Veronica
I’ve been to the capital plenty of times, but never in this part of town. I find a store and buy myself a smartphone. Nothing fancy. I had to leave my old one, the latest model, back home. I left everything there, including the old me.
I make my way back to the hotel at a slow pace. Spending the whole day outside in the fresh air beats sitting in that dark, cramped room. The hotel room feels more oppressive than the uncertainty of my future. Living downtown would be so much nicer. But I get it—Alice can’t afford that. Truth be told, my money’s running out fast too, and I’ve got no way to get more right now. Two calls from Alice’s phone about job opportunities didn’t pan out. An unfinished education doesn’t impress anyone, and I’m not ready to work as a cashier just yet.
Back at the hotel, I upload my resume to a job search site. Of course, under a new name with a little white lie thrown in for good measure—nothing too crazy, just polished enough to sound believable.
“You here?” Alice peeks in. “I got the job, and I’m starting my shift tonight.”
“That fast?”
“The manager wants me to see what it’s like working nights, so I don’t bail after a couple of days. Tomorrow we’re checking out an apartment—I already set it up. Gotta run!”
Left alone, I eat dinner and settle in to watch a movie. I don’t know what else there is to do around here. I end up dozing off during the film. Waking up shivering, I get up to throw something on. It’s a warm spring night outside, but this room is damp and miserable. Without turning on the light, I stand by the window for a long time, staring out at the bustling life of this unfamiliar city. Then I snap out of it when my new phone rings. Nervously, I swipe to answer but stay silent.
“Good evening,” a pleasant male voice says.
“Evening,” I reply, trying to calm myself down. There’s no way they could’ve found this number.
“Are you still looking for work?”
“Yes, as long as it’s not a strip club or anything shady.”
“No, nothing like that,” he chuckles briefly, and I feel a weight lift off my chest. “My name’s Victor. Our construction company is looking for driven people who are ready to work hard and climb the career ladder. Of course, the pay is good. What do you think?”
“I’m willing to give it a shot,” I say, a spark of hope igniting.
“There’s just one issue: your location. Our boss really doesn’t tolerate tardiness. The office is downtown.”
“Oh, I live pretty far out,” I admit, that hope starting to fade. “I think it’s the Desnianskyi district.”
“Is there a subway nearby?”
“I… I’ve only been here a few days. I think so.”
“What’s the street name? Maybe I can help.”
“Well… it’s a small hotel near a supermarket and a pizza place, not far from a pool. I can ask someone—”
“No, no,” he cuts me off before I can leave the room to check, “I think I’ve got it. It’ll be tricky, but with a good salary, you could rent a nice apartment downtown within the first month. I’ll call you tomorrow with the time and place for the interview.”
“Sounds good,” I say with a smile.
He ends the call, and I text Alice that I’ve already found a job. I don’t want her thinking I’m some spoiled princess. Maybe we won’t even bother looking at that apartment tomorrow—maybe we’ll just rent something better, closer to downtown. I go to bed feeling satisfied, but I’m woken up again by a knock at the door.
“Who’s there?” I ask, still half-asleep.
“Sorry to bother you,” a woman’s voice replies. “There’s an issue with your paperwork.”
“What kind of issue?” My heart starts pounding with anxiety. So much for feeling good…
“We just need to clarify a few things,” she says. I recognize the voice—it’s the front desk clerk I greeted this morning. She has a slight lisp.
“Can’t this wait until morning?” I touch the lock but don’t turn it. I’m scared.
“I didn’t want to wake you up early,” she drawls.
“What’s going on?” I turn the lock, but before I can even see her, I’m shoved hard into the middle of the room. I barely manage to stay on my feet. “Who are you?” I ask, terrified, staring at two men. Fear paralyzes me. I try to speak, but the words won’t come.
“Eva Chuprun?” one of them asks. His gaze sends chills down my spine.
“Yes,” I nod. My brain screams to give my real name, but for some reason, I don’t. I try to peek into the hallway for the clerk, but instead, another hulking figure steps in. My eyes must look terrified because he smirks at me in the most disgusting way, staring right through me.
“This her?” he says dismissively.
“Yeah, looks like him,” the other replies.
“Let’s go,” he says, directing it at me.
“You’ve got the wrong person,” I say, backing away. This only seems to amuse the last guy. He lets out a short laugh and slowly approaches me. With that ugly, square face, he’s clearly a thug—no question about it. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Drama queen,” he sighs.
“Help!” I scream at the top of my lungs. Spinning around, I try to open the window. “Help!” I’ve never yelled this loud before; my chest aches from the effort.
“Shut your mouth,” one of them snaps, yanking my hair hard and shoving me onto the bed. I’ve never felt fear like this. I’m about to be assaulted by three massive creeps right here.
“Don’t touch me!” I scramble up, but now the ugliest one grabs me.
“Listen, or I’ll hit you,” he hisses with rage.
“Hel—” My desperate cry is cut off by a hard slap across the face. I stagger, the ground seeming to sway beneath me. My vision blurs, and a buzzing fills my ears, like a swarm of bees.
“Why’d you hit her so hard?” a voice stretches out, sounding distant.
“Because she’s an idiot,” is the last thing I hear before the darkness mercifully swallows me, saving me from the terror.
I come to pretty quickly. It feels like only a moment has passed. I’m still on a bed. Fully clothed, and no one’s around. It’s silent. I lift my heavy head, and after a few seconds, I realize I’m not in the hotel anymore. This is a different room. Nice, furnished with new stuff. Maybe it’s a luxury suite?
I sit up. My head spins a little, but it’s not too bad. There’s blood smeared on the beige sheets. Touching my lips, I wince. That brute split my lip. Strangely, I’m not scared right now. Maybe it’s the aftereffect of the hit. Or maybe they injected me with something?
I stand up. Peering out the window, I see nothing but darkness—no lights at all. I head to the door. Locked. A plan forms instantly: I’ll just climb out the window and run wherever my legs take me. I tug at the window handle, and it gives. I swing it open, sit on the sill, and nearly topple out from the height.
“Damn it,” I hiss, feeling doomed.
“You’re awake?” a rough voice grunts behind me. “Planning to jump from the second floor? I can give you a push, but just so you know, there’s a mean dog down there. You’ve got one choice, drama queen: tell the truth. And make it quick—I’m not a patient guy. I might not hold back next time, and I’d hate to mess up that pretty face of yours.”
“What truth?” I half-turn to face him. God, he’s repulsive. Thin, elongated face, black eyes, dark hair sticking out in every direction.
“Tell me where your brother is.”
Dear readers, I’m thrilled to welcome you to the pages of this new story! I won’t spill too much about the book—it’s going to be one big mystery, but I promise incredibly charismatic characters and jaw-dropping plot twists!)
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Yours, Erin