“Aaaaahhhhhhhh...”

I opened my eyes, awakened by the sound of the scream I just heard, I could see nothing because the place was dark, very dark.

“Aaaaahhhhhhh...”

I heard the scream again, frightened, I moved my hands but they could not be move, I tried again, and still they could not be move, my legs as well feel stock to something.

I panicked, “where am I?” I asked myself in a dazzling state, feeling a little dizzy.

I tried to move my hands and legs again but to no avail, I became frightened.

That's when it hit me. “Have I been kidnapped?” I ask myself again, still trying hard to free my hands and legs, but still to no avail.

My hands are tied apart in the air on to something I could not see because the place was dark, my lags too are tied apart and my foots are freezing as they are bare on the cold floor.

I shook my head trying to shake the dizziness off me.

I then recalled briefly in fragments what had happened earlier.

I can remember, receiving a call, and then stepping on the bus... and the party... some guys at the party...

“Aaaahhhhhh...”

The voice screamed again, I quivered and jolted out of my fragment recollection, the voice came from a distance, and it sounded like the voice of someone being tortured.

It finally dawned on me. “Oh no, I have been kidnapped.” I can tell because my hands and legs are tied up and I am also in a place where I could see nothing.

I shook my head again trying to shake the dizziness off me again, but then I felt a sting, as if a little something bit me, and then I heard a voice laugh, it sounded so vague...and then, suddenly everything became so still.

***

I slowly opened my eyes, awakened by the sound of laughter, which sounded so vague at first but later became so clear and clearer.

“Our sleeping beauty is awake.” A voice said, amid laughter, followed by the sound of other voices laughing as well.

I looked around, but saw blurring figures, I blinked my eyes and shook my head, and to shake off the dizziness.

I looked around again, my vision a bit clearer this time.

It was an empty room with three men in it, I panicked and in my panicked state, I realized that I was lying on the floor.

I tried to move my hands but found that they were still tied but together this time, my legs as well.

I slowly managed to sit up, into a sitting position on the floor, my whole body feeling very weak and cold too, I shook my head, trying to make Sense of my environment as I’m still feeling very dizzy.

“Where am I?” I asked and shook my head again trying to shake off the dizziness.

The three men looked at one another and laughed, the sound of their laughter echoed in my ears, they were holding cigarettes in their hands.

One of them walked up to me, his eyes glaring at me, frightened, I looked down, bending my head to the floor.

“Who are these men? And where am I?” I asked myself in my dazzling state, not knowing how I got here.

The man that walked up to me bent down to where I was seated on the floor and lifted my chin with his fingers.

“You don't have the right to ask any questions here.” He said and blew out smoke from his mouth and nostrils onto my face.

I choked on the smoke which made me cough as they went straight into my nostrils, making it difficult for me to breathe properly.

I heard the three men laugh again, I bowed my head, frightened to look at their faces, and it was as if they were having the best times of their lives.

“You are just lucky, our boss fancies you, else, we would have tasted you by now just like we did your friend.” The man who bent over me said, and pushed my forehead with his fingers.

“She was so sweet, only she didn't last long.” One of the men standing afar off said.

“What? My friend? And who is this friend of mine? And why did he use the word ‘was’?” I asked myself, not being able to make Sense of what they are saying.

I don't or can't remember anything, in my confused state, with the blabbing and laughing about something I didn't really pay attention to, and then suddenly the door cracked open.

The man bending in front of me suddenly stood up, and walked back to where the other two men are standing.

Then I heard the three men say at once “Boss.”

I slowly looked up, still frightened because I don't know where I am and I still can't remember anything about who I am, where I come from or even the so called person they said was my friend.

I saw how the three men immediately threw their cigarettes to the ground and stepped on it quickly with their foots.

“How is she holding up?” I heard the man they called ‘The Boss’ say, he was asking the three men who are with me in the room.

“She's strong boss.” The man who walked up to me earlier replied, judging by his attitude, I think he is the leader of the other two.

The Boss walked closer to me and I can feel that he is scrutinizing me.

I lifted my head up a little to see his face, our eyes met, and I quickly looked away again, frightened by the look in his eyes.

He is a tall slim man, with broad shoulders I guess, who should be in his fifties or thereabouts, he wore a black suit, a shirt and a tie, that one would think of him as a well polished business man.

His voice sounded so deep and authoritative, the look I saw on his face is like that of a man who would be a cruel man and his eyes were so dark, which sent terror into my spine, but his facial structure would pass for a handsome man, or so I thought.

“How long have she lasted for?” the boss asked again.

“Three days.” The man who seemed to be the leader replied the boss.

“What about the girl she's with?” The Boss asked again, his eyes still scrutinizing me, I looked down not being able to behold his face.

“She's out boss, her body could not with stand it,” The man who seemed to be the leader replied again.

“What do you mean by that?” The Boss asked, his voice deeper than before.

The three men looked down and said nothing, I think they are afraid of the boss.

“Where is she?” The boss asked after a while seeing how they looked down without replying to his question.

“We've disposed of her, boss.” The man who seemed to be their leader replied again looking up to face the boss who was already looking at him.

The boss sneered at them and then turned again to face me.

I shivered at the statement ‘we've disposed of her, boss’. “What are they going to do to me?” I thought, my head still bowed because I was scared to look up again at the boss.

“What's her name again?” the boss asked, I can feel his gaze were still on me.

“She is Julie, Julie Bleck.” I heard the man who I assumed to be their leader tell the boss.

“Julie Bleck.” Yes, I recalled, that is my name.