CHAPTER 4: The Mohan (Part 2)

CHAPTER 4

THE MOHAN (Part 2)

—Umm… excuse me?... Ma'am?... Is sumercé alright?

It's been two days since the Mohan brought this woman to his lair. She was unconscious when he left her here and hasn't moved a muscle since.

—She's probably dead —says a woman behind me.

—Wait, what?! That monster brought us a dead woman?! What for? —another one exclaims from the corner of the jail.

—M-Maybe he wants us to feed on her. We haven't eaten anything in days —whispers a little girl

—. He's still mad because we wouldn't let him kiss us… *sobs*… We're going to die!

—Maybe if we just take a bite of her, he'll give us proper food. You know how twisted that monster is. This could be some kind of test.

—She's not dead —I reply —. She's been breathing normally since she got here. I bet this is because of the Mohan's tobacco. You know how strong that stuff is. Maybe she was overexposed to the smoke.

—Great —another woman scoffs, crossing her arms —. He starves us for days and still brings in another 'wife.' What does that make now, ten?

My name is Ofelia. Until last week, I had a peaceful life with my parents—until I was kidnapped by that monster and dragged to this place to, and I quote, "become part of his harem." The other women have been here longer than me. They told me that for years, the Mohan has been abducting women from their town, forcing them to be his wives. If they refuse, he tortures them until their bodies and minds are completely broken. What a wretched creature. If my parents were here, they would have taught him a lesson.

—We need to wake her up. Two days of sleep is too much —I say —. She might seem fine now, but if she stays like this, she could be in real danger.

—No, leave her alone! —another woman protests —We barely get food as it is, and now we have another mouth to feed? No, thanks!... Besides, it's better if she dies. She won't have to live this nightmare.

—Ohhh no, no, no, no. This woman is far too precious for me —a voice sneers from the darkness outside the jail —. More precious than all your worthless lives combined.

From the shadows, the Mohan emerges. The vile creature watches us through the bars, exhaling another thick cloud of smoke from his tobacco as his lips curl into a grotesque grin. Terrified, all the women back away until they press against the damp, moss-covered wall. I'm scared too, but I can't just abandon this girl, so I stay by her side.

—M-M-Mister Mohan… S-Sir —one of the women stammers, trembling —Please… can you give us something to eat? Please?

—Oh? What's this? Are you giving me orders?

—No, sir! I'm sorry!

—Yeah, you better be —He exhales another puff of smoke before smirking —. But you know what? I think I've punished you enough. Starving for a few days should've been enough to teach you a lesson. In fact, I think it's time you all had something to eat.

With a wave of his hand, a table materializes in front of us, overflowing with food and drinks. As expected, everyone rushes to it, devouring whatever they can get their hands on like rabid animals. I grab some food too, but I also take a bowl of soup and a cup of water for the unconscious woman.

—Thanks, Mr. Mohan! —everyone chimes in unison.

—See? I'm not a monster —he chuckles —. I love you all! Believe it or not, I hate being cruel to you. But sometimes, you need a little reminder on how to be proper wives. Once you're done eating, I'll open the cell so you can go to the bathroom.

The youngest girl timidly steps forward.

—Where's my mom? —she asks in a small voice.

—Oh, you poor thing —The Mohan sighs dramatically, shaking his head —. Your mommy was very rude to me. And you know being rude isn't okay. In fact, it's because of her that I didn't feed you all these past days.

—… I miss Mommy.

—And you'll see her again… once I finish teaching her a lesson.

—… I wanna see her now.

—Huh? What's this?! Are you giving me orders?! Maybe you need a lesson too! —The monster grabs the little girl by the throat.

—STOP!! —I yell — Please… I beg you.

The Mohan glares at me, clearly annoyed that I dared to raise my voice. But once I lower my head and beg, he calms down.

—She's just a child —I plead —. Please… have mercy.

He bares his yellow teeth in a grin before releasing the girl.

—Okay, little one. I do appreciate polite girls with kind hearts… By the way, I see you're taking care of my new wife. You have my gratitude. I might've given her too much sleep smoke… Anyway, make sure she eats plenty. I need her strong enough to handle all my love… I'll be back tonight.

With that, he vanishes into a thick cloud of smoke.

—Alright, time to wake up, miss —I say.

—Why is she so important to him —another woman mutters.

—I don't know and I don't care —another snaps —. Just feed her before he gets angry again.

Before I can do anything, the woman stirs and speaks for the first time.

—… I'm already awake. That food smells amazing.

We all scream in shock, and in my panic, I accidentally drop her onto the floor.

—Ouch! What the hell?!" she groans.

—I-I'm sorry! You caught me off guard! Are you okay?!

—Well, at least you didn't crack my skull.

—One problem less —someone mutters —. Now hurry up and give her food.

As the woman—who introduces herself as Chía—starts eating, she calmly explains that she came here to help us. Naturally, no one believes her. But then she says something even crazier: she's willing to go with the Mohan… because she has a plan.

—Ha! You're going to free us? Good luck with that! —a woman scoffs —. You don't think we've tried escaping before? The Mohan leaves the cell unlocked because there's no way out. He kidnapped us while we were unconscious, so none of us saw how we got here. Only he knows the exit.

—The Mohan can create pocket dimensions — Miss Chía explains —. Besides controlling vegetation, he uses these dimensions to hide or make his lairs. But every time he enters a deep, hypnotic sleep, a door back to our world appears.

Skepticism fills the room, but Miss Chía ignores it —She turns to me.

—Get ready. As soon as you see a door open, run. Got it?

We all hesitantly nod.

—Good. Now… HEY, YOU HAIRY PIECE OF CRAP! GUESS WHO'S WAITING FOR YOU?!

Like clockwork, the Mohan materializes in a smoke cloud.

—Hehehe… Such a big mouth for a helpless blind girl.

—Such a deep voice for a little bitch —Chía fires back.

—THAT'S IT, YOU LITTLE WHORE!

The Mohan grabs her by the face, and in an instant, both disappear into the swirling smoke…

TO BE CONTINUED…