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I can hear doors opening, and I know they’re looking for so to breathe, I try to meld into the wall, to un out in the hallway

"Where is she?" a harsh lish "She’s supposed to be here, on this floor"

"No, she’s not" The voice answering hi that the men have somehow captured her She sounds defiant, but I catch an undertone of fear in her voice "I told you, Julian already took her away--"

"Don’t fucking lie tothicker The sound of a slap is followed by Beth’s pained cry "Where the fuck is she?"

"I don’t know," Beth sobs hysterically "She’s gone, I told you, gone--"

The e, and I hearcloser to the roo, and I know it’s only a matter of ti for me, but I know I’m the ‘she’ in question They want to findto hurt Beth to do it

I hesitate for only aout of the roo on the floor, her ararbedassault rifles and uns--which they point atfor me?" I ask calmly I’ve never been more terrified in my life, but my voice comes out steady, almost amused I didn’t knoas possible to be nuht now--so terrified that I don’t actually feel afraid anyister several things at once The men look Middle Eastern, with their olive-toned skin and dark hair While a couple of them are clean-shaven, the majority seem to have thick black beards At least two of the And for all their weapons, they see to be attacked anyBeth barks out another order in a language I now realize is Arabic, and I recognize his voice as belonging to the lish He seems to be their leader At his co h my stitches ache with a renewed ferocity

"Is this her?" he hisses at Beth, shaking her roughly "Is this Julian’s little whore?"

"That would be me," I tell him before Beth can answer My voice is still unnaturally caler that I’ Beth At the sa the fact that they want : Julian is alive and they ainst hiht

The leader stares at me, apparently as surprised by o of Beth, he coers Leaning in, he studiescoldly He’s short for a man, only about five-seven atwith it the fetid odor of garlic and stale tobacco I fight the urge to gag, holding his gaze defiantly with o ofin Arabic to his troops Two of the hting the her into silence At the same ti it painfully "Let’s go," he says sharply, and I let myself be led toward the door at the end of the hallway

The door opens to a staircase, and I realize that we’re on the second floor The gunmen foro down the stairs and out through a door that leads to an unpaved open area outside We pass one man’s dead body in the staircase, and there are severalconvulsively to keep the bile froht, and the air is hot and humid, but I can barely feel the warinning to sink in, and I start to shiver, sfor us, and theus into the back seat Two of theether I can feel Beth shaking, and I reach over to squeeze her cold hand withcomfort from the human touch She looks at me, and the terror in her eyes chills ht cheek is swollen, with ato form there Her lower lip is split in two places, and there is a smear of blood on her chin Whoever thesewomen

I desperately want to ask her what she knows, but I keep quiet I don’t want to draw any more attention to ourselves than necessary My mind flashes back to the dead bodies we’d just passed, and I fight the urge to throw up I don’t knohat these people intend for us, but I strongly suspect our chances of getting out alive are minimal Every minute that we survive, every minute that they leave us alone, is precious, and we need to do whatever it takes to extend thoseas possible