Hearing the harsh words, I jerked my head up.
The girl’s squeal forced me to cringe. “Leave me alone! Fuck you. Fuck you.”
With a deep laugh, the asshole tossed her onto the concrete floor.
The cell door was slammed shut, but the asshole in the suit wasn’t ready to leave just yet. He turned his attention toward me, his leer repulsive. “Make yourself comfortable, sugar. And you. Your number was called.”
I was shocked when the girl managed to scramble to her feet, throwing herself toward the bars. Her scream was high pitched and just as I’d done the first, second, and third time, she tried scratching him through the bars, managing to claw his face.
Before I could warn her, the bastard stuck the cattle prod through the metal bars.
Her scream was even more high pitched, her body thrashing. I was on my feet, hissing as I did.
“Stop it! You fucking bastard. You’re killing her.” I rushed forward, spitting fire. At least he was momentarily surprised by my attack, jerking the prod away.
Long enough for me to be able to drag the girl from the bars and onto one of the cots. She was still breathing, thank God. I returned to just in front of the man, shaking my head. “You can’t keep us here. You will be found and arrested.”
His laugh echoed in the space. “Girlie, it’s about time you realized we can do anything we want. Now, be a good little girl because all that fire in your belly is going to be tested tonight.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Whoever had been tossed in as my cell mate hadn’t been the first. I’d joined a woman close to my age when thrown inside a few days before. Although at this point with the constant dim lighting and incarceration, I had no real idea of just how much time had passed.
My former cell mate had been dragged out a few days before, never to be seen again. I shuddered from the thought of what had happened to her.
All I knew was that I wasn’t getting out of here while being in a cage. And I certainly hadn’t found my sister.
“Ah, don’t worry, girl. You’ll get all prettied up for the auction since you stink like a damn dog. And if you’re lucky, I’m sure one of our members will be able to tame you.” He turned away.
“Fuck you.”
He took a deep breath before spinning on his heel and grabbing the bars, rattling them as if trying to terrify me. “I’ll make special note that you need to be fucking tamed first. Who knows. Maybe I’ll be the one who breaks your spirit.”
With that, he laughed, the sound lingering in the dense space long after he’d left.
I remained motionless, struggling just to breathe. I’d tried so hard to remain strong but had never felt so weak in my life.
I’d also never felt so alone. Even with having a new cell mate, the world as I’d known it was gone, tossed aside as if never existing.
“What is this place?” The girl’s tiny voice dragged me back to the ugly reality.
“Hell.” The gruffness in my voice likely terrified her. Maybe that’s what she needed. I rubbed my clammy hands on my jeans, fighting nausea and terror.
“I… I don’t understand.”
The damp conditions, lack of food, and the constant berating and lewd comments I’d received from the glorified thugs preventing me from escaping had put me in a shitty mood. “Try and get a grip. You were kidnapped by some very bad people and your life is about to change.”
There was a horrible sharpness to my tone. For all the years I’d been a kind and loving soul, nurturing my students even when they’d plucked my last nerve, I was out of patience at this point. Yes, I’d been the idiot to get myself in this horrible situation, but I wouldn’t be here if the fucking cops had done their jobs.
The poor girl recoiled, acting as if I’d hit her.
Exhaling, I rubbed my eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ve spent several days in this hell hole and I’m cranky.” And starving to death. What little food I’d been offered had turned my stomach.
“I just wanted to be a model. They promised that I had a job.”
“They lied.”
“What is going to happen?” She struggled to sit up, wincing when she did. Her eyes were wide open as mine had been for the first two days.
“You’ll be sold to the highest bidder. From there, I have no idea.” What little Denise had told me I’d passed down. She’d been taken not long after I’d arrived, screaming for help as she was dragged out by her hair. It wasn’t as if we’d been friends, but having someone to talk to had at least helped the time pass.
