Chapter 1
Gloria ran sobbing through the forest. Things had been miserable before, but at least she understood them. In their own broken way, they made sense.
The force of her emotions shook her body as she ran, her footsteps unsteady.
For years she had worked in her stepfather’s bar, suffering the insults and the low wages. Almost everyone in her small town feared her stepfather. Despite Gloria trying to find another job that actually paid at least minimum wage, no one would hire her.
When one of the employers that rejected her later went and told her stepfather that she was looking for another job, things became even worse.
“When your mother died, didn’t I take you in?” he shouted.
“Didn’t I give you a roof over your head and food on your plate? I gave you a job! It’s your fault, fatty, that you’re too lazy to work hard enough to earn a decent wage.”
But she did work! She worked harder than anyone else in that place. Everyone always complimented her on how pretty he was, but all her stepfather ever brought up was that she was a heavy girl.
After he heard she was looking for other work, he started making her do more around the house before and after work. She suspected it was to keep her too tired to try and look for another job. Well, it worked.
With nowhere else to go, she had no choice but to do what he told her to. For a time things settled into an exhausting but steady routine. She had almost gotten used to it. But that night things had gone too far.
The bar had closed early due to a drunken brawl. After the police had come, the manager insisted everyone just head home for fear of any kind of retaliation. Like she always did, Gloria came in through the backdoor as it was closest to her room.
Her stepfather had plans that night, so she was looking forward to an early bedtime. Voices from the living room ripped away that hope.
If her stepfather was home, and he knew she was off of work early, he’d certainly make her do chores. When she heard someone else’s voice, she knew he’d likely make her cook for them.
For a moment she thought about just sneaking out again, but he owned the bar. Certainly the manager would tell him he’d sent everyone home, and if she wasn’t there, he’d drill her about where she was and why she hadn’t come home.
Rather than suffer through that, she’d just lowered her head and made her way through the house to the living room.
“I don’t know, you owe me a lot of money.”
“I know,” her stepfather said.
“We’re talking thousands here. I doubt one fat girl is worth that much.”
Fat girl? What? Were they talking about… her?
“Look, she cooks good, cleans. Hard worker, that one. You can do whatever you want with her, she’s too stupid to say no.”
Too stupid? That little bastard!
“I still say there’s gotta be a catch.”
“No catch. I’m selling her to you.”
“And in exchange we wipe your debt to me.”
“Yup. She’s no good to me anymore anyway. Not into fat chicks. Not like her mom, wooo. Lemme tell you somethin’ about her mom.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
Gloria couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her stepfather was selling her to his old friend.
This couldn’t be legal, could it? Then again, could she do anything about it? Where would she go? No, maybe she was wrong.
Gloria pressed her back against the wall as she tried to convince herself that they were talking about someone else. Anyone else.
“So how’re we going to do this?” the friend asked.
“She’s a heavy sleeper. Tonight I’ll go in, drug her, and we can take her over to your place.”
“What if she doesn’t go along with it?”
“I dunno. Kill her, I s’pose. No one would miss her anyway. I’m the only family she has to speak of. Don’t got no friends.”
That was all she needed to hear. Gloria was out the door running through the forest her house was nestled against.
As she cried, she realized that no
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