"No! I won't go!" I shouted, my voice cracking. My hands flailed as I tried to push the men back, but their grips were iron. Fear surged through me like fire, every instinct screaming to run, to fight, to disappear.
"Elena… please! Listen to me!" my father's voice broke through the storm in my chest. "I have no choice! If I refuse, they'll…"
“They’ll what?” I interrupted, panic turning my words into desperate gasps. “Kill you? Take me anyway? Just take me?!” My mind was a whirlwind of terror, disbelief, and anger so sharp it hurt. How could this be happening? How could the world turn from ordinary to this nightmare so quickly?
The tallest man beside me tightened his hold. "Stop. I already told you struggling won't help."
I twisted harder, trying to pull away even though I knew it was pointless. "You can't do this! Let me go!"
"You belong to them now," he said flatly. There was no malice in his voice, only certainty.
My father's shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, Elena… I wish I could fix this," he whispered, and my chest ached with both fear and sorrow. I wanted to cry, scream, curse the world, but my body felt trapped, paralyzed by the reality of my helplessness.
They led me outside into the storm. Rain poured down in relentless sheets, soaking my hair, clothes, and skin. The cold bit at me, but I barely noticed. My mind was consumed with panic and disbelief.
I glanced at my father, hoping for some last-minute solution, some miracle that could undo the horrors of the night. But he only watched, helpless, knowing this was beyond his control. His eyes pleaded silently for me to survive, and I felt tears sting my cheeks.
The car awaited, dark and imposing. The men pushed me inside with no explanation, no words of comfort, only the silent assertion that resistance was meaningless. I sat trembling in the back seat, staring out at the storm-slicked street, watching my home disappear behind us. Every raindrop on the window felt like a countdown, marking the seconds until my old life was completely gone.
The ride was silent except for the rhythmic splash of tires on puddles. I tried to think, tried to plan, tried to figure out a way out of this nightmare. But every possible escape dissolved before my eyes. The men were vigilant, silent, watching me like predators guarding their prize.
"Wait… where are you taking me?" I whispered, more to myself than to anyone else.
"You'll see soon," one of them said. His voice was calm, controlled, and the lack of emotion only made my fear sharper. "Don't try anything."
The warning echoed in my mind, but what could I do? I had no weapons, no allies, no protection. Just the cold, relentless certainty that my life as I knew it was over.
The car turned off the main street into a narrow lane I didn't recognize. Tall buildings loomed on either side, their windows dark, guarded by silent sentries who stood like statues, observing us. My heart pounded faster. This was no ordinary location.
We arrived at a massive black building, its walls sleek and cold under the stormy night. Guards flanked the entrance, armed, serious, and unmoving. I swallowed hard, trying to steady my trembling hands. The men led me inside, and immediately, the atmosphere changed.
The atmosphere changed the moment we stepped through the doors. The air was sharper, cooler. The space was vast, impossibly high-ceilinged, echoing with every step. I froze.
There were other women.
Rows of them standing in lines, dressed in elegant gowns and high heels. Their faces were pale, eyes wide with the same fear I felt. Some tried to look composed, others stared blankly ahead. I wanted to hide, to vanish, to melt into the shadows, but there was nowhere to go.
A whisper brushed my ear, faint and almost inaudible: “It’s worse than you think…”
I shivered. Worse? How could it be worse than being dragged from my home? Worse than knowing I was no longer free? My stomach twisted at the thought.
The men guiding me were professional, calm, precise. They didn’t push or shove; their quiet authority was enough. Each step I took echoed my helplessness. The other women looked at me with quiet dread. I wanted to reach out to them, to share the terror that bound us together, but I knew it wouldn’t matter.
The tallest man leaned closer. “Keep moving.”
I felt my stomach twist again. This wasn’t just a prison. It was something much worse. A marketplace. I was no longer a person. I was a commodity.
We reached the center of the large space and a heavy silence settled. The guards around me stayed alert. The women were lined up like fragile, expensive glass—beautiful, ornamental, completely exposed.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. The men beside me didn’t speak. Their presence alone was a warning. This was no ordinary night, and I was no ordinary girl.
My mind kept drifting back to Dad. Was he still on the floor crying? Had he already started drinking to forget what he’d done? The betrayal burned deep. He had given me up. His own daughter. And now I was here, standing among strangers who all shared the same terrified look in their eyes.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold in the trembling. Everything felt strange. The life I had known just hours ago already seemed like a distant dream.
And as I stood there waiting, surrounded by other girls who had been taken just like me, I realized with a sinking, heavy feeling that this was only the beginning of whatever nightmare came next.
I had no idea how long I would have to stand there. I had no idea what they were preparing us for. All I knew was that every minute that passed took me further away from who I used to be.
And closer to whatever they had planned for me.
