CHAPTER 6

Mandy wishes she could run to the front of the estate; if she could only follow the road, she would know how to leave. It had wound through gorgeous forests and elegant bridges across creeks and rivers. It was probably one of the best drives she had ever had, but now the cursed maze of roads and rivers was daunting.

She could run off in any direction but never knew where she was going. She wondered if she could even run or how long it would take before her feet got bloodied in the sticks and branches that littered the forest floor.Turning on her heels, she looks at Kama as she returns to the house. She is almost dragging her feet to get inside as Kama rubs the palms of her hands against her eyes. Seeing what may be her friend crying twists the knife in Mandy's heart as she feels responsible. Kama had looked so peaceful just twenty minutes before she had demanded that she needed to leave.A wind pushes through the forest as the gentle rustling of the trees causes panic. There is no way she will ever be able to run here. To escape is a terrifying prospect of running into someone with a gun. Someone who will shoot or do worse things than she can even imagine. She curses herself as she desperately wants to run. She wants to escape as fast as possible but can't.There is something inside her that is taunting her. Her self-doubt mocked her as she has never been someone who camps. She runs on protected trails with soft inclines and water fountains every dozen kilometers. If she ran now, she would get cut up, broken, and probably eaten by some natural predator. Mandy curses under her breath, wishing she was stronger and more capable of surviving.Looking at the large dormitory behind the estate, she feels tears falling from her eyes. There may be someone there who can help her. Maybe they have shoes, clothes, food, or a water bottle. There may be someone there who can help her. Feeling desperate, she runs towards the dorms. The soft stones between the grass feel relaxing, taunting her for what she is about to face.A knot grows in her stomach as she gets closer to the dorm. Unlike the estate, no armed guards or one watches over the girls. She hopes, even prays that they are not allowed within the party. While ransacking the rooms for supplies to survive, she would feel terrible taking what little possessions and sense of safety these girls had.In sheer panic, wondering if Viktor or the guard would see her, she runs towards the dorm and pushes her way in. The door flings open, slamming against a metal cabinet before bouncing and closing with a bang. Cursing herself, Mandy couldn't believe she wasn't at least more discreet.Breathing hard, Mandy tries to catch her breath. She had almost imagined a startled guard turning to her and firing. Crumpling to the floor, she begins to weep softly,overwhelmed with so many emotions. She truly wished this was a dream and was back in her university dorm sleeping."Ahem," a voice startles Mandy as she looks up to see a beautiful African woman standing before her. Something about the woman's golden brown skin, high cheekbones, and tightly coiled hair tells her she isn't native.Scurrying back, Mandy is immediately terrified of the woman's athletic appearance. The lack of markings or bruising when she was struck herself three times tonight compounds this feeling. Perhaps she is one of the captors and not a slave herself."Shhhhhh..." the woman coos softly, crouching down as she looks into Mandy's eyes, asking with genuine care, "What happened?""Happened?" Mandy asks, bewildered."Yes, who hurt you?"Mandy shakes her head furiously as she tries to speak, but tears run down her face, "I... I can't...""Let me know what happened, and depending on who they are, we can see that they never do it again...""Who they are?""Yes, the old guard versus the new ones...""New ones?""Anyone in their early forties or younger can be directed. So don't worry; if it was a younger man, we will ensure they never do it again, " the woman asks.Mandy is so confused, not even realizing that Viktor and his old guard served together before the fall of the USSR, that there were men with whom he had fought, bled, and tied together, and that while he had left the fight as a mercenary within the last decade, his battles with his men have taken place all his life."I am scared. I don't want to be here..." Mandy says as she weeps gently.The sigh that escapes the woman's lips shares a lifetime of burden as she runs her fingers through Mandy's hair, "I understand, but it is too late for that. There is only a chance to make the best of it now...."