People Trafficker (17 page)

She looked back at Karen. “I understand that, Karen. We can only pray that she can be found. But you and the others going in are her last hope; if we can’t get to Angela quickly she’s dead. Angela suffers from a rare blood disease where something in the blood is produced which is alien to the body. If it’s not stopped it becomes a poison to the body over time, so Angela needs regular injections to prevent this happening. Her captors will not know this; even Angela doesn’t know the whole truth as to why she gets progressively ill over a few weeks, the test results only arrived yesterday. My daughter will first feel unwell; it’ll seem like she has pneumonia symptoms, like headaches, vomiting and severe stomach pains. But it won’t be pneumonia; her body will have begun to break down as the poison enters every organ. Angela will die in excruciating pain.”

She’d fallen silent; tears were running down her face as she grasped Karen’s hands. “All I’m asking is you do your best to save my little girl’s life. Only you know what she will be going through. You’ll know her fears and the nightmares she’ll endure when she’s alone at night. The abuse will break her spirit. As her mother, I can only imagine what’s happening, not really understand what’s going through her mind, where you can. I’m begging, as only a mother can, find our daughter before it’s too late.”

Karen leaned forward. “I’ll do my best; it’s all I can say. But as her mother are you prepared for the alternative.”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“It’s a hellhole, with those people, for any child, believe me. There could be a time when for Angela there’s so much against her she has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Then her only way out is for someone to put a gun to her head.” She fell silent reliving the moment it happened to her. “I was in that position. The searchers had blocked every exit, and I had nowhere to run and decided to end my life rather than be taken. But even up against those odds I was convinced by others I could get through. I was buried and lay for nearly an hour underground, breathing through a straw, my little finger in the hoop of a grenade so I could blow myself apart if I was discovered.”

Karen looked at Angela’s mother, who was watching her and listening intently. “Wherever she is now, she’s being looked after, a captive yes, but alive. Once you are out and on the run that’s different. She’ll be hunted like a dog, lucky if she can find food, or a way out. She’ll be aware, if she’s caught, she’ll be punished maybe even killed. Don’t believe for one moment that the troops will get her out. They may not and she could find herself alone. Would you want Angela to be in such a position?”

Angela’s mother sat for a moment, and then looked back at Karen watching her. “If my little girl can only be saved from what to her would not be a life, but an agonising death without her medication, then, Karen, if she can’t be brought home, I pray that you would end her torment. Has that answered your question?”

Karen sat for a short time, neither of them spoke, then she stood and looked down at Angela’s mother. “Then I advise you go home and pray for her, God turned his back on me, but he might just take pity and help your daughter. Even if that means by me going back, I may even be going as her executioner.”

Angela’s mother stood and shook her head looking Karen directly in the eyes. “God never turned his back on you, Karen. I’ll not believe that for one moment. When I go home I’ll pray not only for my daughter, but for a very brave and courageous girl who has every reason in the world to walk away, and everyone would understand, but hasn’t.”

“We’ve been sold to some man. I suppose they’re taking us to his house. It’s no use me not telling you the truth, Natasha, but we are in deep shit. More than likely he’s bought us for sex; it seems to be the norm around here. We can only hope someone will be able to find us and get us out.”

“Do you think he’ll have one of those electric sticks to use on us? It really hurt and I still feel shaky.”

Sam shook her head. “I’ve no idea, but you can be sure he’ll have some means of making us do what he wants.”

“I hope he’ll feed us better than where we’ve been. I’ve not eaten for two days, apart from leftovers, which were just the chicken bones and some uncooked potato.”

“I can’t see why he shouldn’t; after all he’s paid a lot of money. It’d be a bit pointless starving us, we’d be worthless,” Sammy replied after a little thought.

“I’ve never had sex, will it hurt a lot?” Natasha suddenly asked.

Sammy had been with her boyfriend for over six months and lost her virginity nearly two years before. She’d never been promiscuous and her sex life had always been restricted to her current boyfriend. “It’s not supposed to hurt, Natasha, it’s supposed to be enjoyable, part of life really. My first time was a bit painful as my boyfriend knew even less than me. I can’t see the man who has bought us being like that, but you can never tell.”

“Sam, do you think they will find us before Christmas? Dad said he was going to take me to the ice show that was coming to our town?”

Sam grasped her hand. “Listen, Natasha, don’t keep your hopes up too high. It could be weeks, even months, before they find out where we are. Let’s just live one day at a time shall we? At least for the moment we’re together, can you imagine the other girls? They have no one to talk to and must be really scared.”

They both fell silent; Natasha lay down and was soon asleep. Sam just sat staring at the single light bulb thinking back to the story in the paper about a girl who’d managed to escape. She decided because a girl had done just that, this man and the others who bought the rest of the girls would be very careful and not give them the chance.

It was four hours or so later when the van stopped. They were taken out, allowed to go into the bushes for the toilet then sit on the verge where they were given food. The two men who were driving never said a word to them and after an hour’s stop they were on the road once again.

They travelled on through the night, by the time the van arrived, just after dawn, the girls were asleep. They were shaken roughly, while the leg irons were released. Climbing out of the back, they saw the man who had been in the auction room standing watching. At five feet one, with a large pot belly and balding head, he spoke quickly, in a language neither girl could understand, to the two men. Each man grasped a girl’s arm and they were taken into a large virtually empty barn. The girls were made to stand alongside two ropes hanging over one of the huge wooden cross members holding the barn roof up, and told to hold their hands out. Both did as they were asked and handcuffs were fitted to their wrists. They passed ropes between the chains of the handcuffs and began pulling the other end of the ropes. Soon both girls’ arms were stretched high above their heads; their heels raised just enough for the girls to stop themselves from swinging around by pushing the balls of their feet onto the floor.

Already Sammy’s arms were aching, the sockets really being pulled. Salem stood and watched; the men left the barn and closed the doors. The light inside was now very dull; to the girls he looked intimidating.

“My name is Salem and you are both inside your punishment room. I own this land for thirty miles around us. That means all the people who live on this land work for me. The guards who protect this house work for me. Every person who works inside my house works for me. I’m telling you this, so you have no illusions about getting ideas of believing you can run away. You will not get far and you will be caught and brought back to this room for punishment. I also have paid good money for both of you. That means in my book I own you. I decide if you live or die. I decide when you speak or don’t. I decide what you wear, what you eat and more importantly what your role is in my house.”

He walked up to Natasha. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Why is it you only think so? What don’t you understand?”

“I can’t understand why you should own me; I have a mum and dad, why should I want you to own me?”

He walked over to Sammy. “Do you understand?”

“Of course. We’ve been abducted and sold into slavery by the sound of it?” Sammy replied.

“That is correct, perhaps later you can explain in great detail to Miss Stupid there?”

He grasped hold of Sammy’s shirt and began to roll it up, exposing her hips, then he pulled her knickers down to her feet. She felt frightened and embarrassed but said nothing. Going over to Natasha he rolled up her t-shirt then pulled her jeans and knickers to her feet, her hips and legs were exposed the same as Sammy’s. Saying nothing he then walked across to a large wooden box, opened it, and took out a two-inch-wide leather belt before walking back and standing in front of them both.

“Now as I was saying before our Natasha got confused, this room is called the punishment room. It’s where you’re brought if you disobey my orders. You will be strung up naked for major punishment, or as you are now, your pants pulled to your feet exposing your bottom and legs for a minor offence. This strap will be used to punish you. The number of strokes will never be less than three and maybe ten. Three will just make your bottom and legs sore, but you will feel considerable pain. Ten will be across your back, bottom and legs, hard enough to cut your skin. Believe me with ten strokes you’ll want to die, the pain is so bad. Do you both understand?”

The two girls nodded and answered yes.

“That is good, so now we’re nearly finished with your education. But you Sammy have been very stupid, caused a great deal of trouble for an old lady, injured someone, and have this belief you shouldn’t be here. I can see your point but the truth is you’re here and this is where you’ll stay. The rebellious actions and violence must stop right now. You see I came from a working class family. My father would beat me often for no reason apart from he’d drunk too much, or just wanted to hear a child scream. One of his beliefs was that the actual punishment is something that is far better learnt by the experience of feeling it, rather than just being threatened with it. That way you know what to expect if you step out of line. You Sammy are to learn just what to expect. You Natasha will also receive the same experience as Sammy. Sammy, there is an even worse dilemma for you. You see, after today, every time you step out of line and we come to this room, Natasha will also come. She too will receive what you get. That means Sammy; any repeat of the actions with the old lady will meet not only with your own punishment, but this young girl’s.”