kidn*pped, Guided by My Unborn Child to Destroy the Traffickers

I've been trapped in these mountains for six months. They only let me out of the yard to eat because I'm pregnant. To my surprise, Mrs. Gable gave me an extra piece of meat tonight. "Eat up. Mayor Jenkins is sending someone for you tomorrow. He needs your womb. His third son is also a half-wit. You're already carrying one, so what's one more?" I lay in the woodshed, staring at the rafters all night. Just as I was about to drift off, a tiny voice whispered, "Mom, the door isn't locked! Run! Mayor Jenkins will be here in an hour. He’s 'borrowed' three women before, and none of them made it out alive." My palms broke into a cold sweat. Just as I was about to bolt, lines of text suddenly flashed before my eyes. "Don't move! Mrs. Gable is wide awake, just waiting for you to make a move! If you run, she'll burst in and break your legs! That kid is a trafficker's seed. He wants to trap you here forever!" I froze, barely daring to breathe, my fingers clutching the straw beneath me. I couldn't help glancing at the c***k in the door. If Mrs. Gable was faking sleep, was she crouching out there, watching me? The voice from my womb spoke again, urgent this time, "Mom! Mayor Jenkins is on his way! It's now or never!" My heart pounded, my throat felt parched, and my palms were slick with cold sweat, but I stayed still. A stack of firewood sat right by the wall—perfect for someone to hide behind. If she was really there, I'd walk right into her the moment I pushed the door open. Just then, I heard a faint creak. "Mom?" Barnaby's voice was muffled. "What are you doing crouching out here?" My blood turned to ice. Through the c***k, I saw a dark silhouette slowly rise from the shadows of the wall. She really was there. "Just go back inside once you're done." Mrs. Gable's voice was a low, impatient hiss. I shrank back into the corner, slowly lay down, and turned over to fake sleep. The moonlight streaming through the window was suddenly cut off. Mrs. Gable was standing right outside, staring at me through the paper-thin windowpane. I don't know how much time passed before Mayor Jenkins' motor tricycle pulled up at the gate. Mrs. Gable hurried out to greet him. "I only found out she was pregnant yesterday. We'll bring her over once the baby's born." The Mayor gave a dissatisfied grunt, and Mrs. Gable immediately put on a fawning smile. "Come in and eat. It's a long trip out here. Hey, city girl, get to chopping wood!" I raised the axe. The blisters on my hands had burst and healed so many times they were now thick with callouses. Mayor Jenkins' greasy gaze lingered on my face as a raspy, sickening chuckle escaped his throat. "She's a looker. Even better that she's pregnant. Some of the big bosses like that. Wait until she miscarries, then knock her up again. Repeat the cycle until a whole crowd is guessing whose kid it is. Once they figure it out, feed it to the dogs." The axe nearly slipped from my grip. "If they can't tell, just sew the cord back on and set the dogs after her. See how long she lasts." I was shaking all over, my stomach churning. Mrs. Gable didn't even blink, just curled her lip and started haggling. "We paid twenty-five hundred for this one. Since we aren't getting her back, we'll need to buy a replacement, won't we?" Mayor Jenkins pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to her. She counted the bills, grinning as she tucked them into her waistband. I felt like I'd been plunged into an ice bath. The Mayor gave a cold snort and headed inside. Mrs. Gable scurried after him to start dinner. I stood there frozen as the axe slipped from my hand. I'm never getting out. They're going to play with me until I'm dead. "Hehe." A hand reached out from behind and squeezed my backside. It was Barnaby. He was grinning, drool leaking down his chin. "Ma said... said I get to do it... one last time. Hehe." His filthy hands reached for me again. I forced myself not to flinch and managed a smile. "Can we go to the woodshed? I'm shy." Barnaby skipped toward the shed, thrilled. My hands shook as I hid the axe behind my back. I hated him. If I wasn't going to make it, I was taking this i***t with me. At least then they couldn't buy another girl. I swung the axe at the back of his head, but a sudden, sharp pain in my belly threw off my aim. "Mom, you're going to get out! You can't kill him. If you do, your life is over!" Barnaby turned and screamed when he saw me. Ignoring the pain, I swung again and knocked him cold. I stumbled out of the shed. In the kitchen, the sound of Mrs. Gable chopping meat stopped. The Mayor chuckled darkly. "Sounds like that boy of yours is having a grand old time. Oh, you know how he is. He's just a simpleton..." The voices were getting closer. The voice in my head and the livestream comments exploded at once. "Mom, hide in the Mayor's truck! There's no cover in that truck! Jump in the dry well!" My eyes darted between the well and the tricycle. I grit my teeth and made a run for it. "Agh! Help! My son's hurt! The girl's gone!" The Mayor cursed and scrambled onto the roof to get a better look. Mrs. Gable grabbed a long bamboo pole and started stabbing it into the well. "Don't let that brat freeze in that water. We need her alive to have some fun." I was huddled in the bed of the tricycle, buried under a sheet of frozen plastic. The cold metal felt like a blade against my back. I bit down hard on the back of my hand to stay silent. The footsteps in the yard faded. The baby's voice sounded like it was on the verge of tears. "Mom, get out of there. You're going to freeze to death." I tried to move my frozen limbs. My finger snagged on the icy plastic, tearing away a small patch of skin. "Don't move! Mrs. Gable is coming! If you move, she'll see you!" I froze instantly, trying to make myself as small as possible. Mrs. Gable's low voice sounded like it was right against the plastic. "Did anyone check the back of the truck?" My heart skipped a beat. Mrs. Gable reached for the edge of the plastic sheet. "Mom, jump! It's just her. Push her and run! Don't jump! She's holding a fire poker! If she catches you, you're dead!" Two conflicting voices fought in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut. A corner of the plastic was lifted, letting in a sliver of cold light. "What the hell are you doing?" The Mayor walked over and slapped her hand away, sounding annoyed. "I'm taking this plastic to sell! She definitely ran for the hills. I'm going back to get the dogs." The engine roared to life. Cold wind whipped through the gaps. As the truck jolted along, I closed my eyes, but it felt like someone was viciously wringing out my womb. Sharp agony pierced my brain, and my vision began to blur. "Mom, don't sleep! Once the Mayor stops the truck, you can run! No! Jump now! They're waiting at the Mayor's place. You won't stand a chance if you wait!" Dead trees blurred past as the truck sped along, their shapes unrecognizable. If I jump now, I'll likely break a leg—or my head against a rock. But if I wait until he stops... I grit my teeth, shielded my head with my arms, and leaped.