Chapter Thirty-Six
Lily
I no longer know what time it is, what day it is, where I am, or who I'm with.
A pile of food sits in a corner as they continue trying to feed me.
I gathered all the plastic forks they have thrown with the food, breaking off the ends of them, and with every moment I have, I've sharpened the ends through a hole in the concrete wall. It’s not as sharp as a knife, not as sturdy as a knife, but putting multiple together, tied with the fabric I ripped from my dress should, maybe, work.
I squat to the left of the door, on the floor, waiting for my next meal, waiting for them to open the door so I can try to make my escape.
Because now, only I can save myself. It’s too late.
My GPS chip is gone, and it has been too many days.
I was lost the second his foot slammed onto mine.
My mind rushes back to the picture I have implanted in my brain of Mateo smiling down at me as his fingers closed around my neck.
Tears prickle in my eyes. I should have called Celeste. I should have told her everything.
“Such a stupid bitch to trust those three idiots.”
“If no one can save me, I will save myself,” I whisper.
“If no one can save me. I will. Save. Myself.”
My body freezes as I hear the bolts unlock. A set of legs come into view. I swing my hand in the air, my homemade knife gripped tightly between my fingers, swinging right at the Achilles tendon. The knife’s head breaks off, barely slicing through his skin.
“Fuck! You fucking bitch.”
Not enough. It wasn’t enough.
I lean my head back, forcing myself to look up.
The food from the tray is thrown behind the man’s shoulder before he swings the metal up and brings it back down to slam it on my face.
I swiftly move before it hits me, crawling around him.
I force my body to rise, standing in the hallway.
I look around to see multiple doors lining the wall with men standing at each one.
I am completely surrounded.
My body makes a three-sixty as I try to find somewhere, anywhere, to go.
I dart toward the end of the hall, my feet moving on their own, but I don’t make it two steps before a man comes up behind me, grabs me, and throws me over his shoulders.
I scream until my lungs feel like they could fall out of my mouth, kicking at his back and clawing at his stomach.
We walk in the opposite direction, passing the room I was just in.
He throws me off his shoulders into another room.
My head hits the floor, bouncing. White lights shatter my vision, and I feel a sharp pain shoot through my neck.
I open my mouth to try to inhale. My eyes burn and tears fall down my face.
I stare at the ceiling as I continue to gasp, my lungs begging for air.
I'm grabbed by one of my arms, my body pulled into the air as they rip off the rest of my dress. One of my legs is lifted, the other following as they pull the black fabric down my body. My ringing ears can’t decipher if the screams are coming from me or from others around.
Three men hold me up as my body keeps falling, my knees buckling.
One arm is wrapped around my chest, forcing me to stand straight.
A man in front of me unbuckles a white coat before putting it on my body.
The man behind me wraps the ties around my back, forcing my arms to hug myself, and finishes it off with the zipper and buckles.
The arm around me releases, letting my body go and my head hits the cement floor for a third time. My shoulders take most of the fall, notably the one that has been stinging with pain for the past couple of days.
I watch as eight pairs of shoes leave the room, shutting the door behind them, and leave me on the cold cement with nothing on except the straitjacket.