I think of Ana, whose sharp wit keeps us sane when despair presses too close.
Of Sofia and Christina, quiet and enduring, their strength carved from silence. Of Bianca, who has survived longer than any of us and still dares to hope.
Losing any one of them would shatter us.
The distant rumble reaches us then—low, heavy, unmistakable.
Engines.
Dust rises beyond the walls, drifting lazily into the yard like a bad omen. My pulse slams against my ribs, loud enough I’m certain the overseer can hear it.
The gates creak open.
Metal groans against metal, a sound that scrapes down my spine.
Two black vehicles roll into the yard, slow and deliberate, as though savoring the moment. When the doors open, the air itself seems to retreat.
The Kompania brothers step out.
Twin giants—broad, brutal, identical in their cruelty.
Their smiles are wrong, stretched too wide, their eyes empty pits that swallow whatever they land on. They scan us openly, shamelessly, like buyers at a market.
I lift my chin a fraction.
The yard feels smaller beneath the merciless Albanian sun, the heat baking into the packed earth until it burns the soles of our bare feet.
Sweat trickles down my spine.
We stand in rigid formation—hands clasped behind our backs, heads bowed just enough to show submission. Not enough to invite punishment.
Our overseer moved swiftly to greet the Kompania brothers, then led them toward us. My heart pounded as I and the other six girls stood lined up in a row, every second stretching like an eternity.
A low laugh escapes one of the Kompania brothers as they approach, their presence swallowing the space.
The overseer straightens instantly, all deference now.
“My lords,” he says, bowing his head.
My stomach twists.
The brothers stop in front of us. One tilts his head, studying our faces. The other’s gaze lingers too long, too intimate, like a hand sliding where it has no right to be.
Fear ripples through the line, silent but palpable.
I focus on my breathing.
In.
Out.
Just one more day.
One more night.
Bianca’s breathing quickened beside me, shallow and ragged, rattling through her chest like a trapped bird.
Ana, on my other side, stared straight ahead, jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle twitch with every heartbeat.