The Red Coral Bracelet

Chapter 6

Navy

I opened my eyes and I was blinded by bright light. I didn't know where I was and how I got there. Indisticnt sounds reached my ears but nothing sounded familar. A door opened, footsteps approached me, and everything went black.

When I woke up again, I wasn't laying in a bed anymore; I was hanging by my hands and I could feel a hot substance running down my right side. There was talking in a foriegn language that I didn't understand and right then, I partly knew what had happened to me. I was kidnapped.

A man with a long beard and a cloth wrapped around his bald head entered the area. His brown eyes glistened with excitement as he picked up a knife.

"Do you know why you're here?" He asked with a heavy Arabic accent.

"No." My voice was weak, my throat dry. "Why?"

"We like women. Pretty ones last, beautiful ones don't. All men want to be with one, especially these ones." His words sickened me because I knew what he was talking about. "Do you want to last longer than the other?"

I looked at him in his sick eyes and saw that I didn't have a choice. I had to survive long enough for them to find me. For Doc, T-Bolt, Anders, Tanner, and the others to find me. Tanner Lee... I promised him that I would make him part of the Stone family and I wanted to keep that promise. I nodded my head instead of answering. Chains rattled and I dropped heavily to the ground.

The blade was cold against my skin as it cut off my shirt and pants. My breath came faster and faster as the evil man tore off everything I was wearing. For the first time, I could see that I had two bullet wounds in my right side, cuts and bruises everywhere, and I was about to be raped. I fought against the man as he tried to force himself into me. I fought even though the pain was unbearable, I wanted to be back in the arms of my family, of Tanner Lee. Tears streamed out of my blue eyes but only for a minute.

In my head, I kept repeating 'I am related, loved, and born into a Marine family. I'm stronger than this and I will get out alive and in one piece.'

I counted how many men entered the room, defiled me, then left. I don't know how long I was on the ground but then a woman came and led me to a room with one cot and smelled of urine.

"You strong." She whispered as she cleaned my wounds. "You strong heart mind soul."

"Thank you. How long have you been here?" I whispered back to her. "I'm Navy, but my real name is-"

"Shh! No. Don't tell me that. 2 years. Every two week, get a new girl. Most don't last one day." She looked about my age, but her eyes held the pain of an 80 year old. "Peppy."

"They're going to rescue us. We have to be strong until then. The Marines will save us."

Peppy started to wrap gauze around my stomach and I closed my eyes. The first thing that appeared in my head was Imlay's face. His brilliant blue eyes, wide smile, and handsome face. The second was the way Peppy led me through the hallways. She knew this place like the back of her hand.

"You know where everything is, how to get there, all the shortcuts, don't you?" She glanced up at me then back down. "We can plan our escape, get out alive. We don't have to wait for them to come get us."

"No. Never work. Other tried that. Got killed."

"I'm different."

"How?" Her amber eyes met mine.

I answered proudly, "I am a daughter, niece, sister of Marines."

She laughed. "They not care. They kill you before escape. None leave alive."

"Well, we're going to change that."

"Because you related to Marines?" scoffed Peppy.

"No. Because we are smarter, faster, and we can are better."

After a few minutes, she left the room and came back with a stick. I frowned as she got onto her knees and started to draw on the ground. It was layout of the building. She showed me all the different ways in and out, where the guards were, there were no cameras. She also knew their routines, what type of weapons they have and where they are kept, and how far away the base was.

Peppy was only 17 and I told her that I would attempt protect her no matter what. We fell asleep after we wiped the map away. I dreamed of what I would do when I got out.