I've always been an early riser.

Now I don't mean waking up at six or seven, I mean at five in the morning I'm usually bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to start the day.

But waking up this morning I can't help but want to clench my eyes shut and distract myself with dreams once more.

As expected the room is still dark but I know that within the hour the sun will begin to prod everyone awake, I'm assuming this because judging by the state of the house and lack of curtains the rays will surely stir the men eventually.

My eyes are used to adjusting to the dark however and I only lay still for a few moments before sitting up and assessing the room.

I probably should have searched the room last night but a part of me knew that those men would probably stay up later just to catch me in the act.

I feel much more confident snooping in the early morning and with no hesitation I roll out of the dusty double bed and land on the stiff carpet.

The bed most likely is quite nice when clean but all the rust and dust have certainly taken away the furniture's charm. But alas, a bed is a bed and by the looks of it Dana is sleeping peacefully in it.

Dana is curled up on her side, nestling into the warmth and after countless sleepovers I know that naturally she won't wake up for a few hours.

I can only hope that the men aren't early risers, I need all the time I can and Dana needs all the sleep that she can get.

In the room there is one door, leading to the hallway and one window.
The window has no opening, due to a small air vent positioned above it which filters the air constantly.
I've never seen the point in having a window that can't open and now I feel nothing but hatred towards whoever stupidly designed the shitty piece of glass.

It's not completely useless I realise though after silently creeping towards the glass and peering out at the surroundings.

Even though it's dark I can still make out some of the scenery, facing the back of the house I'm glad to see that there is no fence, just acres of land that eventually lead to a dark and unwelcoming forest.
Honestly though, if given the chance I would rather drag Dana through there then remain here.

The room is bare of any belongings.
Besides the bed there is a small wardrobe, a small sofa and bookcase sporting only two novels.
The books are old classics, Anne of Green Gables and Pride and Prejudice.

Great reads but not great weapons.

I silently attempt to turn the door handle but as expected it's locked from the outside.

I can see a dim warm light from under the door and I assume that it's from the candle in the hallway that I saw earlier.
Glancing back at Dana, I ensure that she's still sleeping soundly before pressing my ear against the cold door in hopes of hearing nothing but silence.

After a few tense seconds I feel my heart sink as muffled mumbles begin floating into focus.
Guess I'm not the only early riser.

"We shouldn't have let them have the bedroom. We have no surveillance on them." Rosik states and I can trace his voice to the lounge room which is across from the bedroom door.

"That's the only room with a lock, besides the front door. The surveillance doesn't matter, it's the security that counts." Axel replies after yawning loudly and the sound of a food wrapper being opened fills the air.

"Axel you can't survive off chocolate bars for the whole trip. We need actual food, for us and them." The thought of food causes my stomach to rumble lightly but I quickly press my hand over it, not wanting to miss a word.
I need to find out where this trip is heading.

"Since when have you cared to feed the prisoners? We left the girl two weeks ago hungry for four days. You're the one who taught me the weaker the better." A shiver racks up my spine and tears prick my eyes, not only at the thought of that kind of treatment but also the fact that the have done this many times before.

This is their job.

"This time is different, we have two and the trip is longer. I'd rather not have two feral prisoners trying to hurt us every time we open the door."
Rosik quickly counters and I press my hand against my mouth to muffle my sobs, the tears falling freely now.

"The older one is already feral if you ask me, she could at least do with a few days of starving. The more submissive the better." Unable to help it I drop to my knees lightly, the carpet muffling the sound and fight to control my sudden shaking.

I can't be starved, I can't protect Dana if I'm lacking strength.

"She's a spitfire alright. But she is easy to control, just look at the kid and you'll have her obeying instantly. Now I'm hungry, go and get food Axel."
I can hear a smile in Rosik's voice and I run my hands through my hair, attempting to calm down.

I can't let them get to me. I need to be strong.

After a few more grumbles from Axel I hear the jangle of keys and not too long after the front door is opened and shut forcefully, echoing through the house.

I begin focusing on my breathing, take deep lungfuls before letting them out and counting to eight.
I then draw on my past counselling sessions and focus on finding a stimuli for each of my senses.

Sight- Dana sleeping peacefully, hands tucked under her neck and a small smile gracing her face. Smell- The musty scent of a room long forgotten, dank and cold.

Touch- The carpet beneath my fingers, stiff but as my fingers press further down I can feel the slight spring near the root. I can nearly also feel the germs crawling up my hands so I make a mental note to wash my hands soon.

Taste- This one shocked me slightly as the metallic taste of blood lingers in my mouth.
I take a moment to explore my mouth with my tongue and realise that I'd been biting my cheek harshly while listening at the door. Leaving cuts on both sides.

Wiping my face one final time I prepare to rise and search the room yet again but a flicker beneath the door captures my attention.

Staring under the door with wide eyes I watch as a shadow appears at the door, stretching too far into the room and pausing.

I fight the urge to stand by the door and prepare to attack him if he enters in case Rosik has a weapon as well. I need to be sure that when I do attack that it's worth my time and not my life.

Instead I crab-crawl backwards silently until my back hits the end of the bed, I fight the urge to crawl up next to Dana not wanting to risk the bed to creak.
The ominous sound of a lock quietly un-clicking nearly returns the shaking but I take a large gulp of air before relaxing my body into a half slumped position.

Maybe he will leave quicker if he finds us both asleep and boring.

Just as the door begins opening silently I close my eyes and apply all my focus into maintaining a steady breathing pattern and a blank facade, I can panic later when there are no witnesses.

I hear nothing for quite some time. I can't even hear Rosik's breathing but somehow I know that he is there.

I can feel the warm light prickling my face and I pray silently that Dana remains undisturbed, I won't be able to keep up the charade if Dana needs my support.

Finally after what I'm guessing to be a good ten minutes I finally hear shuffling on the carpet which grows fainter and fainter.

I'm confused as to why the light is still on my face but I can't ignore the blossoming pain in my neck and back from this uncomfortable position.

Maybe Rosik is leaving the door open to allow us to 'wander' during the day, confident in his security. I'm however confident in my escaping abilities, I was always a quick thinker when it came to escape rooms with my friends.

No longer being able to fight the grimace of pain I pop open my eyes and sit up quickly, hating the way my muscles scream out in protest.
I'm such a baby.

But opening my eyes was a mistake, trusting my instincts was ridiculous and Rosik knew that I was awake the whole fucking time.

Sitting in a faded lounge chair which was perfectly positioned to face the open bedroom door sat Rosik looking extremely proud of himself.
I harden my gaze and glare in his direction, not quite meeting his eye but certainly pin-pointing all my anger at his form.

I straighten my spine and move my body until I'm resting on the back of my heels, from this position I can at least move quickly if need be.

Rosik mouth's the word 'come here' and I quietly scoff while shaking my head, allowing my curls to strike me in the face.
Rosik doesn't look neither offended or even angry at my response, he might actually be learning something.

Raising his pointer finger Rosik now uses it to beckon me forward and I allow myself to look into his cold eyes and refuse to even dignify him with another response.
There goes the hope of him actually learning something.

Still staring into his eyes he raises one eyebrow and glances above my head pointedly.

At first I'm pissed off that he can do the cool eyebrow thing but next my heart sinks as I realise what he glanced at.

Dana.

Sighing loudly Rosik stands abruptly and cracking his neck like a cheesy villain he begins taking long strides towards the room, I understand the message.

Either I go with him now or he'll come in and get Dana.

His earlier words 'Just look at the kid and you'll have her obeying instantly' briefly mock me but my pride can wait.
He's right, it's my own fault for giving them my weakness so easily.
I should have been smarter.

Just as he's about to reach the threshold I leap up and keeping my eyes trained to the gross carpet I fly past him and into the lounge room, only facing him when I hear the bedroom door close and lock once more.

I watch him pocket a small key into his back pocket and begin brainstorming the most inconspicuous way to get it.

"I saw you turning the door handle earlier. It was nice of you to want to wish us a good morning." Rosik begins, his accent slightly clouding some of the W sounds but he has obviously known English for quite some time.

I feel a slight chill as I take in the silent house, we are completely alone and it feels so wrong.

In the lounge there is a box television, a three seater couch, the lounge chair and a portable CD player which I'm assuming one of the men brought in due to its shiny appearance.

As Rosik struts into the room I keep a wary eye on him but fight the urge to shy away.

He already has far too much power in the situation.
He's in control of virtually everything except for how I feel about him.
I just need to keep reminding myself to channel my fear into anger.

"I have questions." I state as Rosik finally pauses in front of me with a sickening grin.
His teeth surprisingly white.

"As do I honey." I've dealt with my fair share of sleazy guys at clubs but this nickname was by far the most threatening.

I need to assert myself more, I need to out-smart these men but first I need to understand more about them.

"Where do you take all the girls that you kidnap?" I begin with after realising that Rosik was just staring at me again, zoning out.

My question sharpens his gaze but all he does is gesture to the couch which I back into until I can sit down on the very edge.

Rosik soon follows and as much as I want to stand again I allow him to sit on the couch also, I simply shuffle down until I'm at the opposite end.
Rosik chuckles loudly and rests his arms on his widely spread legs, he's done it on purpose to take up more space but I'm not interested in a territory battle so I simply tuck my legs on the side and cross them at the ankles.

"We take them to my home country." Rosik answers and I stare at him unblinking for a few moments, thinking that it must be a joke.

"Russia!?" I clarify just to be certain, we are in Australia!
There is no way that they are getting Dana and I on a flight without a confrontation.
This is crazy.

"Very good, we have a private plane that takes us there." I feel the room drop ten degrees and goosebumps appear on my arms.
I try to hide the effect of his words by crossing my arms but Rosik unfortunately notices.

In a flash Rosik stands and pulls off his black shirt, leaving him in only a tight white singlet and his black pants. My cheeks heat up instantly and I bounce to my feet as well, like a rabbit prepared to flee.

I go to dash to the opposite side of the room but again my moves are too predictable and Rosik clasps my arm and drags me once more into his chest.

Now that there is just a thin strip of material between my face and his torso I feel the hardness of his chest and can't help but feel deflated.
I'm no more then a fly next to him.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"
Rosik whispers, stirring my hair slightly and I begin squirming in his grip, it was stupid of me to come out here alone.

Fighting my flying arms Rosik manages to stuff the shirt over my head and after realising that he's providing me with more clothing I quickly slip my arms into the holes and stand still.
Now that there are more layers between us I feel a tinge more comfortable.

"No." I answer honestly, even if I did have a partner I certainly wouldn't rat him out.

Taking a deep breath a mumble a quick thanks and attempt to calmly detach myself from his body but Rosik still keeps me pressed firmly into his torso.

Figuring that I might as well continue the questioning while he's in a good mood I decide to try to ignore his closeness and ask my next pressing question.

"What do you do with the girls that you kidnap?" I enquire, knowing deep down that I don't really want to know the answer but realistically knowing that it will provide an advantage.

Now Rosik does finally shift and he extends my body out to arm-length.
Studying my face intently Rosik makes no noise for quite some time, his nose is now a considerable size from my hit yesterday and I feel a sense of pride knowing that I'd affected both the captors.

"You're not like the others."
Rosik murmurs and I crease my brow as his deep blue eyes pierce my own.

I'm not sure what he's looking for but apparently he finds it rather quickly due to a small smirk forming and stretching his stubble.

"So forward, yes we have had them loud before but you think before you speak. You care far too much and that's what makes you so special."
Rosik continues and not being able to handle his gaze I drag my eye-sight to the carpet.

I fight the urge to attempt to flee once more, this could be my only chance to get answers.

"You need to answer my question."
I murmur clenching my fists and all Rosik does is chuckle lightly, brushing a strand of my red hair behind my ear.

I have such a strong desire to retch that it takes all my willpower and drama class experience to remain stoic.

"We are your transporters little one, I like to think of this as a trip of a lifetime."
The crease between my eyebrows deepen as Rosik's fingers remain poised at the tip of my ear.

His words fill my entire being with dread, trip of a lifetime could very easily be translated into the last trip of a lifetime.

Rosik's words very obviously have a double meaning, the question is what is he up to?
What does he want?