"Hey, sorry to startle ya but you can't sleep at the park." The old man that had walked up said quietly, keeping a distance from him.
"W-Who are you?" He asked in a tremulous voice, all of his trust gone.
"The hired security at the park," He reached into his coat and brought out a heavy-duty flashlight, momentarily blinding him with it. "You've gotta leave the park." He repeated.
Caspian winced and shielded his face with a hand, "I don't have a place to go, all my money was stolen."
"Well, shit, another one of you huh." He tutted, turning around. "Come with me then."
Caspian didn't move, frightened but wary enough not to believe anyone else. "W-What do you mean by that?" He asked, clutching his satchel tight and looking around like he was making plans to bolt.
"New folks to Haines are easy prey for the pickpockets at the station," The security guard paused to say, his shoulders hunched with age. "Now you either come with me so I can get you a place to spend the night or I kick you outta the park."
That made Caspian grudgingly get up, his satchel held tight for comfort. "How do I know that you're not also taking me as easy prey?" The security guard had already started walking, making him walk forward as well.
"Because I get nothing out of this," The security guard grumbled, walking rather quickly for someone his age.
When they got out of the park, Caspian could better see the gray streaking through the security guard's hair and bushy beard, the grime on his face, and his startlingly bright eyes.
"There's a hostel run by a friend of mine nearby, I could ask him to let you spend the night for free." The security guard let him know, his flashlight hidden in his bulky but worn-out overcoat.
Caspian looked around and found people walking down the street but as usual, they minded their business, walking briskly, a car passed occasionally as well.
He obediently followed the security guard who said nothing more, the hairs on his neck standing on end when he turned away from the road and instead took a small path through two rows of houses.
He had no idea where they were going, it was late and he wasn't with his phone but it was either this or he would have to sleep by the roadside so against his better judgment he kept following the old man.
He took another turn to a dark alley and Caspian found that he couldn't take another step forward, his feet rooted to the ground. He wasn't sure if it was instincts or just pure luck but he knew he needed to get out of there.
He turned around and started off, only to be halted by a quick hand on his wrist, an unfamiliar voice cursing. There was no besting the stranger's strength, the old security guard turning around at the scuffle and hurrying back to help pin him down.
Caspian stared blankly into the bright eyes of the security guard as a piece of cloth doused in chemicals was pressed over the lower part of his face, completely numb.
The chemical stung his eyes and made them water but he didn't miss the beard of the old security guard falling off in the struggle to reveal a younger face underneath.
He would chuckle if he wasn't currently choking, he really had been played twice…
-+-
Caspian woke up with a strangled gasp, coughing so hard his eyes watered. His throat felt raw and his nose burned but that was the least of his problems, a more pressing issue was where he was.
He had to admit, of all the things he had expected to wake up to, this had to get some kind of award...
He was in a steel cage, wearing a dress and a wig… What the actual fuck?
He would curse out loud if he could talk but the only thing the restrictive collar around his neck that was attached to the cuffs around his wrists let him do was sit up.
The lighting was dim but when he looked around, he could see that there were other people in cages.
Caspian couldn't tell how long he had been out, nor what time it was and the people around him didn't look inclined to talk either, except the girl right in front of his cage. She stared at him with disconcerting focus, amusement in her sunken eyes.
"Nice wig," She tossed at him, her voice soft but raspy, collarbones prominent.
"What's going on?" Caspian tried talking, his voice similar to hers.
"We're getting auctioned and you might want to keep it down because you're in between two tigers."
Caspian felt his breath seize, he had thought the two beside him were still knocked out but they were actually lying down because they were animals.
He wrapped his knees around himself, staying the furthest he could away from them, beady eyes staring at him from dark masses.
Fortunately, the cages were soon taken away by unfamiliar men, leaving just him, the girl, and someone else who still seemed to be knocked out cold.
Caspian had a lot of questions but he didn't know how to ask them, for all he knew the girl could be as much of a victim as he was.
"I'm not," She broke the putrid silence.
This made Caspian startle. "You're not what?"
"I'm not like you," She inched closer as she spoke, "I could see you looking at me with pity in your eyes." She held the bars with her bony fingers.
"Oh," Caspian mumbled, it was all he could say, but did move forward so he could better see and hear her.
"You're a guy in a wig, aren't you?"
"I was kidnapped," He admitted, not sure how else to answer her question.
"And I chose to be here-"
Caspian's mouth dropped open at that, "What! Why would you do that?"
"Hush," She quietened him, struggling to reach into the folds of her short dress, the same one he also had on.
He quietly watched her struggle to light her cigarettes with her bound hands for a while, a whiff of smoke blowing through the bars of her cage when she finally managed it.
"Getting sold isn't all bad, you could get bought by a rich bastard." Another puff of smoke. "Sure some of them are freaks but at least they'll treat you better than the streets will."