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I tell her I don't know, but to stay here and hide in one of the closets. I help her get between the clothes and huddle them over top of her. I have no idea what's going on, but with the screams, I know I need to act fast. Out of all the women here, I'm the only one who can shoot and the only one who can protect us.
I'm assuming it's an invasion. Maybe a husband or boyfriend of one of the women here, coming to get her back and take the kids with him.
My blood runs cold when I remember there are children here. They could be getting hurt. They could be getting hurtright now, and I'm doing nothing to help them.
"I'll be right back," I whisper to Maria.
Her wide eyes stare back at me, hoping for promise I can't make her. I lock the doors of the closet and put the key on the floor underneath a rug. I can only hope they won't break down the doors to get her out of the wardrobe.
I tiptoe down the hallway and quickly notice something's wrong.
A lot of the girls down the hallway are already waiting to see what's happening. I press a finger to my lips and walk downstairs as quietly as I can. What I see stops me in my tracks.
The floor is bathed in blood, blood fuckingeverywhere.
I swallow the lump in my throat.
I know there's a gun in Dorothea's safety case in the reception. It's hidden, so I'm assuming no one's found it yet. I'm one of the only two people who know about it.
All I have to do is get to the reception and get the gun, then I can protect myself, Yvette and all my roommates in this building, especially the children.
I don't hear anyone in the hallway, so I walk up to the reception desk. When I pass it, I see the bodies of three women. One of them is Dorothea. I swallow the lump in my throat and fight back tears.
My hands shake as I step over their bodies, and I'm afraid I'm going to collapse on top of them. I can't believe this is happening. There are tears in my eyes that my mind can't even register, because I'm trying so hard to stay composed.
I have to break through the glass case to get the gun and the three lone bullets it has stored with it. My hand gets badly cut up as I smash through the glass and grab everything with trembling fingers.
I hear more screaming, and this time, it's coming from upstairs. I run into the backyard and see three men who start shouting and running after me. I point the gun at them and that seems to scare them off at least, for now. I think from my gaze, they can tell I'm not someone to be fooled around with.
When I run back into the building, I bump headfirst into Ivette. Her eyes are wide and she seems more scared than ever.
"It's him," she tells me. "It's Xander, he came to get me!"
Even though this is all happening, my mind registers something when she uses that word.
Xander, that name again. I've heard it before, but I can't remember when or how.
Instead of questioning Yvette, I pull her after me and up the stairs back to my room. There are men in the hallway but they don't notice us as rush inside. I unlock the closet and Maria shrieks before I press my hand over her mouth.
"Stay with my roommate," I tell Ivette. "Keep each other safe. Please don't come out of here, no matter what you hear outside. Not until you're sure it's over."
They both nod.
I think Yvette is slowly regressing to a different state. She doesn't want to talk, her eyes have glazed over and she started shaking all over. She begins rocking herself back and forth, as if this is going to save us from the nightmare we've just woken up into.
None of us can Xavier or Ivette's husband. If they found us, we're all doomed already. As Ivette and I look at each other, I know she knows it, too.
I run back outside to help the other women, hiding the key back where it was before.
Suddenly, the gun is knocked out of my hand and someone laughs as I scream. Three men grab me by my arms and shoulders. There is no way I can fight them off. I'm strong and trained to fight, but I can't take three full grown, muscular men like them.
Their gazes are lecherous, and they stare at me with an unfulfilled need. I won't give them what they want. I have to keep fighting.
"Let go of me," I scream, trying to break free of their grasp. "Do you know where you are? You're hurting innocent women."
"We know exactly where we are, darling," one of the men tells me. "We came here because we heard you girls were in a bit of trouble. Now listen here, darling, we're going to make it all better for you. We'll take you somewhere much nicer, where you can get paid for things you did for free with the men who you're hiding from. Won't that be nice, darling?"
"What the fuck are you saying?" I demand, kicking one of the guards in the nuts as hard as I can. He crouches over in pain, and I laugh victoriously before a sack is thrown over my head. I begin twisting my body this way and that, trying to force my way out of these men's arms.
