My eyes snapped open and my heart lurched as they adjusted to the subdued orange hue of the monitors next to my bed, illuminating a figure standing there. A chill crept up my spine as I remembered the night Will died. The fear held me rigid until he stepped closer and I saw it was an older man wearing bright green scrubs, his kind face framed by graying hair. His warm brown eyes were filled with sympathy, and when he spoke his voice was gentle. "I'm sorry for waking you, Ms. Bales. I have a sleeping aid that should help you get some rest."
He held up a tiny syringe filled with medicine and winked at me before turning away. As the drug quickly worked its magic, my eyelids grew heavy and my thoughts drifted towards Will and our last conversation together before the accident. I tried to stay awake, hoping he would come in to see me, but ultimately sleep won out and all I could do was drift off dreaming of seeing him smiling down at me.
***
My nostrils burned from the pungent smell of mold and mildew that seemed to suffocate me in the stale hospital room. Something wasn't right, but I felt too fatigued to question it. The bed was hard like walking on a cobblestone road, and it felt as if the sheets were made of sandpaper. I could barely open my eyes, struggling against the weight of exhaustion.
A large, calloused hand clamped down on my arm and I could feel the tension in the air. The darkness was illuminated by a single candle, and two figures were huddled in the shadows. "Is the girl awake?" A low growl echoed through the tiny room, followed by a gruff chuckle from across the room. "Nah, she should be knocked out." The grip on my arm tightened for what felt like an eternity before finally releasing me. "Give her more of the drug," the first voice commanded, "but not too much. They won't want her if she's too loopy."
My eyelids felt like sandbags as I fought to keep them open, the room swimming around me. Blinding headaches pounded in my skull and nausea roiled in my stomach. I realized with a jolt that I was tied up - my wrists bound tightly together with knotted rope and duct tape strapped around my ankles, anchoring me to the bedposts.
The indistinct murmurs of their voices echoed in the darkness, my fear intensifying with every word I heard – capture, sell, deal. The shifting silhouettes around the room moved almost imperceptibly like shadows as I strained to make out their faces, but all I could discern were hazy blurs. Adrenaline raced through my veins as reality sunk in – they had kidnapped me and now wanted to trade me away like an object. Fear crawled over my skin like ants.
The first man's voice rang with dread as he spoke again, "Where are they sending us this time? We brought them so many girls before, but I heard they killed each one of them."
The other man's voice was filled with disgust as he spoke. "Arrogant fools. That company doesn't appreciate our efforts. They just want to get their kicks from the girls we bring them." He let out a deep sigh and then continued in a bitter tone, "Anyway, the meeting place is out of town. It's the same place as last time—the warehouse. I'm going to take you there tonight. You know the drill; don't screw this up."
A cold weight settled in my stomach at his words. I was alone in the dimly lit room, fear gripping me like a vice as I desperately searched for a way out of the situation. Should I scream for help? Would anyone even hear me?
Just then, the door to the room groaned open, and a man stepped inside, his hands illuminated by a small object reflecting the moonlight spilling through the windows. A chill ran down my spine as he moved closer, and my heart thudded in my chest.
A cold hand reached around my arm as a man's voice called out, "Time for your next dose." I felt a prick on my inner elbow and then a burning sensation spread across my skin. The coppery liquid flooded through my veins, and blackness began to close in around me until everything went dark.