Chapter 6
Amelia hated these people. She’d danced the night before, wearing the skimpy costume they’d given her. They had other women there for sex, but even with the other women there, Amelia couldn’t escape the horror of having to blow a couple of the men.
She felt yucky. Like her skin was tainted. A hot bath and a bucket of bleach might help, but she doubted it. They had put her in another room, this one just as depressing with no windows, but there was a sink and toilet. At least she could pee and brush her teeth.
Exhaustion took over, and she caught a few hours of sleep before she woke to the sound of someone yelling at the other end of the hall.
Fear held her tight, and she backed up against the wall, curling her arms around her legs.
She was sore from the dancing. Her jaw ached from the disgusting things they'd forced her to do.
At least they hadn't made her have full on sex.
The yelling got louder, and she wrapped her arms tighter around her legs, wishing she could disappear. The door sprang open, and she let out a yelp as she scooted farther away from the door. It was the same guy as the one who’d come for her the day before.
“Come on. Time to go.”
She didn’t move. Going with this man meant danger or pain. How could she get away if they kept moving her? Maybe they would end up at a place that wasn’t as secure as her last place or this one and somehow break free.
“W-where are we going?”
“You don't need to worry about that. You're there to entertain the guys. Just dance and be nice, and they'll take care of you.”
She didn’t want to be taken care of. Being on her own for the last few years had been hard, but she’d done it. She hadn’t needed a partner or anyone else to care for Lainey. Being a mom had been hard, but she coped and maybe even thrived.
“Get up!” the man bellowed as he slapped his fist into his palm.
That got her up and moving. Out in the hall, she caught a glimpse of the orange and purple streaked clouds. It was later in the day than she'd thought it would be. Had she really slept that long?
“What time is it?”
“It doesn’t matter to you. You just do what we ask.”
She followed quietly behind the man, wondering how much strength it would take for her to knock him out. If she punched him in the ear, would he drop to the ground? If he was on the ground, she could kick him and maybe knock him out.
But she didn’t have a chance to act. They put a bag over her head and loaded her into a vehicle. She was sitting between two men who weren’t letting her move. Again, any hope of escaping was cut off. She would never get free if she didn’t take a chance.
They drove for what seemed like forever, but it was probably only thirty minutes.
When they let her out of the car, they removed the bag over her head.
She glanced around, realizing the men weren't paying attention to her.
So she took off, running away. Running was too generous of a word.
The men caught up with her after only a few feet, and they slammed her against a brick wall.
“You stupid bitch. Where do you think you’re going?”
She put her hands against the brick and tried to push back but the man pressed too hard and there was no escaping his hold.
“You can try to escape, but you aren’t going to get far. We own you now. You will never get away.”
Hot tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. These people were monstrous, taking her like this, not letting her leave. Acting like she wasn’t human and didn’t have a life.
This escape attempt hadn't worked, but eventually, something would work, and she would get away. She had to, or she would never see Lainey again. Living without her daughter would be impossible. No question, she had to do something to get away.