Nao, Sou Americana

Beaten

The lights flashed on causing all the women to cry out. Norma still had her own closed. She inhaled sharply when her lids began to glow red. She was about to open her eyes when she hatched an idea. Norma exhaled deeply and focused on relaxing herself. She counted in her head slowly, timing her breaths with the upbeat. I am a sleep. I am a sleep.

Sure enough, rough hand lifted her from the floor, before shouldering Norma. She shifted her head and had the perfect curtain of her curls to hide her open eyes. Her carrier walked nimbly passed the curtains and seat. Norma cringed. He’s done this many times before. He has no trouble. Norma began to panic. Her thoughts betrayed her previous confidence. How many times has a woman ran before? Norma bit her cheek to keep from overcorrecting when they descended down the plane ladder.

It was warm and lightly humid. Norma smelled disel, garbage, and something else. It was familiar but she just couldn’t place it.She fussed inside. It could be important and my stupid nose can’t pick it out. Norma looked around. The ground was gritty like an airport tarmac. There was sand too. She listened hard.

“J'ai dix femmes de l'Ukraine.”

“Hebben we zes. Maar ze zijn nonnen. We willen meer geld.”

“To je previše.”                                 “Jetzt zahlen. Oder ich gehe.”

                “Envío sin control, por aquí.”

“Que diz?”

                                “Ungeprüfter Versand, hier.”

Norma was finally sat down and her binds her loosened, though not fully removed. She wiggled free of the last bit and took off running. The voices around her soon stop Shit. She looked around and was surrounded by men. White men, black men. Men with beard and turbans, men when gelled hair and business suit. Norma had no where to run. She looked around, past the men. There was an ocean. Salt! That’s what I smelled.

 “Oi!” Norma turned to the voice behind her. Bam! Norma fell down, her jaw smarting from the contact. The man above her she recognized from the man on the plane.

“¿A dónde vas, ¿eh?” He kicked her twice in the stomach. “Si se ejecuta de nuevo, te mataré.” Kick, kick.

Norma curled into a ball to hide her sobs. “Stop!” but her begging was to use. The man continued to kick her. Then he gripped her arms. With a foreign gentleness, her assailant drew her from the ground and into his chest. Then he slapped her. “Mujer estúpida, donde podría ir.”

The man pushed her back, and Norma was grabbed by another set of hands. Then they gripped onto her hair, and pulled.

“No!” Norma struggled and tripped backward. The hand on her head paid to mind, and proceeded to move away. Norma reached her hands up and clawed at the hand on her hair. He deepened his gripped and dragged Norma steadily over the concrete. Norma kicked and shrieked. She would stand occasionally, only to be yanked back down. Snot caught in her throat and Norma coughed, pulling her concentration.

“No..cough…please!”  The man pulled her up sharply and punched her. Norma took it to her left eyes and lashed out with her short nails. She was pulled back again. Norma failed to catch herself and hit her head against hard steel bars. “Fuck!” Norma kicked at the ankles of the man who had dragged her. He easily dogged her feet and stood over her. Norm lift her foot to kick him in the groin, but he caught her foot and pulled. Norma screamed when the steel ground bit into her sore skull. The she opened her lungs when the man above her began to straddle her.