Out of the Darkness

Chapter 8

When I eventually stirred, I was on an uncomfortable cot. I forced myself into a sitting position despite the throbbing in my neck and the radiating pain down my arm. The bed groaned as I shifted. Around me, there were rows of cots. Many of them held sleeping figures who had gone through decontamination like me.

Anna was lying on the cot next to mine, her red hair spread across the pillow. I reached out, wanting to touch her, needing to feel the warmth of another human being. Her hand felt clammy and cold. I held it for a few moments, hoping to warm it with my own.

Anna croaked out a soft "Hey" as she turned towards me, her eyes still heavy from just waking up.

"Are you alright?" I inquired, my voice heavy with anxiety.

"I'm still here," she answered.

I nodded in understanding.

"What happened?" I questioned, eager to learn what occurred after I had fainted.

“I got the brand,” she said, pointing to the blistering burn on her neck. “They marked me after they did you.”

"Oh, Anna," I muttered, squeezing her hand more firmly.

"Why did you do that?" Anna inquired angrily, pulling her hand away. "Why did you act so rashly? They branded all of us. All you achieved was getting yourself in more trouble.”

When asked why I had done it, I answered honestly: "I couldn't stand by and do nothing."

Anna sighed heavily into the void, her tears now visible in the darkness. "It was foolish and impulsive," she said softly, her anger dissipating.

"I had to do it," I explained, trying to make her understand. "I would have done it for you, or Adam, or..."

Anna nodded to show that she comprehended. "Thank you," she muttered, gently squeezing my palm.

"Where on earth are we?" I probed, wanting to move onto a different topic.

"I'm not sure. One of the guards brought us here after the decontamination process," she clarified.

"How long was I asleep for?" I inquired.

"Only a few hours," came her answer.

"Have you seen Adam?" I pursued.

Anna's head hung low, her shoulders trembling as tears ran down her face, the circumstances becoming too much for her. I couldn't help but wonder what had become of Adam. Was he going through the same thing? Had they humiliated him and stripped him too? Did they decontaminate him and brand him with some symbol? All I could do was hope that he was okay.

"Let's try to get some rest," I offered Anna in a soothing tone, before I lay back down on the cot. I had barely shut my eyes when I heard the door open and light shone through my eyelids.

"Wake up, ladies," an authoritative voice commanded. The tone was familiar—it was the Cal, the guard who had brought me here from the bunker.

I snapped up abruptly, feeling a sharp twinge in my neck as I did so. I stifled a cry of pain as I clutched my neck.

At that moment, Cal started shouting orders and throwing blankets to the side, forcing the exhausted girls out of bed.

"Form a line," he commanded in a tone that couldn't be disobeyed.

I strained against my tired muscles as I arose and shuffled toward the line. Anna was right behind me, her face full of worry. I reached back, taking her hand in mine. What would happen next? It couldn't be anything good.

"Hurry up," Cal shouted, as he ushered the group of girls out of the door.

"What's happening?" Anna queried in a hushed voice.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I returned.

"You're going to visit the doctor," Cal interjected, having overheard the conversation.

"Doctor?" I muttered.

"Don't worry," Cal reassured us, "They'll take good care of you."

We moved down a long hallway, the sounds of our footsteps echoing off the walls. Cal maneuvered us through a maze of corridors, before once again entering into the large warehouse where we had arrived. The room looked different now. Hospital beds filled the empty space. IV poles held different liquids; some clear and others yellow, brown, or red. Machinery connected to medical equipment with a myriad of wires beeped and whirred softly near each bed. Men and women in lab coats milled about, checking the machines, and ensuring everything was in working order. I shivered at the possibility of what was going to happen next.

"Line up, ladies," Cal instructed.

The forty-some girls stood silently, as the men and women in lab coats made their way through, looking us over like cattle.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Don't worry," one of the lab coat men assured me. "It's just a routine checkup."

"You," Cal ordered, pushing one of the girls out of the line, her blue eyes filled with uncertainty as she walked forward from the group.

He directed her to one of the hospital beds. She sat down on the bed, and looked back at him, tears welling in her blue eyes.

One of the women in a white lab coat took her blood pressure and shone a light in her eyes, then nodded to one of the men in a lab coat, who approached with a needle and syringe. The girl began to cry as he picked up her arm and said something to her. He spoke to her, trying to calm her down. "We just need a little bit of blood," the man reassured her, but it didn't help.

She tried to get up and run away. Several guards stepped forward, pinning her to the cot, while the women in the lab coat secured her with restraints around her arms and legs. "No, no," she screamed, trying to get away, tears streaming down her face. She struggled against them but it wasn't long before they were done securing her.

The man in the lab coat was unphased, continuing on with the task. He stuck the needle into her arm, drawing blood into a vial. "Now, that wasn't so bad was it?" He snickered, labelling the vial of blood, and then walking away.

"Now you," Cal ordered again, pushing me forward. "And don't try anything stupid, or you'll end up like her," he pointed to the crying girl who was now being restrained by several guards again, as she fought against her restraints.

I walked forward, and kept my mouth shut. I was placed on the cot, and the women in the lab coat went through the same motions. She asked my age before checking my blood pressure, my temperature, and my ears, eyes, and throat. Then the man approached with a needle. I didn't fight it. I knew it was a losing battle.

Once he was finished, he walked away, and I was released. The girl before me had already been taken away, her bed now empty.

I looked around at the other girls in line, many of them were crying silently or looking away in fear. Anna was already sitting on one of the hospital beds, terrified but cooperative. What was happening to us? Why were they taking our blood? But I knew better than to ask. No one had any answers and speaking out only seemed to make things worse.

Cal motioned for me to continue walking, leading me back to the room with the cots.

As we entered the room, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me. What was next? What other tests do they have in store for us? The uncertainty of our situation was weighing heavily on my mind and I couldn't help but wonder if we would ever make it out of here alive.

"Why are they putting us through this?" I looked at Cal, seeking some clarity. An unexpected defiance coursed through my veins, or perhaps it was a sign of madness.

"Because," He leered at me. "We must guarantee the merchandise is good quality. The better the quality, the higher we can price it."

My words came out of my mouth in a whimper as I felt a boulder drop into the pit of my stomach. "Goods?"

Cal sneered at me, pleased that his words had the effect on me he wanted.

"We're not livestock," I snarled, feeling a wave of rage sweep over me.

"No," he concurred, "you're slaves, which isn't much better."

I felt my stomach twist in agony. I had no words, nothing to say that could take away this fear. The ever nagging questions at the back of my mind had now been answered. Why had they taken us? For what purpose? Now I finally knew - they were human traffickers, and there was nothing I could do.