Page 114 of Depths of Destruction

Her panting turns to wheezing.

I scoot on my bottom in the direction of the horrific sounds.

"Baby, where are you?" My voice grows stronger but is still low.

A small wail fills the room and my heart beats faster.

Why isn't she answering me?

"Naomi. Where are you?"

Louder gasps and sobs fill the air and my panic increases.

Where is she?

I move closer to the noise and keep going until I finally reach her.

When I touch her, she screams, and her hands hit me over and over.

At first, I jump back but quickly drag her into my arms and hold her so tight, she can't continue hitting me.

"Shh," I say over her loud shrieks.

Her screams turn into painful weeping.

"Shh. Baby, it's okay. I got you. Shh," I repeat so many times I lose track, trying to calm her.

Convulsions rip through her body, and I pretzel my legs around her to try and stop her from shaking.

A cold chill runs down my spine.Why is she sticky?

A gooey wetness slides down my legs and arms. It gets on my fingers and I sniff them.

Blood. It smells like blood.

"Baby, what did they do to you?" I try to stay calm, but my voice is laced with panic.

Naomi lets out a louder wail.

Is this her blood or someone else's?

I need some light to see.

What if I'm pressing on a wound?

"Naomi, am I hurting you?"

She presses closer to me, her chest heaving.

Amid the chaos, an engine starts. Whatever we are in jerks and we begin to move.

It's bumpy, and the sound of metal jostling into metal is loud, which creates more panic in Naomi.

Her cries intensify, and my heart feels like it's being ripped to shreds. And I want to kill whoever did this to her. Whatever they did to her, I want to subject them to one hundred times the pain and suffering.

Her clothes. Why are her clothes ripped?

What did they do to her?