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Comingback to consciousness was like waking from a heavy dream. The ones you couldn’t be certain if they were real or fake. My head was foggy, thick with confusion, and blinking my eyes open took actual effort.
What the hell, I thought. I must have dozed off longer than expected after my trip to the city. My trip to get supplies… supplies I couldn’t remember getting.
Because I never got the supplies.
My eyes immediately flew open. Shit.
I never got the supplies because I had been pulled back into the alley. And I knew exactly who had taken me.
Kingsnakes.
I moved my heavy head from side to side, taking in my surroundings. I was alone, thank God for that. My wrists were bound behind me, rope scratching into my skin.
My backpack was nowhere in sight, but I could feel something against my thigh in one of my more discreet pockets. I made a mental note to figure out what it was, later.
The room they had left me in looked like what was once the front desk for a motel – and not a nice one.
The windows were boarded up, and the door was heavily padlocked. I guessed my captors didn’t use that entrance for anything. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath.
Was this my worst nightmare? Absolutely.
But I had survived for too long to let this be my downfall. I just needed to act dumb, and get my ass out of here. Guys used to like dumb girls. It made things easier for them. Surely some still did, even after the Collapse.
Behind the splintered desk, an open door revealed what looked like it had once been an office, but it seemed empty now.
From behind another door I could hear whispers. Men, waiting for me, to what, wake up and let them have their way? I didn’t know what to expect, but whoever these men were, they definitely weren’t expecting me. They’d be damn sorry they ever snatched Mila Spencer off the streets.
As if they could hear my thoughts, feel the fury flooding my veins, the door swung open, crashing into the wall.
A man of average height stood in the doorway, crossing his arms. He wore a black hoodie, the light just barely illuminating the edges of the bone mask covering his eyes. “Get up, female. And save your tears for later. I hate it when they fucking cry.” I narrowed my eyes, biting my tongue to stop myself from making things worse.
Play dumb, Mila. Play dumb and you might survive this.
I had never craved my tent in the woods as badly as I did at this moment. My small fire pit, the sounds of the forest around me.
This room was too artificial, our interactions nothing but children playing pretend in a twisted fairy tale.
I wanted to go back to reality. But I needed to survive in order to do that. So I softened my face, selecting an expression of confusion as I stumbled awkwardly to my feet. “Who… who are you? Where am I?”
I knew who he was. I knew where I was. But I wanted to hear him say it. Wanted to watch his cruel mouth shape the words that would seal my current fate. He curled his thin lips into a smirk, openly checking me out as I walked toward him.
The door closed behind us, and he gripped my shoulder as we walked down a narrow hallway, passing an overturned ice machine.
“You’re here to serve your purpose. If you’re lucky, your belly will swell with a child we can profit from. And if I’m lucky, I’ll be the one to put it there. After all, I did bring you in. Seems only fair.” He yanked me backward, turning me to face him.
I couldn’t make out his facial features, but his leer only emphasized it had been a while since he had laid his hands on a toothbrush.
Please, don’t let him be lucky, I begged silently, trying not to gag.Or me for that matter.
He rubbed a grubby thumb across my cheek.
“You’re definitely one of the prettiest we’ve brought here in a long time. Not used up like the other ones. A little dirty, but I don’t mind a bit of grime.” He smiled, openly displaying pale gums with several missing teeth. “I bet you’d even enjoy it.” He leaned in closer, holding me still with his hand, and I realized he was going to try and kiss me with that disgusting mouth.
I could knee him in the crotch. Or I could headbutt him once he got close enough. Neither of these screamed “dumb female” though, and I didn’t want to die ten minutes in.
His rancid breath inched closer, and I forced myself not to react. It was just a kiss. Just one kiss. Worse would come later, but I could deal with a kiss. I wouldn’t throw up. Wouldn’t react. Wouldn’t...
“What do you think you’re doing, Brother Dogberry?” A commanding voice forced my captor to jump away from me, even as his grip on my shoulder tightened. “You were supposed to be finding out her name.”
