[NOTE: !!!! This chapter contains themes of kidnapping, confinement, physical and emotional abuse, and intense psychological distress. Reader discretion is advised !!!!]
Shen Yelan had stopped counting the days since they locked her in the cage with the dogs.
The air was thick with the stench of urine. The dogs in the cages next to hers never stopped watching her with those mean, hungry eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light. Sometimes they'd slam against the bars just to see her flinch, strings of drool flying from their mouths like they were imagining what she'd taste like.
She was backed against the wall of the kennel, her knees pulled to her chest, her face buried between them. The clothes she wore were tattered and covered in dirt, barely hiding her small frame. Her black hair was matted and tangled, clinging to her sweaty forehead. There were many bruises that covered her skin, some new and some old. Her arms were dotted with needle marks.
How did she end up here?
At that moment, the seven years of her life flashed through her mind.
She remembered the sound of glass breaking against walls and the angry voices of her parents echoing through the house. She remembered her own tiny form curled beneath the blanket and her fingers pressed against her ears while her parents fought. She remembered watching through the window as her mother walked down their driveway one morning, suitcase in hand, never once looking back at the four-year-old daughter she was abandoning.
A few months after her mother left, her father brought home a new woman and her two twin children, who were two months younger than her. She remembered standing in doorways, watching the perfect family at the dinner table.
She'd tried so hard to be seen, to be loved, but every effort seemed to push her further into pain. But nothing changed.
The day she got kidnapped, she'd actually felt a tiny spark of hope. Maybe when Dad realized she was gone, he'd finally care. But as hours turned into days and days blurred into whatever this nightmare had become, that hope had withered and died like everything else good in her life.
Deep down, in that dark place she tried not to look, she knew the truth. They were probably glad she was missing. Hell, they were probably relieved they didn't have to pretend to care anymore.
What had she done wrong? Why was it always her, suffering while the world went on without noticing?
The screech of metal jolted Shen Yelan from her haze.
The gate at the far end of the room opened slowly, and a shadow stepped through. The lights in the room flickered, and a man appeared in her line of vision.
She stiffened and pressed her body against the metal bars, her breath catching in her throat. Fear radiated off of her trembling body as she watched the man slowly approach her. She could feel her pulse pounding in her ears, drowning out even the sounds of the snarling dogs.
Every instinct screamed at her to run, to hide, to escape the impending danger. But there was nowhere to go, nowhere to run.
The man's footsteps echoed in the cramped space, each one was a dreadful countdown to whatever horrors awaited her. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to disappear.
"Down!" the man hissed, and all the dogs in all the kennels lay down obediently, yet Shen Yelan could still feel their hungry eyes on her.
He paused in front of her cage and knelt down on one knee.
"How's my pretty bitch doing today?" His voice was low and menacing, sending shivers down Shen Yelan's spine.
Shen Yelan remained frozen in fear. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, and couldn't even open her eyes. The fear had paralyzed her completely.
"Open your eyes," he commanded, his voice low and menacing. "Look at me."
Shen Yelan's heart raced, her mind screaming at her to disobey, to resist, but her body betrayed her.
Slowly, her eyes creaked open to reveal the man's face, half of it covered with a mask.
Even if she could see half of his face, she knew he was handsome, with sharp jawlines and piercing blue eyes that seemed to bore into her very soul. His dark hair was perfectly messy, and his lips curled into a sly smile. He was the kind of man who would turn heads in a crowded room, the kind of man who exuded confidence and power. But to her, his good looks only made him more terrifying, like a predator hiding behind a charming mask.
"Good girl," he smiled, and Shen Yelan's heart sank. "You're learning to obey."
Shen Yelan's gaze dropped, her eyes fixed on the dirty floor, as tears continued to stream down her face.
The sound of keys jingling made her whole body go rigid. She heard the lock click open, heard the cage door swing wide with a rusty squeak.
"Come out. It's time for your walk."