The tension in the air was thick, almost tangible. If a stranger happened to appear, they would undoubtedly sense it, perhaps even taste it.
The Terror Queen had a pondering light in her eyes as she observed the enigmatic man before her. Her eyes flickering briefly at her daughter, before looking once again at the man called Anon.
A few seconds later, she released a sigh then she raised her hand.
"You can stand down everyone. Go back to your duties and inform everybody in the Region of Terror that they can carry on with their normal activities… There's no need to hide anymore."
As her words echoed, the group of 50 visibly relaxed and in the next instant, they dispersed, each returning to their respective tasks.
Anon watched as the group dispersed, his eyes having a hint of slight intrigue. As he observed the group, the Terror Queen's voice flowed into his ears.
"Follow me… and make sure you bring my daughter along with you."
Anon glanced at the daughter who was asleep, and seeing the slumbering female captain, a frown crept upon his face.
"Could you tell one of your people to carry her instead?... If she wakes up while I'm carrying her, there's a possibility she might attack me."
"I would actually love that so much."
Despite expressing his concerns, the Terror Queen did not care, even finding amusement in the situation and Anon had twitching lips as a result. He looked around, and unsurprisingly, none came to his 'aid'.
'Well I've definitely made a mistake.'
Anon released an internal sigh as he thought to himself. He knelt before the sleeping female captain then he carried her in a princess like manner with ease. The daughter of the female captain made a soft 'hmm' sound and unbeknownst to her, she moved closer to Anon's chest, her body finding a strange sense of comfort in Anon's body.
Anon's lips twitched at the sight of that and with another soft exhale, he followed the Terror Queen into the three storey building just a few meters away from him.
Upon entering the building, the first thing Anon's eyes were drawn to were cages. Countless cages which were lined up on both sides of the room he was in.
The cages had humans of various ages and gender in them. There were young boys and girls, teenagers, adults and even males and females of old age.
As Anon observed the captives in the cages, he spotted various emotions and expressions in them.
Some appeared filled with despair, their faces marked with depression and hopelessness. Others had vacant eyes, signifying their shattered state of mind.
A few muttered incomprehensible words, their expressions, posture, movement and behavior, revealing their loss of sanity.
Some instead wore savage expressions, their eyes hungry for blood and their aura exuding an intense amount of bloodlust.
And surprisingly, there were those who had expressions of hope, their eyes shining brightly like beacons in the dark and despair stricken world they inhabited.
Anon's surprise grew seeing the expressions of hope in a select few, and just as he was wondered what could possibly give them so much hope, he heard the Terror Queen speak:
"They're newcomers…"
Anon turned towards the Terror Queen, an expression of realization dawned upon him.
"Lots of newcomers always have that sort of expression… until they experience true terror that is."
Turning away from Anon, the Terror Queen continued her walk and Anon followed suit while still observing the sizable room he was in.
Apart from the slaves in the cage, there were other individuals who occupied the room and Anon had a slight expression of intrigue as he observed them.
He could see various people with collars on their necks, each one engrossed with various tasks. Some cleaned the empty cages, while others fed the humans in the cages. Some stood as protectors to specific cages.
Anon observing these group of people had a peculiar thought. He realized that the humans with collars on their necks were like outer slaves, while those in the cage were like inner slaves.
It was a strange notion but Anon felt his interpretation regarding the slaves held some truth. Although he could ask the Terror Queen, he decided not to.
Apart from the humans with collars on their necks, there were a few which had a black fabric around the lower parts of their faces. Some threw a few glances towards him, with some of those glances containing a hint of murderous intent.
These masked individuals maintained their vigilant positions, their postures akin to bodyguards and their watchful eyes scanning through the crowd of outer slaves and customers.
Among the crowd, Anon's attention then turned to the last group he noticed, the Customers- Adults, Teenagers, Children and even elderly men and women, each with various countenances.
The various customers stood before the cages, observing and haggling for the despondent stricken slaves. Their actions, further breaking their already broken spirits.
In essence, the floor Anon found himself on resembled nothing short of a slave market- a place where lives were bought and sold.
"Would you stop dilly-dallying around and follow me?"
A familiar voice tinged with slight annoyance and a touch of pride pierced into Anon's ears. He turned towards the source, finding the Terror Queen waiting for him as she stood on a set of stairs.
Anon realizing that he had been wasting time, quickened his pace and with the Terror Queen's daughter in his arms, he went after the Terror Queen.
Ascending upon a set of exquisitely crafted black marble stairs, Anon followed in suit with the Terror Queen walking ahead of him. Despite not wanting to, Anon had no choice but to stare at the moderately sized buttocks of the Terror Queen as she moved, her movement oddly captivating.
Moments passed and to Anon's relief, they reached the end of the stairs. Anon looked around and a peculiar sense of déjà vu washed over him as he took in the sight of the floor he currently stood on.
The floor looked like a corridor with numerous doors on either sides, and Anon seeing that, had his lips twitching.
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[A/N: Second bonus chapter.]
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