I shouldn't have opened the door. I knew I shouldn't have. Yet, I did, and I soon found my lithe form trapped inside a cramped wooden box in the trunk of a car whose appearance was still unknown to me. I knew the box was made out of wood - I could feel it; my bare forearms were pushed up against its hard and surprisingly cold surface.
The few movements I could still perform were limited, very limited. And the only thing I accomplished by twisting and turning the upper part of my slightly battered body was inducing more pain to my aching muscles.
I'm not sure how many rolls of duct tape they used to rid my wrists and ankles from the freedom I used to hold dear, but it sure felt as if they were overdoing it just a bit. If they had just asked me to come along quietly when the gun was pointed at me, I would've complied without any questions. This was just cruel and unnecessary; it merely confirmed that the people who were responsible for my current predicament possessed the most atrocious and sadistic natures I had ever met in my entire life. Great.
My vision and my ability to speak had also been taken away from me in the same harsh way that seemed to be some sort of standard for these people. Opening my eyes, and narrowing them into a squint, I could still only see the adhesive side of the tape that was wrapped around my head - more times than enough to make me consider my words the next time I opened my mouth.
The three persons who had done this to me also disregarded the fact that the only sound I had uttered before they crammed a thick wad of cloth into my mouth was a meek yelp. Nothing more, nothing less. But I guess the gag was just a safety precaution in case I decided to be a whiner. It would seem odd if they trusted me when I said that I'd be quiet.
With most of my sanity still intact, I inhaled deeply through my nose, and then let out a final gut-wrenching howl that tore down the last of my hope of being rescued before my kidnappers arrived at their designated area. I wanted to cry so badly, but I pressed my lips together as much as I could, trying to force back the tears that almost seemed inevitable. I felt nothing but nauseous when the car finally stopped, a result of my motion sickness, and a distinct pain flared through my entire body, making me cringe inside the wooden box.
Exhaustion hit my senses; I wasn't even sure if I could stand upright in my shocked state. But I quickly figured that the only way for me to survive this peculiar situation was if I obeyed my captors' orders; if they told me to walk, I'd walk. Considering how they had treated me so far, I reckoned defying them would get me nowhere.
A brief moment was all I got. A brief moment of catching the fresh air from the outside world through my nostrils, before I was carried inside a building that reeked of smoke and vomit. Their footsteps reverberated through the seemingly empty halls, and I was sure we were getting closer to our destination as the three men starting mumbling to one another without much worry in their voices.
My muffled cries for help went unheard, and I received a smack across my cheek whenever they thought I was too noisy. I was shivering with fear at this point, and I'm sure the man whose shoulder I was resting my stomach against could feel it.
We passed through at least two doors and one of the men locked them behind us. I whimpered behind my gag, no longer able to conceal the fact that I was terrified. And with a loud thud, I was dropped onto something that reminded me of a bed—no, it was a bed, but the mattress was hard and uncomfortable. The tape around my eyes was removed and I shot a quick glance across the room before I faced the gaze of my kidnappers.
It took me just a few seconds to realize what was going on. Dark, concrete walls and a metal door with three different locks attached to it - this wasn't just a normal room; this room was made for me. I gulped, eyes widening, as I stared up, meeting the cold gaze of one of my kidnappers.
He peered into my shaking eyes with an insane darkness that I could barely even perceive. The sharp contours of his face were well concealed by a black balaclava, and the rest of his attire matched it; all three of them looked alike.
With a firm grip around my throat, he leaned forward and whispered into my ear.
"I don't want to hear a fucking sound from you. Understand?"
I responded with an indistinguishable moan, but quickly received another abrupt slap across my cheek in return.
"Nod, or shake your head."
I nodded, averting my eyes, as I tried to press back the fear that was running riot through my body. A stray tear ran down my swollen cheek, and the man wiped it off together with a smear of mascara. He grabbed my chin and forced my heavy breathing up against his face.
"Keep still."
The tape around my wrists and ankles were cut off, but my freedom was very short-lived as they pulled my hands above my head and handcuffed them to the headboard of the bed. My feet met a similar fate; fastened to the bed's lower edge with tight ropes. The black bag came last. It was pulled over my face with considerable force, and as I tried to resist, one of the men slammed his fist into my stomach. They laughed as I started fighting for air behind the bag; my heart twinged against my rib cage and the burning pain in my lungs grew more distinct with every passing second.
When the break came at last, I was left tied to the bed, sobbing behind the quite unsparing gag they had wrapped over my mouth. I heard them walk out of the room, one by one, and as the door closed, I waited for the clicking sound from the three locks.
A few minutes passed, but the door opened again and the men strode back into the room. The floor under their feet creaked with an unintended graveness, and I didn't know whether to be scared or relieved. I raised my head in anticipation, but I was pushed down the very next moment with a forearm crushing against my throat while the other two men started untying my bonds, starting with my feet.
I let out a muffled noise through my gag that barely resembled a question and the man who pinned me down slapped me once again.
"Shut up!"
I gasped, but quickly recovered from the strike and nodded. And despite having my arms and feet free, I was still too shocked to even move them an inch - nor did I dare to remove the bag over my head.
They stood up and gave me some room to regain my breath. For a second, I thought they might even had reconsidered their decision to kidnap me, but that proved to be quite naive.
A pair of strong arms pinned me down and I didn't even bother resisting, but as I felt my clothes slowly being torn off from my body, I panicked and began struggling in a desperate attempt to throw the men off me. I screamed and cried - I couldn't even tell the difference anymore. But the kidnappers ignored me and continued undressing me in the most merciless fashion.
Seconds later, I found myself naked on the bed. All of my clothes were gone, even the skimpy pieces of fabric that used to be my underwear. I tried to cover my private parts with my arms, shuddering at the thought of what kind of gruesome fate I had waiting for me. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as they were impossible to hold back at this point, almost dissolving the adhesive tape.
Just as I thought that the only thing on my kidnappers' minds was to molest the remainder of my naked innocence, one of the men slid on a warm but soft dress and dragged it up below my chest. He grabbed my hands and directed them to the thin straps, and I pulled the dress up to cover my breasts as well. Still terrified, I managed to mumble a faint 'thank you' behind the gag.
I didn't put up with any kind of fight when my kidnappers retied my wrists and ankles. It seemed meaningless, and I was already well aware that there were no one around to help for miles. These people were professionals, and they were going to keep me here for as long as they wanted.
When they left the room for the second time that day, I finally heard the clicking sound from the locks. I was alone again, shrouded in an eerie silence, and tied down to a bed. My muffled sobs and cries were the only things that could be heard - almost tangible within the concrete walls.
I closed my eyes, focusing on maintaining a steady breathing. My mind and heart were dark and tired, and I wanted nothing more than to burst into tears, embraced by warm and gentle arms. But none of that was possible right now; I had lost all control. Now, I was nothing but a pawn whose only purpose was to listen and obey. Stripped of all rights.
Engulfed by a million thoughts, I slowly drifted off into sleep, and the last words I managed to form with my gagged lips were...
"I'm scared."