Bad Blood

I was just eighteen years old when I was kidnapped at Thailand.

My family was just having a nice vacation, celebrating my birthday, because as I said, I just want to travel rather than to celebrate luxuriously—and I got exactly what I wanted. Except being kidnapped on the day of my birth in a foreign land isn’t precisely one of my ‘wishes’.

But the worst of it all is that it isn’t a ‘normal’ kidnapping, but it was human trafficking. I found out when I was locked in a truck filled with women—some were even younger than me that I almost cried when I saw the anguish in their faces.

I tried to stay strong for them, but even I, isn’t sure of what will become of us next. I just graduated High school and I know what happens in human trafficking, but I’m not yet ready to accept all the bad things that are going to happen.

“What’s your name?” A girl that I think was two years younger than me croaked out as her body shivered due to the sudden breeze that came in through the small window of the truck.

“Gisele Ruess, how about you?” I tried to speak with a strong voice since I don’t like the feeling of sounding so weak.

“Pamela Wiles.”

“Nice to meet you, Pamela.” There was a moment of silence that surrounds before I broke it once again. “Where you from?” She didn’t answer, so I just thought that the matter was too sensitive for her so I apologized. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to intrude—,”

“No no no,” she immediately defended and shook her head. “I just, I’m from Namibia, how about you?” I was surprised that she came from such a far place which made this harder for her—and considering that she’s so young to be exposed to these kinds of things. “Wow, I’ve always like to go there someday.” I smiled weakly at her which she also returned with a more languid one. “I’m from San Francisco.”

I know she was about to say something more but the truck stopped moving, and before we knew it, the doors of the vehicle opened to reveal two tall and muscular bald men; their stares were cold and their mouths were in a frown. “Wake up, pretty ladies!” The taller one yelled that caused all the girls asleep on the truck to jolt widely awake. “Get out!” The shorter one this time was the one to shout.

When I stepped off the vehicle, my eyes had a hard time adjusting to the bright lights that surrounds since I was locked at that dark truck for almost eight hours. The next thing they made us do was just humiliating and degrading; they made us strip into our underwear and bra and then separated us into two groups. They also interviewed us one by one which in return—they only got a few words due to our extreme fear and anxiety. I was thankful though that Pamela was in the same group as I was, that way I could protect and continue to keep an eye on her.

“Okay!” A guy that has a scar on the side of his neck and above his eyes shouted. He also has a lot of piercings in his ears and looked so grim that Pamela held my hand. “Girls in this group, you are all coming with me. It’s time to showcase!” He clasped his hands together in excitement that made us all shiver in lament. How I wish that my family are already looking for me.

I looked on my left and saw the other group of girls being directed into another truck that caused me to gain the courage to ask. “Where are the other girls going?” Well, that was a bad idea because now, the guy came closer to me, and he smells of nicotine and marijuana. “They are going to be put in a prostitute house, baby doll, if you’re that interested.” His breath stenches of a foul mixture of garbage and cigarettes that I couldn’t help but stumble a few steps back. “What are you going to do to us?”