Silent Terror

When I opened my eyes and came to, I was under a brown wooden desk. The floor was concrete and cold to the touch. I had no recollection as to how I wound up there.

As I slowly tried to slide out from under the desk, I heard the sound of a gun slide back and click. Immediately, my heart started pounding as if I had been running for miles. I didn't know whether to get out or continue to hide.

The smell of what I guessed to be an office was musty, as if it hadn't been used in a while. It was cold and quiet.

I slide down to the floor and peaked under the desk to find chair legs and a black pair of tennis shoes. I could see the bottom of a light brown door slightly ajar. I wondered if there was a land line phone on the desk. If there was, I could call for help.

I heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway, then stop. I froze, trying not to make a sound. I could hear two men talking. I couldn't make out what they were saying. They were speaking in a foreign language.

A couple minutes later, the man with a deep voice walked down the hallway. I waited a few minutes until the man that was in the room with me sat back down. I then slowly sat back up.

I got on my hands and knees and slowly crawled behind the desk to peak around the corner.

The man in the chair caught a glimpse of me. He was wearing a white t-shirt with blue denim jeans. He had short blonde hair that hung in his eyes. He held his index finger up to his mouth, telling me to be quiet.

I didn't know whether to trust him or not. My heart continued to beat out of my chest. Although it was cold in the room, my body was sweating bullets. I was terrified.

I retreated to my original position. The sound of women screaming could be heard throughout the room. I wondered how many of us there were. Why wasn't I with them? How did I get here?

The man with the blonde hair, walked around to the backside of the desk where I was. He squatted to face me. His index finger covered his mouth again, telling me to remain quiet. He handed me a piece of paper and then stood up.

The paper read: You are in danger. I am here to help you escape. Be quiet and we both might make it out alive.

I shoved the paper inside my pants pocket as to not leave a trace. I peeked around the back corner of the desk so that only he could see me. I hoped he knew sign language, so I asked him, how did I get here?

He signed back, they kidnapped you yesterday and brought you underground. You were drugged and knocked out. I managed to hide you in here, so they are looking for you now.

I heard several footsteps coming down the hallway again. I quickly got back under the desk and waited. This time there were a few men who stopped by the doorway. After a quick chat with the man in the room, they run down the hallway in the other direction. I could hear their large guns clanking against their bodies as they ran. I couldn't tell how many there were but there was enough to scare the hell out of me.

Once they left, he walked around to the backside of the desk. Still using sign language, he told me his name was Justin Lee and that he was undercover. He had been tracking this human trafficking ring for weeks. He signed that they were sending women and girls overseas to be abused, raped and marrying them off to the highest bidder.

I couldn't believe that I had gotten wrapped up in this. I searched my brain as to how I had gotten here. I tried to recall the last thing I could remember.

I was at a bar with two of my girlfriends and we were having drinks after work. I remember a man buying us a round of drinks. They must have been poisoned by him or the bartender, I thought. I wondered if all three of us were here or was it just me.

I asked myself, how in the world was one man going to save me and all the women I could hear screaming, with just himself? If he was in fact undercover, then the cops should be nearby. Maybe if I run, I can escape, I thought. Could I really trust this man that was in the room with me? Was he keeping me for himself? All sorts of questions arose in my mind.

I decided to sign back to him, can I trust you?

He signed back, I know the way out. I will be right back. He closed the door behind him.

I didn't know whether I could trust him or not, but I was afraid for my life if he left the room. My heart was beating faster than before. I was cold from all the sweat running down my face. My adrenaline was pumping.

The next few minutes seemed to take forever. I prayed that no one would enter the room except for him. I prayed that I would make it out of this alive.

I could hear shoes squeaking down the hallway. Then the door slammed open and hit the wall. My heart skipped a beat. I remained quiet and motionless.

I then heard another set of shoes squeaking down the hallway. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. I heard metal to bone...and then the first man fell to the ground. Justin dragged the man on the ground behind the desk. I could see the man's face. His eyes were open, and he faced me. I closed my eyes and turned my head.

I wanted so badly to get out away from the man on the floor. It was creepy.

Justin motioned for me to come out from under the desk. He signed that we needed to move now. I was almost too scared to move. I slowly climbed out from under the desk and across the man on the floor next to me. I then rushed and hide behind the door so no one could see me.

Justin looked both ways down the hallway and motioned for me to follow him.