Deception

The streets are dark, the street lamps barely illuminating the unpaved gravel road. I step on rocks, which bite into my feet, but I pay it no attention. We – Rowan and I – need the money. Without it, we can't survive. We're barely making it through, currently. Every scrap of food is cherished. Nothing is wasted.

Rowan tries to support the two of us; he really does. But his meager attempts to produce money through deliveries aren't enough and barely make a dent. This needs to be done. I have bone marrow that I'd willingly give and they have money they'd exchange in return.

I can see a light now. It is dim, but there. The warehouse the tests were going to take place in, was large and growing closer with every step. I had found the advertisement on the streets. It was a lone piece of paper, half-torn up, floating in the wind.

My only hope was that not too many girls had seen it before I did.

Reaching the warehouse, my nose wrinkles and I cringe in disgust. There's a peculiar odor wafting through the open doors, and I can't quite place the exact scent. A line of girls wait outside of a separate door, within the warehouse. Tentatively, I follow in line behind them.

I can tell the smell affects the other girls, just as much as it bothers me. Suddenly, I realize the scent lingering in the air. It's blood and sweat. My heart pounds even faster in my chest, as I try to calm myself. Calm down Rhine, you're at a bone marrow test lab; what else would you expect to smell?The thumping is less intense, and I smile wearily to myself.

A whoosh of air rushes out as the metal doors open. The girls and I are quick to file in. They all look bedraggled, exhausted, and desperate, just as I am. Desperate for the money guaranteed. We enter in an un-uniformed line.

As soon as all the girls have walked in, the doors close behind us, and the lights shut off. The screams erupt moments after, although I stay silent, my heart pounding wildly. A different door opens, then closes, and men in gray coats walk in, carrying guns.

One girl screams, terrified, and there is a silenced gun-shot. With a barely audible thump to the ground, she's dead. The other girls are already riled up, but the murder of this girl sends them into a train of frenzy. I stay still, not wanting to be shot dead.

I know what this is. What they're doing. I've heard stories from all over, talking about this. They're – Footsteps approach me, and I freeze. A gray coat approaches me, his arms stretched out, and I know he's going to take me. Time seems to enter slow motion, and the fright kicks back in. I kick and claw and punch, but he scoops me up over his back like I'm a feather. Still, I pound on his back with my fists, but it feels as if he's made of steel. My efforts are no use and the adrenaline rush is gone. He puts something over my mouth, and I fade unconscious, breathing in the unknown smell.

My last thoughts, before I drift down under, are, I'm sorry, Rowan.