She sneered some more. Then, she bent over and inched closer to me. Her delicate face leaned forward and lingered in front of me as she examined my features. Her voice was laced with coldness when she spoke, “Ms. Stanhope, you should consider yourself lucky. Of all the women we have captured, you are by far the most fortunate. If we had followed our usual operation guidelines, you would have been shipped out of the country by now.”
I stared at her, startled, as I trembled on the inside and out. My heart was thumping fiercely, consumed by fear and unease.
She retreated to her seat, her eyes unfeeling. “Just stay here for now. Don’t worry, you won’t die. At least, for the time being. “
I watched her leave. My legs gave way and, before I knew it, I slumped onto the ground.
It’s the twenty-first century! Why is this still happening in a society ruled by law? How can they take me away like this?
So, if I guessed correctly, the syringes and kyanine found in my bag had been a deliberate setup, with the purpose of providing them a legitimate reason to bring me here.
They managed to do that in broad daylight. They were not officers of the law, but scums living in the dark.
That was why, in the few hours I was taken here, they had no intention of delaying time and was more than keen to produce evidence of my crime, which led to my detention.
I had next to no friends or relatives in A City. So, if I were to suffer from any sort of ill fate, no one would ask about me. If I suddenly disappeared without a trace, no one would be the wiser.
They probably targeted me because of that. Also, if I recalled correctly, they injected some kind of substance into my body when I was in a daze. I wondered what that was.
All of my strength was drained away in a few short moments. I could not feel a single surge of energy.
It was useless. That call had been my only way out, but I called Savini. All hope was lost.
I stayed in the detention cell that night. As I thought, not a single person came, let alone lawyers.
They had the results of my blood test, and they injected me with something. Furthermore, they found the syringes and kyanine in my bag in front of so many witnesses at the hotel.
All these had been taken as facts. To outsiders, I must have been detained because I had been taking drugs.
Bang! The entrance to my cell flew open. The leading policewoman stepped in and glanced sternly at me.
Then she looked back at the police officer behind her and gave her instructions, “Ms. Stanhope’s case has been filed. Brief her on it.”
“Yes, madam!”
Then the leading policewoman stepped out of the cell, leaving the other officer to deal with me. She handed me the document she had been holding and said, “Ms. Stanhope, this is your judgment. You had better sign it quickly.”
I backed away several steps, putting some distance between us. With a shaky voice, I asked, “Where do you plan to take me?”
She did not answer me. Instead, she looked at me blankly and said again, “Sign the document.”
“Where are you taking me?” I was on the verge of a meltdown. My voice rose several decibels as I screeched.
She frowned, highlighting her forehead wrinkles, obviously displeased. “Ms. Stanhope, just signs this,” she repeated.
I shook my head as I crouched in a corner. My voice softened as I pleaded, “How much money do you want? Whatever the sum, I can give you. Just let me out of here.”
She gave me a faint smile, one with a hint of irony. There was a pause, and then she turned to me again. “Ms. Stanhope, I don’t think you fully understand your current situation, so let me tell you. I’m sure you’ve heard many cases about rich girls suddenly disappearing one day, never to be seen again. Does that ring any bells?”
I glared at her, waiting for her to continue, and she did. “People work for money in order to live, but that’s just too superficial. So, we’ve never been driven by money. We don’t stoop to such a low level.”
She approached me and handed me the document, her face void of emotions as she ordered, “Sign it! Stop wasting time! Let me remind you, if you’re smart enough, you should know that obedience would allow you to live longer than if you resisted. Look, we’re only human, you and me. As long as you live, there’s still hope, isn’t that right?”
She said that very calmly, as though she was just talking to a friend.
I could not understand. Exactly what kind of person could say such a thing in such a calm manner?
Taking a short breath, I steadied myself and glanced her way, “So, what do you guys intend to do with me?”
Apparently, that struck a nerve. The officer grew impatient. She thrust the documents in front of me again and said, this time with much more fury, “I tried to be polite, but you’re really getting in my hair! Don’t play tricks on me, you smartass! If you want to die, just tell me. I don’t mind sending you to hell!”
With that said, she grabbed my hair and slammed me heavily against the wall.
I could not fight back in time because of the immense pain. I could only curl up into a ball and protect my head with my hands.
But she had clearly been trained to deal with prisoners like me. She managed to throw me onto the ground in a matter of seconds and proceeded to kick me directly in the ribs without sparing any mercy.
Her patience was probably running thin. Ignoring me, she wrestled my fingers apart, stuck a pen in between them, and forced me to sign my name on the document as she held my arm. When that was done, she grabbed my thumb and pressed it on the wound on my forehead.
A moment later, she lifted my blood-stained thumb and stamped it on the dotted line of the document where the signature was supposed to go. That woman completed this series of actions in one shot. It was clear that she did this all the time.
Bang! The door slammed shut on her way out.
I lay on the ground, still shaking. I only felt the pain after the ordeal, as it came gradually and spread to different parts of my body.
I could not imagine how miserable I must have looked.
I lay on the ground, having completely lost the ability to move.
Three days later, I was forcefully dragged into a car by two women. I was blindfolded throughout the journey and could only feel that I was in the car for a long time.
When the blindfold was finally removed, I found myself locked away in an unfamiliar and filthy environment.
Above me was the roof of what seemed to be a really old house, supported by empty wooden shelves. The roof was covered with triangular asbestos tiles, some of which had already darkened in color, probably a result of stagnant water over the years.
Sounds of women crying travelled to my ear. I withdrew my thoughts and saw my surrounding for what it was.
At that moment, I was lying on a messy pile of straw. My hands and feet had been tied up. The clothes on my back were the worse for wear. After everything that had happened these past few days, they no longer looked the same.
Next to me were several pitiful-looking women, most of whom were weeping and quivering in fright.
“Hey, stop crying. Let’s find a way out of here!” said someone. I looked towards the source. The voice belonged to a young woman, supposedly in her twenties. Even though her clothes were soiled, her facial features remained bright and cheerful. I could tell she came from a wealthy family.
The other women heard her too. They stopped crying and turned to face her.
“Do you think there’s one?” they uttered nervously.
“It’s obvious we’re at the countryside. We need to figure out where exactly this place is, and then think about how to escape!” said the young woman. Her pair of bright eyes darted around, taking in our enclosure.
One woman said, “This is the countryside, but which part? We don’t even know our exact location; how can we possibly escape? If we’re in the mountains, we will be hunted and eaten by feral beasts if we go out there.”
“I think we’re somewhere in the southwest. They must be planning to take us across the borders,” I said.
The other girls stared at me, apparently stunned. “The southwestern border?” they blurted.
The young woman added, “Why would they take us here?”
I pursed my lips. This, I did not have an answer to. I initially thought these people were going to sell me off, but the conversation that other day still puzzled me.
If they aren’t doing this kind of heinous crime for money, then what are they after?
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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