Chapter 8

Rosie wandered the streets, depressed. Her daughter was missing, her husband had left her. Rain was pouring down. Suddenly a man stepped in front of her. 'Excuse me?' She said. The man roughly grabbed the top of her arms. 'Do you mind?' Suddenly everything went black.

Kim fiddled with the edge of a rip in her flight suit. It was hardly recognisable as the uniform of International Rescue, it was covered in dirt, dust... and blood. Beneath every rip was a scratch or cut. Kim looked down at Helen who had her head resting on Kim's lap as she slept. The 13-year-old's clothes were ripped badly too, and in the same state as Kim's. Both girl's hair was matted and dirty. It was night, but Kim refused to sleep, she was determined that, if someone from outside the gang turned up, they would get out. Kim's head jerked up as the cell door opened. Peter entered followed by his two henchmen. Kim shook Helen awake gently. 'Cuff and blindfold them.' Peter ordered. The two other men wrenched the girls to their feet.

Rosie looked up at the rattle of chains. Two girls were shoved into the room, on the other side of the bars that held her. The younger was blindfolded, the other had a blindfold around her neck. They were both handcuffed. The younger girl stumbled and her companion caught her arm. Both of them were in ripped clothing, but it was the older girl's clothes that caught Rosie's eye. They seemed to be a one-piece outfit, that must have originally been white. She then looked towards the other girl and her heart stuck in her throat. It was Helen, her little girl. A man strolled in behind the two girls. 'You are a sick-minded, emotionless prat.' The older girl seethed.
'Now, now Kimmy, that's not very nice is it.' Rosie gasped, it was Peter.
The girl growled. Peter walked forward and removed the blindfold from Helen. 'Mum!' She exclaimed. Peter nodded towards the door that was in Rosie's cell. It unlocked and opened, revealing 3 armed men.

Kim felt Helen tense as the men entered. She instinctivly wrapped her arms around the teenager. She held the girl tight. She could tell what was going to happen. Kim turned the girl so that she was not looking at her mother. A shot rang out and Kim buried her face in Helen's hair. Sobs wracked Helen's body. 'Take them away.' Peter said. 'Tonight we will celebrate.'
As the girls were dragged away, Kim yelled out. 'Your heartless.'

The girls were thrown uncerimoniusly back into their cell, where Helen collapsed on the floor and curled up, tears freely flowing. Kim, tears flowing down her own cheeks, crouched down and pulled the girl into her. Kim did not say anything, she knew what it was like to lose a parent, but not in this way. She then had an idea. She opened the top of her flight suit, and pulled a bracelet from an inside pocket. They all had them. They were identity bracelets. Kim fastened it around Helen's wrist and said quietly, 'You're my sister, I'll look after you.'

Corporal James Collins listened to his commanding officer's report. The body of a woman had been found on the Malta Island of Gozo. She had been shot three times. It had been discovered that she was a British woman by the name of Rosie Johnson, whose daughter had gone missing elevn months before. This meant that a search was now going to be conducted on the island. It was hoped that the teenager would be there. James was to lead one of the units in a search on the West of the island.

The laughter of men floated into the cell. They were obviously drunk. Two men stumbled down the stairs to Kim and Helen's cell. One of them held a knife. The other was Peter. He wrentched open the cell door and they entered. Kim pushed herself against the wall, causing them to laugh even more. Peter caught hold of her and held her down, on her front. He took hold of her hair, roughly, and the other man stepped forward and began to cut Kim's hair.
When they left, they took the hair they had cut from Kim with them. Kim sat up and ran her hand through her hair, which now hung just below her shoulders. She turned to look and Helen, who was watching her with wide eyes. A creak made them look up, the cell door had not been shut properly. A sly but weak smile appeared on Kim's face. She stood up and offered Helen a hand. 'It's time for us to get out of here.' Helen grasped it and got to her feet. The two females slipped silently out of the cell, and up the stairs.

Kim blinked when they reached the top. It had been a long time since she had properly seen sunlight. She pinned herself and Helen into the wall as two men passed, but they continued on and into a building. Kim led Helen across the complex, which was pretty empty. Only once did they have to hide, but it seemed like everyone had been celebrating from the death of Helen's mother, courtesy of Peter. They were able to slip out of the gate without being seen and began to make their way across the open ground. A shout from the complex made them stop, before Kim looked back in horror to see men running after them. She glanced down and Helen and they began to sprint.