In a groggy manner I knew too well, the girl said, “But, I don’t understand. Where are we? How did I get here?” She was American and had been drugged. Like me.
Completely annoyed, the young man replied, “Shelly, shut the fuck up.” He was speaking English, but his Russian accent was still there. He started to remove her clothing, further baffling the poor girl.
She didn’t seem threatened by becoming naked as if he had seduced her in the past; it was his manner she was staring at in dismay. “Why are you acting like this?”
Lost in what I was witnessing, my neck wrenched as Yury forcefully had me moving down the hallway again.
The next open door was to a much bigger room. There were several monitors on the back wall. Men in chairs sat at a long table with keyboards in front of them. The screens on the wall were full of ongoing texts, PMs, and chat room conversations. I stumbled to a stop. Again, for an unknown reason at the time, Yury let me stand in the doorway and observe. Men were typing away at a high speed, holding many conversations at once. One monitor displayed:
Hero: Your pops don’t get u lik I do
A typed response from HeartOfGold appeared: I kno. Hate him
Hero: U belong w me, baby
HeartOfGold: Cant wait fo us to b together
Some young girl who believed she was speaking to her dream guy was actually sharing her personal problems to a very overweight, sweaty man in his late forties. I wanted to vomit again.
The man, Hero, wrote: Want to hold u
HeartOfGold: Som day
Hero: Yor dad dont deserv u lik I do.
HeartOfGold: Hes so much nicer to my sister
Hero: I wil treat u lik a queen.
HeartOfGold: I kno u wil
Hero: I hav a surprise
HeartOfGold: What?
Hero: Coming to see u
HeartOfGold: R u for real?!????
Hero: In 2 days
HeartOfGold: OMG!!!! What ‘bout my dad?
Hero: Fuk him.
HeartOfGold: Luv u
Hero: Luv u 2 babe. How ‘bout that park u told me ‘bout?
HeartOfGold: I can sneak out after ten
Hero: Dream com tru.
Then the old man got on a cell phone and rambled something off in Russian.
I peered up to Yury. “What is he saying?”
He guided me down the hall again. “He is telling our Pickup that ‘the stupid bitch is ready’.”
My knees buckled. The girl’s life was going to change, forever, in two days. “Is she coming here?”
“Fire. Too many questions.” His fingers angrily dug into my back as he pushed me farther down the hall toward two men in black bathrobes. Standing at an open door was the two men who helped abduct me. Kirill and Aidan. Catching a glimpse of me, they both laughed.
Chills broke out across my skin. Their lack of sympathy was appalling.
The brunette abductor, Aidan, said, “Good evening, Seafoam’s spawn.”
Maybe it was the robes, but they suddenly appeared even more sinister than I remembered in the hotel room. Or maybe it was the fact that they were putting on dark hoods. I instantly started backpedaling, right into Yury’s chest, which had me jumping in fright, trying to scurry away from them all.
Yury yanked me back and whispered, “They are not here for you, Fire.”
Kirill stomped his foot in my direction to antagonize me.
It worked. Panic started to spread through me until I felt Yury’s puffed chest at the back of my shoulders. He was purposely looming over me, staking a claim. Kirill laughed at him as he slipped on his hood. “Easy, young one. Just playing a game.”
The word ‘game’ sizzled like water droplets in a hot frying pan. I felt like the water trying to pop away from the scolding heat. When I noticed more heat, from Yury’s muscled chest behind me, I experienced shame to feel a slight bit of comfort with Yury’s offered protection, completely clueless to the truth of the situation; bad master versus good master. One was to frighten, the other to show loyalty, all to leave a slave scared and searching for a hero that never would come to her rescue.
An intercom on the wall beeped, causing me to jump and Kirill to laugh at my reaction. From the small speaker, a voice announced something in Russian. I looked around but didn’t know who was talking. Over my shoulder, I whispered to Yury, “What did he say?”
“‘We are now going live’.”
“Live for what?”
“The hungry patrons on the dark web, innocent one.”
Air left my lungs as Aidan, now masked, entered the room that was empty except for a huge bed in the middle of it. Kirill was waiting for something. Sensing he was smiling under his hood as his eyes pierced mine, I backed closer to Yury, praying to God he hadn’t been lying.
When I heard Shelly coming up behind me, still utterly confused, my stomach began to sour, and I instantly felt shame for my selfish prayer.
As she was handed off to Kirill, while trying to cover her naked body with her hands and arms, her green eyes met mine. She asked, “Do you know what’s happening? I don’t understand what’s going on.”
The scene started to come together in my stunned mind, and I tried to back up even further. I was sensing this girl was about to experience the unthinkable. Shaking my head, wishing there was a damn thing I could do to stop it, I pressed against Yury’s stomach, but he refused to give or allow me more space. I begged him, “Please, don’t let them do this.”
Patronizing me, Yury faked concern and truly sounded more bored than anything. “Kirill, please do not do your job.”
More. Fucking. Laughter.
Full of naïve ways, closing my eyes, I spun to find shelter in Yury’s chest. I squealed in pain when his strong hand gripped my chin, twisting my neck to face Shelly.
“Where are we?” Shelly asked with evident fear growing as Kirill started pulling her into the doorway, the bed calling out to her from behind.
I opened my mouth, but Yury slammed a hand over it. A part of me was relieved. I didn’t have the heart to tell the young woman that she was in Russia and would never see her home again.
As if she could read my expression, she started to pull out of her drugged haze and tried to yank free from the hooded man. It didn’t work. Kirill only chuckled while shoving her into the room. Shelly fought to get free, especially as Aiden removed his robe to reveal his naked body that was clearly ready to perform for the camera. Suggestively, Aiden rubbed his body against hers while holding her so that Kirill could also disrobe. Again, Shelly fought but was quickly overpowered by the two hooded men and slammed down onto the dirty old mattress.
They both held her down and forced her legs apart as one of the two climbed on top of her flailing body. As Kirill’s hips jammed forward, and Shelly wailed in pain, I again tried to look away, but Yury held my chin so tightly my faced bruised. It wasn’t the marks he was sure to leave behind that had me wanting to move away from him. It was the growing erection against my backside. Yury was witnessing a violent crime… and it was arousing him.
Slamming my eyes shut, I frantically grabbed his pant leg behind me, trying to remove him from my body. He didn’t budge. In fact, he grew. About to vomit again, I whispered, “Please… Master.”
My chin was released.
My feet barely operated as I was guided down the hall, Shelly’s horror echoing behind me. I kept stumbling as she screamed for help. Kirill nor Aidan tried to quiet her. Her fight was what they wanted to film. Her fight was what had been paid for.