Is this destiny?

Sarah and Aiden descended to the basement level in Akmal's mansion and opened the first out of five doors. Inside they saw four mattresses on the floor and several blankets and ten teenage girls squeezing in the corner while trying to stay as far as possible from the door.

"Hi, my name is Sarah. This is Aiden. We want to take you out… We are not going to hurt you…", Sarah spoke softly to frightened girls. "We will send you to your families. If you go out and wait a bit, someone will come and talk to you…"

It took a few minutes to explain the situation and for the girls to relax enough to accept leaving upstairs with two members of the Army of Chaos upstairs.

The second room was with eleven girls, and Sarah assumed that this is the room from where Akmal took Meili. Sarah repeated: "Hi, my name is Sarah. This is Aiden. We are not going to hurt you…"

The third room was empty, and the fourth one was filled with unmarked boxes of various sizes.

When Sarah opened the fifth room, she saw that it's dimly lit. It is the largest one out of all the rooms in the basement. A number of girls were in the back of the room, and the foul smell of something nasty mixed with blood invaded Sarah's senses and made her close her eyes for a moment.

Sarah was startled when a figure dashed desperately toward her with murderous intent.

Sarah lifted her left arm on instinct to defend from the attacker, but Aiden was not happy with just defending. In the next moment, he was in front of Sarah, grabbing the neck of the girl who rushed toward Sarah, and slamming her to the wall.

"No!" Sarah exclaimed and pulled Aiden back. "Look at her…"

The girl was all bruised and bloodied, and her clothes were tattered.

Aiden released his hold, and the girl slid to the floor like she is made out of jelly.

Sarah turned toward the back of the room, and she saw sixteen girls, all in a similar state as the one who attacked Sarah (before Aiden handled her like a chicken). They are dirty and in bruises with clothes in a sorry state and petrified.

Sarah tapped her ear stud. "Ernesto, send medics to the basement…"

She squatted and felt the pulse of the unresponsive girl who is on the floor and exhaled in relief. "She is alive…"

Sarah frowned at Aiden. "Was this necessary?"

Aiden frowned back. "She attacked you. I don't care why or in what state she is."

Sarah wanted to argue that the girl thought how it's one of Akmal's men, and that Sarah was not the real target of that attack, but she swallowed her words because she would do the same if the roles are reversed. If anyone raises hand on Aiden, removing the threat is first, and asking questions comes later.

Sarah glanced at the girls in the back and thought how this talk 'we are not going to hurt you' will be more difficult than in the previous two rooms, considering that they saw Aiden handle this girl who is sprawled by their feet. Luckily, two medics arrived swiftly and started examining the girl on the floor. That scene helped other girls relax and gradually, one-by-one, allowed them to check their injuries.

They got blankets and covers from the bedrooms upstairs and gave them to the girls with tattered clothes to wrap themselves into. All the girls gathered in the family room, and Ernesto instructed his men to find some refreshments in the kitchen for everyone.

When the last girl from the fifth room was examined and sent upstairs, the medic in charge called Sarah and Aiden to the side. "Their injuries are mostly cuts and bruises. However, I believe that they were assaulted, and I recommend that we do pregnancy tests."

Sarah frowned and her face contorted in disgust. She knew what it means when girls are treated as 'the goods'. However, knowing that seventeen of them were assaulted and kept in the room while more than twenty others waited for a similar fate in the rooms next door was nauseating.

Sarah closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down her raging emotions.

"Are you sure?", Aiden asked the medic.

The medic had a troubled expression. "I didn't perform vaginal exams, and I am not qualified to do them. But most of the girls have injuries on inner thighs which are consistent with an assault. Few of them have distinct choking marks on their necks. And some of them have dried blood on the clothes in the crotch area which is not enough to be from a period… Some of the injuries are recent while some are several weeks old…"

Aiden raised his hand, to stop the medic from talking. Aiden thanked the man and approved pregnancy tests before dismissing him. They don't need to know more than this.

Aiden put his arm around Sarah's shoulders and he could feel that she is trembling. He saw that her lips are pressed into a line firmly and her eyes are closed. "Next customer is coming in a few minutes. Will you join me, or should I welcome him myself?"

Sarah opened her eyes and revealed that they are bright red. She was angry and devastated and her insides churned while thinking what those girls went through. Repeated abuse. And they probably have a similar story as Meili: they were walking on the street, or enjoying a dessert in a restaurant, or shopped in a mall, and then they were kidnapped, and their life became a living hell.

Sarah balled her hands into fists while thinking that despicable men like Akmal and Mr. Dunn should get a taste of their medicine and feel the pain of all the girls whose lives are ruined.

Those girls will never be able to walk on the street without fearing for their safety. They will be afraid of restrooms and dark places because there might be a kidnapper or a pervert waiting for them. And it's not only girls, but their families are devastated as well. Their parents are crying while wondering where their daughters are, are they safe, are they hurting, are they alive? Alive, yes. Safe, no. Hurting, definitely.

Sarah told herself to focus. She can't fix the past and she should not allow rage to consume her completely because there are things that she needs to do.

"I will join you.", Sarah told Aiden stiffly.

"Calm down my love.", Aiden did his best to conceal his anger. "You will scare the customer away. Once we get this guy, they will all get what they deserve."

Sarah turned to head upstairs, and Aiden pulled her into his embrace. Sarah hugged him back and leaned into him, exhaling with a whimper.

"I know that you want to save everyone…", Aiden spoke softly while gently rubbing Sarah's back. "Unfortunately for some of these girls, we arrived late. We will get them good treatments and help them with healing how much possible. The important thing is that they are alive. They will go back to their families and hopefully one day leave all this behind them…"

Aiden's voice was low and soothing, and his words were like a waterfall which drowned Sarah's worries and calmed her down, for now… the perfect lullaby for her soul.

"I love you…", she whispered.

Aiden kissed her forehead. "I love you more."

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