Chapter 2 The Struggle Begins

• At this point, I carried te dry-voiced girl as I have come to describe her due to the absence of her name, on my back. She was close to weightless anyway.
• We followed the purple haired girl as she ran.
• "This way!"the purple-haired girl yelled, her voice frantic.
• ****
• Baelakis point of view. We rounded a corner, the lifeboat now in sight. A burst of hope surged through me, but it was quickly extinguished as the sound of a gunshot rang out. One of the crew members had taken aim, the bullet lodging itself into the wood just inches from my head.
• "They're shooting at us!" I cried, my body tensing. "Keep moving!"
• We raced towards the lifeboat, ignoring the bullets whizzing past us.
• We got into the boat, bullets flew around like flies.
• Thank God the boat was a big one, before another, the boat was full. There were five girls remaining.
• “We have to carry each other, so we can make space for the others. We won’t sink if we row fast enough” i said. To be honest, I myself didn’t believe what I just said. If there is too much weight on the boat, it’ll sink. I only hope it doesn’t.
• The girls did as I said.
• With dry-voiced girl still on my back, I carried her like a baby. I was used to caring for others, my papa had been sick all my life, and we never gave up on him. I just hope he is alright and that the news of my disappearance doesn’t hurt him much.
• “Bang!”
• That was the sound of someone receiving a bullet.
• “Splash!
• It was a huge splash. I turned my head to see one of the girls fall overboard, her scream cut short as the frigid water swallowed her whole. The terror in her face etched itself into my mind like a permanent scar. One of the girls fell into the water, she had been shot just before my eyes.
• In the midst of chaos, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
• There were screams from all the girls around me.
• “If you girls return, we won’t see a need to kill you, but if you don’t, we’ll keep shooting. Just come back like the really good girls that you are.”
• That psychotic voice I had now grown accustomed to, the voice that belonged to my tormentor, spoke as eerie and calmly as possible into the voice amplifier.
• I knew he was lying. If the girls went back, they’d be killed. That is the truth.
• “Row, row, just keep rowing!” I told the girls. We kept going.
• “What if he is telling the truth?” A girl asked.
• “You expect someone who had us locked in a ship for months to say a word of truth? You must be joking.”
• Months? Some of these girls had been here for months?
• “Bang!“
• One of the girls rowing the boat received a bullet in her right arm.
• She let out a loud scream. And fell to the wooden floor of the boat. Another girl took after her rowing spot.
• One of the girls quickly placed her hand on the spot where the other girl had been shot to help her not lose a lot of blood.
• As we rowed a little far from the ship, I saw from a distance other lifeboats coming our way. They were shooting at us.
• “They are coming! Row, row, keep rowing, don’t give up!” I urged the girls, panic growing inside of me.
• As the lifeboats closed in, the tension thickened, the air heavy with the stench of fear and sweat. My hands tightened around the oars, my fingers numb with fatigue. But I pushed on, driven by a primal urge to survive.
• "Keep rowing!" I screamed, my voice hoarse from desperation. "We're almost there!"
• The bullets continued to fly, ricocheting off the lifeboat and splintering some parts of the boat. One of the girls cried out in pain, her hand gripping her shoulder as she slumped against the side of the boat. But we couldn't stop.
• I saw a dark place, it looked like a forest not so far from us.
• “Let’s row to this forest” I screamed as I motioned to the forest I was talking about.
• “Yes, we are able to get there, we can use the darkness to hide and escape.”
• The purple-haired girl responded.
• The whimper of fear and the painful winces of the wounded girls broke my heart.
• With a newfound sense of hope, we rowed harder, faster. Each stroke of the oars felt like a lifeline, each drop of sweat a testament to our determination.
• We reached the edge of the forest, its shadows reaching out to us, beckoning us into their embrace. We leaped out of the lifeboat, the sandy shore welcoming our weary feet. I helped the wounded girls onto the shore, the purple-haired girl dragging the boat further inland, leaving it well hidden from sight.
• "We need to move quickly," I said, surveying the forest.
• The forest was a labyrinth of shadows and moonlight, the rustle of leaves and snapping of branches our only companions. My legs were on fire, every muscle screaming for rest. Yet, I pushed onward, desperation fueling my strides.
• We could hear the men's heavy footfalls, their voices growing louder as they closed in. The purple-haired girl glanced at me, her eyes mirroring the fear I knew was etched into my own face.
• "There," she said, pointing to a cluster of bushes up ahead. "We can hide there."
• Just as we were about to take a step, we were surrounded by an army of men. Panic ensued all of us.
• “Everyone, scatter!” I screamed out loud. “Run, run, just keep running!” I screamed. It is better to run individually to wherever your heart leads than to run in a group.
• The night erupted into chaos. Our bodies moved in different directions, each of us darting through the underbrush like frightened animals. My lungs burned as I pushed myself forward, my eyes fixed on the maze of trees ahead.
• Behind me, I could hear the shouts of the men, their footsteps pounding through the forest like thunder. I knew they were gaining ground, their numbers overwhelming us.
• "Arghh!" I heard a cry from the darkness, the voice of the purple-haired girl. I turned to see her stumble and fall, her face twisted in pain.
• I stopped right in my tracks. I ran back to her and helped her up.
• “I need to stick by your side, please” she begged. I looked at her and the wounded girl by her side.
• “Stay close. What is your name?” I asked the purple-haired girl.
• “Devina” she responded.
• We continued running.
• “You can’t run away from me.” His eerie voice said into the voice amplifier. “Just come back”.
• At this point, I could see none of the other girls in sight. I could only pray that wherever they ran to, they were safe.
• Gun shots again as we continued to run.
• As we ran, our breaths heavy and hearts pounding, the sounds of gunfire echoing in the distance, Devina's grip tightened on my hand. Her purple hair streamed behind her like a flag of defiance.
• "I can't keep up much longer," she panted, her voice strained with exhaustion.
• "We have to keep going," I urged, scanning the area for any signs of safety. "We'll find somewhere to hide, somewhere safe."
• But safety seemed elusive as the sounds of chaos only grew louder. Suddenly, we reached a fork in the road, and without a word, we both knew what had to happen.
• "I'll take this path," Devina said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You take the other. We'll meet up later, I promise."
• “Meet up where? Look!” I said as I sighted the top of the tallest tree in the forest. “This tree, let’s meet up beneath it”. I pointed up above to the tree very far away from us. We will meet there when we are safe. No one leaves until the other party arrives, okay?” I asked.
• She nodded.
• I hesitated, reluctant to leave her side, but I knew she was right. With a nod, we exchanged one last glance before parting ways, each step heavy with the weight of uncertainty.
• As I ran down my chosen path, my mind raced with worry about Devina and the wounded girl she had been protecting. Were they safe? Would we ever see each other again in this chaos?
• But there was no time for doubt. The only thing I could do was keep moving forward, hoping and praying that somewhere along the way, we would find our way back to each other.
• I kept running. I ran through the left side of the forest. The tension built up, my speed began to slow down. I was exhausted.
• I ran until I saw no one in sight, then I stopped to catch my breath. The weight on my back had begun to increase. I could hear her breathing slowly, she was also exhausted. How could these men be so devilish to keep people locked up for months, what was the reason?
• I was just about to begin running again.
• Clap, clap clap!
• “Good job, little tick, good job”
• I heard his voice, my worst fear.
• The calm tone before the worst torture is unleashed upon you.
• “So, little tick, you thought you could spoil my plans. Not to lie, you actually, but guess what? I forgive all the girls, really I do.”
• Was he serious? He forgives us?
• “Expect you, of course. I’ll let them go, tell my men to stop chasing them and take you instead. You are an exotic one. After all, you’ll make me more money. I like that. You just made my job easier. Thank you, little tick.”
• His words were like a punch to the gut, each syllable landing with crushing force. The possibility of salvation for others was a bitter consolation, as I found myself facing the full wrath of his twisted mind.
• "You don't have to do this," I pleaded, my voice quivering with exhaustion. "Let me go, and I promise I won't cause you any more trouble."
• He laughed, a sickening sound that twisted my insides. "Oh, but I do have to do this. You see, I can't have anyone thinking they can just escape my grasp, little tick.”
• I began taking little steps backwards.
• He began taking little steps forward. His tall frame cast a really huge shadow.
• I still couldn’t see his face properly. I never have.
• I began to run.
• One
• Two
• Three
• “Bang! Bang! Bang!”
• He shot at my back.
• Everything seemed to stop, it was like time never existed, and we were stuck in a dimension void of motion. It was a complete pause.
• I didn’t feel the pain in my back, I felt the pain in my heart.
• “You see, little tick, your stubbornness made me shoot your little friend.”
• He had shot at the dry voice girl I had carried on my back for hours now.
• She winced, a low wince that only me heard.
• One
• Two
• Three
• Her breath began to shake.
• I fell to my knees, I gently put her on the floor. My vision was blurry, I felt a drop of water on my lips, it was salty. They were my tears.
• “I… told… you to leave me… on …the… ship” she struggled to mutter.
• “Please don’t die, please don’t die, please don’t, please don’t die!!!” I let out a piercing scream. I knew I screamed loudly because I felt my head vibrate.
• “Thank you.” That was the last thing and only coherent thing I ever heard her say before her lifeless wide-eyed body rested on my lap as proof that she once lived.
• I closed her eyes, the piercing gaze she gave me. I locked them shut.
• In the aftermath of her last breath, I felt an agonizing numbness wash over me. Her life had ended, snuffed out like a candle flame in the wind, and it was my fault. I had failed to protect her, failed to save her from the cruelty of the world.
• "No," I whispered, my voice a hushed cry in the stillness of the forest. "No, no, no."
• But the harsh reality was undeniable, and I knew I had to keep moving. For her sake, for my own. For all the others who still needed my help.
• Leaving her body where it was lying, I began another round of running. I ran. I kept running.
• I didn’t care if he shot at me anymore, I just ran. I didn’t know where I was running to, but I just ran. I ran.
• He didn’t say a word. He just kept shooting in my direction.
• I ran, I ran until I heard the gunshots no more.
• As the dense forest stretched out before me, every step became more difficult than the last. My feet felt like lead weights, my body wracked with exhaustion. I stumbled, my vision blurring as the world around me began to spin.
• But I saw something, I swear I did. They were two beings. I didn’t know what they were, but they shined and one shone much more than the other, it shone white, it was like the sun hit my eyes as it stepped forward to me.
• Suddenly, everything turned black. I felt my legs give out beneath me, my body collapsing onto the hard ground. Pain lanced through my limbs, but it was nothing compared to the emptiness consuming me.
• And then, there was silence.