IVANOV ~ yelena belova

𝟎𝟎𝟐

Karina was startled awake by the rocky dirt road. Through the window, the black sky was cloudless and terrestrial. But she realised that this was not the view from her bedroom's small window. Instead, they were driving through the woods, the car bouncing along the road.

Panic began to set in when she remembered being separated from her family. Her chest tightened and a pit formed in her stomach, making her feel ill with fear.

She soon realised, however, that she was not alone in the back of the truck. Five more girls were unconscious on the car floor. They were all around her age, if not younger. All of the girls, including Karina, were huddled together, unconsciously for warmth because it was a cold winter in Russia.

Karina finally allowed herself to consider the situation she was in and the possible outcomes. Her own mother abandoned her to a terrorist organisation with no regard for her daughter. Karina's thoughts about her mother were filled with rage and fury, but also with pain because the mother she loved and trusted had betrayed her.

Realising that she was the only one awake, she let her emotions run freely in the dark corner of the vehicle that was transporting her to her demise. Her face was stained with warm salty tears as she covered her mouth to avoid waking up the other girls. As if to protect herself, she leaned her arms over her knees and curled into a foetal position. She was overwhelmed, and her sobs came out in short gasps.

The cars in front came to a halt, and the guards began to open the doors. Karina realised that if she pretended to be unconscious, she would be able to blend in with the other girls. A man's voice rang out in the crisp night air, and she recognised him as Dreykov.

When the guard hoisted her body over his shoulder, she willed her body to remain still and not react. She forced herself to remember which way the guards were going, but the route was too complicated, as if they were taking safety precautions. She took a quick peek, but there were no lights in the area, and nothing seemed to be there for miles.

"Give them the next dose before we go inside!" Dreykov's voice echoed all around them. Fear gripped her as she realised she would be drugged again and would have no control over her body. The quick pinch in her neck and the sensation of liquid oozing into her veins made her mind fuzzy, and the sounds of the guards' footsteps became clouded.

ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ

Karina was awakened by a staticky voice saying, "instil, fear, pain." Her body felt lethargic and her mind was a jumbled mess. She pleaded for her body to move, but all she got was a twitch of her finger. Her eyes did, however, open eventually.

The only source of light in the room was an old-fashioned television. When she got a closer look, she realised she was watching a video projection of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but the video was full of subliminal messages like "Instill," "Fear," and "Pain." The words were on a continuous loop, and she felt compelled to watch them.

The sound of a door opening soon interrupted her thoughts. "Ah little one, I see you're awake," Dreykov mused as he entered the room with a guard. "You must be placed with the other girls."

She was too tired and drugged up to fight when the guard hoisted her up again. She blacked in and out of consciousness as the guard exited the room. All she could focus on was the endless hallways and the buzzing lights. The corridors were painted a dull grey colour which reminded Karina of a mental asylum.

They came to a halt in front of one of the many doors that Dreykov had opened. There were only two small twin beds in the room. There weren't any personal items or decorations. The atmosphere screamed prison.

Karina began thrashing around in the arms of the guard, refusing to be trapped like an animal. But he just threw her in as if she didn't matter. She winced and bit back a scream when her body hit the cold concrete floor.

"You're roommate will be here soon," Dreykov said, before he left.

She shuffled back until her back hit the bed as the door slammed shut without a word. She buried her face in her knees and allowed her shoulders to sag as Karina finally dropped her defensive posture. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but she knew it wasn't going to be good.

She raised her head as she heard the door unlock, curious as to who would be visiting her now. However, the person standing behind the door was not who she expected

A beautiful blonde girl around her age entered the room. Her hair was plaited, and she was dressed in all black workout gear. As she walked in, her shoulders sagged and she clutched her side. Karina realised her face was littered with bruises and small cuts, but she still looked stunning.

Yelena noticed the girl sitting on the floor as soon as she walked in and took a defensive stance in front of the now-locked door. "I see you're my new roommate; let's see how long you last," she smirked.