Zariah's head throbbed. Her eyelids fluttered open, but everything was blurry. Cold. Her body was cold.
She tried to move, but her arms were strapped constricted , strapped to a chair. Her legs too. Panic slammed into her chest.
She tried to scream, but her mouth was taped shut.
She blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the dim light of the room. Concrete walls. No windows. Just one flickering bulb above her, and a single door.
"What the hell… where am I?"
Her breathing quickened as memories crashed in.
The club. Maya. Drinking. That man… That disgusting man who slapped her.
And then….
The van.
Her stomach turned violently.
She twisted in the chair, panic rising in her throat. Her wrists burned from the tight straps. She whimpered behind the tape.
Footsteps.
She froze.
The door creaked open and in walked the man from the club. He had slick hair, a cigarette in his mouth, and a cruel smile on his face. He was humming.
He stopped in front of her and crouched.
"Well, well," he whispered, brushing her hair back from her face. "Didn't think you'd end up here tonight, did you?"
She shook her head violently, eyes wide, tears brimming.
He stood and began pacing slowly in front of her like a lion watching its prey.
"You embarrassed me. In front of everyone," he said coldly. "A girl like you... flipping me off? Laughing in my face? Asking me to….Fuck off .You think that was funny?"
Zariah stared at him, heart pounding so loud she could hear it in her ears.
He snapped his fingers.
A group of about 10 men walked in behind him.
Tall. Dark. Masks on their faces.
" Would you like to be the star of our little gang bang huh ? Why am I even asking not everyone gets this opportunity of a life time, " he said puffing his cigarette.
"No one disrespects me and gets away with it," he said, gesturing lazily at the men.
Zariah shook her head frantically, screaming through the tape. Her body trembled uncontrollably. Her legs tried to kick, but the straps held her down.
She couldn't breathe. She was going to pass out.
The man took a few steps back and leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Do what you want," he said coldly to the others. "Make her learn."
The naked masked men moved closer.
BANG!
The door exploded open.
Gunshots.
Loud. Sharp. Accurate.Chaos.
Zariah screamed behind the tape, eyes wide as the masked men dropped like rag dolls, blood spraying the walls.
She gasped.
Was this the end of her too ?
Maybe she'd meet Darren on the other side.
A blur of men in black stormed the room, silent and efficient. One grabbed the man from the club and slammed him to the ground so hard, his face hit the floor with a sickening crunch.
Another came straight to her.
"You're safe now. You're safe," the man whispered, pulling the tape gently from her mouth.
She coughed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"W-who are you?" she choked out.
But he didn't answer.
Instead, he cut the straps from her wrists and legs with a small blade. Her hands fell limp.
She collapsed into his arms.
She was shaking. She couldn't stop shaking.
He held her.
Firm and steady.
The man in black carried her out. She didn't resist. Her head rested on his chest, and for some reason… his scent. It was familiar. Warm. Woodsy. Masculine.
Her heart thudded slower.
But her mind was racing.
What just happened?
Who were they?
Was she really safe?
As the man carried her through a dark hallway and up into the night air, she finally allowed herself to sob. Loud, broken, pathetic sobs that echoed in the quiet night.
He didn't speak. He just held her tighter.
Her cries were now caught in her throat and she wasn't able to breathe properly.
Her body felt so weak and numb.
Without warning her body failed her and she fell unconscious.