I slap my palms against his chest with all the force I can muster. Thanks to being drunk, there’s no real power behind the hits. Tears start to flow down my cheeks, my lips quivering. “Let me go. Stephen, move!”
Instead, Stephen grabs my arm. His fingernails press into my skin as he begins dragging me down the dark hallway that seems to appear suddenly to my right. I pull against his grip, digging my heels into the floor, but he’s too strong. I try to fall, to crawl away, but Stephen reaches down and hoists me to my feet. “Shut up and be a good girl, Annie.”
“LET. ME. GO.” I slap him in the face and yank my arm once again. His fingernails cut into my skin and blood trickles onto my skin.
Stephen swings me around and slams me against the wall. It drives the breath out of my lungs. I’m gasping as he leans close into my face and says, “Bitch, stop giving me problems or else I’ll just kill you.”
Or else he’ll just kill me?
What the hell is going on?
My heartbeat, already frantic, doubles again as Stephen grabs my upper arm again and drags me towards the exit. We slip through the curtain hanging in the doorway. The hallway wreaks of urine. I turn to look over my shoulder, hoping to see my roommates, but no one is looking.
I swallow past the lump in my throat and try to come up with a way to escape. But my mind is hazy, the alcohol still affecting my brain. Stephen marches me down the hall.
A bright light hits my eyes when someone opens the exit door. My hand comes up to shield my sight as I blink rapidly. My legs refuse to move and my stomach lurches. It’s had enough, and it won’t stay still anymore. Puke flies from my mouth, splashing against the decrepit red carpet below my feet.
“Fucking gross,” the new guy who’s standing in the doorway yelps. He lowers the flashlight that was blinding me. Strings of vomit hang from my lips. I feel absolutely repulsive. “Not sure the boss will be happy with this slut puking all over.”
“Shut up. You have the rope?” Stephen holds his hand out and I take advantage, throwing my weight at him and twisting free of his grip.
I attempt to run down the hall. Between the booze and the heels, I feel as if the universe and gravity are conspiring to fight against me. My hands tremble and my eyes water as I reach towards the wall to keep my balance. I race back towards the crowd, towards my roommates.
Towards safety.
But just when I’ve almost reached the main room, someone jerks me backwards by the hair. Pain erupts in my scalp as I collapse back into his torso.
“You dumb fucking bitch. I told you: you aren’t going anywhere.” Stephen’s voice is too calm, too calculated.
He drags me back down the hallway by the hair as I continue to claw at him. I can feel his skin tearing under my nails, but his grip doesn’t relax even the tiniest bit.
We get back to the exit door. “You going to help me?” Stephen’s words are clipped as he spits them at the new guy.
“Augustin, if you fuck her up too much the boss is going to kill you.”
“Augustin?” My voice cracks with each syllable. “I thought your name was Stephen.”
Both men laugh as the new guy grabs my legs and the two drag me out the door. I fight back against them the best I can, but Stephen ... Augustin ... backhands me and my vision blurs. I sink to the cold asphalt as Augustin and his associate bind my ankles and wrists with rope. About five feet away is a light gray van with the engine still running. Bile creeps up my throat again.
My head swivels from side to side as I look for someone. Anyone. I need help. But the alleyway is empty. Suddenly, everything goes dark as a cloth is tied around my eyes.
“Please,” I plead. “Please, let me go.” I don’t have much more fight left in me.
But no one answers.
My body is lifted and flung sideways. I land hard on cold metal and hear the squeaking of the van’s shocks. Oh God. I’m going to die. I’m never going to see my parents again. Or my friends. I’m never going to graduate or have my own family. I should’ve stayed at the apartment tonight instead of trying to be something I’m not.
“Hurry up.” Augustin’s irate voice fills the van. “We’re going to be late. This bitch put us behind schedule.”
“You shoulda roofied her. Woulda taken the fight right out of the cunt,” the other guy says.
“Then what? Boss would still have my head if she’s falling all over at the auction, unable to stand.”
Auction? What auction?
The van lurches forward and my face hits the floor. I struggle to sit up and then inch backwards so I can lean against the wall. It’s cold against my bare shoulders.
The two men fall silent. My mind spins, trying to make sense of what’s happening to me. The van hits a bunch of potholes and I bounce in the air a couple of times, landing hard on my butt. With my ankles and wrists tied, keeping my balance is hard, and whenever the driver makes a sharp turn, I fall over.
Eventually, the van comes to a stop. Someone opens the door. I swallow past my fear, waiting for what comes next. Still blindfolded, I have no idea where I am. A pair of large, calloused hands grip me and pull me forward. My heels strike the ground hard and my knees buckle, but whoever is holding me keeps me from falling over.
“Cute piece of meat,” an unfamiliar baritone voice says.
“Yeah, that’s quite an
