Chapter 67

Chapter 67

‘Get away from me, you piece of shit.'

Naomi was on her feet, ready to fight tooth and nail if she had to. Having lain stock-still for most of the night, desperately trying to pretend that none of this was real, even as her battered body insisted it was , Naomi had sprung up the minute she heard their tormentor approaching. Mia had not budged an inch, remaining laid out on the floor across the room, but despite her injuries, despite the deep despair that had gripped her all night, Naomi was not willing to give her attacker the satisfaction of total submission.

So instead, she'd tried to put as much distance between herself and the door as possible, poised to lash out with foot or fist if her abductor came near her. To her fury, however, he seemed at best indifferent, at worst amused, by her hostile demeanor as he hurried into their cell clutching two battered metal bowls.

‘Cool your boots. I'm just bringing you breakfast.'

‘Go to hell.'

But the words glanced off him as he placed her bowl on the ground, keeping a wary eye on her right foot, which was primed to strike.

‘Your shout, but the cockroaches will have it if you don't …'

He was already moving away, turning his back on her as he hurried over to Mia. Instinctively, Naomi glanced down at the bowl. As usual, it was full of dull grey slops, as alluring as a bucket of sick. And yet her stomach was groaning and she was starting to feel lightheaded, fatigue and hunger attacking her in a pincer movement. She'd have to eat something and as this was the only thing on offer, she had little choice but to comply eventually.

For now, however, her attention remained riveted on the two figures on the other side of the room, a slow, creeping anxiety stealing over her. Mia remained motionless on the ground, as their captor hung over her, slapping her face and pinching her arm viciously. Slowly, Mia was beginning to stir, moaning gently, her body turning slightly in a feeble gesture of resistance. But she was clearly in a seriously bad way, which angered her tormentor.

‘Get yourself together, girl. You're no use to me like this …'

But all he received in response was a wheezing round of coughing, Mia's harsh bark replaced now by a soft gasp. It chilled Naomi to the bone, Mia's total loss of power and energy shocking to behold, and it clearly troubled their attacker too, who straightened now, an angry, resigned look on his face. Shaking his head, he departed without another word, locking the door behind him. Naomi watched him go, suddenly beset by fears. Was Mia beyond saving? Had he given up on her? And if so, what did that mean for Mia? And for her?

And now it hit Naomi. Having spent the night plumbing the depths of despair, feeling she couldn't sink any lower, that she was suffering more than she ever had before, she now realized that the worst was yet to come.