Elisa came into consciousness a few times and it was always dark. She realized she was lying in a car but the sound of tires on the road was monotonous like a lullaby and she couldn't resist it.
She then woke up from the disturbance when she felt being dragged by the shoulders into fresh air.
'She's heavier than she looks,' the one who was pulling her out of the car remarked. She was tossed carelessly and lifted, her head banged from side to side. She moaned faintly and attempted to raise her hands to protest but they felt weakly at her sides. The desire to sleep was terrifyingly overwhelming.
The last time when she finally awoke it was dark again except for a small light. She thought she was at home. It was like when she used to catch a cold as a kid, and her mom would left her bed-side lamp on, just in case. And it was warm and the darkness was so soft. Except for the bed. For some reason it was too hard and small.
Elisa's eyes opened slowly, all her body ached as if she'd been beaten up.
She heard someone talking, and though the voices were pretty near, she couldn't understand anything they were saying.
It suddenly struck her. Where she was or might be. She stirred and her left hand bumped into a soft wall. A couch. She was on some couch somewhere. If not for her heavy head and aching body, she'd jump up and run, but all she could do was to press her hand over her forehead to suppress the pain.
'Wakey-wakey, sleeping beauty.'
She was still half asleep and terribly slow, but the sight of the two of them brought her to life really quick. It was not a dream, no matter how hard she wanted it. It was not. They were there again.
The memories of the last moments before she blacked out rushed at her like an avalanche and she trembled like a leaf. She looked around. The place was some kind of a basement. Rows of shelves, full of stuff undistinguishable in the dim light, lined up the walls. There was one more couch closer to the door and a TV-set in front of it. The only light was coming from a small lamp standing on the table. There were also empty beer bottles and an ashtray full of cigar butts on it.
She winced from pain in her head when Kevin pulled out a chair from under the table and saddled it, confronting her.
'Where am I?' her throat was so dry she could barely speak. But at least she was in her clothes and didn't feel anything was done to her.
'Try to guess?' Liam was half sitting on the table watching her closely, the smoke from his cigarette was whirling slowly upwards.
She looked at him with wide eyes.
'Why am I here?' Her voice made a pathetic squeak and she felt her eyes getting wet from involuntary tears.
Liam got up and walked slowly towards her. She huddled up on the couch as if she could make herself even smaller than she was.
He sat down just inches away from her.
'Because we liked you, forgot?' he smirked. He lingered his gaze at her, took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled the smoke into her face. She moved her hands to wave it away.
'Please, don't do anything, please,' she felt she might even plead them. She hated the kind of guys. The bullies who didn't know any limits. But she was too afraid.
'Don't do what?' Kevin jerked up his head and Liam moved closer.
Tears were already streaming down her cheeks but she didn't seem to notice them. She sobbed louder than she expected and her body shook in cries.
'Don't…,' she managed between her sobs. They showed no reaction. 'Please, I want to go home. Don't do… whatever you want to.'
'What do you think we want to do?' Liam asked with a fake sympathetic tone.
She shook her head, hiding her face in her palms.
'Alright, come on, we don't want to fuck you, if you mean that,' Kevin finally said in a reassuring voice. Elise raised her eyes at him, not sure if this was supposed to mean something good.
'You speak for yourself, I wouldn't mind,' the guys exchanged glances and laughed loudly. 'Relax, I'm kidding', Liam pinched her by the arm.
'So,' Kevin stood up and squatted in front of her. She felt her lips trembling, she wiped her nose with her fingers. 'Let's put it like this. Our boss is the last person you'd like to be in debt to. But somehow your brother owned him quite a sum and thought the payment deadline could be ignored. Thus, it actually has nothing to do with you.'
'But it might, if he doesn't speed up,' Liam murmured.
'Nothing to do with me? You drugged me! What if… what if I…' she stuttered nervously.
'Come on, that was not a drug, just a sedative,' Liam yawned tiredly, stretching his arms.
'Besides, it was a child's dose. I don't know how you got knocked out so hard.' Kevin added.
She glanced from one guy to another. Through her tear-filled eyes they were two blurred figures. A lonely tear tickled her cheek downwards. She wiped it with the outer side of her palm. It was black from mascara smeared under her eyes.
'Where's he? He was supposed to pick me up. My… mom's waiting for me,' her voice gave a shake and she sobbed, feeling tears ready to pour down again.
'He couldn't make it to the club, anyways,' Kevin shrugged and apologetically pursed his lips. 'But you'll meet him soon enough.'
She suddenly realized she didn't have her phone which she clearly remembered she'd put in the pocket of her overall. Or might it be in her purse? She couldn't see it either. She touched the fabric of her pockets just in case. No phone obviously. She froze in terror from a thought that it might have fallen somewhere. It was her only chance imaginable for now to ask someone for help.
Liam put his hand in the pocket of his hoodie and took out her phone. 'Looking for this?' he shook it in front of her. She tried to grab it but he took the hand away.
'Ooops, Not so fast.'
'I need to call my mom,' she just sensed how stupid it sounded.
'Really? To say what? Do I maybe call the cops for you, huh?' Liam snorted, giving her a mocking look.
'It's 5 a.m. No one's waiting for you. At least, there were no calls so far.' Kevin remarked in a calm voice.
As far as it was possible she felt a slight relief. Her mom would have definitely called or texted to her, if she'd noticed she was missing. That was true, she was probably sleeping.
'Water?' Kevin handed her a small bottle of water. Elisa was so thirsty the sight of it made her sick, but she pulled back from it as if it was a bomb.
The guys snorted.
'It's clean,' Kevin unscrewed the cap and made a big gulp from the bottle.
'See?' he wiped the neck of it and handed it to the girl. She was shaking all over that it was even impossible to drink properly. She took a few small sips of it, just enough to soften her dry throat.
Kevin said something to Liam, now she could guess it was Danish, and left the room. Liam grinned at her as they were left alone but did nothing. Just took out his phone and scrolled through it, reading something.
When Kevin returned a few minutes later, he looked kind of rattled. He started speaking fast. Liam was listening to him with an open mouth, his tongue touching the corner of his lips. Under the circumstances, their language seemed even more intimidating. Elisa was watching both of the guys, afraid to even breathe.
'Fuck!' Liam groaned, 'Er han der nå?' he nodded at the door. (Is he there now?)
'Ja,' Kevin replied. (Yes.)
Liam got up so harshly that the springs inside the couch made a whining twang. The door slammed close after him.
Kevin gave Elisa a faint smile and sat down to the other couch. He pressed the button on the remote and Elisa heard a cartoon voices from the TV speakers. She curled up in the corner, hugging her pulled up knees. The time that went so fast just a few hours ago slowed down to a snails speed. She didn't know what they'd do to her and had no clue how Nick would find the money, and it made her chest ache with longing for it to be just a nightmare. And it was. Only it was both real and unpredictable.
'…because your Tolia's fucked up. I need some new wheels, man,' Liam walked into the room after a few minutes, holding his phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He came up to Kevin and said something to him. He nodded.
As long as they didn't interact with her, she felt relatively calm, but something was clearly happening and she was just deadly scared if it concerned her brother or herself.
'I paid everything, let's go home,' Nick touched her arm. 'Mom's gonna kill me.'
She wanted to say she'd kill him herself but she was so relieved she thought her scolding might wait. She stood up and headed to the open door. The room was sun-lit and the light was coming through big plastic windows on both walls. Strangely, she hadn't noticed they were there before. Probably because the night was too dark.
It then struck her painfully when she opened her eyes that she's just fallen asleep.
She was on the same ragged couch where she's spent half the night. Rays of light were squeezing through narrow windows under the ceiling. No Nick here, only Kevin sitting motionless on the opposite side of the room. This short dream was so real she nearly started crying again.
She stood up quietly and made a few tiptoe-steps towards Kevin. He was breathing calmly, head pressed to the palm of his bent arm. He was sleeping. Maybe that was a chance. The worst thing was she didn't know where she was or what was there behind the door. The second thing terrified her much more than the first.
She walked as quietly as she could. Her shoes were soft, though she was afraid, not enough for sneaking away. She made it to the door, her hands shaking terribly. If the door squeaks, she's done. She might try to run but this obviously will attract too much attention of whoever was there as well. Just as she outreached her fingers to the door handle, the couch squeaked under Kevin.
'Trust me you don't wanna go there alone,' his voice was a bit hoarse and sleepy. He moved his neck to stretch it from the uncomfortable nap.
She shut her eyes. Kevin remained sitting, looking at her over the back of the couch.
'It's closed anyway, go back here.'
Just as she was half-way from her couch, she heard a commotion in the next room. There were voices and loud thuds of something heavy falling and screeching sound of chairs moving. Rapid steps headed towards the door and it flew open letting bright light inside the room.
'So, a family reunion?' Liam smirked at her and nodded to the open doorway.
