Chapter 96: The Price of Innocence
Next came Ayla, her skin looking pale and her wrists showing faint bruises. A guard grabbed her roughly under the arms, hoisting her up like she was dead weight, and tossed her into the back of the SUV without a second thought.
The youngest girl, who didn’t look much older than a toddler, was handled like a precious doll. But that was just because they wanted her unharmed; she was way too valuable for that. Two men carefully put her into the vehicle, making sure her small legs were tucked beneath her before slamming the door shut.
Selina walked up to the lead SUV, taking a quick look at the sunrise spilling over the treetops. "Get them to Base 9," she ordered, her tone firm. "No stops. No talking."
Alpha pulled out his phone and made a quick call. When it connected, he said coldly, "They’ve landed. Time to get the final preps going."
A muffled voice on the other end replied, "Payment’s ready. We want the older one auctioned off first. Keep the youngest back for the highest bidder."
Alpha asked, curious, "As planned. And what about the hacker?"
The voice chuckled, "Break her. Slowly. Let her really feel it."
Alpha hung up without saying more and hopped into the SUV next to Selina. The convoy kicked off, four SUVs disappearing into the dense woods leading to the underground base just north of the city, a hidden part of America, where secrets stayed buried, and screams never escaped.
******
Somewhere in the U.S., in a secret underground base, Aylin finally woke up, feeling a blanket of pain all over her body. Her head was throbbing, and every part of her ached like she’d fallen from way up high. The light above her was flickering, casting strange yellow shadows on the cold concrete walls. With a wince, she managed to push herself up to sit. Her throat felt dry, and her limbs were heavy, making it hard to move. The room was eerily quiet, no windows, just one locked door and a camera in the corner keeping watch.
Panic started creeping in as she looked around. Where was Ayla? What had happened to them? That’s when she noticed a small figure curled up in the back of the room.
Aylin dragged herself across the floor, moving on her hands and knees. The figure was a young girl, probably around twelve, unconscious and struggling to breathe. She was shockingly pale, and her clothes were way too revealing for someone her age. Aylin gently touched the girl’s arm, hoping for some sign of life.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly, her voice shaky.
There was no reply.
Turning toward the door, Aylin whispered, "Where are we?" Deep down, she felt that no one would answer her. The walls seemed built to keep everything inside.
A wave of fear swept over her, not just for herself but for that innocent girl and for Ayla, who was still missing.
At that same time, in another room, Ayla’s holding cell, Ayla started to wake up. Her head was pounding as she fought to open her eyes. She felt the tape over her mouth and realized her hands were tied. She was lying on something soft but unfamiliar. As she struggled to move, her body felt sluggish and confused. Then she heard footsteps.
Muffled voices surrounded her, a woman laughed, and a man’s commanding voice cut through the air, making her shiver.
Suddenly, she felt the cold touch of wipes on her face, scrubbing away dirt and tears. Strange hands pulled off her clothes and replaced them with something tight and sparkly that clung to her in all the wrong ways. She tried to scream, but the tape silenced her. Someone put bright red lipstick on her lips and yanked her hair as they brushed it.
Then came the needle. Sharp and cold, it pierced her skin, sending a burning sensation through her. She weakly shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
"Don’t panic," a voice whispered cruelly in her ear. "Just smile on stage. Or your sister gets hurt more."
Ayla’s heart shattered. She didn’t fully understand what was happening, but she knew one thing: they weren’t just hurting her; they were getting her ready for something terrible. If she resisted, they’d take it out on Aylin.
When the door slammed shut behind the handlers, she lay there, half-drugged, staring blankly at the dark ceiling. She prayed that someone would come to rescue them. Her mind wandered to Liam, the one person she wished could save her right now, but she knew he couldn’t.
******
In Istanbul, Liam stood at the university gate, anxiously glancing around for Ayla. The atmosphere buzzed with students chatting and the sound of traffic, but all he could think about was how she was running late. He checked his watch, feeling a pit of worry in his stomach. She never kept him waiting.
After some tense moments, he tried calling her, but her phone went straight to voicemail. Frustrated and concerned, he decided to reach out to her sister, Aylin, but again, no response. With a sinking feeling, he quickly typed out a message: "Where are you? Meet me at the uni gate after 2." Once he sent it off, a classmate named Osman walked up to him.
"Liam, you coming to class or what?" he asked, casting a curious glance at him. With a reluctant sigh, he followed him inside, but his mind was racing with thoughts about Ayla. His gut was telling him something was off.
The lecture dragged on, and every minute without Ayla felt like an eternity. Once class finally wrapped up, Liam bolted back to the gate, still hoping to find her there, but she was nowhere in sight.
Freaking out a bit, he started asking some classmates if they had seen her. The news only made his anxiety worse; she hadn’t even shown up to university today. That was so unlike Ayla; she was the kind of person who never skipped class without a good reason.
