It felt as if we had been walking for ages, circling the exact same path again and again. I would have even believed this perception if I hadn't been paying close attention to every sharp turn, every rare vehicle. Around us, there were barely any buildings, and the few buildings which could be seen, were all crumbling, seeming as if the earth was swallowing them bit by bit. 

        My legs were burning and felt heavy with every step. Although, every time I would stop moving, one of the captors would push me to keep on walking. After what felt like hours of pointless walking over uneven pathways, we finally entered a dark, isolated building. It seemed like an abandoned warehouse. Yes, typical kidnappers. 

        We made our way over to a dust covered staircase, which creaked in a haunting manner with every step. I was afraid it would collapse under the weight that was being implied upon it. The building itself seemed to be crumbling, the age being exposed even more and more over so many years. This whole structure seemed as if it was a black and white photo, the colors dull. 

        The staircase spiraled towards the second floor and fortunately it wasn't too long. Although, trudging over these steps was made a challenging task itself with the hem of my gown's skirt wrapping itself around my toes. Soon, after minutes of clasping folds of fabric within my fists, we reached the top and were welcomed by a stench so strong, I had to release the skirt and pinch my nose. I tried my best to hold in my breath for the fear of catching something vile from the odor.  

        We made our way through a narrow corridor which, like the rest of the building, was draped in shadows. The paint on the walls was chipping off, while fungi was crawling in some corners. The ground here didn't look any better. The wood had gotten soggy in some areas. As I raised my gaze up towards the ceiling, I realized that the cause of the damp wood was a hole in the roof. The opening was the size of my fist, and remnant drops from the former rain still clung to the edges. As we went further into the hallway, we passed a few closed doors. I strained my ears to listen for any sign of living things behind the planks of wood, although I heard no sound. It was hauntingly quiet.  

        Finally, we made it to the end of the hall, which was indicated by a double door. One of the kidnappers pushed one of the doors open. Yes, I still refer to them as 'kidnappers' or 'captors'. I mean that's who they pose as, right?

        I held my breath, my heartbeat audible to my ears, as I awaited my fate, which was most likely waiting behind this doorway. Perhaps, it would be a man settled in a rocking chair, smiling with an eerie aura. Or maybe the horror movies I have watched are causing my mind to fathom menacing scenes. 

        Although, my expectations were not met as I released a relieved sigh. In front of me, there was an empty chamber, filled with only a table concealed in the corner. My relief was short lived as a shadow approaching from yet another staircase sent sweat trickling down my spine. I stood as still as a rock as I watched the figure descend the stairs gracefully, an ability I never possessed. At closer inspection, I realized that it was a male. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt with a vintage tan blazer draped over his shoulders. It seemed as if he was dressed for a 70's costume party. To top it all off, sideburns framed his face, which were clearly visible, regardless of seen from which angle. His outfit was so clashing with the 21st century, that I found myself searching for an ascot tie around his neck. Well, his fashion sense clearly isn't at the top. At that thought, a laugh threatened to rise out of me. It took a lot of pursing my lips and biting my tongue to restrain from letting the laugh out.   

        As the man approached, he was eyeing me with interest, his gaze piercing deep into my soul. I tried to keep my expression neutral; emotions concealed behind an invisible veil. With long strides, it was a matter of seconds before he stood not 5 feet away from me. I tried my best to not cower away and to stand steady and strong. 

        After a long, uncomfortable silence, he spoke, "Well, well, what do we have here? You look like good slave material. People are demanding girls like you, so we'll get good money for you." 

        I felt my jaw turn slack at the words "slave material". Suddenly, the seriousness of this situation dawned over me all at once. They were going to sell me as a slave. As a maid. At first, I had thought they would ask for money, and use me as the bait. Even using me as an enticement would have been more preferable. Now that I put some thought into it, I realized with fear that I couldn't be sure if Aunt Morrison would even pay the money to free me from danger. Perhaps she would sigh in relief, and mutter, "Good riddance". Anything was possible with Aunt Morrison's ever existing hatred towards me. She might even forget that I am her own sister's daughter.   

        "Billy and Toby, take her to the room and give her some other clothes to change into. She won't be needing this princess gown anyways. We can sell it for a lot of money," the man, who was clearly the leader, continued speaking in his steely voice. So the captors' names were Billy and Toby. Though I couldn't tell which was which.  

        Finally, gaining my senses back, I began thrashing with my arms, which they had not bothered to tie. I managed to slap the leader on the cheek before the men who had captured me, caught my arms, holding them behind my back. I kept on struggling, trying to break free out of their surprisingly firm grips. Suddenly, all three men burst out into relentless fits of laughter. I stopped moving and glared at them, trying to keep my fear hidden, shoved deep from their prying eyes.  

        "Feisty, I see," the leader, who I had just hit, mused.  

        "Poor girl thinks she can escape," the burly kidnapper said, his voice high with amusement. 

        I could do nothing but glare at him, trying to muster up all anger and hatred into this one look. I was tired of being treated like I was some banana peel left to rot in the trash. All series of events that occurred within my life, were always in favor of others and every single time against me. At least that's how it's been after my world was flipped over and the life I had come to know so well had been snatched away from me; that life was so close at first and then all of a sudden gone, Poof. Now, I have been treated with betrayal and hatred. Aunt Morrison, Courtney, Mason, everyone at school. Every single person resented me. Perhaps, there was one person who still cared. Ivana. She was my only hope at having a friend.

        I was snapped out of my thoughts as I felt a nudge. I looked over to the scrawny man who had pushed me. When I just glowered at him and refused to budge, he shoved me with more force. This time the impact was so strong that I was almost knocked over to the ground before I composed myself. Grunting, I walked forward as slowly as I could, trying to buy myself time to think. Fear was clawing at me as I wondered what awaited me in that room I was being led to; more like coerced towards.   

        As I traipsed further and further, my mind was racing as I tried to think of a way to escape this fate. When I had just reached the bottom of the staircase, I suddenly remembered the exact-o knife. 

        Thank god, I had the mind to thrust it into my shoe. I suddenly halted and bent down to retrieve the knife. I was careful to conceal it behind my skirts.

        "What are you doing?" one of the men asked. 

        "I think I twisted my ankle," I lied, trying to keep my voice steady because god knows how miserable my lying abilities are. I'm not sure if that's a good notion or not. In this situation, it's definitely not beneficial.  

        Wrapping my fingers around the handle, I got ready to lash as soon as I wrenched it out of my shoe. After all, the element of surprise is one of the optimal strategies in battle. This was my very own battle. 

        I inhaled a deep breath and straightening up, swiveled around to face my opponent.  

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Author's Note:    

This was chapter 14! I should really stop saying that, shouldn't I? You all can most definitely see the chapter number yourselves. I don't why, but for some reason I feel the need to mention the chapter number in the author's note. 

Anyways, the kidnappers are very unmannerly, aren't they? Will April be able to fight them off?Will the element of surprise and the exact-o knife be enough to beat her opponents? The next chapters will reveal the answers!

If you liked this chapter, then please share and vote! Also, if you have any questions or anything you would like to tell me, then feel free to comment below. :)

I hope you have a great day!

- Anika