#2 - Nikki Smith

6. Into the Darkness

 Aghh. My head hurts. I already feel dizzy and sick, but I haven't been awake for more than a few moments. Where... am I? I opened my eyes; it was so dark. There was a faint light coming from another room. It wasn't enough to see everything in my room, but I could tell I was in a basement.

I looked around the room. There were no windows in this room. I wanted to scream and yell and hope someone would hear and help me. My instincts told me that if I yelled without knowing what was in my surroundings, I would live to regret it. I was chained by my neck to the wall. How hospitable.

My head still hurt. I touched the side of my forehead. I could feel a scar, but there was no blood. Shit. That meant that the wound has healed, which means I've been out for several hours, perhaps even a day or more. What happened anyway?

I tried to think about what happened right before I was out. It hurt to think. I... I don't remember anything that happened. The more I kept thinking the more I felt dizzy, hurt, and now felt the chills. Once again, I looked around the room. There wasn't a blanket or anything to warm me up.

I was wearing a light blue dress and had shoes and socks on. Was I wearing this before I got here? Why can't I remember anything? Well, what can I remember?

Well, let's start with what I do remember. My name is Nikki. I was born in a laboratory in Russia and fled to... France. I was traveling with Nolan, who was also born in a laboratory in Russia. I know the Russian language and some French. Argh. What's the point? This isn't helping me remember anything important right now! I needed to figure out a way to get out of here, or at least get this damn chain off my neck.

I don't... know what to do. I had almost no energy to move around. Do I just wait for someone to come in and check on me? Was anyone going to check on me? Would they hurt me? Someone had to have given me this scar.

I looked at the rest of my body. I had a small scar in the middle of my arm on the inside of my elbow. I also had small cuts on my arms and legs, but I think that was it outside of the gash on my head. Well, that's fortunate. I think. It could be way worse.

I laid my head back down wanting to fall asleep. Hours passed, but sleep did not come. A person finally came after several hours. I regretted wishing for someone to come.

Two men entered the basement through a door that was in the other room. They stepped into the room, and the larger man said, "Aww, is the little princesse est-elle enfin awake?" He was speaking in French, but I couldn't understand every word. What did he want?

I wanted to talk, but I didn't even have enough energy to open my mouth. I moved my head back and forth a little bit, but that just made them both laugh. The larger man walked closer to me. I couldn't tell who it was across the room, but I can now tell that the larger man is the same guy I fought off in the van. God damn it. I'm starting to remember the past few days now.

The man bent down near me and whispered, "You are a dog." He gets back up and kicks me right in the ribs. They both start laughing.

I was so angry at them, but I had no energy to be angry. I could hardly move or even talk. I was also so miserable. These psychopaths actually caught me. I should have known that we should have stayed nomadic. This group was part of an underground operation of human trafficking. The original woman in alley must have been working with the men in the van. I remember... I remember them scouting us out. I... I was drugged by that same woman in the bathroom of the airport.

What happened to Nolan? Did they catch him too? Did he make it on the plane? Hmm. Ouch. It hurt just to think. I hoped that he escaped. They caught me because I went to a restroom that was more secluded from everyone else, and there wasn't anyone in the restroom until that woman showed up.