She looked back at the bedraggled group of women who couldn’t even bother to make eye contact with her and then at the men, wondering how she’d gotten herself into this situation—and how she was going to get herself out of it.
8
The men laughed as they moved out into the hallway. They remained where they could keep an eye on the women, but clearly wanted to talk about something where they couldn’t be overheard.
“Pssh. Hey.”
Maya turned toward the whisper, seeing one of the women trying to get her attention but not that of the men. She wore her long, brown hair in a ponytail and was using her green eyes to signal for Maya to join them. Maya looked down at the woman’s bulging, pregnant belly.
Glancing at the open door leading into the hallway, Maya saw that the men appeared to be arguing with each other, nobody paying attention to the women inside of the dark gym who didn’t seem to pose a threat to them. Maya scooted down the bleachers until she was sitting with the other women.
“What’s your name? I’m Alice.”
Maya hesitated as she looked into Alice’s eyes and saw the same fear and apprehension that had been rolling around in her own stomach. They had all been captured and brought here against their will.
“Maya. I was on my way to pick up my kids until these assholes showed up.”
“Nice to meet you, Maya.” Alice said.
“What are you all doing here? Did they force you in here at gunpoint, too? What are they planning to do with us?”
“There’s no time for that.” Alice used her right hand to caress the underside of her bump. “You’ve got to get out of here the first chance you get.”
“How?”
“I’m not going anywhere. You have to leave.”
“What? No. I’m not going to leave you all here for those animals to do whatever they want to do with you.”
“There’s no time to explain. We have to get you out of here so you can get help for the rest of us. It’ll be way easier to get one woman out rather than a whole bunch. Besides, most of us are married to those assholes—you’re not.”
“I won’t leave a pregnant woman here with these monsters.”
Maya looked around as one of the men in the hallway yelled an obscenity at one of the other men. “You need to come with—”
“Shh.” Alice turned her eyes down, looking away from her.
Maya looked over and saw the men walking back into the gym. Despite the shouting of a few moments ago, Gill now led the smiling and laughing men back inside. When he saw Maya had moved closer to the other women, he wrinkled his nose and stuck his chin out.
“Hey, why are y’all talking to her?”
“They weren’t,” Maya said. “I was just—”
“I don’t believe I asked you. I believe I was talking to my wife.”
“It’s all good, sweetie,” Alice said to Gill.
A cold feeling crept up from Maya’s stomach as she attempted to make eye contact with Alice. The woman stole a glance, but then averted her gaze.
“No more Chatty Cathy. Get your ass back down to the other end of the bleachers,” Gill said to Maya.
Maya scooted back down, never taking her eyes off the estranged woman.
Maya sat with her elbows on her knees and stared at her feet, unaware of how many hours had passed. All of the men had gone back outside except for the skinny guy, Rodney. He stood in front of the door cradling a rifle in his arms like a woman would a nursing infant, with the barrel pointed at the floor but in a position where it could be brought up and fired quickly.
She looked up to see Rodney staring at her, a grin stretched across his pockmarked face. Maya turned away, but out of her peripheral vision she could see that he was still leering at her. She needed to leave before the monsters came out.
“Oh,” one of the women said.
The others gathered around but none daring to say another word.
Maya glanced over to see Alice clutching her belly. The pregnant woman grimaced and leaned over. Maya hurried up to her.
“Hold up, now,” Rodney said, coming over.
“What’s the matter?” Maya asked.
“It hurts,” Alice said. “Something’s wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Rodney asked.
“Look, I’m an EMT,” Maya said. “Take me to a room with some privacy so I can have a look at her.”
“No way in hell. Gill would be—”
Alice screamed and toppled onto her side, and Maya happened to be in a position to catch her and keep her from smacking her head off the bleachers.
Maya looked at Alice’s stomach and then to Rodney. “We have to do something.”
The man swallowed, sweat pouring down his face as he looked from Alice to the door and back again.
“Go get Gill,” Alice said to Rodney. “Please.”
“But he said I wasn’t supposed to leave the—”
“Now!” Maya screamed.
Alice winced as if the command had caused her physical pain.
Rodney swallowed, shook his head, cursed under his breath, and then jogged to the door.
“Take care of her.” Rodney threw the words over his shoulder at Maya. “Don’t let her fucking die, or—”
“Go!” one of the other women screamed at him.
When Rodney disappeared into the darkened hallway, Maya turned her attention back to Alice.
“Look, you’re going to be okay. Just tell me—”
“You’re damn right I’m gonna be fine.” Alice sat up and inhaled deeply. She removed her hands from her stomach and wiped the sweat from her face.
“You were faking it?”
Alice nodded. “You have to make a run for it. Right now.”
“What are they going to do when they come back and see that you were faking it? What will Gill do?”
“Honey, I’ve been playing Gill long enough. He’ll never know I was faking it. Now, quit trying to have sympathy for us and get the hell out of here. On your way to get your kids, just let the first cop or soldier you see know what’s happening here. You have to.”
Maya looked around at the other women. They smiled and nodded at her.
“Go, girl.”
“Hurry, please. Tell others.”
“Don’t let them get you.”
Maya made eye contact with them before responding. “Thank you. I promise I’ll send the police here to rescue you.”
“I know you will. I can see the truth in your eyes. Now, go.”
Maya gave the woman a quick hug and nodded at the others. Then she jumped off the bleachers and ran for the door on the opposite side of the gymnasium.
9
Maya slammed the push-bar louder than she should have and found herself in a hallway. She looked both ways, seeing double-doors at one end of the hall with light shining through their narrow glass panes. Her breath quickened and she ran toward them, trying to keep her steps light and as quiet as possible.
When she made it to the doors, she discovered a thick chain wrapped through both handles with a padlock hanging from it. She yanked on the chains, but they didn’t budge, and the padlock looked industrial. Maya scanned the hallway again, trying to find something to break down the door or smash the padlock with, but she saw nothing useful.
“Shit.”
As she stood with her hands on her hips, trying to think of a way out of the building, she heard several voices. Footsteps slapped against the tile floors.
They know I got away.
Maya ran down the hallway to her left, moving as fast as she could away from the voices and oncoming footsteps. Lockers ran the length of the hallway on both sides and the classroom doors had all been shut. She pumped her arms and ran until she reached the opposite end of the hall. When she had, she leaned against the wall and caught her breath.