rancid breath even through the bag that covered my face. They didn’t just want pictures of our faces. They had already gotten those, now they were taking pictures of our bodies. A hand was placed firmly on my shoulder keeping me in line, forcing me to kneel straight. My knees dug deeper into the dirt, rocks embedding themselves in my skin causing pain to radiate throughout my body. Tears formed in my eyes, but I squeezed my lids shut, telling myself someday I would get out of here. I wouldn’t allow myself to die here like the others before me.
“Move her and bring the next one in,” someone new said as the hand on my shoulder eased up, moving the pain to another part of my body. The hand reached into my hair, gripping tightly as he pulled me to my feet. I forced the scream that desperately wanted to escape my lips, to stay deep inside of me.
Stay strong, Izzy, I told myself.
Allowing them to see your fear, allowed them to know they had some type of control over you. If they could scare you, they could do anything.
“I want her, boss,” a man growled into my ear, his hand way too close to touching my breast. I imagined myself screaming, someone hearing my pleas and God granting me an end to this insanity.
“You may touch her above the clothes only.” I wanted to beg, to tell him no but kept silent, cursing them in every way I could inside of my own mind.
Remember you have your thoughts. I repeated the words over and over again in my mind, thinking if I repeated them enough it would make it easier for me to believe. It would give me hope knowing they couldn’t touch my thoughts.
The man pawing at my breasts fondled them with both hands as I stood still, feeling disgusted in more than one way. Tears fell from my eyes, and I was thankful the bag was in place. I didn’t want them to see my weakness. Didn’t want them to know what they were doing really hurt me.
Minutes seemed to pass as agony took over.
One hand stayed against my breast while the other headed south. I could hear his heavy pants, his breaths against my skin.
“I will have you. This sweet, untouched pussy will be mine someday…” he whispered into my ear. My stomach revolted as acid threatened to spew from my throat. My insides curled as I tried not to recoil from his touch.
His fingers roughly rubbed against the material of my panties that covered my most intimate part. “Please stop…” I cried out softly, praying he would. Even if it were only for a second. I just wanted one person to show me they were still human and that all hope wasn’t completely lost.
A harsh laughter filled the air. “You’re begging me to stop now, but very, very soon, when you’re mine, you will be begging me for more.”
His hand that was against my breast moved to my chin gripping it tightly. My teeth ground together as my jaw clamped shut and fear coated my insides. I felt trapped, wanting to struggle against his hold, but at the same time, not wanting to give him a reason to knock me below his feet.
“Do you understand that this cunt will be mine? You’re mine, Isabella.” He hissed my name. Seconds passed with no interaction, all that could be heard was the furious beating of my heart and his heavy breaths against my cheek.
With a shove, he released me, and I fell to the hard ground. I had never been more relieved in my life to be shoved away, thrown away like yesterday’s garbage. I didn’t want any of the other girls to have to take punishment for my actions or my place for the things I refused to give to these people, but when it came down to surviving, I would do anything that I could.
I shuffled against the dirt floor and into a corner, unsure where exactly I was in the cell. I needed to find my way back to my cot. I was on the verge of collapsing on the floor when I heard the screams of one of the other girls.
Her cries were muffled as if she were far away. “Stop doing this to me. Stop hurting me,” she pleaded. She didn’t
James Patterson and Maxine Paetro