NINE

The walls of her cell were cold. She doesn't know how long she had been there but her thoughts drifted here and there and she doesn't even know when the next thought took place after the other.

She remembered drifting to sleep but she woke herself up right before she could dive into a deeper slumber. She couldn't be sleeping. Not in this place. She doesn't belong here.

The surrounding was quiet and save for the prison bars that gave her glimpses of what was outside her cell, there was also a small window too high for her to reach. The bed was close to the wall. The sink was next to it and there was a toilet too. The bed looked more comfortable than the floor where she was sitting. She refused to sit on the bed. Sitting there would make everything real. She doesn't want it to be real. She cant be in a prison cell right after she earned her freedom her Hades.

Tears threatened to fall but she wiped them before she could even start crying. She won't cry. Not now. What she needed to do is to find a way to get out of here.

The floor was rough against her bare feet as she walked toward the cell bars. The bars were cold against her fingers but it was the last of her concern. She'd been to hell and back literally. She could survive this.

"Let me out!" she screamed and waited for a response but all she could hear was the echo of her own voice along the narrow hallway. She did it again; this time, she screamed louder and rattled the iron bars. Despite her little strength, she managed to create a bit of noise with the bars. She continued doing until she heard someone speak.

"I would stop doing that if I were you," said a voice.

She looked around and realized the voice had come from the cell next to her. She couldn't see the woman's face but she could see her wrinkled hand dangling from the cell bars.

"What did you do?" the woman asked. At first, she didn't understand what she was asking. Then the woman continued, "We all did something before we came here. So what did you do?"

She didn't do anything. It had been a normal day for her. It was supposedly the best day for her when Reid asked her for dinner. But it turned out for the worst. Her aunt's boyfriend assaulted her and her aunt had let him. Hades appeared and killed his aunt's boyfriend without even lifting a finger. The same night, she was kidnapped and had no idea what had happened to her aunt afterward. She didn't do anything.

"You were one of those criminals, then," said the woman.

"I didn't do anything," she said. She meant for her voice to come out strong but it came out weak and she hated it. If there is anything she can't do at the moment, that is to be weak.

"You haven't heard. Even without doing anything, you'd still be sent here. You were their convenient choice. Those lazy bastards will never let you out."

Hearing the words from the old woman made her want to sob. She couldn't imagine being here for the rest of her life. She did not escape hell just to be imprisoned in another. There has to be a way for her to get out. She has to get out.

"I've been here for more than fifteen years," said the old woman. She looked at her wrinkled hand. She was thinking the old woman would be clenching her fist while recalling a distant memory but her hand remained the same as if she had just given up on being mad for being there. When I came here, there were a bunch of other girls like me. And by that, I meant they're also like you. They didn't do anything but were taken here."

She looked around and looked for any signs of other prisoners or listened for any sound but there was nothing.

"Where are they?" she asked. The woman was silent for a while and she waited for her answer.

"They're gone," answered the woman.

"What do you mean they're gone?"

"Word of advice from someone who has seen how hellish this place could get, just keep quiet. Cry when it's over and when you're done, get yourself together. That's how I survived this place."

Her brows furrowed as she listened and when she turned to look at the woman's hand on the next cell, she couldn't see it anymore.

"What--"

Her words were cut short when a door opened followed by a distant sound of boots against the floor. She looked to the right only to see a couple of policemen walking toward her cell. Except they didn't look like policemen. The moment they were close enough, she could see their faces clearly. There were two of them. Both were of the same height. One was blonde while the other was dark-haired. They wore masks and the only thing she could see on their faces were their eyes.

She took several steps back as they stood in front of her cell. Earlier, she thought they didn't look like policemen. Now, she is certain they are not policemen. Aside from the fact that they were not wearing a uniform, she could tell they are not here for police duty.

Keys rattled and she could have sworn her heart was already on her throat as they tried to open her cell. She wanted to be let out but now, she doesn't want to get out. Not when she has a bad feeling about the two men in front of her.

She needed to do something.

She moved quickly to the bed and realized its frame is made of iron. She muttered a silent curse. There was nothing she could use against these two men. The sound of her cell door opening echoed across the whole and by the time she turned to face the two men, a sack was placed over her head and they took her arms behind her for them to tie harshly.

"Let me go!" she screamed as the two men held both of her arms. She tried kicking but it was no use. The two men were too strong as they gripped her arms. They didn't say anything and just continued walking, almost dragging her as she refused to move her feet.

"Help! Somebody, please! Help--"

She wasn't able to finish her screaming when the air was suddenly knocked out of her gut. One of the men had punched her and now, she was almost kneeling on the cold floor. She gasped for air but breathing became too painful. Hot tears lined her eyes but she refused to cry. Not now. She's not going to give them the satisfaction.

With her weak knees, the two men were dragging her. Her legs were weak. Her knees scraped the floor as they continued walking. She wasn't sure how long she had been dragged but then she felt the two men making her stand on her feet as they stood in front of a wooden door. She didn't have time to take in her surroundings as they opened the door and pushed her inside.

She turned to go back but they had closed the door on her face. Her fist pounded the door but it didn't as much do noise as she expected. It was when she heard the sound of cutleries behind her that she stopped pounding her hand on the wooden door.

Slowly, she turned to see who was in the room aside from her. Her breathing hitched as she realized what place they had put her into.

In front of her, a long table was set. Along the table sat several men she didn't know. They were all looking at her with hungry eyes as though she was going to be their next meal. But the food on the table was enough to tell her that she was there for an entirely different purpose.

This time, tears started to stream down her face as she saw the man at the head of the table stand and made his way toward her. She took a few steps back until she felt the wooden door behind her. The man stood in front of her and with his cold finger, he tipped her chin and made her look at him.

His grin was wicked as he raked his eyes from her face down to her body. She then remembered what the woman said earlier. She didn't understand it before but she fully understands it now.

"I think this one's a fighter," he said before he looked over his shoulders to talk to the other people in the room.

"We're going to have fun tonight."

At that moment, she had wished she was back in the underworld and not in this different kind of hell.