Javier

3.

-HER-

“Psst… hey,” I heard a whisper in the dark. I opened my eyes and blinked them several times. Darkness was the only thing I saw.

“Stella, are you there?” The same voice whispered. I tried to sit up but a sharp pain on my head made me wince. I almost lost my balance and dropped back before breathing really hard.

“Stella, was that you? Are you alright?” That same voice whispered. I groaned and tried to sit up while I tried to locate the wound on my head. I hissed in pain as soon as my fingertips brushed on the deep cut on my head. I had bled heavily from it.

“Yeah,” I groaned in reply. It took me some moments to get in touch with reality. I had lost track of how many days I had been kept here- in the dark. I remember how I got in here. I got lost between these warehouses and then this man pretended to help me and I ended up here.

It had been so many days since I had seen the sunlight. The only light that I ever saw was of torches that those creatures carried with them down here to look at us. Those vile creatures!

I swear they are not human. My blood runs cold every time I see their horrible, pale and blood-stained faces. The first time I saw them, I screamed on the top of my lungs until someone knocked me out again.

I first woke up in darkness but I soon realized that there were others down here, all were girls. We were locked in small cages. In the cage next to me was a girl named Lily. Currently, we were only three of us here, me, Lily and Helen.

When I was locked here, there were five of us but those creatures took two of the girls soon after. I still remembered the terror, their blood-curling scream as they were being dragged away. I knew that I would be next soon… any day.

“Is your head still hurting?” The previous voice asked. It belonged to Lily.

“Yes,” I answered. It took me some moments to realize that the place seemed eerily silent. It was Helen who was usually very talkative but the eerie silence hinted me that she wasn’t there anymore.

“Stella…” Lily breathed weakly before she confirmed my doubts, “They took Helen when you were asleep,” Her voice wavered as she had said that. A shiver ran down my spine and my heart sped up. As another wave of pain washed over my head, I let out a sound that was half whimper and half sob.

We were helpless. There was no way for us to get out of there. We didn’t know where were we but the worst part was that we didn’t have much time. Every breath we took with the reminder that it was taking us to our last one.

At the slightest of the sounds or commotion in the dark made my heart palpitate in my chest. We were living in terror each moment.

“What do you think they will do to her?” I asked Lily in a whisper. A shiver ran down my spine as I spoke that. This is what scares me the most but I cannot help thinking about it. My question remained hanging in the air.

I hoped my family was looking for me. I knew for sure that my dad was out there moving hell and heaven to find me. He was one of the most powerful businessmen in Arcta, the capital city of Eston and located on a frozen shore in the north. I knew that he would go to any extent to find me but I didn’t think there was anything in the world that could stop these vile creatures. I had seen enough in the past days to conclude that.

I didn’t have any choice but to sob silently in the dark. Lily remained silent too. I knew she was either deep in her thoughts, most probably thinking of our end. I didn’t know how much time passed but we heard something above us. They were heavy footsteps.

I knew what it meant. They were again coming down to get one of us. Lily let out a small sob as the rusty gate to the room where were put was swung open. I heard the terrible screech that those creatures made whenever they breathed. It was enough to give me goosebumps.

By the time, they had climbed down to the room where we were kept, Lily had started crying while I was in a trance. I heard footsteps approaching us before the light was flashed on my face. I didn’t realize it but I was visibly shaking.

I managed to catch Lily in the light they flashed on me. Her eyes were wide and her face was pale and ghostly. But to my surprise, they reached for my cage instead. There were two of those creatures. One flashed the light on my face, almost blinding me while the other unlocked the door.

I screamed at the top of my lungs when one of those creatures tried to reach for me but I tried to shrink in the corner of my cage but they still managed to get a hold on me. His hand was cold and his grip was very strong on me. I tried to thrash around to get free from that deathly grip but nothing happened. Instead, that creature screeched at me and slapped me hard.

My ear was ringing as that creatures took me out and tied my hands. I put all of my remaining energy to use to get free but I got dragged away- the same way I had seen those two girls being taken away. Meanwhile, I heard Lily sob behind us.

I was screaming on the top of my lungs and tears were streaming down my eyes as they continued to take me away. I screamed as loud as I could. I didn’t care if my vocal cords got ripped. I wanted someone to hear me but deep down, I knew that it was all going to waste.

They took me up a flight of stairs and there that wrenched smell was so strong, I wanted to kneel and vomit my guts out. I did my best to trouble those creatures as much as possible. They hit me multiple times to shut me up but I wasn’t going to stop. I wanted to be free.

They took me past multiple gates until we reached a big metal gate. The smell was very strong there. As the creatures took their time to type in some password, I took that moment to kick one of them with all the energy I was left with. The creature managed to stagger back and I was free from his hold.

I didn’t waste a moment to spin on my heels and run past all the doors that I was brought in just moments ago. I ran for my life. I heard them following me close behind but I didn’t dare to look over my shoulder to see how close they were to me.

I only stopped at an intersection. I looked around in confusion but hearing them come for me, made me turn left and run down a long corridor. I saw a door at the end of the corridor. I ran to that door as fast as I could before I barged in.

I knew that what I saw next was going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

I saw various naked bodies of women, hanging upside down from the ceiling. Their eyes and mouth were sewed shut. A couple of bodies were decapitated on a table just nearby and all their organs were lying not far from her. The floor was covered with blood and that awful smell was the strongest there.

I let out a sob at the sight while I staggered back.

Meanwhile, I heard them get near to me. Before I could run further, I was being hit so hard on the head that I heard a crack. I knew it was my skull. For a moment, I thought that the blow had knocked the life out of me as my whole body turned numb and the ringing in my ears was back.

I finally felt the pain as I hit the floor. I was united with darkness again.