What Lies Ahead

Chapter Thirty-Five

I blinked my eyes open to the same mold-infested ceiling staring back at me, and my heart squeezed in agony. This was the worst nightmare of my life, and there was no waking up from it. My body began shivering, and I turned on my side, facing away from the wall. Getting my knees up to my chest, I curled into a fetal position and stared at the closed door. I curled my toes and grimaced at how numb they felt.

I was cold and hungry and so scared. A tear fell down my cheek, absorbing into the filthy mattress, and I was surprised I still had any left to cry. Minutes passed excruciatingly slow. Nothing happened. It must have been hours since they had left me there, cold and alone with my own thoughts.

I didn't know how much more time had passed when there was a commotion outside the door before it swung open. I shot up straight, pressing my back against the wall. Luciano entered the basement, followed by the man named Bruno. He was wearing different clothes than before, and I realized I had been down there for a while.

"Your Russian needs more incentive to give me what I want, dolcezza. Let's not make him wait." He nodded to Bruno who set into motion, coming straight for me.

I tried to run, but there was nowhere I could go. Bruno grabbed me by the hair –his favorite pastime– pulling down to bend my neck backwards. With his free hand, he reached behind him and produced a knife from his waistband. I gasped when he pressed the blade to my throat, pushing me forward.

Luciano did something on his phone, seeming to ignore us for a minute, before a dialing tone started to echo through the basement.

"What," Maksim's angry voice answered on the second ring, and I whimpered with relief at hearing it.

"Just so you don't think I'm bluffing, Maksim, here is your precious whore." Luciano came closer, turning the phone to face me, and I was suddenly looking at Maksim's face. Even with my head bent at a weird angle, I could see his expression morph from anger to fear.

"Lyubimaya," he said in a hoarse voice.

The phone was turned away from me a second later. "You have until sunset, after which, I will let every man in here fuck her every hole. I'll make sure to film it for you."

Maksim gritted a threat in his mother tongue, but it was too late. The line went dead, and Luciano gave me a satisfied grin. "I think that should do it. Let's hope his attachment to you is as strong as I hear it is." He got even closer, reaching out to outline my breast with his finger. I shuddered, closing my eyes so I didn't have to see his face. "You must have a sweet cunt. I'd love to find out." His breath fanned my ear, his lips touching my skin. "Maybe later, hmmm?"

A moment later, I heard his steps as he walked away. Bruno let go of me, following after his boss and slamming the door closed behind them.

I dropped to the floor, my knees hitting the hard concrete as I shook violently. Bracing my palms in front of me, I expelled what little food I had left in my stomach.

~*~

Hours passed with more of the same. I stared at the dirty concrete surrounding me, trying not to let despair consume me. I was dehydrated, my throat parched and scratchy from so much crying.

Through my misery, I clung to the hope that Maksim would do everything he could to get me back. It was the only life raft I had left, and I refused to let it go, despite the minutes trickling by one after another, adding into more hours. If I closed my eyes, I could still see the fear on his face – the pure, unaltered terror I wasn't used to seeing on him. An involuntary shudder traversed the length of my spine, and I forced myself not to analyze just how dire my circumstances were.