They are both crying, their eyes red and filled with pure terror. One has a bruise on the side of her face, while the other looks as if she’s been starved. My heart shatters inside my chest at the sight, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to put all the broken pieces back together again.
Shame courses through me. They have been locked up under horrible conditions for who knows how long, without anyone like Ivan helping them. They have no idea what’s going to happen to them now, or in the future. The sudden guilt hits me like a ton of bricks. I’ve been sleeping in a warm bed every night, taking showers and having Ivan cook for me while these other girls are down here. I knew this, but it was easier when I didn’t have to see them, when I could forget they were here.
I chance a peek at Ivan and see him whispering something to the other man. Not once does he look at me or even notice that I’m here. I tell myself it’s not because he doesn’t really notice I’m here but that he’s just trying to remain in character, but it hurts, it hurts bad, and I start crying in silence, closing my eyes and leaning against the wall behind me. I let one tear after another fall down my cheeks. I’m not so much crying for myself but for the other girls here. The ones that I have been too selfish to think about more than a few times.
I stand there and listen to the other girls being brought in, too ashamed to look at them and their tears. Every whimper and sob that reaches my ears is like another slice into my chest.
“Strip.” Luca’s booming voice fills the room, and my eyes pop open. Luca looks me straight in the eyes and smiles while Ivan and the third man just stand there looking at the other girls. Having lost my worry about modesty, I start undressing. Two out of the three men have already seen me naked anyway, and if I don’t do it then I’ll just be hurt anyway, and honestly, it’s not worth it. I glance to my right and see the girl next to me frozen in place.
Ivan says something and when I look over, he’s nodding in the direction of the girl beside me. He tells Luca something that makes him smile, and my insides coil with anxiety. Luca starts walking in her direction, and the girl next to me starts shaking so hard I think she might shatter the teeth in her head. Her skin is pale, and her face is hollow. She looks like she might puke at any second.
“You know what this is?” Luca holds up something that looks like a flashlight but instead of the light, it has two short metal pieces sticking out of the front.
When no one answers him, he continues, “This is a twelve-million-volt stun gun and if you don’t get your fucking clothes off in the next few seconds, I’m going to light you up with it.”
“P-Please,” the girl starts begging, shaking her head back and forth as if she’s trying to escape the nightmare before her. Her arms are wrapped around herself, and I want nothing more than to take her into my embrace and tell her everything is going to be alright. I want to do it so badly that I curl my hands into fists, afraid that I may just actually do it.
Luca shakes his head in disappointment. “Last chance, bitch.”
I look over at Ivan, hoping, praying he will stop this, even though I know he can’t. Then, for the first time since I entered the room, he looks at me. He looks me straight in the eyes, and I think my heart stops beating for a second. I’ve never seen him like this.
His gray eyes are cold, vacant, and unloving. Nothing but hate reflects back at me, and seeing him like this is tearing me apart. How can he be acting? Is this the man he’s warned me about? Is this the real him? Would I have let him touch me had I see him as this man? Would I still love him? I don’t really know.
Seconds later, I’m forced to watch Luca raise the stun gun and punch the metal tips into the girl’s abdomen. The zinging sound of electricity fills the room the second before the girl’s cries of pain drown out the noise. She falls to the ground on her knees in front of us, and I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying, to stop myself from telling him to stop.
“Get up and strip, you dumb bitch,” Luca yells at the sobbing girl on the floor. When she doesn’t get up, he raises the stick again, as if he’s going to zap her. That’s when something inside of me snaps. I can’t stand here and do nothing. I can’t watch them hurt her.
“Stop!” I lunge forward and try to slap the stick out of Luca’s hand, but he is quicker and turns the stick on me instead, hitting me with the metal tips right in the arm. My skin burns, and it feels as if I’ve been electrocuted. Pain ripples through my entire body, locking up every muscle. Unable to control my movements and my breath, I fall to the ground just like the other girl had a moment ago.
I lift my head and my eyes collide with the other girl’s. She’s looking at me like I’m her hero, but she has no idea how wrong she is. “It’s okay, just do what they say,” I whisper breathlessly, desperately wanting to offer her my hand and help her up off the cold floor. She nods, and slowly shoves off the floor.
“Get the fuck up!” Another voice fills the air, making my body shake.
I try to push myself up but apparently, I’m not fast enough. I hear heavy footsteps coming in my direction, and when I see the boots in front of me, I know who they belong to. Before I can even look up to meet Ivan’s gaze, he grabs me by one arm. His normally gentle touch is rough and cold as he yanks me harshly to my feet, releasing me with a shove. I cling to the wall behind me for support.
“Strip,” Ivan orders without missing a beat, and I continue taking my clothes off while keeping eye contact with the girl beside me. I might not be able to hug her or even hold her hand, but at least I can let her know that I see her pain, that I am here with her and that she isn’t alone.
When every one of the girls, including me, are completely naked, Luca comes around and hands each of us a bar of soap while Ivan and the other guy grab two hoses from the wall behind them and turn the water on. When Luca is done, he takes one of the hoses from Ivan and they start hosing us off with water while Ivan just stands there with his arms crossed over his muscled chest overseeing the entire event.
The water is ice cold, and I immediately shiver when the first spray lands against my skin.
“Start washing yourself with the soap,” Luca yells over the noise of the water splashing against the walls and floor. “Make sure those pussies are all nice and clean for tomorrow. We don’t like getting complaints from customers about smelly pussy, and if you don’t get sold then… well, you don’t want to know what happens to you,” he laughs, spraying us all with a blast of ice cold water.
I grit my teeth, trying to push down the anger and hate growing inside me. I’ve never hated anyone this much in my life. I’ve never thought about killing someone until this day. If I had the chance right now, I would kill Luca, and I’d do it without a second thought.
After a few minutes, the water is turned off and we are left standing shivering in the center of the room. The sound of teeth chattering fills the air, and a minute later, Luca gets some old dirty towels from the corner of the room and tosses one at each of us.
The towels smell like mold, and I nearly barf into the fabric.
“Dry off, and then we’ll be bringing you back to the cells,” he yells.
I gaze down at the piles of wet clothing on the floor in front of each of us.