Chapter Text
Carl wasn’t particularly happy to be leaving his life behind at the orphanage he’d been raised in. The brunette had became accustomed to his life there. It was a simple life. Go to school, eat, sleep, play with the younger kids, and so on and so forth. But, he knew when turning the age of eighteen he’d have to leave. It was the day after his birthday, and here he was sitting in the front seat of an SUV with a chatty social worker. It was the sort of stuff he couldn’t stand. Small talk, fake smiles. He didn’t like it.
“Is this going to be your first time on an airplane?” The woman, who’d introduced herself as Natalie the day before, spoke to Carl, along with two girls who were in a similar situation Carl was. “It’ll be just fine. You’ll fly right into Houston, from there it’s a drive to the coast. Now the training isn’t easy, but once you get used to it I’m sure you will all love the job.“
“I’d be more excited if we could stop for margaritas.” One of the girls, a blonde, in the back giggled. What were their names again? Something like Katie, and maybe Julie. Carl couldn’t remember. He didn’t really care. Currently they were on a trip to work on a boat. A cruise ship actually. They were basically recruited, given the opportunity instead of going homeless. Carl had been given a brochure he’d barely looked at.
“Oh, I’m fun, but not that fun.” Natalie laughed in a somewhat fake manner.
Unlike the girls, Carl was only responding with simple movements. Nods and shrugs. This woman didn’t matter anyways. He probably wouldn’t see her again after they got on the plane.
The boy gazed out of the window with his one good sapphire eye, his reflection looking back at him. He had bandages across his face he’d worn for a long time now to cover his wound. His hair had grown towards his shoulders, and he used his bangs to help hide his bandages, as they tended to garnered attention.
While the girls were chuckling and smiling, Carl took notice how suddenly they were turning off onto a dirt path. He frowned in a curious manner. Of course, Carl didn’t know the way to the airport. But it was a little strange to be taking an off path like this.
That’s when Natalie pulled up to a white van ahead of them. Carl was understandably confused. “Why are we stopping?” He asked as he craned his neck to look at the van beside them.
“Just a change over. A couple of my friends are going to take you the rest of the way. I have a busy day ahead of me.” Natalie said back without missing a beat.
The SUV slowly rolled to a stop on that dirt road beside the van. She turned off the vehicle and went to step out, keys in hand, while saying. "Everyone out! Time for the next leg of your journey!"
Her tone was so upbeat but the smile left her face as she walked up to a man who’d stepped outside of the passengers side of the van. Another man stepped out on the other side. Her words were a lower volume now, speaking in private to the man. "What do you have for me?"
The man looked rough. Both of the did. Flannels and bandanna rough, untrimmed beards rough. They looked like the type you didn't want to have around just because they looked like trouble. The man handed Natalie an envelope that she quickly tucked into her back pocket.
"It's all there?" She asked lightly.
"Of course it is." The man replied.
"Um... I think I'll just go back." One girl said. She and the other girl had gotten out of the SUV, both holding their small packs. Hers was tossed over her shoulder.
The blond had her hand in her back pocket, fingers clutching her phone. It was now obvious to both of them that this wasn't right. "Yeah me too. I want to go back."
"Girls! There's nothing to be worried about. My friends are just going to give you a ride the rest of the way to the airport." Natalie said with a smile.
"Come on!" The second man said. "We don't have all day. Just get in the van."
He moved over to the van to pull the door open. It squeaked as he pulled it and inside looked perfectly normal. Except the situation as a whole was anything but normal and both girls felt that.
Carl knew this wasn’t right. All of this, just wasn’t damn right at all. The way Natalie said it was a ‘change over’ and how she got out of the vehicle to them privately speak to some sketchy looking man? Yeah, not right at all.
Carl had opened up his door and stepped out of the car with a concerned frown. His sapphire eye looked around at the situation. He had to agree with the two girls. He wanted to go back.
But, he knew at this point asking Natalie wasn’t going to help.
Something was definitely off.
The boy bit his lower lip and shook his head as he took a step back. “I...don’t want to ride with them either.”
“Oh Carl, don’t be like this.” Natalie responded with a soft laugh and roll of her eyes. “Like I said, they’re my friends-“
Before she could continue, Carl was turning on his heel and high tailing it out of there to try and run. He already knew what was up.
For some god awful reason, they were being kidnapped.
Carl didn’t get far. At all. His legs were too short and his running was too weak, because suddenly he felt his waist being grabbed and he was being thrown down into the dirt.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” The man who’d been speaking with Natalie was the one who’d caught Carl.
Carl quickly climbed to his feet as the man grabbed him again, and suddenly he felt himself being forcibly dragged over to the van. “Let me the fuck go!” He suddenly yelled and kicked, but to no avail.
The girls had frozen. One began crying at the realization of what was happening.
"Look what you did! Now you two are going to drive them there." Natalie complained.
The blond girl had her phone ripped from her hands and the girls were forced into the back of the van. Both were crying and there was somewhat of a struggle but they didn't put up much of a fight. Confusion and fear of being hurt kept them from fighting back.
They should have fought harder.
While Carl gave it a good try, he was no match for the man that had grabbed him. The man was bringing him to the van, but when Carl kept trying... When he kept kicking and struggling the man cocked back and hit him. It was hard enough that Natalie could hear it.
The last thing Carl would hear was, "Don't bruise up the product!"
It was a long ride to get to where they were going. The girls cried until they couldn't anymore. They asked eachother, and Carl once he woke, the obvious questions.
"What's going on?"
"What are they going to do to us?"
"Where are they taking us?"
"Should we run?"
None of that mattered. They got to their destination no matter what they tried. The blond girl had more bumps and bruises then she should have from an attempt to get away.
The two girls were taken out of the van, the door slammed back shut. Carl would wait there for a good hour before the van moved again. The front closed off from the back, no windows in the van, so he wouldn't be able to see a thing.
The next time the van stopped he'd be pulled out and passed over to a big bald man. The place he was at was the place he was going all the while. The Brothel. A huge house in the middle of nowhere, snugged up close to the Mexican boarder. The house was gated, easily seen from where they stood. Guards around the place. It was secure enough, inside was even more so.
Another envelope was passed to the men and the big bald man looked down to Carl. "Time to meet Hoss. Do what you're told and you'll make it."
He nodded towards the building for Carl to follow him, expecting the young man to do just that. "No use in runnin'"
He meant to bring Carl inside where 'Hoss' was waiting. The man himself was inside the mainroom. Couches around the room, a big open area for viewing, and a short bar at the side. Hoss was a handsome man who wore a cowboy hat and boots. Two scantily clad women with him, one sitting on his lap. A drink was in thr man's hand. He was waiting for his first boy. The first boy he ever purchased for his house.
Carl’s sapphire eye flickered around, looking to where he could possibly run to. The bald man seemed to read his mind since he told him there wasn’t any use in running. Carl sadly could concur. There were multiple guards, all men bigger than himself. He could easily see the guns at their hips as well. He wasn’t sure if they’d shoot him, but he didn’t want to take that chance.
For now, he’d have to play along with what going on.
Carl hesitated for a good moment before sighing and slowly following the bald man inside. When they reached the inside, what Carl saw surprised him. A man sat with scantily clad women with him.
Why the fuck was Carl here? What was this place? He had so many questions, but he decided to stay quiet. He spotted the gun on this man’s hip too. Damn. Everyone was goddamn armed.
He’d looked away from the women out of awkwardness, and looked around the room before looking back to the man seated there. This must’ve been who Hoss was.
Carl suddenly cleared his throat to speak. “If you want money I’m an orphan so you’re not gonna do any good with kidnapping me.”
Carl was far from dumb but....he didn’t understand what situation he was really in. Sex trafficking was far from his mind. He was a boy, so he didn’t consider himself to be someone who would be sex trafficked.
“This is it? Where the hell is the Chinese girl?” Hoss said, sounding annoying. He patted a woman on the hip, getting her to get off his lap. After finishing off his drink he handed her the glass and stood.
“This is all they dropped off.” The bald man said in reply, even shrugging his shoulders lightly.
Hoss shook his head slightly and reached down to adjust his pants at the waist. Walking forward his eyes were now on Carl. He took a good look over him, from head to toe, slowly assessing what he paid for. At least they got the boy part right. Young, pretty. Covering his eye wasn’t something he asked for, but he’d handle that soon enough. Hopefully it wasn’t messed up under there.
“You’ll be worth the money. I can see it.” With his hands on his hips and a stiff smile the man stopped to stand directly in front of Carl. “Alright, here’s the deal.” He clapped his hands together. “500 men. You lay down, make them happy, enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, make them think you enjoyed it. Easier for a woman, I know…”
One of the woman half snorted out a laugh at that. She was a little older, beautiful Hispanic woman. She seemed perfectly comfortable there, dressed in very little, and propped up on the arm of the chair.
Hoss tipped his head to the side, acknowledging that she found it amusing. Hell, he did too. The man then went on. “But you’ll get the hang of it. After you get fucked 500 times, have 500 transactions that end in me getting paid and the customer getting his good time… Then you can fuck off. Walk right out of here or hang out and make your own money.”
Carl was silent as Hoss went on to talk about some Chinese girl he was supposed to have. He furrowed his brow in confusion and titled his head as the man went on to get up and come over to him. Hoss seemed to be inspecting him which was a little uncomfortable to Carl.
What he went on to say made Carl blink in surprise. He was completely taken aback. His eye widened, and he even stepped back out of shock.
“.....w-what?” He stammered over his words. So, he was being sex trafficked. What, the hell.
Carl had never even had sex before. He was a complete virgin. Aside from that, like hell did he want to do this. 500 men? How long would that even take? This was crazy.
His widened eye narrowed and his brow furrowed again as he shook his head. He crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed.
“Like fuck am I doing that.”
He shook his head and suddenly spit on the man’s boot in anger.
He was caught up in such a bad situation right now. Looking around he couldn’t just escape. Armed men were everywhere. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“You can take your 500 men deal and shove it.” He added on for good measure with a harsh glare across his pretty features.
Hoss' expression got tight. His hands on his hips and his eyes turning down to his boot. As Carl went on the man nodded. Not agreeing of course. He looked annoyed to even being standing there.
"Ok. I hoped this would go better but..." He shrugged slightly and stepped forward. "Two options. Work and walk out or leave in a body bag."
The man reached out, grabbing Carl's crossed arms. It was a quick hard movement that followed. He pulled the young man's arms and with his other hand, balled into a fist, he punched Carl in the stomach. He didn't mean it as a warning. It was meant to hurt. The punch caused Carl to let out a breathless gasp. Suddenly the boy was coughing and gasping for air from the hard punch.
He didn't let go of Carl's arm. Instead he turned and started to manhandle Carl to walk out of the room and down the hall.
"Get your shit together fast. You're working tonight." The man said harshly.
As they moved a few women walked by. All dressed like, well... Whores. Some wore bruises. Others looked barely put together. The women that passed them were anything but happy. One of them with especially dead eyes spoke as she passed. "There's no use in fighting." Her voice was just as dead as her expression.
Hoss didn’t let go of him. Before Carl could regain any amount of composure, he was being dragged down the hall, stumbling and all. His free hand had moved to hold his stomach whilst he took in shaky breaths and coughs. Tears had formed in his eye from the punch but soon enough he was getting his breathing back to normal.
‘You’re working tonight.’
The words struck fear into Carl. And Carl didn’t normally feel fear in life. Fuck, he’d been shot in the face before. How could he fear shit after that? But knowing he’d have to force himself to have sex with someone.....he couldn’t do it.
“No....no! Let me fucking go!” He yelled as he suddenly pulled against the man and struggled, but to not much avail. They’d passed by some women, one in which told him there was no use in fighting.
All of his fighting spirit was being drained out of him just from seeing her expression matched with her deadened words.
Fuck.
Did he really have to play along with this awful game? Could he even do it? Could he bring himself to have sex with men? Carl hadn’t ever fully explored his sexuality. Even if he had, the thought of selling yourself for sex was awful anyways. Doubly awful considering he was going to be kept here, like....like some sex slave.
He’d stopped fighting at this point only to numbly follow along with Hoss down the hall. The place where he’d been hit throbbed, just like his head began to feel like it was hurting.
How was he gonna survive this?