Day 10      Charlotte POV            (December 26th 2013)

I found myself silently singing to Miss Jackson by Panic at the Disco. It had been another long night by myself in that pitch black prison. I was slowly starting to lose my sanity, I realized.

The truck that I was being towed in hadn’t stopped but once to refuel the entire trip. I was anxiously awaiting another pit stop to press my ear up against the wall and listen.

It didn’t take long.

I flew to my feet the moment the engine was shut off. I ran as fast as I could to the farthest wall and pressed myself to the black felt. I strained to hear any human movement in the outside world. A gas attendant or a civilian maybe.

Words were being exchanged: one was familiarly French and the other was an accent I couldn’t detect.

I took a shaking breath.

“HEY!” I screamed with all my might. I pounded my bound fists and slammed myself against the side of the room. “HELP ME!” I screamed.

My fingers were trembling and tears stung my eyes. I could barely stand straight now; my blood sugar must have been inhumanly low.

But somehow I managed to shriek, “HELP ME!”

I hadn’t produced that much noise since I threw tantrums as a toddler. I put every ounce of me into getting someone’s attention.

I could almost feel someone edging towards the truck out of curiosity as to what loud thing could be inside.

This was it! I was so close!

“HELP ME!” I tried in English and then in French, “AIDER!”

My cries were suddenly drowned by a roaring engine: the driver’s deliberate interruption of my attempt at escape.

And then before I knew it the wheels began to turn again.

I collapsed to my knees, unable to stop myself from sobbing.