"Enough!" a young boy shouted, a mixture of fear and determination in his voice.
The little boy was standing in front of another child, protective and defiant. A little boy even smaller than him was sitting behind him, trembling in fear.
There were bruises and cuts strung across both the standing boy and the cowering one, as well as on the little white haired girl peering frightfully from behind a nearby doorway.
"H-how dare you, Hi-icup, tell me what to do, boy?" Slurred a tower, disheveled man with white hair, a bulging stomach, and a bottle in hand. He was barely able to keep his balance, swaying with every movement.
He was plastered!!
The man felt disrespected by the boy's silence and hurtled his bottle at the boy's head, barely missing by an inch!
*Smash*!
The child flinched, but said nothing as he didn't even dare to blink!
The drunken man staggered forward towards the boy as he spat venomously, "Ju-st like your mother"
'Little brat, disrespecting me in front of my youngest kid, I'll make you regret it' thought the drunk man as he stumbled forward with a twisted scowl.
The boy felt his legs start to quiver as he wanted to run, however, he braced for the beating the man would unleash upon him.
However, the boy didn't dare move, his littlest sibling was behind him after all!
The boy felt the breath of the drunken man that smelled of alcohol and bad hygiene and prepared for the beating he was about to receive.
As the man's alcohol-filled breath washed across the boy's nose, the boy gathered the last of his resolve, preparing for the imminent onslaught!
*THUD*!
All of the sudden, the drunken man fell right before the young boy and passed out cold.
"Phew, I got lucky" muttered the boy after letting out a sigh of relief.
Turning around, the boy picked up the child sitting behind him.
The boy had tears running down his face as he asked, "Am I really the reason mom died?"
The older brother felt a pang of sorrow as he was asked this by his little brother.
However, before he could say anything, the girl peeking came out and said, "No little one, father simply says those things because he is sad, miserable and alone" with an angry tone as she gazed venomously at her so-called father.
The crying child looked to his elder brother who agreed, "She is right, never think anything about our situation is your fault alright?" with a gentle expression as he put the boy down and patted his head.
The little boy stopped crying and nodded, trying to put on a brave face.
The little boy eventually fell asleep and the older two talked in another part of their one room house.
"Damn that fat ba*tard" The young boy cursed, clenching his fist and gazing at the man with pure hatred. However, it was a strong front to mask his sadness.
The young girl hugged her brother, as silently a tear dripped down both their faces.
"The same to you, none of this is your fault" The young girl whispered softly, letting the boy go.
She was trying to comfort her brothers because she felt guilty for simply watching and not helping them earlier.
"I know," The boy affirmed, angrily looking at his father again.
"Sigh," The girl held his heated gaze for a few seconds before they both sat down, " Mom died about 4 years ago now right?" the girl asked.
The boy nodded but said nothing.
"Do you remember when father would work extra hard near our birthdays to get us those awesome moving figurines?" The girl said as she reminisced on the past.
The boy scoffed and spat, feeling bitter, "Yeah, when he wasn't a piece of sh*t"
The girl simply stared at him for a few seconds before he spoke again, "That only makes it worse now, the memories of the time where we were an actual family"
The young girl nodded as she understood exactly what he meant.
They once had a home filled with loving, guiding parents, and happiness.
Then, their mother got really ill and fell into a coma after the birth of her third child, the youngest one.
She never awoke from her coma as several years later, she died in her sleep.
This led their father into a spiraling pit of depression, gambling and drinking.
Lots of drinking. Lots of drinking.
Their father blames the youngest for the death of their mother, and is very violent about showing his displeasure when he comes home in a drunken stupor.
Forced into homelessness because of their fathers habits, they are lucky to have a one room shack with a small bathroom.
They live in a town ruled by a noble count who is also extremely corrupt as he runs several red light districts across the city, frequents them as well.
"I wish we could get out of here, take the little one so he never suffers under that ba*tards hands again" Cursed the young girl.
"One day" the boy vowed as they both fell asleep a bit lighter than normal, thinking of memories of the past.
…
The next morning, all 3 awoke to the sound of their fathers shout, "GET UP"
They all jolted awake and saw their father, shaved and showered, without a bottle in sight. A rare occurrence.
However, the sight of their cleaned up father didn't make them feel happy in the slightest, it just meant he had a high class gambling game to attend.
However, contrary to their expectations, their father said, "All of you shower, and be quick about it" with a glare on his face, hoping that one of the little urchins talked back.
The young boy felt suspicious, but their fathers next words silenced his inquiries.
"I have a killer hangover, so do it silently, and hurry up, got it?" Their father rubbed his head as he grumbled, urging them into the bathroom.
As they heard that, they scurried to the bathroom under their fathers frowning face and angry tone.
Feeling the warm water was a blessing for the 3 of them. They were forbidden from showering because it 'cost him too much money to let them use it'.
After showering, their father hurried them out of the house while the two oldest looked at each other, both understanding the concern and anxiety on the other's face, while they held their younger brother's hand, to stop him from worrying too much.
Walking down the street, they noticed that their father kept checking his watch and telling them to speed up, if they know what's good for them.
Eventually, they arrived in front of the grandest mansion that they had ever seen in their lives.
"Halt," One of the guards at the gates entrance said, "State your business here"
The 3 kids and their father gulped as the guard had a heavy presence, although none of them knew why exactly that was.
"I am here to give my collateral from my latest betting loss to the Count" Their father said nervously, bowing his head slightly.
'Hmm' The oldest young boy narrowed his eyes as he looked at his father and a thought came to his mind that made him extremely nervous.
However, being held by the second guard as the first one went into the gates to get the Count, there was nothing he could do.
He squeezed his siblings hands tighter and gave them a reassuring smile.
The guard came back with a tall man with a weathered face and gray hair. The man wore a black suit with two coattails hanging from the jacket.
"Hello, my name is Daniel, the head butler for the Counts estate" Daniel said as he put his hand over his chest and bowed slightly with his eyes closed.
"Hello, I am Micheal" The father of the 3 kids said nervously, inwardly wondering where the Count went.
"Yes, Micheal.." The butler's tone was professional, however, the unmistakable feeling of disdain could still be heard quite clearly.
The oldest child almost laughed from the irony.
"I'm Afraid that the Count is indisposed at the moment, I will be collecting your payment in his stead" Daniel said, looking over towards the kids.
"Alright well, here they are," Micheal said as he pushed the 3 kids forward, all three of them having shocked expressions on their faces!
They were being sold as workers to the Count!
The Count is known for his various illicit activities, most prominently, gambling. He is a cruel man who will target those struggling and offer them a ludicrous deal, leaving them no choice but to accept.
However, they are also broke, having no money. This leads those desperate people to hand over insurances.
Men have gambled away their families, wives, legacies, even their own lives.
The Count gets satisfaction from such actions, and now the 3 of them are being used as collateral from a bet that their drunkard father started.
The kids eventually walked towards the butler, having no other choice but to comply if they wanted to live.
'I'll kill you for this final betrayal one day, I swear it' echoed the eldest silent vow, as he glared at his fathers departing figure.
...
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