3. WICKED CONFESSIONS

The moment my brain kicked back into consciousness, I knew something was wrong. Something was very wrong. By the time I became aware of the pain in my wrist, I had already been overwhelmed with panic and fear. My body felt foreign, heavy and my mind was foggy. Fighting through the fog made me feel worse.

My cries echoed throughout the empty space. My heart beat so hard I thought I was having a heart attack. I felt my ankles burn harder, bound just like my wrists. My head hung low. The chair I sat on was cold. I knew I was stripped down to my underwear. Too many times I had watched such videos, women warning us all to be aware, to stay alert because sex trafficking was real and there I was, having literally thrown myself at them, opened the door and hopped in like an idiot.

There was is escaping now, I thought, weeping my heart out. I kept on thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Another part of my brain was trying to figure out the best way I could leverage myself and get the best deal there was in such a situation but nothing came to mind. The end of the story was that I was probably about to meet the worst and darkest men roaming this world. Nothing would make it better, nothing could make me process the situation better. Death was what I wished and prayed for as I sat there. Each struggle made whatever bound my wrists and ankles tighten around my limbs.

A door opened somewhere.

I wanted to scramble away, I wanted to run to the furthest corner where I would find sanctuary. My hands and legs fought harder, the bounds ripping into my skin yet I did not care, fighting for my life.

I could hear footsteps, echoing all over the room, adding to my fear. It was so much I thought I would die, crying out harder. This could not be happening to me, this could not really be happening.

It’s a dream, it’s a dream. I kept whispering, not realizing the words escaped my lips repeatedly until a pair of boots came into my line of sight.

The legs bent and suddenly there was a finger under my chin, tipping my head up.

I shivered, almost trembling where I was tied. I had never seen so many scars and tattoos on a face. The scream got caught in my throat.

“No sweetie, it’s not a dream.” The man said, moving closer as I cringed away. My chair tumbled back to fall hard. My head took the hit as I cried out. The man was on me, crushing me with his weight as I groaned in discomfort, feeling the blood rushing to my head. His tongue was soon on my face, licking me from chin to forehead. I whimpered, and almost peed on myself in terror.

“I will have so much fun with you.” His breath was rank, his saliva thick and disgusting. His words hit me like a brick to the face and all I could do was wail in terror. The chair was pulled back up. He walked away yet I barely even caught my breath before my face was hit so hard I thought my neck had snapped. I felt the blood pool in my mouth, never having been hit ever in my life. The pain, the fear, everything too much. If only tears could help.

My chair was picked up with ease by the large man. I screamed harder as it flew to hit the wall. The sound on its own had my ears ringing before my face exploded with pain.

“I need her out of the chair boss!”

I heaved a mouthful of blood. I blearily fluttered my eyes open, trying to process everything as my thoughts turned sluggish from the pain and disorientation.

My legs gave out under me, as my strength waned. My wrists next. I did not even know what was happening, no time to even prepare as I took a boot to the stomach. It seemed as if the boot wanted to rearrange my insides. I shrunk myself into a ball hysterically crying.

"This is just a little taste, I've yet to begin having fun with you. We want everything you know about your boyfriend. Let’s start with the location of his house.” My head was pulled up by my hair. I heaved another mouthful of blood, confused. I fruitlessly blinked at the dots of black in my eyes. The man dropped my head with more kicks coming as I screamed out so loud.

“Don’t be stubborn, whore. I'll feed your legs to my dogs, where is his house?” My body was being dragged on the floor by my hair, my hands on his wrist, trying to pull his arm away so he could stop but nothing worked.

I did not understand, fighting as hard as I could.

“The next time I ask, you will pay for that.” The man said, throwing me across the room as if I was just a sack of bones. I fell with a thud, leaving my chest moving as if I was breathing through a hole.

“WHERE? IS? YOUR? BOYFRIEND’S HOUSE?”

“I don’t know!” I screamed out so loud, all that I could say. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” I cried out. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

They got the wrong girl, they got the wrong girl, the words not pulling from my mouth anymore as I crawled away but the laughter that echoed all through the room told me they were not buying it.

“Please, you got the wrong girl.” I cried out, my body pulled back with my leg, only for the man to sit on top of me, hands around my neck.

“I hate liars, they disgust me.”

I tried saying I was not lying but I was left clawing at the tiles, fighting for my next breath.

“Maybe she'll start talking if I try something else. Can I have her boss?”

“She is all yours, whatever you want to do to get all the information out.” The other man in the room answered as I screamed my lungs out even with his hands around my neck, leaving me just whizzing my screams.

The man laughed, letting go of my neck. My head was pressed down as his free hand ripped my underwear to shreds. I screamed bloody murder. My legs were kicking but where I lay, I could not fight back.

Lord, please. I kept begging, kept praying. I swear my soul lept away at that point. They could beat me, they could throw me around but please, they could not violate me like that.

“Please, I'm not lying." My pleas went unheard.

“Please, I don’t have a boyfriend. I have never had one.” I kept going, the man groaning harder from my words, spreading my legs.

“Please.”

“Mmmh, seems like you're fresh from a pounding. Tell me, does he rough you up? He probably does, doesn't he? You probably like it like this, begging while he takes you hard. I want to taste what he sees in you, keeping him on a leash. What is it about this piece of pussy that keeps him coming back?”

My bra was ripped off next, leaving me bleeding as I screamed and cried. They had the wrong girl, the most painful part being to die for crimes not even mine. I kept begging, letting them know but no one listened.

A loud explosion came, shaking the whole room with the man ontop of me freezing.

I did not care what it was, just thankful for the destruction as the man’s hands moved from my skin.

The door opened, the sound of gunshots exploding through. My throat tore apart as I screamed for dear life. I screamed for help, praying those were the police.

“He is here. Shit!” The other man in the room shot out, fear, and panic heard. Whoever it was, I screamed bloody murder for help.

Arms brought me up, the men in the room all cursing. Orders were thrown outside, more gunshots exploding through.

“Give her to me.” The second man said, dragging me against his body. A large arm wrapped around my chest as the man spun us towards the door. Everything was spinning for me, my body barely standing up. The gun pressed to my temple was all I felt. I kept seeing my life flash before my eyes, leaving only my cries pouring from me. No prayer would save me from this.

My body was swung around, my back to the door as it opened. A gunshot rang through and I was too traumatized to scream anymore.

“I will shoot her, if you take a step closer, I will blow her brains out and—” The man holding me did not finish his sentence. A gun exploded and my eyes shut. I was sure he had pulled the trigger. Just like that, my life was ended, just like that, I was gone. The sob poured from me, standing there frozen along with the man in front of me. I could feel blood drip on me, knowing it was mine. Death had suddenly come for me, dragging me to hell.

The arm around me fell away as the body in front of me crumbled. My mind was far too gone for me to realize what had happened. My eyes were open yet staring at the dark wall. Everything was messed up. I had never shaken so hard, waiting to drop and just dissipate yet it never came. My ears were ringing from all the shots yet I felt him. Someone was standing right behind me. My captor had been killed, and I suddenly realized it was my turn. How could the world be so cruel?

The ringing subsided, leaving my heart beating from my ears. The silence all around would drive me crazy, none moving.

 “Amore mio.” My love.

My body shook harder, that voice, that voice!

The first thing to hit me was his scent wrapping around my body like a thick blanket in the cool of winter. A shiver ran down my body, everything too much for me. The scent reminded me of home. It told me I was safe, that nothing bad would happen to me. His hand fell on my waist as I fell back onto his chest because my legs were giving out. I did not waste time, turning around to bury my face into his chest as I wept my heart out. My arms shakily wrapped around the tall man I had never met but somehow his touch was so familiar. Somehow, his scent was one that had been driving me insane for the last six years. His voice echoed with nothing but warmth.

“Mi dispiace amore mio.”  I am sorry my love.

His arms held tighter, his apology having me hold for dear life and I did not think I would ever let go. His kisses fell on my head before he scooped my body up and buried me in his chest. I curled myself into him because somehow, somehow I knew his body like the back of my hand. I knew just how to curl myself, knew each curve of his muscles.

The tears poured harder, finally losing my mind.