“I?” she questions, still curled up on the floor. “Kazumi Sato, Tokyo, Japan,” she offers, faint as a whisper.
Kazumi’s whisper hangs in the air, amplifying the silence that follows. We’re four women from different corners of the world, thrust together by a cruel twist of fate.
“Is this alien traveling around the world collecting women like Pokémon?” I ask, noticing Carmen scrunching her face.
“Qué demoniosis a PO-KEY-MEN?” she questions, glancing at the other two women who avoid her intense brown eyes.
Embarrassment heats my body as I realize my nerdy hobby, collecting Pokémon cards, is now exposed. And boy, did I spend a lot of money on them.
Great, now I’m pink!
I sigh inwardly. “Nevermind, What I meant was, is this alien kidnapper still out there collecting women?” I posit.
I hope he is.The more women, the less likely I’ll be attacked, and there’s safety in numbers. The thought doesn’t shame me—this is about survival now,mysurvival.
“No,” Kazumi mutters into her knees, crushing my fleeting hope with the faintest whisper. “I was first. Ship was silent, now it hums.” She holds up a finger, signaling for silence.
Funny she asks for quiet when all she’s done is wail her eyes out.
But Kazumi is right. Amidst the eerie silence, a dim hum echoes through the ship. I can almost feel my bare feet vibrate onthe cold metal floor.Fuck, that’s it. We’ll never see Earth again.The thought lands like a brutal body blow, stealing my breath.
I’m not the only one to connect the dots. “Carajo!” Carmen exclaims, pacing around the room, shaking her head and running her fingers through her shoulder-length wavy, dark brown hair. She’s taking the news better than Sandra, who collapses onto her knees, head in hands, wailing about never seeing her boyfriend Conor again. Kazumi continues to rock back and forth, like a tumbleweed blowing in the wind.
I would offer fake comfort, but what’s the use? There’s nothing to say. Any words of hope or encouragement would be as fake as Mother’s eyelashes. My mind swirls, imagining the possible horrors of the future, each more horrific than the last.
“Where are they taking us?” I question, thinking out loud, my voice unsteady.
“Infierno,” Carmen spits, still pacing around in circles like a horse warming up for the races.
Desperation compels me to approach the bars, solid and as cold as my father’s heart. I peer down the long corridor, hoping to see anyone or anything. The ship is strange with its black marble walls and dim purple lights. If it had strobe lights and banging music, you could mistake it as a nightclub.
God, I could use a drink right now... and some clothes... and a nice cinnamon swirl.
Looking closely, I notice the thick dust, chipped marble, and even rust in a few places.Great, not only abducted, but abducted by space hillbillies.Chuckling, I almost picture a massive rust-covered spaceship with peeling paint blasting through space.
“I think this spaceship is to aliens what a Chevrolet Cavalier is to cars,” I mock in a bone-dry tone.
No one’s in the mood to laugh.So dull, just like this place!My teeth clench, and I slap the bars in frustration. This waiting andnot knowing is driving me insane. I just want to get this over with, one way or another.
“Let me out of here!” I scream down the corridor, my words echoing uselessly.
I sigh heavily, resting my head against the bars until I feel them vibrate against my forehead. Then, the sound of footsteps, growing louder with each iteration.
“Fuck, someone’s coming!” I shout, fleeing from the approaching terror with my heart pounding, too afraid to face our captors now that they approach.
Maybe I can hide behind Carmen?
Sandra and Kazumi gasp and sob, while Carmen’s fists ball up as she mutters Spanish curses. Our eyes are glued to the bars as the footsteps grow louder. They sound huge, like rocks crashing onto metal—a promise of pain or worse. Collective bated breaths fill the air, each second feeling like an eternity.
A long, ominous shadow casts onto the corridor, eclipsing the dim purple light, and any shred of courage that remained in me. My back bumps against the far wall, and I nearly leap out of my skin with surprise, unaware that I was moving. Even Carmen has retreated a few steps backwards, though she still clenches her fists tightly.
This is it; this is the end!
I gasp as I see him—the red titan—the only fitting description. Sandra and Kazumi moan and wail harder, averting their gaze, while I remain petrified. He’s undoubtedly a male, his tight form-fitting black leather trousers and vest making that abundantly clear.He’s fucking huge!Not just in height, but with broad slabs of rippling muscles.
His eyes glow red like burning coals as he scans our cell, lingering on each of us. He’s so immense his head nearly touches the already towering ceiling. It’s difficult to tell, but I’d guess he’s ten feet tall. So enormous his breaths are audible, like awind tunnel. I feel fully vulnerable in my nakedness, prompting me to cross an arm over my ample breasts and another to cover my sex as I cross my legs.
I squirm against the wall as his molten eyes find me, his expression unreadable. Strangely, that heightens my terror more than if he was openly leering. He brushes an immense hand through his shaved red hair, though I notice a flicker of disdain twisting his lips as he does so. The red of his hair is not ginger like Sandra’s but a deep hue, reminiscent of blood.
