I'VE SEEN HER! (COMPLETE)

Chapter 30

I was brought around with a slap to the face, my hair yanked back to lift my head.

“Silence,” a voice ordered thick with an accent. I obeyed but a bang sounding above us had the closet door slammed seconds later and the sound of several heavy footfalls seemed to grown louder with every step.

“Get in,” the voice of elderly woman said reopening the door and shoving a child inside between my feet. I felt the child try to scramble behind my legs to hide but there was very little room. I tried to move my feet to help her but the chains made it next to impossible. She sat behind them, with her back to my legs. I could feel her shaking as the sound of shouting, banging, screaming and running seemed to consume the small space and caused her to cry ‘mummy, mummy’ over and over again. 

The boat rock so wildly I feared we would capsize. More bangs and pleads of ‘don’t shoot’ were screamed. Was it a rescue? I tried not to get my hopes up. Maybe someone was angry and getting punished. “Clear... clear...” I heard. It was rescue, I had heard that in films when they were sweeping rooms.

More shots and screaming! The child started to cry and turned to cling to my legs. Legs I knew were stained with urine as I hadn’t been given a break. She tried to climb up my body as the noises grew closer. The tiny fingers clawing at my injuries making me scream but she managed to climb up on my back and held on. I pushed myself against the wall to help keep her legs wrapped around my waist, he arms starting to choke my neck again. I was too weak to take her weight, light as she was I just couldn’t stand. I heard scuffling outside. I tried to kick the closet door to raise the alarm as “HELP!” I yelled behind the tape, my throat so sore I could barely manage it especially with her arms around my throat. The sound of the closet flinging open caused the child to duck her head behind mine in fear. The next few seconds were the terrifying as I waited to see who had opened it.

“Stand down,” I heard Sean say. “Get a medic! Hey sweetheart come here.” The girl shook her head and clung to me. “Emily, come here sweetheart. I’m going to take you home to mummy and daddy.”

Hearing him confirm that it was her was worth everything I’d endured. Even as she still refused to go to him I knew she was safe and it was the end of a nightmare for her. “Mel,” he whispered. “I am going to move the blind fold a little but can’t take it off as you have injuries and I need to wait on the medic.”

I nodded, my chest heaving with sobs of relief making it harder to breathe. “Hi,” he said lifting it. I tried to open my eyes but could only see out of my right.“I’m going to try to take the tape off.” I shook my head. I knew my lips were split and torn. “Ok, we will wait for the medic. Is this your friend?” he asked nodding behind me. I nodded as men came in carrying a collapsible stretcher. “Are you going to help me take these chains down?” he asked Emily. She shook her head, she knew better. “I’m going to have to take you now sweetheart, so these men can help her. We are all going for a ride to the hospital.”

She screamed and fought back as he pulled her off me. I caught a glimpse of her swinging around like a monkey trying to escape him as my chains were cut and I fell into the arms of two men. I could hear a helicopter above, the boat rocking wildly again.

“Shhh we are staying with your friend, calm down,” Sean called over the sounds of a hysterical Emily.

I was put onto a stretcher and hurried up on deck the only thing I could see was Emily face being shielded by Sean’s huge hands as he tucked it into his neck and ran ahead with her. She had given up fighting and clung on instead. I watched bleary eyed as he was winched up to a helicopter hovering above with her strapped to his chest. Men sat with guns on either side of the helicopter as she was took onboard. She was saved... she was free... I felt my whole body sigh with relief as I winched up attached to a man who had dropped down from the helicopter.