Tasha sat slumped against the cold metal pole, her wrists bound tightly behind her back. The faint echoes of dripping water and the rustling of rodents filled the abandoned warehouse.
Her stomach ached from hunger, and her body throbbed from the bruises covering her skin. She bit back tears, trying to hold onto the last shreds of her composure.
The creak of a door shattered the silence. Tasha's head shot up as footsteps echoed down the metal stairs. Two men emerged, their faces twisted with cruel amusement.
"Well, well," the first man said, his voice low and mocking. "Had enough time to think, sweetheart? Ready to tell us what we want to know?"
Tasha shook her head frantically, her voice trembling. "I don't know what you're talking about! Please, I don't—"
The second man cut her off with a cold chuckle, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Oh, you don't, huh? Funny. Someone borrowed a whole lot of money in your name. And until you tell us who it was, you're not going anywhere."
"I swear, I don't know!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. Her usual calm, guarded demeanor had crumbled into panic. "Please, you have to believe me!"
The first man squatted in front of her, tilting his head as if studying her. "You're a good liar, I'll give you that. But me? I've got all the time in the world to hear the truth."
The second man leaned against the wall, his smile sharp and unnerving. "I like the tough ones," he said, almost casually. "The ones who hold out. They're the most fun. Breaking them takes patience, and I've got plenty of that."
Tasha's chest heaved as she struggled to steady her breathing. "I don't know anything!" she cried, her voice rising. "Please, just let me go!"
The first man smirked, standing up and grabbing a club from a nearby table. "Let you go?" he mocked. "Why would we do that when we're just getting started?"
The second man followed, hefting his own weapon with an almost playful air. "Relax," he said, his tone dripping with fake reassurance. "We'll make sure you've got something to tell us by the time we're done. Who knows? You might even remember a thing or two."
Tasha pulled against her bindings, her breaths coming in short, panicked bursts. The men stepped closer, their shadows stretching over her.
Her pleas fell on deaf ears.