I lay there, naked and with my eyes closed, as the dull pain in my body continued to ache like hot coal burning at my skin. I tried not to let it get to me as I mustered some sort of ability to get up and out of bed. But it was hard since I had been severely beaten.

I had no idea how bad I looked. Sophie had said I was ugly, especially with all the bruises about my body. Then I wondered how James would react if he were to see me now. Would he, like Sophie said, be repulsed at the sight of me? God, I didn’t know, and honestly, I didn’t have time to think about that right now.

Now I needed to take control of my weak, throbbing, inflamed body and tell it to get a move on if I wanted to get out of here before night came, if I didn’t want Herbert to take me out of town as Sophie had implied.

Miraculously, in agony, I somehow managed to pull myself up. Then I raised my gaze to the window where the curtains were still drawn shut. What little light managed to sneak in through the dark room told me it was somewhere around late afternoon. It’d only be a couple hours more until darkness fell and then…

Shit! I had to get out of here fast while I still had the time.

I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes, psyching myself up for the next move, which would be comparable to a herculean task, considering my current state.

Once I was ready, I pushed myself off the bed.

Pain coursed throughout my body, and I did my best to hold in my cry of agony. My head spun as my vision darkened. I breathed in deeply and slowly, telling myself to stay calm and steady. God, my legs felt like jelly. I felt as though I were about to collapse onto the floor.

Once my head managed to stop spinning, I opened my eyes and noted, with relief, that my vision was now clear. Commanding my legs to straighten, I then moved, one small step at a time and not without pain, toward the window. There I grabbed for that thin curtain, and with all the might I could muster, I pulled and tugged and tore at it. I was glad the material was very old and torn, and therefore, it wasn’t a difficult task to shred it away from its rail.

The sound of the fabric ripping, however, made me nervous. Shit! I hoped neither Herbert nor Sophie were in the next room because the odds of them hearing the sounds of fabric shredding and the screeching of the metal rod was undoubtedly high.

When there were no signs to indicate that either of them were in the next room—because surely I’d hear movements or footsteps at least—I sighed in relief. That, of course, provided very useful information. I was not being watched as strictly as I had thought. The only conclusion was simply that I looked so bad after the beating that they didn’t think I’d be able to move afterward. A good thing, then, if they thought that way. I’d be able to make my escape easily since they had their guard down.

Once I had the material in my hands, I made quick work of wrapping it around my body like a beach towel to cover my nakedness since my clothes, which Herbert had torn off me, were nowhere in sight. I suspected he had them hidden away in his bag somewhere, as was his usual disgusting habit.

I headed to the door and cautiously tried the handle, wiggling it a few times. When the door came away, I wanted to shout out in happiness.

Oh God, thank you so much! I thought, looking heavenward.

Slowly and carefully, I opened the door and then cautiously scanned the next room, searching for either Herbert or Sophie, even though I knew they weren’t there.

Noting all was clear, I opened the door wider and stepped out. I had no time to see what was in the room as I raced across and headed to the next available door. There, I cautiously tried it, praying it wasn’t locked like the previous one. When I found that it indeed wasn’t, I felt like laughing, despite the pain aching throughout my body because of my movements.

After opening the door, I took another cautious search. I noted it was a hallway with glass walls on both sides. I assumed this must lead me to the exit.

Without wasting time, I rushed out, and as I tottered across, I noted I was on the second floor of an old, abandoned building. Down below was a spacious warehouse of some sort.

So Herbert and Sophie had held me captive in a warehouse, then. But where? I didn’t know, and I wondered if James and his team would manage to pinpoint the exact location. Los Angeles was a huge place after all. I just hoped I’d be able to escape without Herbert or Sophie noticing and find someone to help me get in contact with James.

I was across the hall now and opened the door to see there was a set of stairs descending. God, I hoped the door at the base of the stairs was the exit.

Without hesitation, I took a step downward and then another and another as the pain in my body continued to scream at me, telling me to stop. But of course, I refused to listen to the anguish coursing through me. My escape was more important.

Once I managed to step onto the landing at the base, I was even more on high alert, instinctively knowing that any moment now, either Herbert or Sophie would spot me and drag me back to my cell and lock me in. Although, I did pray I could escape unscathed.

I opened the door and did another thorough scan of the next section, noting it was the main warehouse. The place was, unsurprisingly, filled with an assortment of junk: pieces of metal, car parts, TV parts, cardboard boxes, rubbish in general, pieces of broken beds and furniture, and a whole lot of other shit that just kind of blended together until one didn’t know where it ended and where it began. Of course, the smell was overwhelming, too. I tried not to gag at the stench but found it hard as bile rose from my stomach and my head started spinning.

God! What the hell smells so bad?

I didn’t know, and to be honest, I didn’t want to find out. All I needed to do right now was get across this humongous warehouse to that next door that would lead me outside. My escape route. My savior.

Once I somehow managed to clear my head and overcome the smell, I opened the door wider and stepped out. After searching around again and noting all was clear, I staggered toward the exit.

Oh God! Yes. I was almost there. My heart was pounding so hard that I felt it was about to pop out of my chest any moment now. My adrenaline was high, as I knew it was only a little ways more until I reached that door.

But then…

Then that door decided to open from the other side and across came Sophie’s voice.

“Fuck!” she shouted when she saw me.

“Shit!” I said under my breath as I came to a sudden stop, surprised.

“How the hell did you…?” Sophie said, obviously in disbelief.

At that moment, Herbert came in behind her, and I felt my world suddenly come crashing down on me.

No. No. No. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They weren’t supposed to be here. I was supposed to escape unscathed.

“Fuck!” Herbert snapped. Obviously, he looked as shocked as Sophie was at seeing me there, a broken, beaten girl with cuts and bruises, limping her way about a humongous, abandoned warehouse filled with rubbish, trying to escape.

He shoved Sophie aside and marched toward me, his face red in anger. That was when my body took control as more adrenaline rushed through me.

It’s flight or fight time.

I reacted and made the move by dashing backward, away from Herbert’s hands. He, however, came after me.

I was scuttling, never mind the pain in my body. In fact, at that moment, I felt no pain at all. All I thought about was getting away from him.

And I did my best, running as I had never run before, dashing toward the pile of junk and throwing things at him.

Herbert swore and growled as he chased after me. Pieces of metal, wood, cardboard, and whatever I managed to get my hands on, I hauled them at him, hitting him on the head, face, and body. My retaliating action managed to slow him down, but of course, this only made him even angrier, which I knew as his tyranny behavior became more aggressive.

“I’m going to kill you, you bitch,” he growled, his eyes dark and his face bright red. “I’m going to beat you into a pulp for playing with me. I’ll teach you a harsh lesson for tricking me and disobeying me, you bitch. You’re a bitch just like your mother. I’m going to fuck you and beat you so bad it’ll kill you, Mia. You just wait and see when I get my hands on you.”

He continued to rant like a child who couldn’t get what he wanted. Of course, I wasn’t listening to him as my mind raced, trying to figure out a way to run toward the exit where Sophie still stood, watching me with murderous eyes. Obviously, she was blocking the door to prevent me from escaping.

I knew I had no choice but to bulldoze through Sophie if I wanted to get out of here. But that could only happen if I managed to lose Herbert. And I knew the only way to do that was to severely injure him.

I noted the sharp piece of metal, perhaps part of a car, lying behind me amongst the piles of junk. I took another step backward, bent down, and grabbed for it. What happened next was so quick, and I didn’t have time to think or act. One moment, I was picking up that sharp metal, and the next, Herbert was upon me, his hand on my hair as he pulled me up.

I screamed so hard and loud in reaction that my throat hurt. As he pulled me by the hair, I yelled, “Let me go, Herbert! Let me go, you bastard!”

I fell onto my knees as he started dragging me, my skin skidding against the uneven concrete, cutting into me and bruising me even more. I held on to his wrist for dear life whilst at the same time sliced at his skin with the sharp piece of metal like a madwoman.

I heard him growl in pain, and I knew I had hurt him. But he wouldn’t let me go as he dragged me toward the door.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

I struggled harder as I heard him opening the door. I knew he was taking me back upstairs and, God, he was going to beat me up again and rape me, too.

“No. No. No,” I cried, shaking my head as I tried to stab at him again.

Herbert caught my wrist and forced the metal out of my hand. Then he sneered at me, his eyes dark and wild. “Now for your punishment, Mia. I’m going to fuck you and beat you until you can’t walk. Until you can’t even crawl.”

He even smiled at me, and it made me feel so cold inside. I was so afraid for my own life that I became paralyzed and my mind just blanked out.

He picked me up and hauled me over his shoulder. My mind was numb as he took me upstairs, and once in the room he had me in before, he dumped me on the floor against the wall. Instantly, I pulled myself into a ball as my heart pounded like there was no tomorrow and the fear inside me overwhelmed me so much. I couldn’t do anything.

God, I’m pathetic.

It was when I heard the sound of Herbert unzipping his pants that I was able to force myself out of the darkness of fear, that I was able to take control of my mind and body again.

No. There is no way I’ll let him rape me. No way I’ll let him beat me up again.

I growled loudly as tears flowed down my cheeks. Then without thinking—because time was of the essence, I knew there was no point in thinking—I rushed up and bulldozed myself into Herbert. I knew the bastard was thrice my size, but so what? I was desperate, after all.

My head and body crashed against his fat, and then I growled some more like a wildcat that had gone more than a little bit crazy. I raised my head, and after noting the shocked surprise on his face, I opened my mouth wide and bit onto his ear as my hand grabbed at his hair, which I then proceeded to tug and pull and tear at the strands as though my life depended on it.

Some greasy strands came away with my yanking, and I felt satisfied. I tasted his blood in my mouth, too, and I knew I had managed to wound his ear.

He was screaming, too, in pain no doubt. He was trying to pull me away, but I wouldn’t let him. I clung onto him as I continue to bite him harder and tear at his hair.

It was only a few moments later that he managed to get me away from him, and once he did, he thrust me against the wall as he screamed, “You bitch!”

The moment I felt the smack against the wall, my head spun and darkness invaded my mind. I knew I had to get ahold of myself if I wanted to defend myself against Herbert’s beating.

I felt him gripping my left arm as he pulled my makeshift curtain-towel away so I stood there naked and weak. He then slapped me in the face, sending me crashing to the floor.

Heaving heavily, he came toward me with a sneer. “Oh, I’m going to fuck you so hard, Mia, so fucking hard it’ll kill you.”