Chapter 184: Memories

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“Sorry, dear ones, Mommy is tired, I can’t play with you today. Forgive me, okay?”

Eira had heard those words more times than she could count. Her mother always apologized when she couldn’t spend the day with them.

Eira, at five years old, didn’t understand why, but she noticed the weariness in her mother’s eyes, eyes that always held love but at the same time seemed empty, as if something had been stolen from inside her.

Still, Eira trusted her mother’s smile, the one she wore even when it barely existed, like a fragile mask.

They lived in a place they shared with many “aunts,” women who cared for them as if they were their own flesh and blood.

Despite this, Eira and her sister always preferred to be with their mother. They knew that when she took them out of her room, they had to obey without asking questions.

Some nights, their mother would return with wounds on her body and silent tears falling like rain in a corner of the room. But even then, if she noticed she was being watched, her smile would return, forced and broken, like a mask hiding her pain.

Eira, even at such a young age, noticed these things. Even though her mother tried to hide it, sometimes she would find her crying. And although those tears made her little heart break, she soon understood that crying would only hurt her mother more.

From that tender age, she promised herself that she would take care of her sister, as an older sister should. And, when she grew up, she would also protect her mother from those bad men who hurt her.

…

..

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“Mommy, I’m hungry…”

“Oh, I’m sorry, honey. You know Mommy hasn’t been doing well lately. But… here, eat this.”

Eira watched as her mother gave Selene a portion of her meager ration. Now eight years old, both she and her sister were beginning to feel the growing need for food. Their beast-woman bodies were asking for more, an instinct they could not control.

Eira was no longer a naive child. She had grown up enough to understand many things. She knew the kind of work her mother did, the hardships she faced and the sacrifices she carried on her shoulders. But there was nothing she could do.

She was too young, and her mother always insisted that they not leave the house unless accompanied by one of her aunts.

The business for which her mother worked and which was run by her “Grandma” or as her mother called her, and the other aunts, was going through difficult times. There were fewer and fewer customers and income was scarce, those were difficult years.

The aunts helped as best they could, but they also faced problems. Many also had children, with whom they sometimes played. But lately, the games were less frequent and the laughter, more muted, were difficult times, which taught Eira many more things.

..

.

“Grrr…”

” auch!…oh, sorry, little kitty.”

Eira felt a growing hatred for grown men. For as long as she could remember, they were the source of her mother’s suffering. That night, luck was not on her side.

Her mother had asked them to stay with one of her aunts while she worked, but they also seemed busy and the room where they usually took refuge for cases like these was locked.

With no other option, Eira and Selene waited in the corner of the dark corridors, an uncomfortable place full of threatening shadows, it was a cold night but being together Eira believed that everything would be fine.

Unfortunately, a drunken man, perhaps lost, found them and staggered up to them with an unpleasant smile and a glazed look.

He had an unkempt appearance and his breath was disgustingly impregnated with alcohol, he was much bigger than them and his presence alone overwhelmed them when he saw them he extended his hand towards Selene, eira didn’t know what his intentions were, but before he could do it, Eira reacted without caring about the size difference.

With an instinctive movement, she swatted his hand and scratched him with her small claws, placing herself in front of her sister like a protective wall.

Luckily, the man didn’t mind the attack and continued on his way after apologizing, as if he didn’t care what happened, but Eira didn’t let her guard down. Her fierce gaze did not stray to the hallway, if one could make it this far more could come all the men were a possible threat.

Exhaustion, however, was stronger. Finally, her young and exhausted body gave way, and Eira fell asleep with Selene cuddled against her side.

When she awoke, she was no longer in the corner. She was in her room. One of her aunts had picked her up while she slept and carried her into the room.

“I’m sorry sweetie, mommy committed a horror, mommy promises it won’t happen again.”

Eira said nothing, but that night was etched in her memory. As she looked at her mother, who was stroking her hair with a tired smile and apologetic look, she felt the hatred for those men growing inside her.

Eira promised herself, once again, that one day she would protect her mother and sister, even if she had to face the whole world to do so.

..

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Life in the brothel had continued its usual course, albeit under a growing air of tension. The aunts and mothers were on their guard; hard times always brought dangers, and the presence of strange men in the vicinity had put more than one on her guard.

Eira had noticed the change in the atmosphere, though she didn’t quite understand it. At eight years old, she only knew that she had to protect Selene. The little girl did not seem aware of the danger, but she trusted her older sister blindly.

That night, their mother took them to the empty room where they used to wait with the other children. “Stay here, don’t go out for anything. Mommy will be back soon, okay?” she told them with a smile that failed to hide her concern.

From that night on Leyla made sure her daughters were always, safe before doing anything.

Eira nodded, hugging her sister as she watched her mother leave the room with hurried steps.

Eira looked at the rest of the children in the room and they both joined in, and began to play, since there was nothing else to do.

..

The first signs came as a distant, almost imperceptible murmur. Eira heard a strange noise, like a thud on the first floor, followed by a muffled scream.

Selene looked at her with eyes full of uncertainty, but Eira did not let fear paralyze her. She approached the door, trying to listen.

Chaos soon erupted. Heart-rending screams filled the brothel, mingling with the sound of shattering glass and toppling furniture. Eira understood that something terrible was happening. “Selene, hide behind the bed!” she ordered, pointing to a dark corner. The little girl obeyed immediately.

Before Eira could join her, the door burst open. An unknown man, with a cruel expression and eyes full of greed, entered the room. Eira lunged at him, clawing and biting as best she could, but the man was too strong. He held her arm easily, immobilizing her movements.

“Calm down little girl,, I like your energy. And where we are going, it will be very useful.,” he murmured in a harsh, malicious voice.

“Let go of me! Leave us alone!” cried Eira, her legs kicking in desperation as she tried to break free from the grip of the man holding her. Her voice echoed in the small room, but there was no one there to help her.

Her terrified gaze searched for Selene, who was looking at her instead of hiding as she told her to, watching with eyes filled with tears and paralyzing fear.

Finally, Selene came out of hiding, driven by the instinct to protect her older sister. Her body trembled, but her little fist clenched decisively. She did not get far. Another man rushed in, grabbed her by the arm and lifted her as if she weighed nothing.

“Let her go!” cried Eira in a snarl, kicking as the man dragged her towards the door.

In the far corner of the room, other children watched in complete silence, motionless with sheer dread. Not one dared to move, not even to breathe harder.

Eira, the eldest of the group, had always been their protector. If she couldn’t fight them, what could the others do?

The attack was brutal and without warning.

The brothel, a refuge where the women and children had learned to survive despite the odds, was now a field of ruins. The rooms, where only a short time before there had been feigned laughter and discreet conversations between the women and their clients, were filled with cries for help and cries of terror.

The men had arrived as regular customers, entering in a relaxed manner and separating themselves by the different areas.

No one suspected anything until it was too late. They attacked in unison, disarming and subduing the women with calculated violence.

Some tried to resist, but the aggressors were strong. One by one, they were beaten or wounded. Others managed to hide in the chaos, but could not prevent the men from taking what they really wanted: the children.

Dragged through the corridors, stuffed into sacks or pushed by force, the little ones were taken away from their mothers. The women’s pierced voices echoed throughout the building.

Eira and Selene were taken along with the others, their small voices disappearing in the din of the attack.

***

Leyla moments before, she was in one of the rooms when it all started. At first, she thought the noise was just typical arguments between customers. But when the screaming increased to a disturbing degree, she sensed that something was not right.

Unfortunately for her, when she began to doubt whether or not to go check it out, a shadow appeared behind her… And finally everything began to fade away.

“tsk.. it’s a pity, but the boss will be angry if I delay, well what we came for, with the money I’ll buy better prostitutes later.”

Leyla barely heard that before she fell completely unconscious.

..

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