Twenty-three

I freeze against this strange man. Tears begin to slide down my cheeks as I breathe roughly through my nose.
He slowly turns me around so that we climb into the back of a van where one man operates it from the driver's seat.
My mind can't help but imagine the worst case scenario. What are these men going to do to me? Are they going to kill me?
The man with the gun sits across from me on the floor. He still points his weapon at me. He wears a black hoodie, exposing his pale face and green eyes. I've never seen him before. He must be around his thirty's.
It smells awful in here, like smoke and alcohol and mildew. It's dark in here from the lack of windows, creating a dim, green glow from the walls.
I begin to contemplate on asking what they plan to do with me, but I fear that it will result in my pain. So I keep quiet. Speechless. Not a mucsle moving except my speeding heart. More tears stream from my eyes further, damping my cheeks.
The man across from me slowly pulls out a phone from his hoodie. He keeps the gun pointed at me as his eyes watch me intently. He then raises the phone to his ear and speaks with a low, hoarse voice, "We got her. Do we still stick to the plan?" He pauses for a moment to hear the response. He nods and replies, "Alright. Will do." He clicks off the phone and slides it back in his pocket.
Do they know me? What do they want with me? This can't be just a random kidnapping for no reason. How? How do they know me? What do I have that they want?
I bow my head while sobbing. I imagine that I won't be able to go home. Maybe I will die. And no one will know.
* * *
We pull up to a small motel. If it weren't for the dim sign being lit up, I would've assumed that it was abandoned.
As we climb out of the van, the man grips my bicep for my restraint. He keeps his gun pointed at me from his hoodie pocket.
We stop in front of a door with three numbers on it: 286. He opens the door and pushes me through it before following me in with the other man. The door shuts and the only sound that remains is a dog barking and police sirens off in the distance.
He pushes me back so I sit on the edge of the bed. He points the gun at me while demanding roughly, "Don't move." His eyes watch me before he gradually turns his back so that he faces the other man.
They both mumble quietly between each other, occasionally glancing back at me.
I swallow hard as my muscles tense beneath my skin. I haven't moved a finger since I sat down. My palms sweat on my thighs as I gaze ahead of me at the blank wall behind the dresser.
Is this how I really die? Murder. What have I done to deserve this? I'm too young to die.
The man with the gun turns around and strides toward me. I notice a dark, dragon tattoo on his neck.
He stops before me, placing the gun on the dresser behind him without turning his body. He slouches so that his hands rest on my thighs. His thumb slides up my skirt as he smirks at me.
Instinctivly, I slap his hand away.
He snarls at me aggressively.
Fuck, is he going to hurt me now?
Suddenly, he grabs both of my wrists and pins me down against the hard bed. He hovers over my body as I squirm beneath him helplessly. The tears come back as I breathlessly attempt to escape from his grip. My heart pounds against my chest quickly as the adrenaline tingles my thighs.
He's too strong for me to break free. I try again, throwing myself back and forth as I scream, but it's useless. "Get off!" I cry out while still squirming.
He smirks down at me with pleasure. He then calls over his shoulder to the other guy, "Hey, get the handcuffs."
I see him turn over to a bag and pull out metallic handcuffs from over his shoulder. He then walks over and hands them to him.
The man above me cuffs my wrists to the bed railing. He smiles down at me. "Damn, girl," He mutters, his eyes glancing down my body. "you a fine one."
I cough out a sob as my wrists pull against the cuffs. Tears saturate my face and the bed sheet.
He positions himself so he can pull my skirt off. I try to kick my legs for my skirt to stay on, but it's useless. It slides right off.
"Stop!" I shout while kicking my legs frantically.
"Hey man," The guy behind him says, "hurry up with her so I can get my turn."
"No!" I cry out while pushing my feet against the bed, pushing me up towards the railing.
He yanks my body back down against the bed and grips my thighs in place.
I pant breathlessly while sobbing. "Get off!" My voice cracks.
He fetches a pair of scissors on the night table and slides his hand in them. His eyes threaten me as he opens them.
I shriek out again while pressing my cheek into the bed. I then feel the cold scissors slide up my stomach as he cuts my white shirt off. Then, he snips the small sleeves off and tosses the torn fabric off the bed.
I'm now left in only my pink bra and lace panties.
He licks his lips while unbuckling his belt.
I sob while squirming again, tugging on the sharp hand cuffs as they burn my wrists.
The door then opens. All three of us stop to see a woman at the door.
I blink my tears away so I can make out her face. A relieved smile spreads on my wet face. "Alex."
Thank goodness she found me. I'm not sure how she knew, but I'm so glad to see her.
She frowns at the man above me as he jumps off the bed to stand in front of her.
"You idiots!" She hisses between her teeth. "I told you to kill her! Not rape her!"
My smile falls. What?
She's not here to save me? She's the one behind all of this?
"Alex?" I whisper as the tears pour down my face.
There's no way. She didn't. She's my best friend.
"You want me dead?" I whisper.
She rolls her eyes at me. "I tried to keep you away, but you wouldn't listen." She slowly walks towards me.
Keep me away? From what?
She continues. "I told you to stay away from Dean, that it wouldn't be a good idea. But you were too stubborn." She growls.
My eyebrows furrow. "Dean? This is what this is all about? Him? Why?" I huff while shaking my head.
"Because!" She shouts. "I wanted to be with him!" Her finger pokes her chest. "I told you from the start how much I was attracted to him. You didn't even think he was all that great, but you fuck him as if you deserve him. Seriously?"
I frown. "How did you know-"
She cuts me off. "That you fucked him before you told me? Because I've been watching you all this time. It confirmed my conspiracy when you actually admitted it to me. However, I knew that the morning in Paris when you claimed to be sick, was actually your cover up. You fucked him that night and didn't want anyone to know." She places her hand on her chest while raising her eyebrows sympathetically. "Oh, how do I know? Because your roommate, Ashley, told me you left with him that night. You're so pathetic." She narrows her eyes. "Which is why you need to die, so that you can stay away from him forever. Then I can have him to myself."
I swallow hard. "Please don't do this." I beg. "This isn't you."
She places her palms on the bed and scowls. "You don't know me. You don't know anything about me."
I inhale deeply. "Please," I whisper. "let me go."
I've never felt so scared in my life. . .and betrayed. I still can't believe she would do this, all for one man.
"I'm not with him anymore. You don't have to kill me." More tears stream from my eyes. "So you can have him. "
"It doesn't matter." She walks over to a black bag on the dresser. "You'll just keep taunting him and getting back with him. None of us want that." She shakes her head while digging through the bag, her back facing me.
I glance up at my cuffs to see my tiny wrists trapped. There's a small opening just enough to tightly turn my wrist. I gulp as I pull my wrist down painfully, the bottom of my hand stopping from escaping. Slowly, I pull more on it while watching Alex. The cuff bites into my skin as I pull even harder. It's painful. It feels as if my hand is about to pop off, but I keep tugging down on my right hand.
Alex turns around while holding up a syringe with clear liquid in it. She flicks the needle with her two fingers before drops squirt out from it. Her eyes draw toward me. "Let's make this easier for me."
I gulp the knot in my throat. "How will you get Dean if he knows that you murdered me?" I stall while still tugging my hand down painfully. "Do you really think he'll fall in love with you then?" My eyes narrow at her. The bottom of my hand slips down with a sharp sting. I can feel blood sliding down my wrist. I keep pulling slowly.
She huffs. "That's because he won't know." She snarls. "You see," She walks towards me. "you got a little depressed after the break-up, so you overdosed on some bad medication." She climbs onto the bed while holding the syringe.
I gulp as I glance at the phone sticking out from her waistband. I pull my wrist down further. It slips down more, digging into my skin as it finally frees. I keep my hand held there so that it looks like my hand is still cuffed.
She pokes the syringe and injects the unknown liquid into my neck. I wince from the needle's bite. My eyes glance back down at her waistband where her phone is.
After all the liquid is injected, she pulls out the syringe. "Good girl." She mumbles just as one of the guys walk up towards her while holding his phone against his chest.
He snaps, "Hey, we have a problem." He points to his phone.
She has her head turned so she can watch him. She sighs disgustingly. "Really?" She scowls. "Is it important?"
I slowly use my free hand to pull out her phone while cautiously watching her. I glance at the man to see if he notices. He just watches her instead.
"No, it can't. It's urgent." He presses his lips into a line while exhaling through his nose.
She growls just as I quickly slide her phone under my butt and rise my hand back against the cuff.
She glances at me with narrowed eyes. My heart rate increases.
"Don't move." She hisses and eases herself off the bed. She follows the man into the joining room, keeping the door open behind them.
Quickly, I slide the phone out and begin to dial Dean's number. Thankfully I memorized in case I got a new phone. The numbers on the screen begin to fuzz. I squint to look at it as my bloody finger taps the screen.
"Hey!" Alex jumps onto the bed and snatches the phone.
Frantically, I try to used the same method on my trapped wrist to free it.
Suddenly, I become light headed and dizzy. I close my eyes as the pressure increases in my head. I try to open my eyes, but then I'm out.