The Underworld

chapter five

"Alaina wake up!" I heard a voice as I began to regain consciousness. When they called my name again, I recognized that it was Hayley. "Please wake up."

I groaned at the headache I had and moved my head in the direction her voice came. I slowly opened my eyes and adjusted to the bright lights. At first the light stung my eyes, making me close them again. When I opened them again, the pain remained but it was easier to focus my gaze on Hayley.

I let out a small cry when I saw the state she was in. Her clothes was wrinkled and torn, covered in dirt and black smudges from who knows what. Her hair was in a similar state as her clothes, making her hair seem darker and messier than it actually was. Her arms laid by her side but her wrists were tied in chains that attached to the wall behind her.

I looked down at my body and saw that I was in a similar state. I shook my arms, thankful I was able to move but feared as to why Hayley and I were chained. "What is this pla-"

I cut myself off the moment I looked around us. We were in a long hall with white dirty walls and tile floor. I didn't pay much attention to where we were because it wasn't just Hayley and I. There were other girls too, fifteen I think. No, there were more. Thirty maybe. For the most part, they were unconscious. The rest were cowering, staying as close to the wall as they could hoping it would somehow suck them in and away from this place. Just like Hayley and I, their clothes and hair were dirty and disheveled. Along with that, chains kept them where they laid.

I turned to Hayley. "What is this place?"

She swallowed the lump in her through, "I don't know." Her voice broke, "but I think they're going to sell us." Tears began to fall from her eyes, "we need to get out of here."

I fought the tears that threatened to fall and nodded when my words failed me.

Suddenly, the door at the end of the long hall opened. The sound carried through the hall, followed by footsteps. Two men were making their way down to where we were as they dragged the girl that stood between them. All of them were tall. The men had tattoos all over their exposed arms. The blonde one had a few on his neck. Both wore black attire from head to toe, only that the brunette had his ears pierced. The girl looked no different than the rest of us. However I did notice her roots were quite lighter than the rest of her hair.

I heard her mumble something but she must've been too drugged to say anything coherent; along with the fact that she hung her head. She tripped on her own feet once, almost falling to the ground, but the men continued to pull her down the hall.

Across from Hayley and I, was an empty pair of chains. The men stopped and watched the girl fall to the ground, hitting herself against the wall. They waisted no time in chaining her. She took slow and heavy breaths. Her eyes glanced up at the two men and she slightly frowned. This time I heard her voice. "Go to hell."

The blonde chuckled and took a step forward. He reached down and yanked her hair, holding a chunk of it in his fist. She bit back her scream and glared at him. "Speak again and I'll make sure to put that mouth to good use."

Unable to see his face, I could only imagine he must've enjoyed the thought of it.

The girl didn't say anything else and continued to take heavy breaths. The blonde man let her go and walked off with the brunette. Her gaze followed them, staring at them with disgust, until they walked through the door at the end of the hall. She then brought her legs up and placed her forehead against her knees.

The sound of Hayley's chains made me shift my gaze away from the girl and to Hayley. Hayley let out a groan and adjusted her sitting position. "We need to get out of here," Hayley said. She looked down at her lap and continued, "I can't leave my mom." A cry left her lips before she brought her knees up and let everything out. It pained me to see her like this.

My eyes began to sting but I didn't cry. I didn't say anything nor did I make a sound. I bottled it all up just like I had done so many times. I needed to be strong for myself. I stared up at the ceiling thinking of what to do. What could I do? Why did this happen to us? What would happen next?

I wanted to tell Hayley that everything would be okay. I wanted to tell her that we would get out of her and she would make it back to her mom. I wanted to promise her it would happen. Something told me it wasn't fair to do that to her — give her hope — for something that even I didn't know would be true.

My thoughts first went to my parents. I had no idea how long I had gone missing and how long it would take before anyone would notice. I could only think of how my parents would feel knowing their daughter was missing after haven spoken to them the night before.

I then thought of Dean. How much I missed him just as I missed my parents. I had told him about the party. He knew I went. My heart broke a little knowing he would be the first to know I was missing. He would be the one that would make the call to the police and to my parents.

I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you or anyone else I cared about.

His words kept replaying in my head. Oh Dean. I silently cried at the thought of never being able to see him nor my family again. Why did regret feel just as heavy on my heart as pain did?

The only thing that came to mind was that Dean would never know how I truly felt about him all because I was scared that his feelings weren't reciprocated. Would it have hurt less if I had whether he did feel the same way or not?

I guess now he truly might never know.

I sat there unable to do nothing else besides listen to Hayley cry along with some of the few other girls in the hall as they gained consciousness and realized what had just happened to all of us and what would end up happening us.

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Poor girls ☹️