The lights switched on and off signaling it is 10pm, the library is closing. I gathered my books and put away my laptop. I have 10 minutes to rush towards the metro station to catch the last train home.
“Another Friday stuck studying,” I sigh. Then again, it was my decision to major in Biology to apply for medical school.
As I head out the door, I wave goodbye to the guy sitting at the entrance inspecting all the book bags. We are basically the only people left in the library at this hour on a Friday. Most students on Campus go home on Thursday, so there are just a few classes on Fridays, mostly in the Natural Sciences building.
The streets towards the metro station are deserted. The only group of people that I passed by were the students that were gathered in the lobby of the Natural Sciences building studying for a test when I exited the library.
I hate walking these streets alone at night, but it has become a routine already. I could not study back at my apartment because I would get distracted or decide to take a nap and end up not studying at all, so the only place I got some productive studying done anyway was at the library.
In the dimly lit streets, I tightly gripped the pepper spray that my aunt gave me after I was robbed at midday at Campus a year ago and adjusted my heavy backpack for the remainder of the walk to the metro. My back can’t take any more heavy books.
I look at my watch, 10:06pm. Time to quicken my pace. The train arrives promptly at 10:11pm.
As I am making my way towards the metro, I am coming up at a T type intersection when I hear a vehicle slow its pace behind me. I quicken my pace even more and move towards the far end of the sidewalk to give myself more space between me and the street. I am now on high alert and discreetly look around to see if there are any escape paths I could take to run away from whoever approaches. I am trying to act casual.
The vehicle is passing me by, and I turn my head to see that it’s a black cargo van with the windows blacked out in the front cabin. Chills run down my spine and my heart starts pounding. The van stopped, and suddenly I heard two car doors opening. Before I could even think about running away, the person who was in the passenger’s seat got out with a gun pointed towards me. I lift my hands while frozen to the spot, awaiting to hear what they want to take from me this time.
My eyes look up from the gun to meet her gaze, but she just stays silent. I certainly did not expect a woman to be the one holding me at gunpoint. “Wh-What do you want from me?” I stuttered. No answer.
She slowly began walking towards me, and I instinctively backed up until I heard a third door opening. I started to turn my head when the woman closed the gap between us and put her gun just under my chin.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she whispered in my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and goosebumps covered my arms. I looked ahead once again and let out a shaky breath.
“Be a good girl and stay quiet. Wouldn’t want to attract undue attention now, would we? Give me your backpack,” she said as she pulled her head back so that her eyes met mine. I complied and handed her my bag. Suddenly, the second person came up behind me and shoved a gag in my mouth, tying it tightly behind my head while the woman put a hood over me.
My hands automatically went up to take the hood off, but just as quickly as they went up, the woman punched me in the stomach with the hand that was holding the pistol, making me double over in pain. Two pairs of hands grabbed at each arm and twisted them behind my back until I heard a click.
This can’t be happening.
This can’t be real.
“Get up!” commanded the other person.
Another woman? What the hell is going on?
I felt both of their hands dragging me up by my arms and walking me towards the back of the van. They shoved me into the van, and I hit my left leg on the way in. I groaned as I landed in the trunk.
That’s going to bruise.
“You might want to try to hold on to something,” sneered the first woman, “the ride might get a bit bumpy,” she emphasized the last word as she closed the doors.
I began to scream as soon as the door closed, but it was utterly futile because the gag muffled everything. I was in the middle of standing up when the van started driving, making me fall flat on my face and rolling to the back doors.
Where are they taking me? Who are they? How could I be so stupid? I just want to go home.
I finally managed to sit up. Now, I’m just trying to get my bearings as I’m feeling my way around the back cabin of the van. I’m growing livider by the second. I just can’t believe that this is really happening. If that woman didn’t have a gun on her, I would have either fought against her or run away. At least, that’s what I’d like to think I would have done.
No point in thinking about what ifs, I must focus on the present situation at hand, and this time for sure I am not giving up without a fight.
I managed to get myself to the wall that separates the front from the back cabin because I could hear the radio much closer. Since my screams were muffled, and my hands were cuffed behind my back, I just started kicking at the wall to get their attention. After five kicks, each one harder than the last, the driver swerved to the left, and I was thrown against the right wall of the van. Ouch. Another swerve and I’m thrown to the opposite side. I tried to shield my head as best as I could with each hit. The van suddenly screeched to a halt, and I was launched towards the front. I felt like a rag doll being shaken from side to side.
One of the doors opened, and I heard rapid footsteps walking towards the back.
Now is my time.
I stand up with the help of the wall and position myself towards the sound of the van’s trunk door opening. Without thinking, I charge in the direction of the sound, only to be abruptly stopped by the door being slammed in my face. I fell backwards with a throbbing headache. I could feel blood running down my face. My glasses fell from my face but were still being held by the hood.
I hope I didn’t break my glasses. They are expensive to buy.
“You stupid bitch. You really thought that you’d be able to escape blindfolded?” The woman from the passenger’s side laughed.
I heard her approaching me, and I just swung a kick her way, but she was able to catch it. With my leg in her hand, she managed to turn me over on my stomach while digging her knee on my back. She ripped the hood off, along with a few strands of hair, and my glasses fell to the floor. She grabbed me by my ponytail and pulled my head back to meet her face. My back was arching painfully at this point.
“Look at what you did. I do so hope that it hurts as bad as it looks.”
“Fuck you.” I tried to say back to her, even though the gag wouldn’t let me.
Apparently, the woman understood because she pulled my head even further back and dug her knee deeper into my back.
“Listen here, sweetie,” I heard a few vertebral joints cracking, “you’re going to be quiet the rest of the way and be a good little girl, or Mistress’ new toy will arrive a little more damaged than expected. Am I understood?”
She took the gag from my mouth in what I’m guessing was her waiting for verbal confirmation. Like I’d ever give her the satisfaction.
“Let. Me. Go!” I said, squirming under the woman’s knee.
“You’re a feisty one. Looks like Mistress will have a real fun time training you to obey. Here, I’ll make this a bit easier on you since you’re already bleeding plenty from the head.” The woman lifted her knee from my back and turned me over once again, this time she secured the handcuffs directly to a metal ring on the floor of the van. There was no possibility of standing up now.
“Mistress? What the fuck? She must be delusional. What does she want with me?” As the last words left my mouth, my head hit the floor when the woman furiously backhanded me. Things went black for a split second, and I saw white sparks. My bottom lip was now throbbing, and I could taste blood.
“Don’t ever talk about Mistress that way.” The woman seethed as she forcefully grabbed the back of my neck to lift me up once again. She took the hood and bunched it up in her hand, then pressed it to my head. I groaned in pain. She was not being gentle at all. I tried to squirm free, but she dug her nails into my scalp and yanked back my hair. “Stay still.” I whimpered and stopped moving altogether.
After a couple of minutes of pressing the hood to my head to stem the flow of blood, she carelessly wiped the rest of the blood from my face and my lip.
“There, much better. Now, how about we start all over again?” The woman giggled while standing back to admire her work. “Are you going to behave, or am I going to have to knock you out?”
Since I didn’t have my glasses, all I could see was a blurry mess of shapes, but I managed to nod. I was outmatched, so there was no point in making it harder for me.
“Use your words, sweetie.”
“Yes.” I said through gritted teeth. That sweetie just made my blood boil.
“You’re going to drop that attitude soon enough. Now open your mouth.”
Hell no. I am not going to be gagged again.
“I said OPEN!”
I still refused and looked to the side. The woman grabbed me by the jaw once again and dug her nails in between my top and bottom teeth through the skin on my cheeks. I clenched my jaw as tight as I could, but she kept applying more pressure. Tears threatened to spill. I couldn’t take the pain anymore and reluctantly opened my mouth. She quickly shoved the bloody hood in my mouth and used the gag to secure it in place, making sure I didn't spit it out. I could taste the iron from the blood. This time she tied the gag even tighter, digging into my mouth and making it hard to breathe properly.
“I’ll be taking these, '' she said, swirling my glasses around her fingers. “Enjoy the ride.” With that, she closed the van door, leaving me in the dark once again.