What To Do?

Chapter 4

The room was empty. Very empty.

There was nothing in it. Not even simple things like a sofa, a rug, a TV, etc, were present. The walls were painted dark blue and on the other corner of the room were stairs leading upstairs.

Drew ignored her shaking hands as she walked towards the stairs and then walked up the stairs. She knew she was playing with fire. From the outside, she remembered the building being a 2-storey one. For all she knew, the men were waiting above with knives in their hands, ready to kill her as soon as they saw her.

Drew took a deep breath and walked up. One stair at a time. Every step sent her heart shuddering. It was an old building and maybe the stairs creaked. She suddenly remembered that she didn't have a weapon in her hand.

Drew swallowed her fear and finally reached the last stair.

In front of her, there was an old brown door, which had two small windows at the top.

Perfect.

Drew peeked through the translucent glass which was covered in filth. Nevertheless, the image was clear and she exhaled in relief as she noticed the silhouettes of two men and the boy, sleeping on the floor, his face peaceful as ever.

They both were talking but the voice wasn't audible. Instantaneously, Drew became aware of the number of people inside the room. There was the boy, of course, but only two men. The man with the Scar on his face – Scarface – was nowhere to be seen.

Drew stopped breathing.

Suddenly, a stair creaked behind her. Drew hadn't moved. At all.

Then what had caused the stair to creak?

Oh no.

Drew turned, picking up her hands to fight whoever was behind her but not in time to stop Scarface as he punched her with his huge hand which seemed bigger than before.

Pain erupted in Drew's stomach where his hand had hit her. Drew saw blackspots as she fell sideways and hit her head on the wall. Her foot slipped and she would have fallen down the stairs but Scarface caught her T-shirt and stopped her.

Every breath hurt.

Scarface picked up Drew, placing her over his shoulder. The world almost went black. Anguish and suffering were all she knew.

She heard a sound. It was the door opening.

"Look who I found lurking around!" Scarface exclaimed.

The others must have said something but Drew couldn't hear them over the ringing in her ears and the pain exploding in her head and stomach.

Scarface suddenly threw Drew to the ground and more agony spread in her back. She groaned, sobs threatening to come loose. She forced her eyes open and through the black and blue, she saw the three men looking at her, examining her.

The police are going to come for you, she told herself.

But a deeper and darker part wondered if she would even survive.

"I found her outside," said Scarface. "She was lurking around, peeking through the window."

HE KNOWS ABOUT THE PHONE! Her brain screamed.

"Well, well, two kids in a row isn't that bad, Greg," said the muscular man. "What do you think, Chuck? Would much will she earn us?"

Pain gave way to anger which boiled under her skin.

The man who had bought the boy here knelt down and grazed her cheek. Drew moved away from the touch, too weak to move far enough.

"Stay away," she growled. Her voice shook.

"Well, she is pretty," the man said, ignoring her, "and feisty. Would fetch us quite a lot of money, John."

Scarface – Greg – frowned, "But wouldn't she catch a lot of attention? Unlike the boy, she might have a family."

The men weren't panicking which gave Drew relief that they didn't know about their location being tracked. Drew scoffed. She had family and a group of police coming to get her.

"Nobody can trace it to us," the man said in a lazy voice.

"We should move," The other guy – John – said. "It has been too long."

"You're right. Let's go."

No, no, no, no, no.

"Stop," Drew said with a raspy breath, trying to buy her time. "Why are you doing this?"

The three men went silent for a while before each of them laughed.

"Every time," John said and continued his work, picking up the limp boy and then walking out of the door.

"Bring her along," said the man, whose name she yet didn't know.

Greg knelt down and was soon face to face with her. Drew stopped breathing. She couldn't. Fear was rising. She was angry and she was in pain but she wasn't a hero. She was a nobody. How could she think she could do anything like this? Now they would go away and take them with her. Maybe the truck she had dropped her phone in wasn't even theirs. Now, Drew would be gone.

Sold off in an auction, she remembered.

"Trying to buy yourself time, eh?" Greg asked mockingly. "Everyone does that." A pause. "But I will answer your question. Money. That's why we do this. That's why people do anything. Money and desperation."

He stood up and kicked her. Drew heard her ribs break. She screamed in pain. Tears threatened to break loose. Or maybe they were already streaming down her face.

Why did she do this?

Drew closed her eyes. She tried to remember the faces of her loved ones. Her father's face, always grinning, laughing at the joke nobody but he understood. She remembered her sister's face, laughing when Drew fell down. But she came to pick Drew up after the teasing was done. Halley's face. Her best friend, always there; always telling Drew not to be reckless.

At last, she remembered her mother's face, smiling, forever there to help her.

What would she say if she was here? Drew thought.

She knew the answer just as her eyes flew open. 

Don't give up.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins.

Drew used her profound strength to stand up. Her mind was reeling but the target was clear. Greg was right in front of her, putting his stuff inside his bag, humming 'Sunflower' by Post Malone and Swae Lee under his breath. His back towards her.

She took a step forward and it sent shocks up her veins but she did not stop. She sprinted forward and with all her remaining strength, used her elbow to knock out Greg.

Greg barely grunted before landing towards the side.

"I love that song," Drew told him.