Author's Note: This should go without saying considering where it's being hosted, but I own nothing about this story, with the exception of what OC there is. This story is also written with mature audiences in mind. There will be violence. There will be language. There will be drugs, and more.

"Soo toos! Soo toos!"

Lara groaned as she opened her eyes. "The fuck...?" she thought to herself. She hurt all over, but the back of her head especially was throbbing, and her wrists stung with rope burn.

"Soo toos! Qaadi ilaah!"

Between the shouts of...whoever that was, Lara could hear other voices and languages. She began putting two and two together. The last thing she could remember was-

"Waxaan idhi adiga oo toosiya qashin cad!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a swift kick to the ribs. Lara gasped and doubled over in pain. She was definitely awake now. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the sun, but it did nothing to abate her confusion; in fact, it reinforced it with panic. Surrounding her were others - mostly women and young girls. All of them hand their hands tied, and all of them were terrified. Walking amongst them were men carrying an assortment of weapons, ranging from MP5 submachine guns to AK-47s, and shouting in Somali.

"Shit..." she whispered to herself. With some effort, she managed to sit up. She was in no position to go against their wishes. Still, she needed a plan of escape; it's not like she had anything else to do.

"Bilaw inaad gawaarida ku geliso," one of the men ordered. "Haddii mid ka mid ah ay isku dayaan inay ku siiyaan dhibaato, soo tuur. Kama daryeelo."

Lara wasn't intimately familiar with the language, but she understood the tone, and she understood gestures. The men were being ordered to kill them if they tried to resist - she was sure of it.

The men began coralling the other captives, peeling mothers from daughters and sisters from sisters, and forcing them into canopied truck beds. Each truck was joined by two men, both with guns at the ready. Lara looked on, unable to look away, but wishing she could.

"Aamiina!" one of the other women cried as her daughter - or a girl Lara assumed to be her daughter - was taken from her. "Waan ku raacayaa!" The woman hopped to her feet and ran toward the truck, only to be gunned down mid stride. The sound of gunfire echoed, and gave way to the horrified shrieks of the other captives. One in particular - Aamiina, if Lara had to guess - lept from the truck in an attempt to run to her mother's side. Rather than shoot her, the men forced her back on the truck. As it departed, she could still hear the girl's cries.

One by one, the women were loaded into trucks and taken away. After the incident, none made an attempt to run. The poor woman's corpse was left in the middle of the clearing; Lara couldn't help but stare. All she could think about was that girl. A part of her hoped that she'd be alright, but she knew that this was wishful thinking. There was nothing good in store for any of them.

"Kaafiyo!" a voice rang out. Lara looked in the direction it came from, noting a few of the men approaching her. Moments later, she was surrounded. "Maxaa ku saabsan mid cad?"

The man knelt; he was tall enough that he still had to look down on her. "Aniga i fiiri," he demanded. Lara refused to make eye contact. "Waxaan is-idhi si aad iigu eegto aniga, qashin!" He grabbed her by the chin and wrenched her head around. "Miyaad adagtahay dhagaha?" Lara could do nothing but scowl.

"Waa caddaan, Hakim. Waxay u badan tahay inay ku hadlaan Ingiriis kaliya." Lara darted her eyes to the left. The leader - Kaafiyo, was it? - approached, and the other men stepped back. He stood over Lara, and stared at her.

"Is that right?" he said. Lara's eyes widened. "Look at me," he demanded. Lara complied; there were too many guns around her for her not to. Kaafiyo knelt, just as the other man did. "You gave us a lot of trouble, you know that?" The two stared at each other before Kaafiyo chuckled. "I'm impressed. If these fools had your skill, I could conquer all of Africa." He lightly slapped Lara's cheek; it took every ounce of willpower for Lara not to spit in his face.

"Soo qaado iyada," Kaafiyo ordered, "anagu waxaan fureynaa midaan."

Two of the men grabbed Lara under the shoulders and forced her to her feet. The nudge of a gun's barrel in her back was more than enough to get her to walk. She didn't like not being in control, but as long as she obeyed, she figured she'd at least stay alive. Hopefully. Before they threw her in the back of the one of the last trucks, Kaafiyo stopped them.

"My apologies." Lara raised an eyebrow at him. What would he be apologizing for? That question was answered when Kaafiyo brought his fist across her face. Lara screamed in both shock and pain; she could taste the blood in her mouth. More blood tricked from her nose. She stared Kaafiyo in the eyes; Kaafiyo merely shrugged.

"If we're going to ransom you off, you need to look the part." He winked at her. "We can get more out of you that way. Faster, too."

Hakim, Xaayow, kula soco dhabarka," Kaafiyo ordered. The two followed his command without question, covering her with a burlap hood and unceremoniously throwing Lara in the bed of the truck. Kaafiyo climbed in on the passenger side, and the other men climbed in to the remaining vehicles. Before they left, Kaafiyo opened the back glass. "Ha ku dhicin in aad ku dhufatid iyada, ma dareemayo waxa ay qabato."

Beneath her hood, Lara remained silent. She had nothing: no weapons, no radio...nothing. Survival seemed like a far off dream. All she could do was wait, and maybe count the bumps to pass the time. She recalled Yamatai, and the words of Roth: just keep moving.

After all, did she really have a choice?