Heavy footsteps.

  Louder.

  Coming right for me.

  I shrink away in fear, trying to make myself as small as possible, perhaps even disappear but that doesn't stop them from doing what they want to. Nothing and no one ever does. Because if anyone dared to do so, they would be long dead. I don’t know where I am, but it’s definitely somewhere cold because I find myself freezing in just a thin t shirt. They all have a sadistic gleam in their eyes as they approach me.

  Tears blur my vision, but I blink hard, fast, because crying makes it worse. Crying makes them laugh. I try to convince myself that it is all going to be ok, that it’s going to be over soon but a part of me knows it’s not true, knows that even if this torture ends soon. It will surely leave scars.

  I want to go back home…

  Back to my room.

  Back to mom and dad…

  But fantasy has never got you anything has it? Except for false hopes of course.

  One of the men, seemingly the leader of these thugs step forward and lets out a mocking scoff. “Look at you,” he says, quiet but sharp enough to cut. “Pathetic. You’re only breathing because people are willing to buy you. Otherwise, you’d be a corpse by now.” His words send spit flying to my face but I stay quiet, my eyes lowered because looking up means trouble.

  Looking up means pain.

  The man's hand reaches out to grab my jaw, and I feel the silver ring he's wearing dig into my skin. My eyes briefly meet Jacobs noticing my own fear mirroring in them.

  We started talking two days ago and he told me a lot about himself. He's a year younger than me but the men don't care about that They drag him through the same hell.

  Our little encounter doesn't go unnoticed. "Oh, I see, you've made friends with the new boy." his voice is calm, dangerously calm. The type that tells me something bad is coming.

  He releases me with a hit to the back of my head from the concrete wall. Pain explodes behind my eyes, but I stay silent. Jacob looks straight at him — not brave, not stupid, just stubborn in a way that gets kids killed. Jacob's always has this fire of defiance inside him even though I have told him numerous times to stay silent. It’s easier this way and it saves you a lot of trouble.

  "Fiery little one, aren't you?" he eyes Jacob up like a predator stalking its prey and I can't help but feel a wave of dread wash over me. I tear my gaze away from him. I don't want to...can't...see whatever they're going to do to him. The next moment I hear the sickening crunch of a bone breaking and my head whips back to his direction despite my initial fear. The man is crushing Jacob's finger under his boot as he lets out a scream before getting muffled. The man just laughs cruelly "gotta break them young...".

  He does the same to the next finger and that dreadful sound fills my ears again. I try bringing my hand to my ears to cut off the noise, but they're chained behind my back.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Finding my voice I manage to utter "please...don't hurt him."

  The man pauses. Slowly turns.

  His attention lands on me, and regret slams into my chest like a fist.

  Jacob's face is red, sweaty, pain etched onto his features and his eyes which were once glowing with defiance are now filled with fear.

  "Aww, trying to save your stupid friend?" he mocks as he walks towards me, his boots clicking on the floor like a dangerous time bomb.

  Without warning, he backhands me hard across my face, the smack echoing through the small, dimly lit room.

  Once again, tears spring to my eyes but this time, I let them fall because I’m too tired to stop them now. The men finally start leaving the room

  Why now?

  Did they get whatever they wanted?

  Did they get bored?

  I don’t know. I’m lucky they left me with just a backhand and nothing else. The door slams behind them as they go, finality in the gesture. I look over to Jacob who spits out the cloth from his mouth and finally, sobs escape him. He still has that defiance in him, but it is overpowered by fear. I don’t bother to ask him weather he’s ok because I know he is not. Instead, I just move closer, providing whatever comfort I can. His sobs are still audible, and I feel sorry for him, for us, for whatever hell these men are going to put us through.

  Few minutes later, the men come again and this time its for me. Hands grab at my clothes — tearing, ripping, taking pieces of me I’ll never get back.

  They do such vandalism which scars me for the rest of my life.

  The memory runs through my mind like a flash as I’m snapped back to reality

  by the sound of a scraping chair. Looking around, I find Inez sitting down to attend to one of her patients. Closing my eyes, I take deep breathe trying to calm myself down.

  In through your nose.

  Out through your mouth.

  My mind clings to the facts I use to pull myself out:

  I tell myself that dad had already got those men killed, that he got me and Jacobin rescued, got his fingers fixed.

  In through your nose.

  Out through your mouth.

  Yes of course he did. He’s a powerful politician after all.

  I’ve gotten so used to Serene taking care of me that without her I don’t know what to do of myself. After these flashbacks or nightmares, she’d always be there to comfort me, to hold me and to just be with me. I need her no.

  I think about calling out to Dr. Inez but hesitate knowing she can’t fill in the gaps Serene has left and that’ll just make me miss her more.

  Where is she?

  Is she alright?

  Why didn’t she inform me before leaving?

  All these questions plague my mind and the fact that I don’t have an answer for any of them just makes it worse.

  I never wanted to fall for her. For someone even more broken than me. But life is full of surprises, isn’t it?

  And now all I have left of her are fragments of memories.