Bride To The Island Wolf

Avril noticed, as she was walking, that two hefty men were following her every move. At first, she thought they were going to woo her. But after minutes of just following her trail, she knew something was wrong.

"Do they want to kidnap me?" she thought, as her heart began to beat fast.

"Of course not," she muttered with a sad chuckle, "no one would want to kidnap someone they won't get a ransom out of."

She was wearing a floral print dress with sunflowers on it - her prettiest dress, which she wore whenever she felt down. This particular day, she felt even more down and depressed than ever. She had run out of food, and the neighbors had insulted her when she went to beg.

"It's not like it's my fault my parents died while owing everybody," she had said to herself earlier, while crying.

In order to clear her head, she decided to take a long walk around the village farms. She lived in an island village in the Philippines, where their major occupation was fishing and rice farming. The rice was not ready for harvest yet; if not, she would have at least had little to eat then. She would work on the farms and get paid, then take little of the rice home. But the harvest was still months away. Also, none of the fishermen agreed to let a woman on their boat, and they wouldn't even give her one fish for free. Maybe they really did hate her, as she thought.

Avril sniffed and wiped her stubborn tears, which were trying to blur her vision. She looked behind her and saw that the two men had disappeared.

"Thank God," she said, and continued to walk. She palmed her forehead and lowered her head when she hit something hard. She immediately dropped her hand and lifted her head, only to see one of the hefty men in front of her.

"Oh, sorry," she said, and tried taking the other bush path. He grabbed her hand, and she gasped. She jerked her hand off abruptly and turned around, attempting to run, but was immediately carried up by the second hefty man, who was right behind her. He covered her mouth, and they ran into one of the rice plantations. They kept running until they got to a secluded farm area.

The sun had set, so the farmers had all gone home. They lowered her to the ground, with her mouth still covered firmly. She was struggling and kicking her legs aggressively, but they easily pinned her down, so she couldn't move anymore. There, in the darkening sky and chilly atmosphere, they raped her, one after the other, until she blacked out. They didn't feel any remorse or pity for her, because that was their lifestyle. After they had gotten their satisfaction, they carried her to their ship and sailed away before sunrise.

The floor was so cold that it made Avril's body numb. She had been lying there for hours, unconscious. And when she finally woke up, her teeth couldn't help but chatter. She looked around her and saw she was in a kind of cell. There were iron bars right in front, and the floor was metallic. She knew immediately what had happened to her. She had been kidnapped, and these people were not after a ransom. She remembered vividly that they had raped her, and she tried hard not to think about it. However, no matter how hard she tried not to, she found her mind being flooded with bitter memories. Not just that of the recent rape, but also of Ed's. Ed had lured her to his room, all in the name of giving her some chores to do, which he was to pay for. But instead, he raped her mercilessly and took her innocence. That was five years before this second rape. Her parents were still alive then.

"I advise you not to cry. Just save your energy for later," a female voice said to her. She looked up and saw three other ladies in the cell with her. Two of them were black and looked purely African, with their hairstyles. The other looked Chinese. The three of them had one thing in common - they looked tired and drained out.

"What?" she asked, and wiped the tears that had slid down her face. "You don't have to cry. It's just a waste of energy," the black girl in front said.

"You have to save your energy for what's coming," the second black girl said.

"What's coming?" Avril asked, with panic in her voice.

The girls sighed and looked away. None spoke to her again. She wanted to ask more questions but decided not to. The girls stayed in that cold, dark cell for hours, with no one saying a word. The only thing heard was the noise of the men from up the ship. It was obvious to Avril they were in the deck.

"I'm Nana, from Ghana," one of the black girls spoke up. They couldn't see each other, but Avril guessed it was the second black girl who spoke to her.

"You must be Filipino. We overheard the men saying that we were in the Philippines," Nana said.

"Yes," Avril said, with a cracking voice. Her throat was dry, and she needed water. "I'm Filipino."

"Your parents must be so worried," Nana said.

"All of our parents would be so worried to death right now. But we have to be strong for them. We can pull out of this," the first black girl said.

"I don't have anyone to be worried for me. I have no parents," Avril said, and bowed her head.

For a few seconds, the girls were quiet.

"Then you have to be strong for yourself. You can pull through this," the first black girl said again.

"Thank you."

"By the way, I'm Chidi. I'm half Nigerian and half Kenyan."

"It's nice to meet you, Chidi."

"By the way, how did they get you?" Nana asked.

"I was walking through a lonely bush path. They ambushed me, and...and..." The words stuck in her throat.

"They raped you, didn't they?" Chidi asked.

Avril didn't answer, but they already knew her answer.

"We're so sorry about that. Don't let it get to you," Nana said. "We all were and are still being sexually harassed."

"What is this place? Where are we?" Avril asked.

"A ship."

"I know that. What I meant was, why are we here?"

"They are human traffickers. They sell children and women. The women...are mostly for sexual satisfaction. We were many before, but they all got sold out," Chidi explained.

Cold chills ran all over Avril's body.

"We're all waiting for what fate brings our way. We can only hope that we'll leave all these alive," Nana opined.

"One advice for you? Don't fight them. Go along with them, and don't resist. They kill those who prove stubborn. The Chinese girl just lost her friend," Nana said again.

"What? They killed her?"

"In cold blood," Nana replied.

Avril let out a deep sigh.

"Don't be scared. It's going to be fine," Chidi assured, as if she wasn't scared at all.

"You haven't told us your name," she asked.

"Avril. My name is Avril," she said, and hugged her legs, the reality of what she was in for dawning on her.

The sound of the iron bars moving woke Avril up. She had dozed off after worrying about her life and the turn it was taking. A man entered their cell with a bright flashlight, which he flashed on their faces one after the other. Avril closed her eyes when the heavy light hit them. Her vision was still blurry because of her sleep, and the light was making it worse.

"You... Follow me," the man said.

"Me?" Avril asked. She tried to open her eyes but could only do so halfway. Even so, she couldn't see anything else but the light.

"Yes. Come with me," he said and pointed the light at the ceiling. The cell became bright, and she could clearly see the girls, who were all sitting up. They exchanged looks with her, and there was assurance and encouragement in those eyes.

Avril got on her feet for the first time in a few hours and felt a pang of pain run through her, from her legs to her spine. She, however, managed to stand well and began to walk forward. The man turned and began walking, while Avril took steps behind him.

Chidi reached out and touched Avril's hand. "Do as they say. Remember that," she whispered, and Avril nodded and walked out of the cell.

She followed the man and took every corner he took until they reached a cabin. Two men were seated, smoking and playing cards. One of them had a terrible scar on his left arm, as if he was burnt by a very hot object or fire itself.

"This is her," the man she followed said. The man with the burnt arm looked up at Avril and puffed out smoke. He assessed her with awkward eyes and nodded, then continued playing.

The man she followed turned around and left. She didn't know what to do - whether she was to follow the man out or stand there in the room. She looked behind her as he exited through the door and looked at the men playing cards. She decided to follow the man again and turned to take a step.

"And where do you think you're going?" a deep and dark voice echoed through her head. She swallowed and turned back to face them. It was the scarred man who had spoken.

"I... I... I thought I was supposed... supposed to follow him," Avril stammered.

"Excuse us," he said to his opponent, who gently got up and walked out.

"What? He's leaving? Leaving just me and this ugly man? Oh my God!" she said to herself. She began to worry and pray that nothing bad would happen to her. "God, please save me. Please," she prayed.

The man stood up and loosened his belt, to Avril's bewilderment. She moved back and tried to stay cool.

"Lie on the couch," he said and began to unbutton his shirt. Avril's eyes widened. She knew what she was in for but didn't want to accept it. She stood there, not moving at all.

The man unbuttoned his shirt and removed it, then stared at Avril. "I see you're the shy one. Don't be shy. Come to me, pretty girl," he said and began to move towards her. Avril felt her breathing getting faster, and her heart thumping fast against her chest.

"No, no... Get away from me," she said and moved backward.

"Don't make this hard on yourself. Don't be stubborn," he said and moved closer to her. "Get away from me!" she screamed and ran off towards the door. As she tried to open it, he reached out and grabbed her arm. She screamed and kicked him with her leg, but he pulled her and threw her to the floor, right behind him.

He moved to the door, locked it, and threw the key into a small fish tank on a table. Avril knew she was in for more trouble. Fear crawled all over her mind, and she couldn't help but regret her actions.

"I would have complied. I shouldn't have acted that way," she spoke out.

"Oh, really? After you've hurt my pride? I wanted to go easy on you," he said in an angered tone.

With just one hand, he pulled Avril up and threw her to the couch in a matter of seconds. She hit it roughly with her back and bounced off to the floor, face down. She screamed, and he pulled her up again. He began to punch her tummy. He punched her five times and cared nothing about her screams and cries. She crouched down, shouting and hugging herself.

"No one tries to reject me! Get that into your skull!" the maniac yelled and grabbed her hair. She screamed and held his hand.

"Please... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" she pleaded.

He pulled her hair and made her hit her face on a wall, making her burst her lip and bruise her eye and cheek. He let go of her, and she fell to the floor. Avril fell with a thud and curled up, crying loudly. She couldn't help herself, even though she wanted to. She desperately wished she could fight back.

"I'm going to give you a lifetime scar. You'll so remember this moment," she heard the man's voice, a few feet from her. She lifted her face and saw him with a pen knife. Her eyes widened as she imagined what he planned to do to her.

"No..." she muttered. And with a God-given energy, she jerked up to her feet and pushed the man's lifted hand to his face. The knife slit through his cheek up to his ear. He let out a very loud scream and dropped the knife to the floor. His blood began to gush down his face, staining his body and also dripping on the floor.

Avril gasped at the sight of blood. She stood still for seconds with her mouth ajar. The man looked towards her with anger and pure evil in his eyes. She knew he would kill her if she remained in that room. Taking advantage of his already weak body, Avril grabbed a plate and dashed forward at him. She smashed it against his face, exactly against his open flesh, then kicked him. He screamed and fell to the floor. She dashed to the fish tank, pulled out the key, and went to the door. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn't get the key to enter the keyhole.

"Come on!" she yelled and kept trying. She got it in but couldn't get it to open quickly. She looked back and saw him trying to get on his feet again.

"No... Please open! Please!" she cried and finally unlocked it. She gasped when she saw that it unlocked. In a matter of seconds, she had run out of the room after closing the door. At least, even if he wanted to pursue her, he'd have to open the door, and that could buy her some time to run. But run to where? This was his ship.

Avril kept running and making turns she didn't know where they led. She looked behind her and didn't see or hear him approaching.

"But he'll find me. He's going to kill me," she muttered as she hurried along.

"Who's going to kill you?" a masculine voice sounded. She shivered and looked behind her to see who it was. The voice was calm and young, so it definitely wasn't him. She was right; it wasn't him. The man standing there was young and tall and good-looking. He wore grey trousers and a white shirt. He seemed American.

"Tell me. Who's going to kill you?" he asked again, then looked her over.

Right then, the other man came into view, with his bleeding face. He had two other men with him.

"There she is! Get her! Get her now!" he ordered, and the men behind him sprang towards Avril. She screamed and ran behind the young man, then grabbed his arms.

"Please! Help me! Help me, please!" she pleaded with him.

"Hey there!" he said and motioned for them to stop. They stood and looked at him.

"Why after the young lady?" he asked.

"Look! Look at my face! Look what the bitch did to my face!" the maniac announced.

"Man! That's bad!" the young man said.

"You did that?" he asked Avril. She didn't answer, neither did she make any movement.

"I swear I'm going to kill her," the maniac said.

"Go get yourself treated, Paolo. You're bleeding on my floor," the young man said.

"But... But the girl-" Paolo said.

"-I'll take care of the girl. Now get your ass moving," the young man said.

The maniac glared at Avril, grumbled something, and walked away.

"What are you two waiting for?" the young man asked the two men still standing.

They walked away too. Finally, Avril could breathe. She lessened her grasp on his arms and let out a sigh. He turned and looked at her, then chuckled softly.

"You're safe at least for now," he said.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," she said, and a tear slid down her face.

"I like your spirit. Come with me," he said.

She managed to smile a very weak smile. She followed him and felt relief. She was grateful to God and to the young man for saving her life. He said she was safe, but what did he mean by '...at least for now'?

He took her to his own cabin, and she was very hesitant to enter. What if he was also going to hurt her?

"I'm just going to treat your bruises. Your cell is cold and dirty, and you might get an infection," he said and grabbed a first aid kit. He began to bring out the things he would need.

"May I... May I please... Please leave the door... open?" she stuttered.

"Yes. You can also grab that baseball bat and dislocate my joints with it. Just in case I get hypnotized by your beauty," Freddie said with a chuckle. Avril chuckled softly and entered the room, leaving the door open and grabbing the baseball bat. Freddie was a bit surprised that she actually grabbed the bat. As if on cue, Avril spoke up, "I don't trust easily, you see."

"Neither do I," he said and smiled. He motioned for her to sit down, and she did, then he took her hand where she had a little cut. "Your skin is so smooth and beautiful. You shouldn't have scars on it," he said as he began cleaning off the blood. "It stings," Avril said and winced. "Sorry." After cleaning it and disinfecting it, he put a band-aid on. He did the same with the rest of the bruises and the cut on her lip.

"All good. I'm going to change that in a few hours," he said.

"Thank you," Avril replied.

"Don't worry. No one would lay a finger on you in this ship. I won't permit it," Freddie said. Avril smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"But what about my friends?" she asked.

"Friends?" Freddie asked.

"The black girls in the cell," Avril replied.

"Oh... Well, them too. They're safe now," Freddie said.

"Thank you so much, sir," Avril said.

"Call me Freddie," he said with a smile. Avril smiled and nodded. She felt a bit safe and happy. She hoped Freddie would keep to his word and not let them hurt her and the black girls, and also the Chinese girl.

"Drink some water. I'll be right back," Freddie said and walked to the door. Avril saw a pack of bottled water and wanted to take one when some things ran across her mind. Why were they being kidnapped in the first place? Where were they taking them? Why were they even being raped and beaten up? She looked over at Freddie. She wanted to call him back and ask him questions, but he went through the door and took the turn down the hall. She heaved a sigh and stood up to where the water was, pulled out a bottle, and quickly opened it. She gulped almost everything down in a minute.

"Wow. You were quite thirsty," Freddie's voice rang out. She looked back and saw him with a man who wasn't as tall as him. "Come on. This man will escort you to your friends. You can also take water for them." "Thank you," she said and pulled out three bottles of water from the pack. "You can go now. I'll see you later," Freddie said. Avril just nodded and went to the man. They went out of the room together, and he led her till they reached her cell. Her friends were even asleep, and it was the sound of the iron bars opening that woke them. Avril entered, and the man began to lock it again.

"Nana. Chidi," Avril called and walked up to them. "Avril. You're back. How did it go?" Chidi asked as Avril crouched down in front of them.

"Terrible. I almost got killed," she replied.

"What? Killed? What happened?" Nana asked.

"First of all, drink this. You must be thirsty like I was," she said and handed them the bottles one by one. She smiled at the Chinese girl as she stretched out the bottle to her. She smiled back and took it from her. She began to drink it immediately.

"Where did you get them?" Nana asked.

"What's this I see on your wrist?" Chidi asked, pointing to the band-aid on Avril's arm.

"Drink the water first," she cajoled.

"Tell us first," they both demanded.

"Hmmm," Avril sighed before she told them the whole ordeal she had passed through. Starting from the maniac and how he hurt her terribly, to the pen knife she had turned against him, and to the young man who helped her.

"Goodness! You could have really died! Why were you so stubborn?" Nana raised her voice. Chidi slapped her across the thigh. "If she hadn't done that, she wouldn't have met the young man who gave us this water," she said and opened up hers, then gulped down.

"Still, it was dangerous. And I hate dangerous," Nana said.

"Drink the water before you die of thirst," Avril smiled at the two older ladies. She sat down beside them and placed her back on the cold wall. She was beginning to feel all the pain from the beatings she received. Fear didn't let her feel them earlier. She closed her eyes and made a silent prayer to God.

They sat in silence for a while, drinking their water and trying to rest. Avril's mind was still racing with questions, but for now, she was just grateful to be alive.