"Shit!" I curse inwardly as he tilts the gun in my direction. "You. Stand." He said ,still expressionless.
I obey his command and a shudder runs down my back as I feel the cold hard gun pressed to my spine. "Walk." I walk down the aisle, my head ha...
I was marched thru train car after train car, till we reached car number two. Here there were private compartments reserved for only first class passengers. I was pushed into compartment four.
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I had never been in one before. The nameless man who seemed to be in charge left and locked the door. A few minutes later I heard a slight knocking and another man appeared holding a mug. "Drink." He ordered. So I did. It tasted herbal and bitter, but the man made me drink it all. I was starting to feel drowsy and watched as the man left. It seemed that all the men left on board were taking orders from the man with the gun. They were all casually dressed, and all spoke Russian. I spoke fluent English and Russian but I was unsure if they knew that or not. The last thing I heard was the door lock click, as sleep descended upon me.
I was awoken by the bright sun shining in my eyes and shouting. I was still in my compartment, I yanked the window curtain shut. Rubbing my eyes I recalled the crazy dreams I had in my sleep. The world was all upside down and I was running thru snow and tundra. Snow was falling in reverse, like from the ground up into the sky. Then I saw the man with the gun carrying me over his shoulder unbeknownst to me why, or where he was taking me. That tea must have messed with my head. A few hours passed and I fell in and out of sleep. I kept hearing shouting and occasional banging on the walls of the compartment. I faded in and out of a fearful rest. More shouting was heard and then the door to my compartment was slammed open. "Dimitri! Stop!" I had no idea who was shouting , but then he stepped into view. "We will discuss this later." he said in Russian sternly, seemingly talking to someone in the hallway. He ducked his head under the door frame as he entered the compartment. He turned to the door and locked it from the inside.
He sat down across from me and unwrapped a chocolate bar. Then he broke off a chunk and held it out for me to grab it. When I didn't move, he stood slowly not breaking eye contact. In one step he was right in front of me . I looked up at his face, he looked upset and so many questions I'd like to ask him flooded my brain. He frowned and brought his fingers to my lips. He fed me the chocolate like a child. I honestly was feeling ill to my stomache, and like a nervous wreck. Then he spoke. "What is your name?" "Valeria" I replied. It was a common enough name, no way he could find out anything about me . He reached out and stroked my hair then sat besides me. I was visibly shaken by this but he seemed to relax . He even almost smiled for a moment. In a flash of bravery I mustered the courage to ask him " What's your name?"....."My name is Maxim, but you can call me Max. .....We will be spending a lot of time together , so I suggest that you make yourself comfortable". He was very soft spoken contrary to his appearance. His English was quite good, even tho his accent broke through from time to time.I can't stand people who speak too loudly, it sparks such a deep rage in me. Irrational I know, but in that moment I was charmed by this man's rough yet soft voice. It was probably a relief after hearing loud russian yelling and cursing all day. I'd been trying to stay strong but to tell the truth I was scared shitless. These hulking raging men brought back memories I had been trying to shove down for years. So far no one had attempted to harm me in any way but I was preparing myself for the worst. I still had no idea why they had detained me. I could tell Maxim was analyzing me, but I didn't know what it was he thinking in his head. When he caught my eyes I looked away immediately, I didn't like the way he searched them so deeply. Just then a booming slam was heard against the door, then again. Maxim stood up and opened the door and peered into the hall with a confused look. Then I heard two gruff voices demanding in Russian that Maxim bring me out and give me over to them. I felt my face go pale and heard blood rushing in my ears. Surely Maxim wouldn't ablige such a request, but then again I hardly knew this man and a kind voice is not something to bet on. Maxim looked back at me his face contorted. I remembered that I needed to breath but I had forgotten how to. Then it all went black. The last thing I remember seeing is Maxims face as he leaned over me. He was making a face of recognition, he had just realized that I spoke russian and had understood every derogatory word that was just spoken. My secret was out.
