Chapter 4

Meredith

Last night, I could have sworn that hunger would kill me first before they all did. But apparently it didn’t; I was rudely woken up from my tired slumber, which I couldn’t fall into in the first place because of the hunger I felt, and was dragged out of the room.

My muscles had grown too weak to resist the pulling, so to save myself more damage, I went along willingly.

Now we were standing in what looked like a bathroom stall, with a single shower high up and the knobs just within reach.

The environment was rather dirty; streaks of what looked like brown water were spread all over the wall. The water closet in the room was now booming with enough algae to feed a pond. I still wondered why they’d brought me here.

"Get rid of your filthy clothes; it’s time to shower," the masked man who came to fetch me earlier said.

I turned to look at him. Was he being serious? I’m freshening up in an area that literally breathes bacteria.

"No," I argued weakly in a hoarse voice. He cocked a visible brow at me and advanced towards me.

"Did you not hear me? And don’t you know better than to play the hero when I could end your life just as quickly as I could end ants?"

I felt my fingers slightly tremble, and goosebumps of fear filled my skin.

‘Oh, Meredith, you fool, just stick to the instructions and you'll get out of here fine.’

I plucked the buttons of my button-down shirt, and soon all I was left in was my bra and unmatched pants.

I looked up at him, expecting him to turn and give me a tad bit of privacy, but his eyes stayed planted on my now lean body and he had a wild look in his eyes. With a shudder of disgust, I reached behind my bra, took it off, and did the same with my pants. There I stood naked in the middle of the room. My clothes lay on a chair, which looked just as bad as the entire room.

When I look at him again, there’s a small soap packet in his hand, which he gave me.

Freshen up; there are clean clothes prepared for you. I almost cried in gratitude, but I remembered that I was still in captivity. Without another word, I grabbed the soap and walked over to the shower.

I should wait a little and give myself time to adjust to the cold water, but I begin bathing right away. I rub the soap over my skin dozens of times and scratch with my nails. I doubt I'll be getting clean this morning.

Oh God, mom wouldn’t know what to think. My roommate may think I’m just like her by the time I’m not back; only after twenty-four hours would they be able to file a legal complaint that I was missing, and that’s still far into the day. When I was done, I got out of the shower and followed him out of the room, letting the cold morning breeze caress my naked skin and also allowing other masked men to see.

"You’d be leaving the rest of the girls today. The person who wants you would be sending a vehicle to come get you, so you’d be meeting your own today," he says, the smile evident in his voice. Of course, his business is booming while I'm being torn away from all the happiness I’ve ever known.

He led me to a room with a single bed and some clothes on the bed. He points to the clothes, and I walk towards them and quickly get dressed under his gaze. A feeling of discomfort settles above my head, but I am more interested in getting dressed and staying warm.

As soon as I was done, it was hard to miss the sight of the handcuffs in his hands as he walked over to cuff my wrist.

I opened my mouth to protest as he locked my hands behind my back, but once again a handkerchief was pressed against my nose and I opened my mouth, and even I wasn’t certain when I passed out.

___

I finally regained consciousness, struggled to get into a proper sitting position, and realised we were in a moving vehicle that kept going over bumpy paths and making me slide down my seat.

I was still dressed in the gown that I was given at the warehouse, but I had nothing underneath to cover my genitals.

Beside me sat a masked man. I couldn’t tell if he was the same one from this morning, as all of them dressed the same and almost had the same build.

I looked out of the tinted window, and the environment, as expected, was barely recognisable to me. It seemed to be surrounded by bushes and shrubs and rather far from civilization.

Soon we arrived at a house to talk about black gates, which roll open after the driver whispers into the intercom.

If I was sure of a way to ever escape, my plan would falter away; with gates this tall, I’m pretty sure I’d die trying.

Behind the gate sat a mansion painted a dull shade of grey that had three balconies facing the outside; each of them had golden rails and had fancy chairs.

My attention was promptly pulled from the building to the lady standing just outside the house to welcome me."This is your new home, kid," the guard said as the vehicle rolled to a halt. He jumped out of the car and came to pull me out.

 

"Stay good, and you may just make it to the weekend," he said, and I nodded, having no other option at the moment.The lady comes to my aid, leading me quietly into the house, and once they’re out of sight, I pause briefly; there’s no harm in trying, plus she doesn’t look like she’s the one getting me.

"I need help," I whispered. She nodded and led me to a room; before I could register any of her movements, I was pushed in and locked.

___

I’ve always been a healthy kid, but two whole days of starving had left me too weak to move, and I had to be supported to meet my new owner.

He stood on one of the balconies, looking outside. He had a huge build, a broad back, and square shoulders. And when he whipped his face around, I gasped, nearly fainting.