"Today, I’ll teach you the rules of the Hastings Tribe myself!"
The man pulled a leather belt from his waist and lashed it down on me again and again.
Pain wracked my body and I trembled uncontrollably. My chest, already aching from the fall earlier, felt as if it were being crushed, making it impossible to catch my breath. Weakness overtook me and I couldn’t even muster the strength to speak.
"Freddie, take it easy. Don’t beat her to death."
“Yes, we paid the matchmaker half a pound of gold in exchange."
Listening to their conversation, I immediately thought of my cousin's boyfriend.
When I got in the car, I heard him talking on the phone, telling the other party that he would definitely deliver the goods on time.
Thinking back now, the "goods" he mentioned must have been me.
I never expected my cousin to have such a boyfriend.
I had no idea what had happened to her now. Was she safe?
"If you don’t believe me, you can call Albie and ask him. I also have photos of us together on my phone…"
From the way they spoke, I could tell that Albie held a high status among them. I thought that if I could just prove my relationship with him, they would let me go.
But before I could finish my sentence, a heavy slap landed across my face.
"You still dare to call our young leader by name? I’ll beat that filthy mouth of yours shut!"
"This woman is cunning. She’s just trying to get her phone so she can call the police."
Three slaps landed hard on my face in quick succession.
I felt my teeth loosen from the impact, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth. My head spun, my whole body throbbed with pain and it felt like my insides had been shattered.
Even though I was filled with grievances, I didn’t dare say another word.
These men were ruthless.
"Lock her in the pigsty. She’ll behave by tomorrow," the leader ordered.
Two men grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the pigsty.
The place was cold and drafty, reeking of pig waste. I collapsed in a corner, trembling uncontrollably in despair.
I endured until the dead of night when all the lights around me finally went out.
Crawling out of the pigsty, only one thought consumed me. I had to escape.
But I had barely run a few meters when a bright beam of light suddenly fell upon me. Moments later, the entire tribe erupted with the sound of blaring horns.
Within less than a minute, I was completely surrounded by a group of Hastings Tribe men.
Some wielded axes, others gripped long sticks, their fierce eyes locked onto me with murderous intent.
"I told you this woman was cunning! She actually dared to sneak away in the middle of the night!"
"No worries, just follow the usual process."
"No matter how stubborn a woman is, she won’t last past the third trial. By then, she’ll either be broken or lose her mind and once that happens, she’ll obey."
I had heard Albie mention the old, cruel traditions of his tribe before. Among them, he had specifically talked about the so-called ‘Three Trials.’
Without outright killing them, they had devised some inhumane methods to force foreign women to stay and submit.
They did it all because, without women, there would be no future for their people.
The first trial was soaking in itch water. The itch water was made from a toxic plant. Once it touched the skin, it caused rashes and unbearable itching.
The second trial was cactus torture. The woman's body would be pierced with sharp cactus spines until she was covered in them. She had to remove the thorns herself, except for the ones on her back, which remained, causing constant pain. It was both a physical and psychological torment.
The third trial was the cycle.
For ten days, the men of the tribe were free to enter and leave the woman’s room at any time, day or night. A doctor would examine her daily until she became pregnant.
