The Kidnap

She watched Sam as she carefully packed her belongings into a new bag she had recently purchased.

"So you are seriously leaving?" Cindy asked in an unconvinced manner.

"Is that a question?" Sam answered with rolling eyes. picking up some clothes she threw them in Lila's direction. Lila caught it before it touched the ground.

"You've always admired these clothes on me, you can have them, I'll stock up on my clothes once I get there" Sam muttered, but there was no smile on her face.

Lila accepted the clothes with mixed feelings. She would miss Sam, the three of them had all been through thick and thin together.

Zipping up her bag, Sam raised to a standing position, hands akimbo as she examined the room.

"I wouldn't miss this place one bit you know" she tried to smile.

"But I'll miss you guys, so much. I just wish you guys could come along, but I can't force you guys, so..." She carried the backpack and hefted it over her shoulder.

"I'll have to get going" she smiled, looking at her two friends, first at Lila, then at Cindy.

"Whoever gave you this idea" Lila muttered under her breath. She could remember the day Sam had come back, drenched due to the downpour that evening. She had told them how it happened.

On that day, Sam, who cleaned the public restroom at the train station was returning from "work" when the rain began to fall, so she hurriedly took shelter at a bus stop, praying that the rain would be over soon so she could go back home. But it happened that she wasn't alone at the bus stop as some girls, five in number, were seated, chatting away happily. They were the best definition of half-naked as their clothes exposed almost every part of their body.

"You know that last guy" one of them spoke up.

"Which one?" Another asked trying her best to remember.

"The blond guy"

"What happened to him?"

"He is so not cool, one of the worst customers I've had this week" the former stated disgustingly, squeezing her face like there was really something disgusting in front of her.

"But I'm sure he's better than the last one I had, he had to do his thing in three minutes, really? I was so annoyed, I haven't even gotten to my peak yet"...

It didn't take Sam long enough to conclude that they were prostitutes, in fact, the instant she walked in on them, she knew their job already, it was as if it was embroidered on their faces.

"Well I'm so sorry ladies for having to disappoint you, but mine was so good, he even adored me, you know, his head was down there, and he tipped me after. I made a thousand bucks from him" one boasted, there was pride and confidence in her voice.

Sam held herself from looking at the girl that said she got a thousand bucks from a guy.

"Oh wow, why do I get so unlucky?"

"It's because you go for young men, the old men tend to offer more"

Sam couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and wanted to see the face of the girl talking, and when she turned, she met the eyes of a tanned girl in their midst.

"Hey, why don't you just turn and look at us, I see you've been trying to but can't, and you seem interested in our conversation," she told Sam in an almost mocking manner.

"She does" and they all laughed, though not in a mocking way.

"I don't want to look at you guys. If I wanted, I would have" Sam stated, if there was anything she hated, it was intimidation, be it anyone.

"Oh dear, don't get upset, we were joking," one told her, feigning an apologetic look on her face.

"Let's go girls, the rain has stopped" and they all stood up and walked out, the last in line being the girl that Sam now viewed as nasty. She walked up to Sam.

"I know you were interested in our conversation, and you look beautiful, there is a vacancy at our workplace, you can come if you want, here, our card"

Sam looked at the outstretched hand before her, a paper card on it. She didn't collect it.

"I know you want it, and trust me, you need it" she muttered. Not waiting for Sam to collect it, she took her hand in hers and pushed the card into it. She smiled and hurried away to meet up and her friends.

"Will be expecting a call" she stated, almost shouting.

Sam shook her head, deciding to throw it away, but after some thought slipped it into her bag. She wouldn't call them, she wasn't into that type of business.

But the next week found her fumbling through her things, looking for a white card. She was so in, she was already tired of the type of life she lived...

"I'll come around once in a while to see you guys. But you can call me once you change your mind" Sam told her friends as she entered the taxi car she hired.

"Okay, do call and tell us if there is any problem you think we can help" Cindy smiled, she was standing near Lila and looking at the lady in the car who had used the time when Cindy was speaking to close the door.

Sam brought her head out of the window.

"You both try and think about this again okay? I beg of you, I really can't stay for long without you guys" she pleaded with the puppy face.

"We will think about it, now get going or the driver would get upset" and they all laughed at the joke. The driver's lips curved into a smile when he heard that, he was really in a good mood.

Sam waved them goodbye as they watched the car disappear down the street.

Lila heaved out heavily.

"So it's just 'us' now".

"Is it?" Cindy replied, with a hidden meaning to her words.

--------------------

--------------------

Her blindfold was already wet with tears, but she didn't stop crying, she couldn't believe her life would be this miserable. People shouldn't get her wrong, her life was already hell, very miserable, but what she was about to encounter was more than miserable, to her, it was equal to death.

Lila still couldn't digest the fact that hours from now, she'll be a disabled person, either blind, crippled, or short of one arm. Why her? why are people so heartless? She had heard stories, but never imagined in her life that she'll have to experience it, that she would be a victim. she struggled to free herself but to no avail.

Her eyes, mouth, hands, and legs were tied, so she couldn't move, she didn't even know where they were, or where they were taking her, but from their discussion, they were heading to their hideout, deep inside the forest.

She never imagined herself rich before, but also hasn't ever thought of herself as blind or disabled. But now, there were no two ways about it, they'll pluck out her eyes from her eye socket. The thought of it made her shiver in fear. She cried, trying her best to shout, to free herself, but to no avail. Then she remained still, if there was one thing she had learned in this life, it was to learn to accept fate, and yes, this was her fate.

The car suddenly stopped, heaven knows where, and they alighted, dragging her like she was a piece of trash.

They dropped her on the floor and left to go get some food, at least that was what she heard them say.

She lay on the ground in the forest, thinking about her future as a blind girl. she knew when they return they will do all sorts of bad things to her. 'Why not she find a way to remove the blindfold and see the world? One last time at least?' she thought. She rolled on the floor, digging through the soil with her hands that were tied behind her back. She needed to find something to cut herself loose, she can't just watch herself end up like that.

Another thing that hurt her was her clothes. They were just given to her last week by her sisters. Funny how she was thinking about that at this critical moment, she rolled again, still searching with her hands, and felt something, a stick, not useful.

"What are you doing?" She heard footsteps approach her. She froze on the spot and didn't reply.

"Rolling on the floor? To get away? Too bad that's not how things work over here". She heard him chuckle.

"Come here" he dragged her, and she struggled to get away from his grip.

"Stay still you fool," he said, trying to get her to stay put. But she wasn't giving in, she struggled, getting the man upset.

"You fool" he smacked her on her head, sending sparks to her eyes, it was damn too painful that the tears she thought had dried up came rolling down her cheeks. She stopped struggling that instant, there was no use doing so.

"That's my girl" she heard him say. There was a hint of lust in his voice.

She felt his hands on her, trying to open her buttons. Rape! He was trying to rape her.

"Jom!"

He gritted his teeth, who was calling him at this critical moment? He turned to look at the girl.

"I'm coming back baby, we would have lots of fun" and he hurried away to go answer whoever was calling him.

It was happening? The tears that she had thought must have initially dried up fell again, and she struggled to get her hands free. If only her hands weren't tied. And when she made a move, she found herself falling into a ditch.