She awoke with a start as the vehicle hit a bump in the road, opening her eyes to pitch black darkness. Forgetting where she was or what happened for a moment, she attempted to push her hair away from her face, but found that her hands were bound securely behind her back. Panic began to consume her, and she futilely struggled against her restraints while attempting to peer through the darkness. She could discern the shape of another figure opposite of her, though whoever it was didn't appear to be conscious. They appeared to be alone, but she was unsure if that was something she should be pleased about. Glancing around warily, she pulled herself up into a kneeling position, and by scooting around on her knees, she discovered that she could feel the walls of the space she was in without having to move around much.
The sound of close gunshots startled her, and she instinctively braced, even though deep inside she knew there was nothing she could possibly do to defend herself. The shots were sporadic and occasionally she'd hear a yell coming from the outside. The vehicle she was in seemed to speed up, and her fingers grasped onto whatever little crevice she could find in order to steady herself, trying her best not to imagine what horrors could be going on. Eventually the noises died down, leaving her listening to the rough sound of tires bumping over uneven terrain. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to find a better position to sit while wondering how much farther they would be traveling. Her memory was coming back more clearly now, and the realization that she was in the hands of the Insurgents caused frightening thoughts to seize her mind. Why did they take her? What did they want with her? What were they going to do? She bit her lip harshly, trying to stifle a sob.
She sound of a person groaning across from her grabbed her attention. Her eyes fixed on the figure, fearfully waiting for them to make a move. The person sat up and, similar to her, seemed to panic and struggle against their bonds. She figured it was another prisoner, and mustered up the courage to speak up.
"It's futile," she spoke softly. "We're stuck here."
The person across stilled, appearing to stare at her intently. "12505A?"
She recognized the voice. "101505B," she said, partially relieved.
"Where are we?" the other girl asked groggily, still coming to her senses. "Why are we tied up?"
"I believe the Insurgents took us. I don't know where though."
"How...how is that possible?" An intense fear slowly seemed to fill the other girl, matching hers. "No no no no, we can't...they can't...no...."
"I know," she replied, her voice shaking. "What...what's the last thing you remember?"
101505B sighed. "I remember...being alone in the room when you were out doing the chores. I went through the whole routine and I was about to settle into bed when—"
"Someone attacked you?"
"Yes," she said slowly. "I don't know who it was or where they came from, but I guess they knocked me out somehow."
12505A nodded. "Basically the same happened to me."
A brief silence hung between the two girls.
"What's going to happen to us?" 101505B asked quietly.
She did not respond and the question hung in the air between them, suspended by the invisible strings of their fears and worries. She figured she ought to give the other girl some sort of comfort, yet she did not know how. It would be useless to fill their minds with empty promises like, "we're going to be okay." No good things seemed to lay on the foggy road ahead of them.
***
The vehicle came to an abrupt stop, causing her to crash into the back wall. She detected voices coming from the outside along with clanking metallic sounds. Suddenly, a bright light filled the space, disorienting them both. Before she could react, rough hands grabbed her and hoisted her up and out of the vehicle. She squinted against the light, trying to get a bearing of her surroundings. Whoever grabbed her threw her and the other girl to the ground roughly, and she heard a rough voice exclaim, "Look what we brought back" in a sing-song sort of tone.
Her eyes still adjusting to the light, she barely managed to discern figures standing around her and her roommate. She was still in her white uniform, but the other girl was just in her nightdress. The Insurgents appeared to be taunting and jeering, though she could not understand what they all her saying. A sharp kick to her side caught her off guard, and she recoiled in pain. Another force hit the side of her head and she fell to the ground, unable to use her arms to stop brace herself. She heard the other girl whimper pitifully, as they both suffered barrages of hits. Her vision was clearing up, and she could see a ring of people of varying ages and genders surrounding them. They were all scruffy and unkept save for a couple here and there. Every time she attempted to get up, she was just knocked back down. An odd anger began to fill her, unlike anything she had ever felt before. Why were they hurting them? What had they done?
The next time someone moved to kick her, she rolled out of the way. The boy was startled, and before he steady himself, she kicked his leg out from under him. He fell to the ground with a thump and a shocked gasp swept through the crowd. This expression was immediately followed by a roaring guffaw, and she just sat there, completely dumbfounded. The boy she had knocked down was not quite as amused and he looked at her with a gaze of pure rage. Regretting what she had done, she scooted away as he began to move toward her, a menacing look in his dark eyes. Before he could lay a hand on her however, a booming voice cut through the shouts of the crowd causing everyone to cease their actions. The boy gave her one last nasty sneer before getting up and stalking off. An older man came into view, his hairs not yet graying, but still substantially older that the one about to beat her up. His skin was fair and had quite a strong build. He examined the two girls on the floor for a minute, taking all their features in.
"Calix, Inara," the man barked, and immediately a boy and a girl appeared at his side. The boy was tall and muscular, with deep hazel eyes and brown hair reaching just past his ears. The girl was a slender, and had long dark brown hair that curled at the edges. There was something about the girl's dark gaze that unsettled her, and a knot formed in her stomach. Both were rather tall, and they towered over the two frightened girls.
"Take these 'visitors' to their rooms," the man ordered, then turning to the rest of the crowd roared, "All of you get out of here."
The crowd dispersed, talking with each other as if this whole episode was nothing new and was as common as the sun rising in the east. The boy and the girl that were left behind exchanged glances.
"I'll take the feisty one," the girl, likely the one called Inara, spoke, grabbing her by the arm and hoisting her up.
"You sure you can handle it?" the boy, she supposed was called Calix, chuckled, raising an eyebrow. He pulled the other girl up, though not as roughly.
Inara scoffed. "I bet I could teach her a lesson." Her blood ran cold as Inara's eyes met hers. "Come along now."
Throwing one last fearful glance at the one familiar face in the new setting, she was forcefully pulled away. At first, she struggled, pulling against the Insurgent girl's grip, but a sharp pain to her side caused her to weaken and stagger.
"You want another?" Inara taunted, flicking a small electric device shaped like a pen on and off. "'Cause I'm quite enjoying this."
She looked her straight in the eye. "What do you want with me?"
Inara snorted. "Oh, honey, I don't want anything to do with you and I couldn't care less about what happens. I don't know, maybe you'll live...that is, if you survive everything they'll probably do to you." She snickered, making the other girl's anxiety skyrocket.
Inara pulled her along, down to the dark shadowy hallways of the lower levels of a facility. She glanced around herself, trying to memorize all the rooms and turns, but every time she stalled, she received a shock to her side and was pulled along more roughly. At last they came to a halt at a plain grey door. Inara fumbled with the keys for a few seconds before unlocking the door and pushing her in. The room was completely bare save for two chairs, a security camera in the corner, and an old lightbulb hanging overhead.
"Sit," Inara ordered, and she hesitated for a moment before complying. Inara smirked. "Not so defiant now, are you?" She did not reply.
In a few minutes, Inara had tied her arms and legs securely to the chair, making sure to knot the bonds tighter than necessary out of spite. The coarse material bit into her skin whenever she even moved, and she winced in pain. There seemed to be no way she could possibly escape this. She glanced up at the Insurgent girl timidly, her heart racing and her stomach twisting. Inara played with the keys in front of her face, smirking the whole while.
"Enjoy your stay," she said before turning around and exiting, locking the door securely behind her.
Left alone at last, she glanced around the room, taking in her meager surroundings. The light bulb shifted swung slightly above her, its dying glow barely illuminating the plain room. The walls were filthy and there seemed to be discolored stains all over. An aching feeling filled her chest and she dropped her head and shut her eyes tightly, wishing that it was all a bad dream and that she'd just wake up in her bed, safe and sound. Feeling tears coming, she pushed them back just as she'd always done. She'd survived many things before, yet something told her that what she was about to face was much much worse.