I hated to admit that I missed fresh air, or what could be considered fresh.
Once upon a time, I dreamed of running free. To feel the wind whistle through my hair and take in gulping lungfuls of the cleanest air ever created. I dreamed of going to a beach and feeling the ocean water wash over the tops of my feet.
Anything but the doomed destiny I knew I was going to end up with.
I had been quick to push those dreams down, as far as I possibly could to where they’d never be able to resurface. It was the only way I could survive. At least until death finally came to collect me.
And who knows when that’d be.
With the noises from the basement faded away, the stoned cobble steps turned into smooth, rubbery floors. I kept my eyes down, refusing to look around to see where exactly I was at. Knowing where I was would only cause more unasked questions. It wouldn’t make a difference in my pathetic life. I’d still be going wherever it was that I was going.
“It cleans up well.” The smoker’s voice was low in his chest. I didn’t have to look up to feel his eyes on me.
“They all do. Now, if you-“
“This is not my first time doing this.” The smoker guy cut off the words of the man who still held a too-tight grip on my arm. “Already have paid, as you can see. And signed all the non-disclosure crap. Now,” he paused, placing a sweaty hand along my other arm, “I’ll take my clients' property and be on my way.”
“Very well, then. Enjoy...uh...”
“Yeah, yeah.” A tug against my arm got me moving. “Let's go.”
I stumbled as he all but dragged me along. His hand slipped down my arm a few inches as sweat coated his palm.
So much for being clean, I thought as I scrunched my nose up.
A few more steps and the floor changed to cement once more. The air was thicker with heat as I passed a threshold. Where there had been some lights, now there was hardly any that flickered above me. The only light that was on was too far away for me to see as I kept my eyes on the ground.
“Get in. No talking. No crying. Or I’ll shove you into the trunk.” The words were spat out as he pulled me to a stop at the back of a normal-looking car.
No one had put me in something like that before. It was always a van with blacked-out windows, if there were windows.
I nodded but then added words with the motion. “Yes, sir.”
My answer must have been good enough, as he opened the back door of the dark-colored car. Once I was in, hands folded in my lap, he shut me in.
The idea of trying to open the door and running for my life was there, but like all the other thoughts, I pushed it down. I was too tired, too weak, to make it anywhere. Add in not knowing where I was...yeah, I wasn’t going to go anywhere.
The man didn’t speak as he started the car. Nor did he say a single thing as he drove out of the parking garage. The lights didn’t change as he did so.
I should have been used to the fact that it was always dark when I was transported to the next new place. There was never anyone else on the road, so if I did happen to escape, there would be no one to save me.
When the man did spoke, I couldn’t stop the jerk of surprise.
“When we get to where we are going,” he started, switching lanes. “You will not speak. You will do as you are told. You will be allowed things you are not used to having, but that means it can all be taken away. Please the ones you will be called to serve, and you will be rewarded well. Mess up, and you’ll wish you never gained my interest or my client’s. Understood?”
“Y-y-yes, sir.”
I knew there was no wiggle room, least of all here. Or anywhere, for that matter. Ever.
It was drilled into me to always follow all rules, even the ones that didn’t make sense. It was better to just do what I was told, never to question the reason behind the orders.
I gulped, pushing the reminders to the back of my mind. Right now wasn’t the time to remember belts, whips, and dark holding cells.
The man didn’t utter another word as he pulled into a long driveway. I glanced out the window, but it did little to give me any clue on where I was, let alone anything but more blackness. There were tall dark trees that lined the driveway, and that was as far as I could see.
Soon enough, the darkness turned into dull light as the car was pulled into a huge garage, the door shutting me in. Once more, it was just a reminder of how stuck in this rule of my life that I was. The only way out would be death, and even then, it wouldn’t be kind.
When the door was opened, I slowly slipped from the leather interior, legs weak as my heart pounded a bit too fast in my chest. At least this time, the hand on my arm was a tad gentler, but still gave no room for me to shift away.
