Alonso yawns, "O-or, when I wake up I'll smack you", almost instantly the little boy falls asleep. 

     Marco laughs, "Ha, that was easy", he looks at Lily, "What's up with you?".

     "N-nothing", Lily retracts herself, "I was just watching".

     "Oh, okay".

     With that, the three of them sit in silence---actually, more accurately---in the middle of the wails from the other prisoners.

     ***

     "Well, wontcha look at that?"

     "What's up?", Isabella says, "Find anything useful?"

     Skyler scoffs, "I wish I was this lucky, look here", she tosses the bow towards her friend, who catches it easily.

     Isabella's heart slams onto the ground and further. Her hands begin to jitter but she quickly squashes that anxiety away. She takes a deep breath and exhales just as slowly.

     "This is his", she reads the message once more, "Most likely it was the traffickers that got him. Damnit, dude".

     "So, what now? I mean, there are lots of bases for those guys. And even if we do find the right one, what then?"

     "We'll do what we always do", Isabella walks away, leaving her friend hanging.

     "The fu---and what's that?!"

     Isabella smiles, "We'll improvise".