Page 1 of Tank

ONE

SOPHIE

“See you at home, Soph.”Keelie calls from the back of some football player’s jeep. “Yeah, don’t tell Mom or we’ll all get in trouble,” Kamie sneers. Keelie and Kamie, my stepsisters, should be walking home with me, but instead they’re off doing whatever it is they do after school while I’m left to do all of the chores.

One more year, that’s what I keep telling myself. Then I’ll be away at university beginning my journey to fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. I love my father, but he doesn’t see Veronica and her daughters the way I do. Every time I try talking to him about it, he brushes me off. He thinks I’m upset that it’s no longer just the two of us. Mom died when I was too little to remember, except for a handful of memories. What I do remember is how beautiful and kind she was, and that she always made me feel safe.

I’m making a list in my head of everything I need to do when I get home when I hear someone behind me. "Hey, sweetie," a gravelly voice calls out. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Before I can react, a rough hand clamps over my mouth,stifling my scream. The world tilts, and suddenly, I'm being dragged toward a waiting vehicle.

"Let go of me!" I try and shout through the tightening grip on my face. Panic rises in my chest, threatening to swallow me whole.

"Shut up, you little bitch," the man growls into my ear, his breath hot and rancid. I kick and thrash, desperation fueling my every move, but it's useless - I'm caught in his vice-like grip.

"Get her in the van!" another voice barks, and I'm thrown inside like a ragdoll. The doors slam shut, and the engine roars to life as we speed away from everything I've ever known. I know I should fight back, but the terror constricts around my heart, leaving me paralyzed.

"Please, let me go," I whisper, tears streaming down my face, but the men don't seem to care. They laugh, their voices cold and cruel, echoing in the cramped space.

"Welcome to your new life," one of them sneers, and I know, deep down, that nothing will ever be the same again.

The darkness inside the van swallows me whole, its suffocating embrace a stark contrast to the bright sun outside. I squirm and kick, desperately trying to free myself from my captors' grips. Their fingers dig into my skin, leaving bruises that will soon form.

"Get off me!" I scream, my voice cracking with fear. My heart hammers against my chest. "Please, just let me go."

"Shut the fuck up," one of them growls, his breath hot on my neck. The van lurches forward, sending me crashing against the cold metal floor. Pain shoots through my body, but I refuse to give in to it. I need to escape, to find a way out of this nightmare.

"Please," I whisper, tears streaming down my cheeks, "I won't tell anyone, I swear. My dad has money, he’ll pay you whatever you want.”

"Not as much as you’ll make for us on your back," another voice sneers. "We own you and there's nothing you can do about it."

My stomach twists into knots as I process their words. What do they want with me? Why did they take me? Panic rises like bile in my throat, choking me, making it impossible to breathe. They can't do this to me - I won't let them.

But as the van speeds further away from my old life and deeper into the unknown, I can't help but feel the crushing weight of despair settling over me.

The door to the dingy room slams shut, reverberating through the space like thunder. I'm left alone, my sobs echoing off the crumbling walls. The room is small, barely larger than a closet, and it reeks of must and decay. A single, flickering bulb casts eerie shadows across the peeling wallpaper.

"Damnit," I mutter under my breath, wiping away my tears with the back of my hand. Despite the terror clawing at my insides, I force myself to move, to explore the confines of my prison. There's nothing in here but a filthy mattress and a bucket in the corner - no windows, no way out.

"Please," I whisper, pressing my palms against the cold metal door, "someone help me."

But the only response is the distant laughter of my captors, their voices a chilling reminder of my new reality. Despair settles over me like a shroud, and I sink to the floor, my head in my hands.

"What now?" I choke out, tears streaming down my face.

The door to my cell creaks open, and the harsh light from the hallway floods inside. I squint against the sudden brightness, myheart pounding in my chest. Two men step into the room – their cold, calculating eyes sending shivers down my spine.

"Get up, slut," the taller man sneers, his voice dripping with menace. I push myself off the floor, trembling, as they close in around me.

"Who are you?" I demand, trying to sound braver than I feel.

"Names ain't important," the shorter man grunts, grabbing my arm with a vice-like grip. "What's important is that your life belongs to us now."

"Wh-what do you mean?" I stammer, fear clawing at the edges of my mind.

"You're ours," the taller man says, his grin predatory. "Your body, your mind, everything."

"Fuck you," I spit, defiance flaring. But it's no use. They laugh, cruel and cold, stripping away any shred of hope I had left. One of them jabs a thick needle into my neck and within seconds I slump to the side. They push me away as I curl into myself on the dirty mattress.

"Get used to it, sweetheart," the shorter man smirks. "You're not going anywhere."

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