Consequences
By: Emily Parsin (icensnowcreature@yahoo.com)
Author's Warning: This story contains Adult content and deals with child slavery and suicide. If you do not like to read, or not able to, stories that contain sensitive material, please don't read this one.
Author's Note: This is my first Magnificent Seven story, and I really love to hear feedback!
It was going to end today. Ezra Standish looked into the bathroom mirror in the cheap hotel room where he had been staying for the past six months. Dark circles surrounded his haunted jade eyes giving him an appearance of a sick racoon. His face was pale and his protective mask he wore could no longer hide the tiredness that filled his whole body. Even his medium brown hair had lost its shine.
Ezra knew he was sick, but he was also aware it was not just his body that was worn out but his mind as well. He kept trying to remind himself that today it would end. Today the case would close. Today he would get to go home. However, not even the thought of seeing the six other men he work with, the men who had become family to him, could produce even the slightest amount of excitement. All he could think of was that he still had to do his last part to close the case, and for the first time in his career, he did not know if he could do it.
The whole case had sat wrong with Ezra from the beginning. First, he would not be working with the rest of team seven but with his former FBI workmates. This made going into any uncover assignment difficult, for they hated him and would not be looking out for his best interest. Then, the case was dealing with kidnaped children. Cases dealing with children were always the hardest for Ezra. He took the case too personally. That was one of the first rules of the job, is not to get to personally involved, but Ezra could not seem to help himself when dealing with children. There innocence and trust put an extra burden on him, for he would do his upmost to protect them. With the case dealing with children and his former coworkers, Ezra knew the case would not go well.
Ezra noticed his hands were beginning to shake, so he made his way over to the full size bed in the hotel room and sat down. He tried breathing deeply to try and calm himself down, but it was becoming more and more difficult. He started having this problem after the third week of working undercover and his first week with the kidnapers. It was during this time that he witnessed one of the children, a small ten year old boy, be killed right in front of his eyes. The little boy had been killed because he had gotten sick and was not worth the effort to keep alive.
The kidnappers took children from ages eight to thirteen. These children would later be auctioned off as slaves for what ever their masters wanted. Ezra had been completely horrified at the thought when he began reading about these evil men in the report the FBI had gathered. The FBI had become suspicious of multitude of kidnaping, around the country, with no ransom notes. The FBI sent out to find the best of their men and women to work on the case, but they were having no luck breaking into the kidnappers circle. That was why his old workmates contacted him. Though they extremely disliked the southerner, they knew he was one of the best, and he had been able to get into places no other could.
The next few months were even worse, but still nothing prepared him for the last few weeks. During the following months, he was beginning to integrate himself among the kidnapers, charming Bradford Kipson, the head boss and slowly made his way through the ranks. For the longest time, he had never seen one of the kidnaped children, besides the young boy, but he had heard plenty. They told him story after story about how they grabbed the kids and how much they got for him. After the first month, Ezra had begged to be taken off the case, but people in charge of him refused to listen. However the last few weeks had just about completely broken Ezra.
Kipson had decided it was time for Ezra to take a more active role in the operation and had brought him down to were the children were. It was the most horrifying experience Ezra had ever lived through, even compared to his own dismal childhood. There had to have been fifty children. Each one of them were terrified. Sobs filled the room where the children were held. Some of the more rebellious children yelled and screamed wanting to be let out. Ezra had almost thrown up when the hatred and scared eyes were direct in his direction.
From that moment on, Ezra could not sleep of eat and barely function. He was not sure how he continued to do the job. By this time, Ezra was not above groveling to get out of the assignment, but once again his pleas had fallen on deaf ears. After all, this is what they had been waiting for. They now knew for sure it was Kipson that had been kidnaping the children. However, the FBI also wanted to people that were willing to buy children on the black market.
Ezra knew that tonight was going to be the hardest. Tonight was the night the auction was to take place. He did not know if he could stand there and watched as the people prepared to haggle of the prices of innocent children. He kept repeating to himself he was doing this to save the children and any future children these men planned to kidnap. He repeated it to himself like mantra. It only helped a little, but it was enough to get him to finish getting ready, dressing up in a black three piece suit that he would burn as soon as the mission was over.
Not able to look himself again in the mirror, Ezra closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself for the night a head. When he opened his eyes, his calm facade was back in place and he slowly made his way out the door and into the darkening night.
*********
"Ladies and Gentlemen," announced Bradford Kipson from a stage built in the front of the large make shift auditorium in an abandon warehouse, "we are about to start with the auction so please take your seat."
Ezra stood off to the side taking in the whole scenery. Men and women, dressed up in their finest sat around many large round tables, decorated with white table clothes and an array of flowers in the center, talking and drinking. Most of the them looked like ordinary people one would never suspect as doing such an atrocious thing. The building was surprising elegant inside, and Ezra assumed it was so the people would not think of selling children as something unsavory.
The lights dimmed, and Ezra heart began to race. He knew that as soon as the first child was brought out that the FBI would come barging in. It was now only seconds away.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Kipson began, a white light shining on him. He straightened his black bow tie in front of his expensive suit before continuing. "May I present you the first young lady of the evening."
Two large muscle men brought out a squirming eleven year old. The girl was yelling and screaming at the top of her lungs, but no one in the room seemed at all bothered by it.
Kipson made the remark, "This young lady is certainly spirited..." but was interrupted in the middle of his speech when the double doors at the back of the building burst open and the FBI came barging in. The room erupted in chaos as everyone tried to escape. Soon bullets started to fly from both FBI and Kipson's men. Ezra quickly jumped up and raced up to the girl, trying to get her out of harms way. Once he grabbed her he began to move to safety, but before he could move far, the girl turned to look at him and gave him a hateful and discussed look, causing Ezra breath to hitch. Instantly he let go of the girl in shock and he began to shake.
Ezra almost collapsed to his knees but somehow managed to remain upright. Disdain at himself welled up inside him and he felt extremely dirty. At the moment he truly loathed himself and wanted nothing more than for everything to end. Without really thinking, Ezra stepped into the middle of the open fire and then felt a sharp burning pain enter his right shoulder causing him to be thrown to the floor. It took little time for him to escape into oblivion.
TBC...
By: Emily Parsin (icensnowcreature@yahoo.com)
Author's Warning: This story contains Adult content and deals with child slavery and suicide. If you do not like to read, or not able to, stories that contain sensitive material, please don't read this one.
Author's Note: This is my first Magnificent Seven story, and I really love to hear feedback!
It was going to end today. Ezra Standish looked into the bathroom mirror in the cheap hotel room where he had been staying for the past six months. Dark circles surrounded his haunted jade eyes giving him an appearance of a sick racoon. His face was pale and his protective mask he wore could no longer hide the tiredness that filled his whole body. Even his medium brown hair had lost its shine.
Ezra knew he was sick, but he was also aware it was not just his body that was worn out but his mind as well. He kept trying to remind himself that today it would end. Today the case would close. Today he would get to go home. However, not even the thought of seeing the six other men he work with, the men who had become family to him, could produce even the slightest amount of excitement. All he could think of was that he still had to do his last part to close the case, and for the first time in his career, he did not know if he could do it.
The whole case had sat wrong with Ezra from the beginning. First, he would not be working with the rest of team seven but with his former FBI workmates. This made going into any uncover assignment difficult, for they hated him and would not be looking out for his best interest. Then, the case was dealing with kidnaped children. Cases dealing with children were always the hardest for Ezra. He took the case too personally. That was one of the first rules of the job, is not to get to personally involved, but Ezra could not seem to help himself when dealing with children. There innocence and trust put an extra burden on him, for he would do his upmost to protect them. With the case dealing with children and his former coworkers, Ezra knew the case would not go well.
Ezra noticed his hands were beginning to shake, so he made his way over to the full size bed in the hotel room and sat down. He tried breathing deeply to try and calm himself down, but it was becoming more and more difficult. He started having this problem after the third week of working undercover and his first week with the kidnapers. It was during this time that he witnessed one of the children, a small ten year old boy, be killed right in front of his eyes. The little boy had been killed because he had gotten sick and was not worth the effort to keep alive.
The kidnappers took children from ages eight to thirteen. These children would later be auctioned off as slaves for what ever their masters wanted. Ezra had been completely horrified at the thought when he began reading about these evil men in the report the FBI had gathered. The FBI had become suspicious of multitude of kidnaping, around the country, with no ransom notes. The FBI sent out to find the best of their men and women to work on the case, but they were having no luck breaking into the kidnappers circle. That was why his old workmates contacted him. Though they extremely disliked the southerner, they knew he was one of the best, and he had been able to get into places no other could.
The next few months were even worse, but still nothing prepared him for the last few weeks. During the following months, he was beginning to integrate himself among the kidnapers, charming Bradford Kipson, the head boss and slowly made his way through the ranks. For the longest time, he had never seen one of the kidnaped children, besides the young boy, but he had heard plenty. They told him story after story about how they grabbed the kids and how much they got for him. After the first month, Ezra had begged to be taken off the case, but people in charge of him refused to listen. However the last few weeks had just about completely broken Ezra.
Kipson had decided it was time for Ezra to take a more active role in the operation and had brought him down to were the children were. It was the most horrifying experience Ezra had ever lived through, even compared to his own dismal childhood. There had to have been fifty children. Each one of them were terrified. Sobs filled the room where the children were held. Some of the more rebellious children yelled and screamed wanting to be let out. Ezra had almost thrown up when the hatred and scared eyes were direct in his direction.
From that moment on, Ezra could not sleep of eat and barely function. He was not sure how he continued to do the job. By this time, Ezra was not above groveling to get out of the assignment, but once again his pleas had fallen on deaf ears. After all, this is what they had been waiting for. They now knew for sure it was Kipson that had been kidnaping the children. However, the FBI also wanted to people that were willing to buy children on the black market.
Ezra knew that tonight was going to be the hardest. Tonight was the night the auction was to take place. He did not know if he could stand there and watched as the people prepared to haggle of the prices of innocent children. He kept repeating to himself he was doing this to save the children and any future children these men planned to kidnap. He repeated it to himself like mantra. It only helped a little, but it was enough to get him to finish getting ready, dressing up in a black three piece suit that he would burn as soon as the mission was over.
Not able to look himself again in the mirror, Ezra closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself for the night a head. When he opened his eyes, his calm facade was back in place and he slowly made his way out the door and into the darkening night.
*********
"Ladies and Gentlemen," announced Bradford Kipson from a stage built in the front of the large make shift auditorium in an abandon warehouse, "we are about to start with the auction so please take your seat."
Ezra stood off to the side taking in the whole scenery. Men and women, dressed up in their finest sat around many large round tables, decorated with white table clothes and an array of flowers in the center, talking and drinking. Most of the them looked like ordinary people one would never suspect as doing such an atrocious thing. The building was surprising elegant inside, and Ezra assumed it was so the people would not think of selling children as something unsavory.
The lights dimmed, and Ezra heart began to race. He knew that as soon as the first child was brought out that the FBI would come barging in. It was now only seconds away.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Kipson began, a white light shining on him. He straightened his black bow tie in front of his expensive suit before continuing. "May I present you the first young lady of the evening."
Two large muscle men brought out a squirming eleven year old. The girl was yelling and screaming at the top of her lungs, but no one in the room seemed at all bothered by it.
Kipson made the remark, "This young lady is certainly spirited..." but was interrupted in the middle of his speech when the double doors at the back of the building burst open and the FBI came barging in. The room erupted in chaos as everyone tried to escape. Soon bullets started to fly from both FBI and Kipson's men. Ezra quickly jumped up and raced up to the girl, trying to get her out of harms way. Once he grabbed her he began to move to safety, but before he could move far, the girl turned to look at him and gave him a hateful and discussed look, causing Ezra breath to hitch. Instantly he let go of the girl in shock and he began to shake.
Ezra almost collapsed to his knees but somehow managed to remain upright. Disdain at himself welled up inside him and he felt extremely dirty. At the moment he truly loathed himself and wanted nothing more than for everything to end. Without really thinking, Ezra stepped into the middle of the open fire and then felt a sharp burning pain enter his right shoulder causing him to be thrown to the floor. It took little time for him to escape into oblivion.
TBC...