"Stay still, you little whore!!!"
Pain shot through my skull as a hand yanked my hair, pulling hard from behind. I couldn't scream-the tape across my mouth smothered any sound. My lips were sealed, my eyes blindfolded, and my hands bound tight behind my back.
If only they were free... I'd slam my fists into his face. I'm no fragile girl usually. But here I was, helpless on my 18th birthday.
"Mmm! Mnff!"
My legs were free, though. I twisted, kicking wildly, my heels smashing into something soft. The van lurched as I hit the guy square in the groin. His howl cut through the suffocating silence.
"Ahhhh, you cunt!!!" His voice was full of rage. I would grin if it wasn't for the damn tape on my mouth. I had hit him where it counted. I just kicked him square in the balls.
My legs shot out again, this time wilder, more desperate. Abigail wasn't going down without a fight. After all, this wasn't the first time she was being kidnapped. Papa would be here any minute too-he always found me.
But just then, a pair of thick, calloused hands grabbed my ankles and yanked me backward.
I screamed into the tape and thrashed as hard as I could. My heels scraped against the metal floor of the van, but his grip was like iron. He twisted me onto my back, his body looming over mine like a dark, suffocating shadow.
"You think you can fight, huh?" he growled. Hot, foul breath was on my face, stinking like rot and cigarettes. "We'll see how long that lasts."
The next second, his hand shot to my throat, squeezing. I gasped for air, choking on the pressure. But his fingers tightened even more to cut off my breath entirely.
Am I going to die here? Am I going to suffocate in this goddamn van, in the hands of this monster?!.....
Just as my vision began to swim, his grip loosened. Desperately, I sucked in air through my nostrils. My chest heaved as I fought to stay conscious.
"Kick me again," he hissed, his hand dangerously close to tightening again.
"And I'll fuck you up right here. You're pretty... really pretty for a rich little slut like you. It'd be a waste to kill you without a proper goodbye. Maybe I'll put it in you before we dump your body. What do you think, Blade? She's a real prize, huh?"
Horror erupted in my gut, cold and sharp.
This didn't seem to be a kidnapping just for ransom which I was used to. These men wanted me dead. And worse. They wanted to use, to hurt me in every possible way before they tossed me out like trash.
How dare they... How dare some lowly mobsters like them...
Not hesitating even for a moment, I slammed my head forward, hitting the guy hard.
"Fuck!" the man yelled, staggering back.
Blood streamed down my forehead, dripping past the blindfold, but I didn't care. The pain was fuel.
Not surprisingly, his hand shot back to my neck again, crushing my windpipe. Just then..
"I'm warning you, Aldo!"
A voice calm but laced with venom, came from the front of the van.
"Boss wants her alive. He gets to kill her.
And keep your fucking pants on. If you lay a hand on her, I'll tear your balls off myself. "
Aldo snarled as he spat on the floor next to me, his breath still ragged with fury. But he released my neck. Air rushed into my lungs, burning my throat.
The relief was short-lived though. He grabbed my hair again to wrench me upright. Behind the blindfold, tears welled in my eyes from the pain, but I forced them back. I couldn't show them weakness. They would feel off of it.
"We're here," Blade said, his voice dark and menacing.
The van jerked to a stop as the sudden halt threw me forward. My head slammed into the hard metal partition separating the back from the front seats. I gritted my teeth, biting back the pain.
"Kick her out. Our business is done here. "
The doors opened, and cold air rushed in. The smell of wet leaves and earth hit me. A forest. God, how far had they driven?
"Out!" Aldo barked, kicking me from behind. I tumbled out of the van, hitting the ground hard. Rocks dug into my knees and dust filled my nostrils. I gagged on it, coughing through the tape. The chill of the earth bit through my clothes.
"Good luck in hell, princess", Aldo's voice was a low, mocking drawl, followed by a cruel laughter. His boot connected with my side again, sending me sprawling onto my back.
Before I could even move a limb to react, the van's engine had already roared back to life. Tires spun, kicking up gravel as the van sped away.
I was now left alone in the dark, in the middle of nowhere...
Silence settled like a heavy weight around me. My legs trembled like noodles as dirt clung to my skin but I forced myself to my knees. I felt scared, hopeless and I wanna cry. But I swallowed all them down.
You can cry all you want after this, girl. Not now, you can't afford to do it now Abigail.
The blindfold over my eyes was suffocating. I had to see. I had to figure out where I was. I twisted my head and tried to rub the blindfold off on my shoulder, anything to free myself from the darkness. But then-
Crunch.
I froze. Something just moved in the bushes nearby. My heart hammered in my chest...
Rustle. There it was again-closer.
Who was there? What was that noise? My fingers fumbled with the ropes restraining my wrists behind my back. Desperation clawed at me.
And then, low and menacing-
Growl.
Oh God....no.
My blood turned to ice. That wasn't a person. It was an animal. A large one.
Howl.
Wolves. For God's sake, these were wolves! I was being surrounded by them and they were closing in.
More growls.
I backed up, legs trembling. I could sense that. Dozens of glowing eyes circling me in the dark. My mouth went dry. They were everywhere.
Papa, please. Hurry.