SHANGHAI 
May 
Location: Black Market 

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Hugging her knees close to her chest, the little girl glanced at the steel bars which enclosed her in a cage that defined claustrophobia to the most accurate sense. When she moved, the chains locking her wrists and ankles clanked loudly. Yet, nothing was louder by the deafening bellows from all the vendors nearby. Despicable vendors, screams of unwilling slaves and sounds of payments filled the spaces around her as her small hands reached to cover her ears, trying to drown out those noises. Despite muffled, they still blared against her eardrums. Her body trembled violently, unsure whether it was from the ravenous hunger or the disturbing fear of uncertainty that haunted her.

Clack.

Clean clackings of expensive shoes sounded regardless of the rough surface of the ground. She lifted her head and saw a man in full black. He looked proper in his expensive tailored suit and her eyes narrowed towards the piece of elaborated black jewellery clasped neatly onto the collar of his black dress shirt. It resembled an insignia of power, influence and danger. Perhaps he felt her staring because he turned towards her and raised his head slightly. To her utmost fear, it revealed nothing except for the almost opaque black satin cloth that covered his face entirely, blurring out the features that were hidden beneath the cover.

"How much for that girl?" the man spoke with smooth-paced eloquence.

Frightened, she jumped and her back scraped against the sharp and rough bars above her back. She hunched back down, grimacing in pain as her body shook with violent intensity. She clamped her hands onto her mouth to prevent herself from screaming as her heart lurched into her throat and every muscle in her body tensed so tightly that they threatened to snap if she were to move.

"200,000," the vendor replied with a strong distinctive accent, before adding, "USD."

He had once again pulled the price up for each patron who had stopped to ask for her price. She breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing that the man would definitely reject the deal like every other one before him. She dropped her head and her shoulders slumped against her knees when she relaxed.

"Okay."

When that word sounded in her ears, it startled her once again and she raised her head slightly to witness the agreement deal being sealed. The hum of the transaction machine and the monotonous screech of receipt printing caused her heart to race even faster than it already had. Her breath hitched and she shrieked in fear when a hand with long, scrawny fingers unlocked the cage door and grabbed her by her hair. Being yanked out forcefully, she stumbled forward and fell towards the man in black. He held her by the shoulder with one hand and the other reached out to grip onto the vendor's wrist. When he turned his wrist slightly and the vendor cried pleadingly, using his other hand in useless attempts to break his locked wrist free.

"Consider yourself warned," the man mentioned, his voice cold and dangerous.

The vendor didn't seem to understand him, but once he was freed, he backed off and laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Seeing that they were both distracted, instincts kicked in and she jerked her shoulder hard to get the man's hand off her shoulder. Seizing the opportunity, she burst through the terrifying space between the man and the vendor. But she knew any plans to escape made on her side was bound to fail because she hadn't eaten anything for days, and being trapped in such a small space had caused her limbs to grow numb. With the feeling of sharp needles against her feet and a careless step, she tumbled to the ground.

"操," the vendor cursed.
(Translate: Fuck.)

The vendor leapt forward to grab her by the arm and pulled her back with violent force. She gasped and air punched out of her lungs when her back impacted painfully to the edge of the counter. Her head spun and her weak body caved in as she fell helplessly onto the ground once again.

The next thing she heard was a gunshot and her eyes widened as she watched the vendor's body thud sickeningly onto the ground. His eyes widened in the same way as hers to reflect pure horror and her gaze went straight to the hole drilled directly in the middle of his brows. The dead body lay just an inch away from her, with his face directly in front of hers. Unease stirred violently within her, sending a clear warning that she had to run but her body had already lost all strength to heed to her command. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she whimpered at the impending doom that had clawed its way out from her heart and overwhelmed her entire being with the smouldering fear.

Then, a hand hovered in front of her eyes, shielding her from the gruesome sight before a strong arm hoisted her up by the waist. She shrieked desperately and her arms flailed in failed attempts to escape. The man tightened his grip, holding her in place and positioned her head on his shoulder. Stroking her back, he said in a low whisper, "I'm sorry, but please don't be afraid."

He carried her in his arms and walked towards his car. Placing her on the backseat, he sat right beside her before instructing the chauffeur to drive. The fear and tension have yet subsided but the comfort of his car and the constant motion had caused her eyelids to grow heavy. She fought to keep her eyes open but she was fighting a losing battle. The man patted on her head and said, "You're safe now, just rest."

At the immediate moment she felt comforted, she drifted off. Her head rested on the back of the man's hand and she was all curled up on her side, hugging herself protectively with all her insecurities apparently larger than what her small body could hold.

When the car stopped, he carefully woke her up and pushed her into a sitting position. "Child," he called her softly.

She looked towards him and he had already exited through the opened car door. Just when she was about to panic for the fear that she would be left alone again, the man turned back and stretched his arm out in front of her. His opened his palm, offering to let her hold onto him. At this point, she took it without hesitation. Her fingers curled tightly on his hand as though he was the only ray of hope left for her.

They walked through the garage and down several hallways before she entered a room filled with many people who had turned their head and looked in her direction. There was curiosity and immediate acceptance that she did not seem to understand.

"Iva, welcome to Elysium."

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