THE CAGE - LINGORM

III

The clock struck three in the morning, and Lingling found herself parked outside the apartment of the girl she longed to see again. She rolled down her car window, her gaze fixed on the door, unblinking. She hoped, with a fervent prayer in her heart, that the girl would appear, even just for a moment in the window of her apartment. But as the minutes ticked by, her hope began to dwindle. The whole apartment was dark, like a spooky house, and it seemed like no one was home. But she was determined to wait, and she ended up dozing off in her car.

The morning sun, pale and weak, struggled to pierce the shadows of the old buildings. They stood tall and silent, their brick walls stained with time and neglect, a little way outside the bustling city. Inside one of these buildings, on a grimy floor, two women lay bound. Thick metal wire, cold and hard, held their wrists together, their bodies sprawled out in an awkward, uncomfortable position.  Their eyes were covered with cloth, their faces pale and still, lost in a deep, uneasy sleep. Unaware of the danger in surroundings they are in. One of the girls stirred, her eyelids fluttering open. She tried to stretch, but a sharp pain shot through her wrists, making her wince. Her eyes flew open, wide with fear. "Orm?" she whispered, her voice tight with panic.

"Ormmm!" she called again, her voice rising in urgency. It took a few calls before the girl next to her stirred, her eyes slowly opening, heavy with sleep.

"Whaaat? I'm still sleeping. Just shut up, okay?" Orm mumbled, her voice thick with sleep and annoyance. She didn't seem to realize what was going on.

"I... I can't see a thing, and my arms feel like they're glued to the floor! Is this one of those weird sleep dreams where you can't move?" Engfah blabber, trying to shake off the feeling that she was still stuck in a nightmare.

"You're not dreaming, you big dummy! You even woke me up–" Orm said, but her voice died in her throat as her eyes flew open behind the blindfold. "Wait a minute... I can't see either!" she exclaimed, her voice rising in panic. She then kicked out with her legs, aiming for her friend. "You little jerk! Why did you drag me into your crazy dream? Let me out of this nightmare!"

They went at each other, kicking and flailing like a pair of confused, blind puppies. But their fight was abruptly interrupted by a sudden, icy shock. A bucket of freezing cold water crashed over them, soaking them to the bone.  Their mouths flew open in surprise.

"Let them see." A voice commanded, smooth and deep, like honey laced with frost. The voice was colder than the ice water that had just drenched them. It was a woman's voice, and it belonged to someone who was clearly in charge.

The broad-shouldered men obeyed, yanking off the blindfolds. Engfah and Orm squinted, their eyes stinging as they blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden burst of light.

"Good morning." The woman drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm. She was perched on a chair, her arms casually resting on the railing, dressed in a black leather jacket and a dark gray skirt.

Both girls blinked, their gazes drawn to the source of the voice sitting several meters away, her figure shrouded in shadow. "Who are you?" Orm asked, her voice a little shaky as she scanned the surroundings, trying to make sense of their situation.

"You don't need to know. But right now, I'm trying to decide what to do with you two for sticking your noses where they don't belong." The woman feigning thought. She was clearly enjoying their discomfort. Orm was utterly confused. "How did we even end up here? What do you want from us?"

She let out a chilling laugh. "Oh, I don't need anything from you two," she said. "You're not worth a penny. But you did have the audacity to intrude on my territory, by entering my truck." Her words were laced with a venomous threat, leaving no doubt that she was not to be trifled with.