"Wake up!"

The harsh bark was accompanied by the terrible sound of clanking as something dragged across the iron bars. Isabelle jerked awake from her short sleep, sucking in a sharp breath. Beside her, Sarah scrambled to her feet, looking just as jarred and shaken. A small whimper escaped her lips as the poor girl stumbled back into the wall, knocking her head with a crack and stifling a yelp as she rubbed, feeling at the back of her head.

"No blood, please no blood," she heard Sarah mumble, combing through her hair.

"Are you alright?" Isabelle whispered, blinking the sleep and grit from her eyes.

The girl nodded, pulling away dry hands.

Isabelle peered out of the bars toward the sound and froze. Eyes widened in terror at the sight of the creature before them, and a cold sweat broke out over her skin, turning her hands clammy. Discreetly, she hid Rosie from view, sliding her hands behind her back.

The creature snarled, a low, ugly sound matching its equally hideous appearance. Its black flesh glistened in the darkness, scaled like snakes' skin, sending a chill down Isabelle's spine. A long thick tail dragged along the ground, rasping against the stone floor, as the beast paced back and forth down the row of cells, clanking the bars with the handle of its whip. The grating sound sharply hitting the back of her jaw. She clenched her teeth fighting the urge to scream.

"Everyone up! Time to start the show."

Shaking, the huddled masses rose to their feet as cell doors were being unlocked and opened by creatures in cloaks.

The black scaled creature stopped in front of her cell. It unlocked the door and swung it open. A set of sharp white teeth glowed, an evil glint in the darkness, as it snickered at her. "Get a move on."

The group of prisoners in her cell got up and shuffled out in a line. Isabelle followed suit, turning to give Sarah a reassuring smile. It was a forced smile, one that she knew wouldn't quite reach her eyes.

There was only one path to follow.

The sound of many bare feet against the rough hard ground and the soft clanging of chains sang a somber melody against the silence. Not a single person spoke as they were pushed and shoved out of the cell, herded down a dimly lit hall like chattel. The atmosphere filled with terror and grim faces. Isabelle absently petted Rosie to help soothe her nerves.

All the other doors had been shut, leaving only the long hallway in which the crowd shuffled down before finally fanning out into a large room at the end.

The room looked like a theater, almost like the ones that Isabelle's parents had taken her to as a child. She used to love watching plays where actors would enact biblical tales. Her fond memory made her wince when she realized that this theater was not one that brought joy, but one that inflicted horrors and hardship.

Rows of seats lined the auditorium in a semicircle, facing a raised dais.

"To the side. Move! Single file only!" The lizard-like creature cracked its whip.

Several startled gasps rose from the crowd at the sharp sound, and the sea of bodies hurriedly shuffled to the left of the room. Forming into a single straight row, they stood along the wall, the line stretching from the side of the stage all the way to the back of the room.

They stood there, shivering.

Waiting.

In the sudden silence, Isabelle imagined she could almost hear the sounds of hearts thundering like a herd of horses. Her own heart raced wild, her terror barely under control.

Suddenly, a sound Isabelle didn't want to hear drifted into the room. Voices, murmurs reached her ears.

She lifted her head, eyes darting around the room. Monsters of all shapes and sizes started to trickle into the space from various entrances, murmuring amongst themselves as they took their seats. Some of them had fur, horns and tails, others wings and scales, but all gave off an air of importance. Isabelle drew her eyebrows together.

The beasts wrapped themselves in fineries. Jewels glittered, adorning their horns like statement pieces. Silk wrapped around their fur and rubies glinted from the bands on their fingers. It was almost as if they were proud of their monstrous forms, this perversion of nature that they had become.

Isabelle could see that not even a single one of them had it in them to even consider repentance from whatever sin they had committed to receive such a dreadful curse. Their insides matched their outsides and- true to form- they embraced it.

Horrible.

The loud jangle of chains caught Isabelle's attention, and she drew her eyes away from the audience seats to see that a particularly grotesque specimen had stopped in front of her. This ugly creature was adorned with large, unsightly gold chains around its thick sweaty, pale neck, and it was staring at her with beady eyes and a broad, pig-like snout. His bald head was covered with gold-capped horns, and two tusks protruded from his mouth, wagging up and down as he spoke. His eyes were alight with a perverted glint, and Isabelle felt revulsion rise in her throat.

"Mmm, yes, I like the skinny ones," he grunted, panting in her face. His breath was as awful as his appearance, strong and pungent. She stiffened as she felt his clammy, chubby hands brush over the rough fabric of her garment. She tried to squirm away, but he just grunted again, an excited smile spreading across his face. He yanked her forward, grabbing her bottom with one hand and cupping her left breast with his other, painfully thumbing her nipple.

"Yes, I like the feel of you..." he groaned.

Isabelle shut her eyes, turning her face away as she bit down on her bottom lip and stifled a scream. Humiliation and disgust crawled over her skin and she wished she could jump into a pit of fire to cleanse herself.

"Hey! Pay first, then touch," the black lizard-like warden snapped as he stormed up to them, shaking his curled whip in the fat creature's face.

The pig-man snorted.

The lizard-like man cracked his whip in the air. "You know the rules. Don't let us kick you out again."

The pigman snarled, but released his hold on her with a last sickening lick of his lips. "Just wanted to make sure I'm getting what I'm paying for."

He ignored the lizard-man's sneer and turned away, moving to take a seat with the rest of the despicables.

Once both monsters were away, Isabelle sucked in deep breaths, feeling her throat close up as she fought against the tirade of tears threatening to spill. A human hand slipped into hers and she turned to see Sarah gripping her hand, face completely drained of colour and eyes haunted.

"I'm sorry..." Sarah whispered, her eyes glossed over with tears. Isabelle shook her head discreetly, feeling the little paws of Rosie as she hid on her shoulder, concealed under Isabelle's long waves of hair.

"Patrons, please take your seats!" The crow-woman appeared on the stage, clapping her clawed, feathered hands; grabbing the attention of the room. "The auction is about to begin."

Silence befell the theater, dread taking over the captives and excitement spilling from the audience.

"Highest bidder wins. Now, let us begin." With no more fanfare, the crow woman ushered the first slave onto the stage. Isabelle's heart lurched.

"No..." the word left her lips on a broken whisper.

A little boy, no more than twelve, stood shaking violently on the stage, his thin body hunched over as tears streamed down his face. All around the room, hands rose... all desiring a taste of the young boy. As the bidding increased, his tears dried and his eyes took on a vacant look.

It was a particularly terrifying man that claimed him; one with cloven feet and a long grey beard. He leaned down and sniffed the boy with a dirty smile, enjoying the victory of his win. Isabelle was sure she would be sick.

She covered her mouth with her hand, turning to face the wall, pulling Rosie from her shoulder and into her hands. Tremors racked Isabelle's body as the sight of the poor little boy's empty, tear-stained expression replayed in her mind. It was Rosie that calmed her down. The shuffle of tiny mouse feet on her palm gave her courage. She still might find a way to escape.

The auction wore on, and Isabelle shuffled up the line, trying to control her breathing. She kept her face to the wall for most of it, not wanting to witness the hollowed human faces and animalistic cheers of this dreadful display.

She blinked when she realized that the girl in front of her was gone. Isabelle quickly placed Rosie back on her shoulder and drew her matted brown mane forward to hide the little mouse from view.

It was Isabelle's turn now.

She looked up. A taloned hand beckoned her up the steps. When she didn't move, the lizard-man pushed her forward with the butt of his whip. "Up ye go, girl."

With slow movements, as to not trip and injure herself or Rosie, Isabelle made her way up the stairs, chains clanking at her feet. She came to a stop next to the crow-woman, who then made her stand facing the leering audience. A room full of inhuman eyes stared at her hungrily.

Her stomach rolled and wiggled like she'd swallowed a bowl of worms.

"We got a skinny one here, but she's used to hard labour. Would make a good maid or pet," the crow squawked. "We'll start the bidding at Fifty Francs."

Hands went up and voices shouted.

"Seventy-five!"

"One hundred!"

"Two hundred," shouted the pigman, raising his large hand with a gleeful smile.

Isabelle's heart stuttered and her stomach flipped. The bile she had managed to swallow down came back in full force. The room felt like it was shrinking around her, trying to suffocate her. Isabelle clasped her hands tightly to quiet their tremble.

"Do I hear Two-fifty?" the crow-woman asked.

Silence.

No.

Anyone but him.

Isabelle's eyes darted around the room, hoping to find someone, anyone who would take her out of the pig creature's reach.

"Going once!"

Please! She prayed silently to the heavens. Not the pigman. Anything else but that!

"Going twice!"