Destined For You

Chapter Eight

Jennifer

Don't open your eyes. Allow yourself to fall into the darkness, a voice deep inside me whispered. Currently, a war is brewing within me. Should I open my eyes and fight to escape or should I keep them closed and hope death whisks me away? The probability of escape is minimal. Do I really want to see what is in store for me when I am sold into prostitution? Soon, my mind spiraled into a dark rabbit hole as realization set in: Elise's death was my fault. How could I sit here and get the girls' hopes up only to get one killed? But we are their only hope. We must save Olivia, another voice, a more positive and hopeful one, argued, finally causing me to open my eyes and sit up, ready to face reality.

This time when I awoke, I was covered with a small blanket and a soft pillow under my head. The others must have moved me. Looking around the dim room, I could see the other girl's also laying down, asleep with the stress of the previous events evident on their faces. In the corner, by the door, I could barely make out an insidious black mound in the already black room. Elise. What sick bastards these men are, making us stay in a room with our dead friend.

"It's not your fault you know," Emmie said, startling me out of my trance. She was met with my deafening silence in response. Of course, it was my fault. My plan. My screw-up. My fault.

"Really. You did more in the past few hours than any of us have in a week. You give us hope" she whispered, trailing off at the end, obviously getting lost in her own thoughts. I looked around again at the sleeping girls in front of me, their futures flashing before my eyes. Before long I could feel something deep within me stirs causing a newfound protectiveness to bubble up from the bottom of my psyche, energizing me in the process. I will get these girls out. As long as I am alive, no more harm will come to them. Obviously, the men need me alive, meaning I am valuable. Hopefully, I can cause enough of a distraction for the others to get out and run.

Slowly I pushed myself up into a standing position, bracing against the support beam behind me and cautiously placing my left leg firmly down on the ground. A sharp pain shot up my leg, but only lasted a few seconds. I took one unsteady step forward, testing my ability to walk. Instantly, relief flooded my body. Nothing was sprained or broken. As long as I can push past the pain, it should not hinder my ability to fight if needed.

"Is it broken?" Talia asked from an unidentifiable direction behind me.

"Thankfully no. I should be fine" I said, optimism evident in my voice. I continued to walk around the room, making a point to avoid the corner by the door, and I could slowly feel the strength coming back into my leg. On my second lap around the room, I began to really scrutinize my surroundings, trying to identify anything that can be used as a weapon.

Across from the door, on the left wall were a few random books and other trinkets, most likely left behind by the previous tenants. In the back of the room, there were some miscellaneous tools, pieces of wood, and some barbed wire. Sadly none of these things will make a good enough weapon for us to escape. Walking back toward the middle of the room, a little defeated, something laying in the seemingly empty corner across from the door caught my eye. Hurriedly, I made my way to the center of the room where the lamp was, picking it up haphazardly, rushing back toward the corner. A pipe!

Picking it up, I could feel the cold and unyielding steel in my hands. It was about two feet long and only an inch in diameter, making it easy to miss, but also making it the perfect weapon.

"What is that?" Talia said, almost shameful that she had never noticed it.

"It's a pipe. Hopefully, we can use it as a weapon" I said, my mind running a mile a minute flipping through the hundreds of imaginary situations I have made up outlining our escape or my death. I quickly made my way back toward my makeshift bed. Sitting down, ensuring that the pipe is close to me, the feeling of the cold metal against my leg gives me a sense of security.