II

With  my  head  hanging  on  my  chest,  I  moan  softly  as  the  throbbing  in  my head  takes  over  all  my  senses.  It  hurts  like  a  bitch! And  to  add  to  it,  my head  feels  as  heavy  as  a  truck.

Out of instinct my hand attempts to travel to my head to try and soothe the pain, but I am stopped in my tracks when I realise that my hands have been tied to back of the chair that I am sitting on.

After trying to kick my legs, I realise that they too are tied to the chair. What the fuck? I try again to move my legs and arms but they are roped tightly, but not enough to tear through my skin. Out of frustration, I violently buck my body on the chair, to free myself. But of course, to no avail.

Finally looking up from the ropes, my eyes adjust to the lack of light in the tiny room in which I’m in. When I can see better I take in a small, dark and grimy room. The walls have black soot covering them and there is an odd muffy smell in the air, like something as been left in closed container for a couple of days. There are no windows in the room and there is one light bulb hanging ominously over my head, casting dark shadows across the soot covered walls.

If I were to get kidnapped, this was definitely the type of room I would expect to be kept in. It fits the description perfectly and ticks all the boxes. The room just screamed 'I'm being held against my will in some dodgy basement'.

I take another second to search for any way for me to leave this place. My eyes land on the one way to exit this prison, a small rectangular metal door that looks older than my family tree; it’s covered in rust and has a broken looking handle on it.

The chair clatters around noisily as I continue to try and wriggle my way out of my bounds. The noise from the wooden chair echoes loudly within my cell. I guess, my exceptionally loud escape attempt alerted my abductees because not more than a minute later, the rusted metal door bangs loudly against the wall as it is shoved open.

As soon as the door opens, I stop all movements ad drop my head to my chest while I pretend that I am still knocked out. I hear footsteps walking into the small room. I hear a soft chuckle and someone muttering, “This girl.” The footsteps stop in front of me and I feel a finger under my chin. The finger lifts my chin up, so that it no longer is leaning on my chest but is rather pointed me the hair, so that the person has full view of my face.

The finger is lifted off my chin and the room is suddenly plunged into a silence. The quietness lingers for a few more seconds and me being myself, I open my left eye and peak out. I see a silhouette of a man looking right at me, but from my angle i cant see the man’s features properly. I quickly shut my eye once more and return to my act of being unconscious.

“We know youre awake.” A voice speaks out into the silence. ‘we’? so there is two of them? I open my right eye this time and see another man before I shut it too.

“Bitch, you just opened your eyes!” The voice exasperates.

In walk two men, very handsome might I add. Both men are wearing all black but one has a cap hiding his face from my view. However the one I can see, is smouldering with his shortly cropped black hair and extremely angular and straight cut jaw line and flawless looking chocolate skin, and don't get me started on those gorgeous lips of his.

"Look who's awake." Says Mr Smouldering. I don't really pay attention to the words that come out of his mouth, as I just stare at his delectable lips moving with each word he pronounces.

After a second of ogling the man before me, my mind registers that the voice sounds very familiar, but I just can't put my finger on where I've heard it.

"Oh, so now you're quiet." Mr Smouldering taunts. Hearing the voice for a second time, it finally hits me. It's the asshole who was chasing me!

"Yay wena, sukundiqhela mqhundu!" I spit at former Mr Smouldering now Mr Asshole.

"The fuck is that?" The other man questions, in a gruff yet very sexy voice.

"Hey, what did you just say?" Mr Asshole asks, walking closer to me.

"U'nvile msunu!" I sneer at him once more.

"What language are you speaking?" Mr Asshole asks, “Know what, don't answer that. Can you just speak English?"

"Me ...no ...speak ...English." I say, making my African accent really strong.

Mr Asshole's face morphs into one of shock and confusion.

"You kidnapped her, and she doesn't even know how to speak English?" Mr Sexy Voice questions his partner in crime.

"I swear she knows how to speak English!" Mr Asshole defends. Turning his attention back onto me. "Speak English!" He shouts, clearly getting irritated and losing his cool.

Trying my best to hide the smirk making its way onto my face, I coolly reply back, "Me...no...understand."

"Bitch! You know, I know you know how to speak English!" Mr Asshole finally snaps.

"She lo mqhundu!" I sat out loud.

"You just fucking wasted my time Jay!" Mr Sexy Voice said while scowling at his accomplice before stomping out the tiny room.

Watching as his friend or whatever he is, walked out the room, Jay/Mr Asshole turned his attention back to me. His burning gaze with a hot fury was directed to me. Seemingly unfazed, I coolly stare back at him.

"Why the fuck didn't you speak English when I asked you to?!" Jay leered at me.

"You didn't say please." I answer simply, with a small smile playing on my lips. Looking like he wants to tear my head off my shoulders with his bare hands, a tiny shiver of fear travels through me. Maybe I took it a little too far.

Deciding against his instincts, Jay rigidly turns around and storms out the tiny prison, making sure to slam the door behind him.

He is so dramatic.

Now alone in the semi dark room, I am left alone to my thoughts and left to ponder on the events leading up to my current predicament.

Two days ago...

My commercial flight from South  Africa's OR Tambo Airport to New York's JFK Airport finally lands.

After being stuck in a 16 hour trip,  sitting next to a kid who did not understand what the concept of personal space or shutting up was. I was so overjoyed to just be getting off  that plane.

Don't get me wrong, I love kids. I  really do. But I can only take so much of them at a time. Sixteen minutes  with a child , I can tolerate. But sixteen hours of listening to a kid telling me about his friends and toys and watching him shameless pick his nose and eat his own boogies, I cannot tolerate.

So  you  can  imagine  my  joy,  as  the  plane  landed  and  I  walked  out  of  that terminal  knowing  that  I  would  never  see  that  kid  again  in  my  life.

After  going  through  America's  weird  security  checks,  where  I  was shocked  to  find  out  that  I  practically  have  to  strip  to  go  through  the  metal detector  and  hailing  a  cab  (which  is  not  as  easy as  the  movies  make  it look), I finally  arrived  at my  hotel.

Since  I  was  suffering  from  jet lag, I slept the  whole  day  away  only  to wake  up  in  the  hours  of  the  early  evening.

Deciding,  I  wanted  to  explore  the  new  country  I  was  in.  I  took  a  quick shower  in  the  tiny  bathroom  and  got  dressed  in  a  pair  of  light  blue  jeans, a  white  top  and  my  white  Nike Air force 1 to match.

Outside  the  hotel  and  in  the  streets  of  New  York,  I  am  mesmerised  to see  that  the  city  was  so  alive,  as  if  it  was  still  during  the  day. Taking  my  time,  I  looked  at  all  the  stores  and  people  bustling  about minding  their  own  business. I keep  walking  until I realise  that I'm  in  a  quieter  area  where  there  are less  people  walking  the  streets. A  bright  neon  sign  for  a  diner  across  the  street  catches  my  eyes,  and  I realise  that  I  am  in  fact  hungry  and  that  I  haven't  eaten  in  a  while.

As  I'm  about  to  cross  the street  and  head  into  the  diner,  I  hear  voices arguing  in  a  dark  alley  just  further  up  ahead. The  curious  person  I  am,  I  decide  to  go  and  check  out  what  is  happening and  what ruckus  is  about.

Stepping  into  the  alley,  I  see  two men.  One  is  being held  by  the  throat up against  the  wall,  and  the  other  is  doing  the  choking.

"Where's  Pedro's  money,  Louis?"  The  man  doing  the  choking  asks.

"I  swear  I'm  gonna  give  it  to  him.  Just  give  me  more  time!"  Louis  pleads through  the  chokehold  he  is  suffering.

"You  said  that  the  last  time  Louis."  The  other  man  taunts.

"I  swear  I  will  this  time."  Louis  cries  out,  tears  literally  streaming  down  his face.

"Your  time  has  run  out."  The  man  says  before  whipping  out  a  gun  and shooting  Louis  square  in  the  forehead.

The  sound  of  the  gun  going  off  causes  me  to  scream.  At  the  sound  of my  voice,  the  man  with  the  gun  turns  around  in  my  direction  while pointing  the  gun  at  me.

Without  skipping  a  beat,  I  turn  around  and  run  as  if  my  life  depended  on it, because  it did.

End of Flashback

If I could turn back the hands of time and just stayed in my hotel room, I would do it in a heartbeat.  But unfortunately that is not possible, and all i can do is use the cards that I have been delt with.

Now  in  this  dingy  room,  I  have  to  find  a  way  to  get  out  of  here.

____________

Translations:

Yay wena, sukundiqhela mqundu! - hey you, don't try me asshole

U'nvile msunu!- you heard me, you asshole

She lo mqundu! - wow, this asshole

The language being spoken is Xhosa, which is spoken in South Africa among other languages.

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Much love from your girl Kenny ❤❤