I stared down at this list in my hands. Half of it was already loaded into the cart. Nathan had made the list and Stephen had added some things. Excitement filled me. We were going to elope. I was worried about the future I admit that, but being with him made all the doubts fade. He wanted to marry me. I grabbed a jar of peanut butter and placed it in the cart before marking it down. Stephen said he’d look into tickets before talking to Michael. Once we get home tonight we’ll talk about it more.

Half an hour later my shopping was finished. I paid for the stuff before walking out of the Supermarket. It started raining while I was inside. I paused briefly as I saw a black van parked a few feet from my car. It was a reminder of the day I almost got kidnapped. With my heart beating erratically in my chest I walked towards my car. My eyes darted around nervously but nothing seemed out of sorts. The keys dug into my hand as I gripped it tightly. I paused halfway to my car and pulled out my phone. Stephen answered on the second ring.

“I hope you didn’t change your mind.”

“No,” my eyes darted to the van again. “I-“

“What’s wrong?” I paused feeling a little unsure. “There’s a van parked in the parking lot and it just reminded me of what happened. I’m sorry I’m being stupid.”

“Alia,” Stephen said softly. “You are not stupid. I understand why you feel this way. Can you give me the license plate number?”

I repeated the number to him before walking towards my car again. I felt stupid. It was probably some person family van. Most people use those to travel with the kids.

“I’m sorry I interrupted your work,” I said softly. “I should get go and so should you. I’ll see you at home.”

“Of course you will baby. We have some plans to make,” he sounded excited.

I hesitated but decided I had nothing to lose so I repeated the words he said to me.

“I love you Stephen.”

There was a paused, and then he spoke. “I love you too baby.”

I ended the call and then turned to my car. The phone slipped from my fingers as I stared at the man.

“It’s nice to see you again Alia.”

I was frozen in fear. My legs wouldn’t listen to the command my brain was sending to run. The man’s eyes darted over my shoulder, but before I could do anything, I felt something prick my skin. With a hand pressed to my neck I span. Tears filled me eyes as my body started to turn numb. My mouth fell open but not a sound escaped. Kate raised the needle in her hand as she smirked at me.

“I told you that you will regret it.”

***

My body was overheating. It was too warm to breathe normally. I felt sick and groggy. A moan fell from my lips as I slowly turned onto my back.

“She’s waking up,” a voice whispered nearby.

I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly as I stared at the face above mine. It was slightly dark but I could make out her face. Another one appeared; she had dried blood against her temple. I winced as they helped me sit up. My body was stiff and bruised.

“My name is Marie,” the girl to my left said softly. “That’s Anne,” she pointed to the girl with the blood on her temple.
“Where are we?” I croaked.

“Here,” Anne held out a bottle filled with water. “Take it slow. You’ve been out for a while and the water is warm.”

I took the open bottle from her with a shaky hand. The water tasted like shit but it felt good trailing down my dry throat. After taking a few sips I handed the bottle back over to her. I glanced around. Shock filled me. About twenty other girls sat around. They were all dirty and looked thin and extremely pale.

“They have been here a lot longer than we,” Marie said softly.
“How long have we been here?”

“If I should guess I’d day about a day maybe two,” she paused. “You’ve been out for a long time. Even when they threw you in here you didn’t wake up.”

“She injected me,” I whispered.

A hand moved to my neck where I had felt the needle. The skin was tender and probably bruised.

“Where are we?”

Marie and Anne sat down in front of me. I took a good look at them. Both were about the same age as me. They didn’t look as dirty or as worn out as the others did.

“I think we’re in a container. I caught a glimpse of a few more containers when they threw you in.”

“Have anyone tried to get out?”

“No,” Anne said. “They come to give us water every few hours but that’s about it.”

“We need to do something,” I muttered. “I’m not going to just sit here.”

I stumbled to my feet. For a few seconds my head span. I squeezed my eyes shut as I took calming breaths. Once the dizziness faded I walked around. The container was small and hot. Sweat covered my body. I took a look at all the other girls. They were weak. Some looked like they were sleeping but it was hard to tell if they were breathing. I winced when the smell of urine filled my nostrils. Two full buckets was pushed into the corners. No bathroom breaks. No food. No showers.

“Stephen will find me and then we’ll all be set free,” I told them with conviction. “He will come.”

****

I gripped the wire tightly as I heard the lock from outside the container being unlocked. Every day that passed made me feel even sicker. It’s been a long time since they gave us water. I was starving. Everyone was. I glanced around but none of them was looking at me. They didn’t want to fight or try to escape.

The door opened. Bright light blinded me for a few seconds. I stared at the man filling the only exit. He was big– a little overweight– with a bald head. I waited until he bent down to get something before I moved. I used all my strength to move forward and stab the wire into his exposed neck. He cried out, stumbling backwards.

“Run!”

I didn’t look back to see whether they were following or not. Getting away from them was my first priority. It they wanted to stay then it was their choice. A shout behind me made me push myself to run even faster. I pulled to a stop when I saw the brick wall in front of me. Footsteps behind me made tears fill my eyes. I was trapped. There was nowhere to run. I span around. Pain flashed through my jaw and cheek.

“Fucking bitch,” the man puffed. “You’re going to pay for stabbing me!”

Before I could do anything I was thrown against the wall. I fell to the floor gasping for air. A kick to my stomach made me roll away. I curled into a ball as the man stepped closer.

“Enough! Go get cleaned up and make sure nobody else got out.” A hand gripped my arm and pulled me up to my feet.
I stumbled which resulted in the man jerking me towards him. His dark eyes caught mine as he sneered down at me.

“You better keep your mouth shut. I’m not in the mood for running.” He turned and started walking.

The man pulled me behind him as I stumbled. He was taking me back to the container. Two other men stood outside it. Both were dressed in neat great suits. They looked like business men.

“What about that one?” one asked as he pointed at me.

“She’s not for sale. Boss had taken this one especially for himself.”

“She looks better than the other,” the second man stepped forward. “She has a great pare of tits. Has she been fucked before?”

“Not sure. Look if you want her you talk to the boss. I was told she is not for sale.”

I didn’t like the way their eyes trailed over me. They lingered on my breasts most of the time. These men were part of the human trafficking ring.

“Call him.”

The grip on my arm loosened. I watched in fear as the man walked a few feet away. He pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear. It only took a few seconds for him to return.

“She’s not for sale, but he said he’ll make a deal with you once he had his fill of her,” he glanced at me. “Pick from the other girls. We need to get moving.

I couldn’t do anything to help. I was force to stand there and watch as they carried Marie and two other girls away. Once they disappeared the container was locked again.

“You’re lucky bitch,” the man that first opened the container snarled. “If the boss didn’t have such a high liking to you, I would’ve already bend you over and-“

“Keep your mouth shut!”

I swallowed. My lower jaw and stomach ached from the punch and kick. I was sure the skin was already bruising.

“We’ll do this the easy way or the hard way,” he stepped closer. “You be a good girl and come willingly, or I’ll make you.”

I choose the easy option. The walk towards his car was short. We walked out of the empty building and into a parking lot. Woods surround the area. It was a place I’ve never seen before. I waited until we were halfway to his car before I made a run for it.

“Hey!”

I was close to the tree line when a heavy weight slammed onto my back. A cry fell from my lips as I hit the hard ground. My head hit something hard. The last thing I saw was the dirt before everything went black.

***

I was surrounded by darkness. It was all around me. With a groan I pushed myself up. The horrid smell made me gag. It smelt like death. I pressed a hand against my mouth and stomach. Where the hell was I? What did those men do to me? It was hard to stand up. Every inch of my body was hurting. The lack of food and water made me shake. I was weak.

Fighting or running was out of the question.

I leaned against the damp wall as I tried to catch my breath. With my feet I felt around on the ground. Nothing was within touching distance. There had to be a reason for the smell. I held a hand against my nose as I took small steps towards the left. My other hand was held out in front of me to make sure I didn’t walk into another wall. My foot suddenly caught on something. I went tumbling to the ground before I could catch myself. The air was knocked from my lungs. I gagged a few times as I tried to suck in air. Sitting up, I cautiously reached out.

My hand came into contact with something cold. I started crawling. A scream fell from my lips when I hit something else. I kept moving until my back hit a wall. There was a click, and then the light suddenly flicked on. Another scream fell from my lips when everything came into view. Bodies were littered around to floor. Some were just bones and hair. A few looked fresh, but others were busy decaying. It was the cause for the smell. My eyes fell on a familiar face.

Anne laid only a few feet from me with blood pooled around her body. Her eyes were open and staring straight at me. Tears dripped down my cheeks. I squeezed my eyes shut but the image stayed. It was stuck in my brain. The sick feeling intensified until I started puking. I emptied my empty stomach onto the dirty floor. A loud creaked filled the room. Seconds later the wall started moving. It slowly slid open to reveal two men. They had mask covering their faces. Guns were strapped to their hips.

“Get her.”

One of them stepped forward and over the bodies until he was right in front of me. He reached down and gripped my arm. I was pulled up and half dragged towards the exit. Once we stepped out of the room, something was thrown over my head. Darkness surrounded me once again. The grip on my arm only tightened when I was forced to walk with them. We took a lot of turns before walking straight.

“Careful,” a man muttered, “we are taking the stairs now.”

My steps slowed but I was forced to keep their pace. I almost fell when we reached the first step.

“Slow down. He doesn’t want anymore bruises on her.” 

Halfway up the stairs I was breathless. It was hard to catch my breath. My head was spinning. I was going to throw up again.

“Carry her. Boss is already pissed off. I don’t want him to take his anger out on us.”

The hand on my arm disappeared as an arm wrapped around my waist. Seconds later I was thrown over the man’s shoulder. I kept still as he climbed the stairs. All the blood rushing to my head wasn’t helping the dizziness.

Another door opened and then closed behind us. We walked a few more feet until I was lowered. I winced when I was slammed into a chair. The bag over my face was removed after my wrists were tied in front of me. I blinked rapidly. The smell was pleasant; a lot better than the room with dead bodies. I sat on a chair in an expensive-looking office. A dark oak desk stood a few feet in front of me. It was neat with only a few files placed on it. Beyond it was a medium sized window covered by a thick red curtain. 

“Thank you. You may leave.”

I tensed as the familiar voice filled my ears. He stood directly behind me. The door clicked close which let me alone with him. I was dying to turn my head to look at him, but I didn’t.

“You’ve caused a lot of trouble for me Alia,” he said. “I never knew it would take so much just to kidnap a naïve high school kid.”

My eyes darted up when he stepped around me. A sense of de-ja-vu washed through me as I stared at him. Familiar green eyes watched me with interest.

“You are smart, I’ll give you that.” He took a seat on the edge of the desk. “Do you know who I am yet?”

“A low-life prick.”

My head snapped to the side when he backhanded me. I swallowed as he gripped my jaw painfully.

“I enjoy a smart mouth, but only when it’s wrapped around my dick,” he muttered. “I’ll make it easier for you. You have been fucking my son.”

My eyes widened. He laughed as he stepped back. I couldn’t look away from him. He had Stephen’s eyes and his cheekbones, but that’s how far the familiarities go. He had black hair filled with greys at his temples. His skin was pale but covered in a few tattoos here and there. He wasn’t fit. The man had a beer belly and was sweating profusely.

“I have been waiting for this for a very long time. Patience isn’t something I’m good at, but I’m glad I waited.” He straightened and then stepped towards me. “That bastard made my life hell. He threw my wife in jail for nothing, and now-“

“Your wife abused him!” I yelled.

I gasped as he hit me again. My lip was burning. I used my tongue to lick the blood. A hit to my stomach made me double over in pain.

“You will learn,” he said from above me. “If you don’t keep your mouth shut I’ll hurt you. If you don’t do what I say, I’ll hurt you. I’m going to make him suffering. He’s going to pay starting with you.”