Nico fires into the room like a wrecking ball, his face flushed like he sprinted all the way here. It’s been a couple of days since I’ve seen him this flustered and angry, the last time was when I asked him to remove Emily’s body from the basement, she was starting to stink up the place, so much so that I could fucking smell it from here and that’s when Annabelle practically chewed his fucking tongue off. Maybe I should have fed her more.
Luckily my lovely Ellie, who’s propped up in the corner of my room still smells pretty fresh after I got her mummified. Turns out, one of my buyers is excellent with that kind of stuff. He’d never done a human before but there’s a first time for everything isn’t there? I should have done the same with my mom when I killed her, I know my father would have loved that. A real treat to keep her spirit alive, some would say. Excitement bursts through my system at reuniting my lovely wife and her best friend together. She’ll love it.
“What’s up with your face?” I ask, lifting my head from the strewn of papers across my desk. Nico huffs out a breath beforelaying a piece of paper on my desk, his words written all over it. You see, the big brute can’t really talk now so he’s now resorted to writing notes instead. How inconvenient.
‘We need to move the merchandise. Taylor, our new driver, didn’t make it back with the girls. They were hijacked getting off the boat. He’s been captured by Dean and Eli and it won’t be long before they figure out we’re here from the vans Sat Nav.
What a stupid prick. I hired Taylor last week and now the dumb fuck has gone and got himself caught,andhe’s lost my next shipment! Aggravation has my blood boiling to the point where I’m ready to explode. I scrunch Nico’s note into my fist before launching it into the small waste basket that’s sitting next to Ellie’s corpse.
“Gather the merch, but only the ones that aren’t on the brink of death. Kill the rest. I’ll retrieve my wife.” I order whilst shoving my arms into my suit jacket with fury then rounding the desk towards Nico.
“Oh, and grab dear Ellie will you.” I shout over my shoulder as I make my way into the hallway and down the steps towards my darling wife.
This prison will be nothing but a ghost town by the time those two fuckers find it and I’ll be one step ahead. Just like I always am.
Heavy footsteps and booming voices have me flying out of my somewhat slumber, my eyes widening at the noise that’s getting increasingly louder and more prominent. My back aches from falling asleep against the wall and my legs tingle with the lack of blood flow from keeping them close to my chest. I have to protect myself at all costs, even in my sleep.
With a heavy swing, the door comes flying open and bounces off the damp concrete walls, my husband filling the doorway.
“Time to go.” He speaks firmly as he strides into the revolting room. I’ve been left without any form of toilet, leaving me to relieve myself on the floor. Disgusting, I know. But, what? Time to go? Go where?
“What? What do you mean, time to go?” I croak out, my throat desperate for some fresh water. The headaches have been consistent since I was thrown into this room, they’re even worse in the mornings after a fitful sleep. The muscle in my forehead pounds with every blink of my eyes.
Ricky steps over the mess I’ve left on the floor, his face scrunched up in disgust before wrapping his hand aroundmy thin bicep and yanking me up from the floor. The swift movement makes me dizzy and I’m left with no choice but to hold onto his shoulders to stop me from falling. “It doesn’t matter where we’re going, just know that we’re leaving. Now.” His words are sharp and his breath is minty, there’s also a slight hint of whiskey too. He always did love his whiskey.
Immediately, I’m pulled through the room, my feet slipping through all the bodily fluids that lay waste on the floor and then out into the bright hallway, the fluorescent lights burning into my retinas. Ricky wastes no time in pulling me through the hallways then into the centre room of the prison, which probably housed inmates during lunch times, now it’s just groups of women and girls all huddled together.
My eyes scan the room for Emily but I don’t find her anywhere, did she get out? Maybe she got out?
“If you’re looking for Emily, you won’t find her.” Ricky snaps at the side of me as he weaves us through the small crowd. “What do you mean I won’t find her? You’re taking us somewhere aren’t you?”
Confusion fills my mind and the simmering headache from before now blooms fully across my eyes.
“She’s dead, you dumb bitch,” he says, turning his head towards me. “Fuck, you’re crazier than I thought.” Ricky sniggers, his smirk showing his pearly white teeth.
Dead? But I thought we were getting out together. We were supposed to make it out together, the two of us. I.. I told her Dean was coming to save us. He.. he said he was.
Tears fill my eyes, glazing over my vision and I let them fall without shame. I’ve been named the woman that never cries and now I can’t fucking stop. Ricky slows his steps before turning towards me, then he brings his hand up to touch the side of myface. Panic fires through me and I flinch away.
“You’re so fucking pretty when you cry, sweetheart.” He speaks with a condescending tone and I go to pull my face away but I don’t make it very far as he grips my jaw tightly, his fingers pressing into my already sunken cheeks. “I’ll let you in on a little something. Your precious little boyfriend and his puppy, Eli, have fucked me over. So now, we’re going home baby.”
“Home?” I say between his fierce grip.
“Mhmm.” He nods, his face sinister and dark. “You remember the old mill near our home, well, those old bunkers underneath it? One of them has your name on it sweetheart, and I’ve got the perfect buyer lined up for you too.”
Realisation hits me heavily and I struggle to find my breath. The old mill has been derelict for years. I had no idea Ricky was using it for business. I always heard horror stories of the mill, that the bunkers were used to keep the workers inside, basically like slaves. The thought has a sour taste rising in my throat but I know nothing would come up, I’m empty.
“Looks like Deany boy isn’t going to find you now, is he? Such a shame.” Ricky says with an evil glint in his eyes, then shoves me into the small group of women huddled behind me.
Dean isn’t going to find me. I’m going to die without him, without Lyla. I’ll be sold off to a man who’s probably just as cruel as my husband and I’m not sure which is worse.
I watch on from the corner of the room as groups of girls andwomen are loaded into vans, ready to take us to the old mill and I can’t stop the sinking feeling that’s resting in my stomach like a brick. I need to find a way to let Dean know where we’re being taken to, and I need to be smart about it. If Ricky notices anything out of place, I’ll be dead before I even step foot into the van.
My eyes bounce around the room until they land on a guard who’s patrolling the group I’m standing in. He walks up and down with a pretty big loaded gun in his grip, there’s also a pocket on the front of his bullet proof vest that’s filled with marker pens. An idea hits me, it’s probably fucking stupid but it seems to be the only chance I’ve got.
Keeping in line, I shuffle forward with small steps as the group gets funneled into the vans. The moment the guard passes by us again, I pretend to trip, landing into his front.
“Watch where you’re fucking going, bitch!” The guard belts out before shoving me roughly back in the line, the black marker pen grasped tightly in my hand, hidden from sight. I stumble backwards, my shoulders hitting a young girl behind me.
