Slave to the Inferno

nd's house, the silence was deafening, save for the sound of her own footsteps. She knew she should've taken the bus, but she

and heard a voice whispering in her ear. "Don't

hands grab her from behind, binding her wrists with rough rope. The hands were s

owled, shoving a foul-smel

, too determined. As the van sped away, taking her into a world of darkne

roads and rough handling. Elissa was shoved into a tiny

amed down her cheeks, leaving behind salty streaks in their wake. She tried to m

sure anymore. The only thing that remained

d in stains of unknown origins, the floor a grimy, blood-stained concrete. The air was

ld barely stand, much less stretch out her arms. The walls seemed

At first, she wasn't sure if it was real or just a figment of her imagination.

ut tentatively, her v

d. "My name's Sarah. They took me from my

against the wall, tear

ce barely above a whisper. "I don't know w

avering with tears. "I'm scared, Elis

ing, to comfort Sarah. But deep down, she knew the truth: the

ssa lied, trying to

small and fragile. "I know you are. Th

ling herself against the despai

ce firm and resolute. "We're going

ong moment, and Elissa t

reatened to swallow her whole. She could still feel Sarah's presence on the o

h time had passed since they'd been taken. Days? Weeks? Months?

occupied, counting the seco

ines of her cell. The darkness, the smell, the silence - it

the concrete with her fingernails, but eventually she l

read of humanity in the abyss. They whispered to each other throug

y was the same endless cycle of darkness and silence,

for Sarah's sake, but ins

nd that Elissa had almost forgotten existed: foot

her ear against the door, strai

spered to Sarah, her

halls like a death knell. Elissa's heart pounded in her

r was about to happen

y a burst of harsh, artificial light. Squinting, she

d forward, a cruel sm

aid, his voice dr

of the cell. She stumbled and fell, scraping her knees on the concrete floor, but they didn't car

swung open with a creaking groan. Elissa was pushed forwar

p, and her b