chapter 6 : The Price Of Dignity

The leader advanced towards us, as if he enjoyed this situation. His machete gleamed in the dim sunlight, the blade stained with dried blood that seemed to tell stories of past atrocities. His smile was grotesque, a twisted grimace that revealed contempt and depravity. Behind him, the men of the village formed a semicircle, blocking any possible escape. Their faces were a mix of lust and violence, like hungry wolves waiting their turn to devour.

"You have nowhere to run," the leader said, his voice calm but laden with latent menace. "Samantha, you have caused too much trouble. And you, Rebecca… you betrayed your people. The only forgiveness for you is death."

Sam positioned his body in front of me, his bloody bat still dripping from the remains of the ghoul he had just killed. Her breathing was labored, but her gaze was full of determination and ferocity. There was no fear in her, only anger. A rage that seemed to burn deep within her.

"I won't let them hurt us," she muttered, without taking her eyes off the leader.

The leader let out a maniacal laugh, a sound that echoed in the air in a sinister way, looking at us as if we were objects, trophies that he already had in his hands.

"Very well," he said, raising his machete with a theatrical movement. "Let's play."

A burly man lunged at us, brandishing a rusty golf club. Sam waited calmly, calculating her move. Just when he was within reach, she hit him in the knee with the bat, making him fall to the ground with a cry of pain. Without hesitation, she gave him a second blow to the head, a dry impact that resonated in the air. The man was knocked unconscious, his body crumpled to the ground like a bag of bones.

But without even time to breathe, another man immediately approached from the left, a machete in his hand. I raised my stick trying to block, but the force of the impact made me back off. The man smiled sinisterly, thinking he had the advantage, but Sam appeared behind him like a ghost and hit him in the back with the bat. The man fell to his knees, and Sam finished the job with a brutal blow to the back of his head. The sound of bones breaking was clear, and the man's body collapsed to the ground.

The leader watched from the side with a sadistic smile on his face, as if he enjoyed the scene unfolding in front of him.

"Not bad," he said slowly. "But you know, look what I have here."

His soft voice reached straight to my ears, and I turned immediately. Sam's brother, Adell, had been captured. The leader held a knife pressed against his neck, the blade glistening in the sunlight. Adell was pale, his breathing ragged as the leader held him like a human shield.

Sam barely noticed this. He glared at the leader, flames of anger seeming to shoot out of his reddened eyes, as if they were spitting venom.

"Let him go!" Sam shouted, his voice shaking with rage. They wanted to rush straight in and rip his neck out, but stopped when they saw their brother shaking.

"That depends on how you behave," the leader said with a deep smile, almost enjoying the desperation in Sam's voice.

We couldn't do anything. As long as the leader held Adell hostage, we were trapped.

"What do you want?" Sam asked, his voice lower now, but charged with an intensity that didn't seem to hide the anger he carried.

The leader looked at her coldly, his eyes shining with malice and perversion.

"First, drop your weapons," he said bluntly.

Sam hesitated for a moment, but finally dropped the bat to the ground. I dropped my stick as well, feeling helplessness take over me. In that instant, two men grabbed us by the arms, their rough hands squeezing tightly.

"You see, Samantha," the leader said, his voice full of contempt. "Your brother is just a burden. If you had sacrificed him, maybe you could have escaped. But now, you fell because of your emotional ties."

"Shut up!" Sam shouted, struggling against the men holding her, but it was useless. The men tightened their grip.

The leader let out a low laugh, a sound that echoed in the air like distant thunder.

"Samantha, I'm going to give you another chance. Come back to us...or die."

"What about my brother?" Sam asked, his voice now shaking.

"Of course he will be sacrificed," the leader replied with a sinister smile.

"Then I prefer to die and take at least one of you," Sam shouted, struggling harder, but the leader pressed the knife harder against Adell's neck.

"Wait, stop!" Sam shouted, watching as a few drops of blood began to slide down his brother's neck.

The leader smiled, enjoying the desperation in Sam's eyes.

"Please, I'll do whatever you want, but please let my brother go," Sam pleaded, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

The leader, without a hint of remorse and enjoying how Sam pleaded with him, the smile on his face widened even more. He grabbed Adell by the neck and turned his gaze towards Sam.

"Strip," he said abruptly, his voice cold and full of perversion. The words echoed in the air like a whip, cutting off any hope that the situation could be resolved.

Sam looked at him with hatred, his eyes reddened by tears, his hands shaking, not from fear but from helplessness. Humiliation was evident on his face, but also a fierce determination to protect his brother at any cost.

"What?" Sam asked, his voice shaky but full of fury.

"You heard right," the leader replied, coming even closer, his hot and disgusting breath brushing Sam's face. "Strip. Now."

Sam looked at her brother, who was being held by one of the men, his face pale and filled with helplessness. Adell struggled, but it was no use. The man's knife pressed against his neck, and a thin line of blood began to slide down his skin.

"Please..." Sam pleaded, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Don't do this."

The leader let out a low laugh, which echoed through the air, soft but malicious.

"You have no choice, Samantha," he said, his voice full of contempt. "Either you do as I say, or your brother dies right here."

Sam closed her eyes for a moment, as if to escape reality. But when she opened them again, there was a fierce determination in them. With shaking hands, she began to take off her jacket, letting it fall to the ground. Then, she unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her torso. The cold evening air brushed against her skin, but she didn't seem to care. Her breathing was labored, and every movement a struggle against herself.

The leader watched every move with a smile on his face, enjoying seeing the desperation in Sam's eyes. His men watched as well, their faces filled with lust.

"Go on," the leader said, his voice softer now, but no less menacing.

Sam closed her eyes again, as if she was trying to gain strength. When she opened them, there was an unwavering determination in them. With her hands still shaking, she began to take off her pants, letting them fall to the floor. She was now completely exposed.

The leader approached with a smile that did not escape his lips.

"Kid, look how much your sister loves you," he said, laughing as he approached Sam.

"S...sister, No!" Adell shouted, held by one of the men, helpless as he watched his sister strip away her dignity.

The leader reached out a hand, touching Sam's face with a softness that was grotesque. Sam flinched, but did not move. He knew that any resistance could cost his brother his life.

"Very well," the leader said, his voice softer now, but threatening. "Now, kneel."

Sam looked at him with eyes full of hate, but finally complied, kneeling on the cold, hard ground. His knees dug into the earth, but the pain was insignificant compared to the humiliation he was enduring.

The leader smiled, a crooked smile full of malice. With slow, deliberate movements, he pulled down his pants, revealing his nakedness. He stood in front of her, looking down at her with an expression of triumph and anticipation. His voice, low and loaded with intent, resonated in the air like a whip.

"Suck it," he ordered, his tone full of contempt and lust. The words were crude, obscene, and they fell on Sam like an unbearable weight.