All the fear I had felt from those two men vanished, and I was no longer in that foul-smelling shed where I had sought refuge.
***
"I... I was no longer myself; Ranol, the human, was gone!"
*"I am a butterfly emerging from my cocoon; it was dark at first, but..."
CRACK CRACK — [I shattered the shell that confined me]
"My wings broke free from the fragile cocoon."
"I spread my wide purple wings, shimmering in the sunlight, as I flapped them and soared higher and higher."
"I am reborn! .. or so .... I believed,"
"[breathe, breathe]"
Reality hit me; my head collided with something hard with every jolt.
I'm in a vehicle!, and I'm being taken somewhere.
It's hard to breathe; my mouth is bound, as are my arms and legs.
"Shit! I'm trapped" — a whisper barely escaped my lips.
I twisted and turned; the space where I was thrown barely contained my frame.
"Aey? That brat is already up!"
"Hahaha... Are you sure it was his first time!...
I was tripping for two days, and by the third, my head felt dizzy!"
"Must be a runaway junkie! .. Are you sure he's the right pick?"
"Doesn't matter; we're almost there!"
I overheard their mocking conversation; my blood boiled. What were they doing, and where were they taking me?
"Let me go!" – I mumbled.
They ignored me...
THOMP – They opened the back seat of the vehicle.
I was blinded by the bright sunlight.
"Hmm, the weather's nice today."
The masked man untied the rope from my feet and fastened it around my neck, treating it like a dog collar.
He removed his mask and began to puff on a cigarette.
"You crazy?... He saw your face!"
Another one barked, his brow twitching.
A man in his late thirties, with a scar beneath his right eye.
"Hhahaha [PAT] ... Do you think he's going to escape from here?"
He patted the other man's shoulder and erupted into wild laughter.
"They did mention finding the matches and letting them go if they don't fit!"
"Amm, are you not a newbie? I forgot."
The man licked his lips.
"How incredibly foolish do you have to be!.... Are we really going to just let a hen that lays golden eggs slip away like that!"
"What?.... What are you even saying?"
"Nobody leaves this place! Once they enter... At least not alive!"
SHIVERR — My legs trembled like a leaf.
Tears streamed down my face, only to be disregarded by their stares. Nobody leaves?... At least not alive? What on earth have I gotten myself into?"
"Hmm, do you have something to say, kid?"
The man laughed, ridiculing my tears, as he untied the cloth that had been gagging me.
"PLEASE, LET ME GO!!" — I pleaded on my knees, my forehead pressed against his filthy shoes, the rope around my neck tightening painfully.
"HoHo... A dramatic one, are we?" – they chuckled.
"I'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING! HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT? MY UNCLE IS WEALTHY!"
I shamelessly bluffed. I knew he wouldn't spare even a tiny piece of change for me, but still, what if they could?
"What a pathetic clown!!"
My eyes widened, my pupils shaking uncontrollably.
"Clown?... Me?"
"You're a funny one! Stand up!"
"Please, let me go! I haven't done anything wrong!"
I truly had no idea what kind of place this was, but it certainly didn't seem welcoming.
Metal fences surrounded the entire area, topped with razor-sharp barbed wire. Beyond that, all I could see was an endless expanse of forest.
"Stand up! ... Stand up, I say!"
[I kept pleading. Who could be so merciless as to ignore the crying face of a 17-year-old helpless kid and not feel compassion?
He will! Aside from that scar, he looks just like any other normal person!
BAM! — He kicked me twice in the face; one of my front teeth fell out, pain erupting, followed by excruciating agony as my whole head felt like it was about to burst.
I fell down, crying like a helpless dog, while the man stomped on me with one of his legs, kicking me.
"Why? Why is this happening to me?" I mumbled, blood gushing from the spot where my tooth had been broken.
"Hey, stop! What if he dies?... We are supposed to deliver the matches."
"He's already dead the moment we arrived here."
The man let out a sadistic laugh before pausing.
"Hmm, a tooth won't ruin that pretty face of yours, so stop crying like a toddler!"
He barked, his brows twitching.
"Anyway, what does that matter?"
I gazed at him with tear-filled eyes, noticing a flicker of guilt in his expression.
BAM
"TSK, don't look at me like that!"
"Stop!"
The man clicked his tongue and pulled me into the building. I wanted to cover my mouth to alleviate the pain, but my hands were bound, and he was dragging me by the rope tied around my neck.
I was untied and stripped of all my clothes; I tried to cover my body in shame, but my hands were still tied.
SPLASH! — Cold water was thrown over me, freezing my entire body. The pressure of the water pushed me back, pressing me against the wall.
I cannot breathe.
The man holding the pipe was laughing sadistically at my suffering.
After that torment, they dressed me in white attire, and I was taken downstairs, my eyes barely able to see more than one or two steps downward.
"It is dark!"
"It is cold!"
I'm feeling chilly due to the cold water that was splashed on me while they were washing me; my entire body is still shivering from that experience.
FLASH – a man shone his torch as we walked to what felt like a basement.
"I don't want to die!.... I don't want to die!... please let me go... I don't want to die!"
I kept mumbling.
"This kid has finally lost it!" – they chuckled, poking their fingers on my shoulders.
The blood oozing from the broken tooth showed no signs of stopping; it bled continuously.
We finally halted before a sturdy metallic door.
"A Potential Match!" – the man gripping me shouted.
ZMMMM – Gradually, the door creaked open.
A bright light dazzled me, and my heart eased into a state of bliss.
It was warm!
A gentle breeze flowed through the door, enveloping me in a warmth that made me feel completely at ease.
It was bright, illuminating the dark stairs I was descending, its radiance surpassing that of the torch's light which guided us along the way.
STEP STEP– I stepped inside, and both of them left me behind.
The door eventually closed.
"Just what is going on?" – I shook my head in confusion.
The space was completely white and significantly larger than the area I had entered from outside, at least twice... no, thrice the size of the area enclosed by the fences.
"Walk and turn left; there you will find your instructions," a radio-like female voice instructed. I nodded my head like a dumb pigeon.
"I want to go home! There must be a mistake! I'm not supposed to be here!"
"Move to the designated place; after the tests, you'll be free to leave, and you will be compensated!" — her tone this time was warmer, and I felt as though she was telling the truth.
"Straight and left, right?" — I shouted.
"Yes."
I wasn't sure if I could trust her words, but from her voice, she didn't seem like a bad person... [FLASH– nobody leaves this place, at least not alive..], memories flooded my mind.
"That boar, how would he know how things work here? He looks like a ruffian, a damn brute! ..TSK"
"Why should I believe him?"
A foolish smile curled on my face; I didn't want to believe his words... my smile faded... but then returned... it's going to be alright!
I walked in the designated direction.