Page 119 of Marks of Rebellion

"Stop screaming, or I will kill you," Torres threatens.

"Kill me," I shriek and then say it repeatedly, getting louder and more out of control.

Instead of killing me, Torres smiles. "Carlos is going to have a field day getting you back in line."

I lunge for him, but his thug holds me back. I bite the man, and he slaps me hard. My nose bleeds, and Torres laughs. "Didn't know you were so feisty. Always thought you were a bit boring."

My wails fill the car. I receive another blow for not being quiet, but it doesn't shut me up. I've lost all ability to follow his orders. When Torres puts the gun to my head again, I laugh and then scream and laugh some more.

He reaches from the front seat to the back and yanks my head. My old neck injury shoots with pain, but I'm beyond caring. I would rather die at this moment than go back to Carlos.

I don't know how long it lasts. It feels like forever. My body eventually has no more energy to continue the fight, and my voice is almost gone. But the tears never stop. The ability to breathe feels impossible, and my chest pain takes over. Tremors consume my body.

For hours, I'm in a state of a panic attack and wonder if I've officially lost my mind and am never going to be back to my usual state of being. Sorrow and grief swallow me. I obsess over if Hunter is dead or alive.

At one point, we stop for gas. I'm so cold, and all I want is to feel Hunter's arms around me. But I never will again. And the reality of where I am and where Torres is taking me sends a fresh wave of hysteria through me.

A few more slaps and threats, and we're back on the road. We stop, and Torres and the other men get out to pee. We're somewhere in the jungle, and I reach for my door to get out and run. But the man next to me holds my hands together in his.

As I sob, I begin to beg him to let me go. All it does is entertain Torres and his crew. The humor in their eyes registers with me, and I finally stop the fight.

It's no use. I'm their prisoner. Soon, I will be Carlos's again.

The vehicle moves forward through the bumpy terrain and nighttime falls. Everything turns dark. The howls of the jungle animals mock me. The noises are sad, lonely, and desperate. It creates another bout of anxiety so strong, I grip the man's arm next to me when my heart feels like it's exploding.

And it is. It's bursting into millions of pieces over losing Hunter. I don't know if he is okay or not. I will never see him again. The life I wanted with him is now gone.

Tiredness sets in, but in a haze, I focus on the darkness, wishing it would gobble me up and some animal would eat me alive, if only to prevent my future.

I'm not sure how late it is when the car stops. I don't move and keep staring out the window into the darkness.

Torres gets out, and that's when a new chill forms in my spine and fills my bones so intensely, I start to dry heave.

The door whips open, and when Carlos pulls me out and touches me, the savage beast in me returns.

Hysterically, I punch, hit, and try to kick him while screaming unintelligible things. He's too strong and wraps me in his arms, and it's like a chain shackling me. Torres and Carlos are talking, but I don't hear any of it. I just continue to scream and cry.

Eventually, Carlos drags me through the house and throws me into a cold shower.

The water does nothing to calm me. It throws me into another panic attack, and I sit on the seat in the shower and begin rocking and humming.

I don't remember anything else. When I wake up, I'm in Carlos's bed. The sun is shining, but I can't move. There is beeping, and I turn my head.

The woman I initially confided in about Carlos, who I thought was my friend, is sitting next to the bed. Her name is Esther, and she's smiles.

"Well, you look a bit better. Are you ready to join the rest of society?"

It wasn't a nightmare. I'm back.

"Carlos has been waiting for you. Do you think you can act appropriately now?"

I try to move my body again but can't. The panic in me grows. "I can't move. Something is wrong." My voice is raspy and barely there.

"Nothing is wrong, Vanessa. We had to make arrangements for you since you couldn't control yourself and act like the lady Carlos deserves."

"What? I...?" Tears fall.

She tsks me then pulls back the blankets. "You'll get to move when you can agree to behave."