"Maybe we will just send them your fingers first to prove we are serious."
He slammed the door behind him, plunging the room back into hollow silence.
Yueyao's shoulders shook with silent sobs as she bowed her head against the cold floor. Her tears fell, mixing with the dirt and grit beneath her cheek.
In that dim prison, with her body aching and her dignity stripped raw, only one thought burned in her mind:
"Please… don't let them hurt Aunt Mei… don't let them hurt my son… please…"
But the universe offered no mercy.
That night, they came back.
Two men grabbed her by her arms and dragged her to the centre of the room.
Her knees scraped against the rough concrete, peeling the fragile scabs off her skin until blood smeared the floor beneath her. Her surgical wound was also bleeding.
"Let's see how long she lasts," one of them sneered, pulling out a small, thin metal rod from his back pocket.
He held a lighter to it, heating the rod until it glowed orange-red.
