Ashe had woken up to find herself bound to a wall by a chain attached to a collar around her neck. The chain was long enough that Ashe could sit, lay down, and ever walk a short difference away from the wall; similarly, the collar was loose enough that it did not choke Ashe and, when she prodded it with fearful fingers, found it didn't appear to rigged to explode or electrocute her or anything like that.
But that was about the only thing positive Ashe could say about her situation. She was still chained up, she was still scared, and she was still going to be sold as a slave.
Well, at least she wasn't alone.
There were eleven other people locked up with her, including Westley, Miss Wendy, Ethan, and Cindy. The other people were a mix of adults and teenagers, no other children thankfully; Ethan and Cindy's crying was annoying enough as is.
It wasn't that Ashe didn't feel like crying; the container they were being kept in was probably a converted metal shipping container and far from comfortable. Being made of metal, it became unbearably hot, especially when it reached what Ashe suspected was midday; their captures only gave them enough water to keep them alive and heat delirium was a horrible thing... though an effective way to keep them compliant.
The heat also meant that the walls and the floor of the container were hot to the touch and it burned any bare skin; each of them had been given a rough, dirty mat to sleep on and that was it. To make matters worse, the slavers had taken all of their shoes, meaning that, if Ashe wandered off the mat, the soles of her feet would be burned.
She learned quickly not to do that.
Ashe always had been a smart girl.
But even that didn't matter much because on the rare occasion that their capture let them out to use the bathroom -one at a time, always with the person being escorted by one guard while two others held the rest of them at gunpoint- they'd have to walk across the hot metal floor anyway.
But, bizarrely, the worst thing was the boredom.
Ashe never thought she'd wish to be back in the haul cage of the slaver's ship, but there they'd had unhindered access to water, the means to clean themselves, and even a few small toys.
Here there was nothing.
Her fellow captives attempted to pass the time by talking with one another, mostly sharing stories of how they'd been captured, and Miss Wendy even attempted to lead everyone in some songs to keep their spirits up. But as time dragged on and they all became weaker from the heat and lack of proper food or water, all the talking faded away aside from brief snaps of incoherent rage or broken sobs.
In the beginning, there had been more tears than anger, but, eventually, people started snapping at each other more as the time for their sale grew closer.
For the most part, Ashe tried to avoid drawing attention to herself; she stayed silent as much as possible, only speaking when Westley or Miss Wendy spoke to her first, and, even then, only briefly. And, hard as it was, she acted shy and submissive when the slavers were around; Ashe kept her eyes on the ground when they were delivering food or water and never reacted when they said crude or scary comments.
'If I'm going to survive, I have to stay calm,' she reminded herself, fighting the urge to clench her fist and snark when one of the guards mocked Miss Wendy for pleading to be allowed to hold her children.
They'd all been spaced far enough apart that, no matter how much they stretched and twisted, no two people could touch. As much as Ashe tried to harden her heart, even she couldn't help but internal weep. Knowing you and your children were about to be sold into slavery was horrible enough; she couldn't imagine not even being able to hold or comfort them in the little time you had left together, especially while they were suffering from heat and hunger.
Still, Ashe forced away the sadness and pity; it would do her no good now. Laying on the filthy mat, she stared up at a particular spot of rust on the ceiling of their holding cell; if she turned her head a little and let her eyes go out of focus -which was progressively easier as heatstroke set in- then it kind of looked like a rad rabbit.
"Ashley? Hey, Ashley," Westley whispered, a thin layer of sweat covering his entire body.
It took a moment for his words to cut through the delirium that clouded Ashe's mind. "Huh?"
"I overheard something when the guards were letting me use the bathroom," he said. "We're going to be sold tomorrow morning; I even saw the stage where they're holding the auction."
He said this plainly and without emotion; like he was just talking about the weather. Any hope had left the older boy's eyes and, as he hugged his legs to his chest, Ashe realized that Westley had come to resigned acceptance of their situation.
Ashe envied him.
'Mr. Kravos, where are you?' she thought, a single tear sliding down her face.
No matter how much time passed, no matter how hopeless things seemed, Ashe could not give up on Mr. Kravos. Through all the doubt and fear, in her heart of hearts, she believed in her guardian. A man who'd taken in and raised so many children as his own, who had all the love in the world to give, wouldn't just give up on her?
Would he?
"Maybe we'll get lucky and they spray us down beforehand," she joked, swallowing hard against her dry throat. "I doubt we'll sell for much if we look all gross and sweaty."
Westley chuckled dryly and then started crying. Ashe said nothing, just rolled over and fell into a feverish sleep.
"...ake up! Ashl... wake up!"
Something hard and small bounced off Ashe's forehead, knocking away the last dredges of fitful sleep.
"Huh?" she grumbled, squinting through the gloom towards Westley. "What's going on?"
"How the hell have you been sleeping through all of this?" the boy snapped. "Something big is going on outside! It sounds like a war!"
Gone was the emptiness in Westley's eyes; now the boy was on his feet again, bouncing up and down as he tugged on the chain attached to his slave collar.
"I think someone is coming to save us!"
Despite the pounding in her head -'probably a side effect from all the heat'- Ashe rolled up into a sitting position and focused.
Past the whispers of her fellow captives, the sniffling of Ethan and Cindy, and soothing shhhhh from Miss Wendy, Ashe could hear shouting -loud and terrified- and gunfire coming from past the solid metal of the cell door.
"What is-"
"FUS RO DAH!"'
BOOM!
Everyone hit the ground, hands clamped over their ringing ears to block them from the strange noise that seemed to rattle the very earth and vibrated in their very souls. Ashe has never heard anything quite that loud.
Except...
'Yes, I have heard something like that before!' she realized, thinking back to months before...
Ashe leapt to her feet, almost toppling over from a dizzy spell that nearly overtook her, and cried out, "MR. KRAVOS, I'M IN HERE! HELP ME! WE'RE IN HERE! HELP US!"
She didn't know if her weak, croaky voice could be heard outside but she had to try, she didn't want to be a victim any longer.
Taking another breath in, she screamed, "MR. KRAVOS, PLEASE! HELP-"
BANG!
The doors to the holding cell were thrown up, bouncing off the walls, and there, outlined against the pale dawn light, stood Ashe's savior with fierce, loyal Rena by his side. Holding her breath, Ashe could only take the sight of the man in; she couldn't say exactly how long it had been since they'd seen each other -a week at least- but there was something... different about him now.
Dripping in blood and sword in his hand, there was something terrifying about the man that Ashe had never seen before. It was something in the eyes, she thought; where she had always known them to be warm and kind with just a touch of mischievousness, there was now something vicious and cruel and animalistic in them that had never been there before.
But it didn't make her feel afraid, not in the least. Despite the blood, despite the weapon, and despite the situation, this was still Mr. Kravos. And Ashe would trust him with her life.
"You did come!" she wept, tears starting to stream down her face.
"Oh, sweetheart, of course I did," the old man said, stepping forward and cupping her cheek, whipping some of the tears with the callus pad of his thumb.
But then he hardened again, sleeping back and surveying all the captives. "Is everyone alright? Can everyone walk?"
There is a stunned silence that hangs in the hair for a tense moment as all of Ashe's fellow captives stare at Mr. Kravos in wide-eyed surprise, as if they weren't entirely sure he was real or if he was a hallucination brought on by heat and desperation. But then, all at once, the quiet -not quiet; the sounds of violence and battle and bloodshed were still ringing outside- broke and everyone began talking -yelling- at once. They begged for help, demanded to know how he was, tugged at their chains, and pleaded to be released immediately.
Their voices echoed off the metal of the cell, bouncing around and multiplying in volume. Mr. Kravos blinked, taking a step back, and raised his hand, "Quiet down!"
His voice boomed from deep in his chest and easily overwhelmed the noisy chattering, cutting it off abruptly.
"I am here to rescue you all but we do not have much time; anyone who has an injury that prevents or slows mobility needs to speak up now."
Slowly, cautiously, a few people piped up with remarks about twisted ankles and broken toes. Thankfully, there were no major injuries; Ashe supposed that their captors wanted them in prime condition for selling, and unsightly, debilitating injuries would lower their value.
Taking in the complaints, Kravos nodded and came to Ashe's side with strong, purposeful strides. Ashe's heart thundered with immediate fear as he raised his sword but that faded immediately when he slashed straight through the metal chain, fearing her. The collar was still there, but now she was free to move around. She wanted to throw herself into the old man's arms and beg for forgiveness but held back for now; there was no time for that and Mr. Kravos immediately went to free the other captives, starting with Westley.
That didn't mean no one was there to comfort her though. Almost immediately, Rena was on her; the pooch whined loudly as she pushed her massive head into Ashe's chest. A fresh wave of tears came as she hugged the dog back, not caring one lick about the blood covering her fur and muzzle. "Hi girl, I missed you!"
A warm, wet tongue dragged up Ashe's cheek and, through her tears, she giggled for the first time in what felt like ever.
"So this guy is the one you were talking about? Your guardian?" Westley asked, coming up beside her.
"Yeah!" she grinned, scratching Rena behind the ears. "He came! Just like I told you he would!"
"I can't believe it," the boy whispered, hopefully returning to his eyes. "We're really going home! I can see my mom and dad again!"
But they couldn't get too far ahead of themselves; they still had to escape.
Soon Mr. Kravos had everyone free and ready to go. Miss Wendy had Cindy held tight in her arms while Ethan was being carried on the back of a large burly man. Those who had injuries that prevented them from moving easily were being assisted by others.
"Everyone, gather around," Mr. Kravos instructed, waving everyone closer. "There is someone outside of the compound who is waiting to perform an extraction but we need to get there first. We're going to need to run and move as tightly as possible, like an animal herd; the children and injured should be in the center where they'll be the safest. Everyone understands?"
Concerned murmurs broke out among the crowd once more but only one spoke up.
"What about all the slavers?" a woman asked. "If we stay close together then won't we be an easy target for them?"
"Most of the slavers have already been taken care of," Mr. Kravos replied. "But, aye, that is a valid concern. However, everyone staying together is the best way for me to protect you all."
"You? Protect all of us?" someone scoffed. "You're just an old man! I say we all scatter -every man for himself!"
'As if he did just kick in the door to save us all,' Ashe mentally growled. 'It isn't like you were doing anything to help anyone, you jerk!'
"That is your right, young man," Ashe's guardian said gravely. "But it is also your risk. If you die, it will not be on my heart or mind. Do as you wish."
.
.
.
"Alright, alright... I'll stay with everyone else," the man grumbled, stepping into formation and causing the old man to smile.
"Rena, to the front!" he barked, ordering the Lakeview Shepherd to his side. "Listen up! I know this isn't going to be easy but you'll all need to pull yourselves together and focus on what's in front of you! Rena here-" he gestured to the dog, who barked "- will lead the way! I know what you might be thinking but, let me assure you, she is more than smart enough for the task. I'll stay at the back of the pack to protect everyone. Any questions?"
There were probably plenty but no one had time to voice everyone as another explosion from outside signaled that it was time to go.
"Alright, everyone! One... Two... Three... Go!"
They moved as quickly as a group of scared, injured men, women, and children could, huddling close together as they followed Rena as she wove through the buildings and burning piles of rubbles.
And bodies.
There were a lot of bodies littering the ground, some burned, some blown apart, and some bleeding out in the dirt. More than once, Ashe nearly slipped in the bloody mud that covered the ground.
But they pressed on through the tears and the fears and the pain of twisted ankles and sharp bits of glass and gravel biting into bare feet. They pressed on because the only other choice was to lay down and die. And, pretty soon, they saw one of the gates to the compound blown wide open. On the horizon, speeding towards the group, was a red truck that Ashe had never seen before.
'Did Mr. Kravos make some new friends?'
It felt a weight had been untied from Ashe's neck the second she passed through the gate; never again would she take freedom for granted. She didn't stop running though, not until the truck spun around and pulled to a hard stop around them. The driver's side door was thrown open, revealing a beautiful redheaded woman and a dog.
"Kravos?" she shouted out "All these people-"
"Never mind," the old man shook his head. "We need to get away from here! Everyone get in!"
It was an uncomfortable fit; the truck was simply not big enough for fourteen people and two large dogs. Ashe, Westley, Ethan, Cindy, Miss Wendy, and two of the most injured were squished into the cab of the truck while everyone else piled into the bed, hanging on for dear life.
"Is everyone in?" The woman called out, already gunning the engine. She glanced out the mirror, growled, and shouted out the window, "What the hell are you doing, Kravos? Get in the bed now!"
"No, one last thing!"
The old man stood away from the truck, took a deep breath, and shouted to the sky, "STRUN BAH QO!"
Instantly, as Ashe and the others watched on in horror, the sky itself seemed to open up. Clouds filled the sky, darkening until it looked as if it could have been night, and heavy sheets of rain poured down on the land as lightning began darting through the darkness.
"What the hell?" someone shouting, nearly drowned out by a clash of thunder so loud it rattled the truck.
Despite the fear coursing through her veins, Ashe pushed herself up to the window; her heart leapt when she saw Mr. Kravos running toward the truck. He took a running jump, landing in the bed. Mr. Kravos slapped his hand on the outer cab and shouted, "Go! Go! Go!"
Without a word, the red-haired woman slammed on the gas and the car flew away from the slaver's compound.