*Natalia*
I woke to the sound of unfamiliar voices speaking Russian around me. My shoulders screamed in pain as I regained consciousness; my arms were tied tightly behind me and my legs were cuffed to the legs of the chair I was sitting in. My throat hurt terribly and I could tell it was swollen and bruised from being choked out by my captors.
I tried to ignore the pain, but it felt like sparks were shooting down my shoulders and the rope they’d used to tie my wrists was far too tight. My skin was being rubbed raw just from how tightly the rope sat against it. I kept my eyes closed so that they wouldn’t immediately be alerted to the fact that I was conscious. I hoped that I could listen to what they were saying and gain something that would help me.
“You really think he’ll go for it?” I heard a female voice ask in Russian. I wracked my brain to figure out who she could be, but I had no idea. I couldn’t place her voice at all.
