Chapter 92  The guide leaned in slightly. “This way, we’re almost there.”  I covered my ears, trying to shut out the gut–wrenching cries of the innocent girls, but their voices were relentless, slipping through every crack.  The real horror was still ahead.  At the end of the hallway, a few stem–faced men stood, their gazes as cold as ice, clutching AK47s.  Even though I knew I was already dead, facing those bloodthirsty, sinister eyes made my skin crawl.  The guide exchanged a few words in the local language, and after sizing up Chase and his group, the men pulled out a key and unlocked the door.  noticed the tension etched on Chase’s face, and even my dad’s fingers were gripping the seams of his pants tightly. If I hadn’t known I  as already dead, their nervous vibes would have gotten to me.  The door creaked open. Inside, the light was dim, and I immediately saw twenty or thirty women huddled together.  The guide shrugged and said, “This is the latest batch we received. There were delays due to sea troubles and a civil war on the way to the park. You’re lucky; we haven’t touched them yet.”  Chase’s eyebrows relaxed a bit at this. The sight of those women tugged at his heartstrings. Their hair was a mess, their faces filthy, reeking, and trembling in the corners, and they were too scared to look up.  They were stripped down to just their underwear, robbing them of all dignity without even being touched.  They knew their fate, each head hung low, not wanting to be dragged away like goods.  The guide grabbed an electric baton and casually struck the leg of the woman closest to him.  “Lift your head!” he barked.  They were like a flock of lost lambs facing a wolf. Huddling together was useless.  Shaking, they lifted their heads. Their faces were filled with helplessness, and tears glistened in their eyes.  As a woman, my heart ached for them, especially when I spotted a familiar face.  It was Ann, the daughter of a nanny in our neighborhood. She was a hardworking girl and always waited for her mom after school to finish work. I’d seen her in the snow, rubbing her hands while memorizing vocabulary.  If I remember correctly, she was a senior this year and at the top of her class. She had already secured a scholarship.  The last time we met, she smiled and told me she hoped to get a part–time job to help her mom and ease the financial load.  Did she get lured here while job hunting? She was the girl in Robert’s missing person case.  It broke my heart. A bright, ambitious girl didn’t deserve this. She’d changed her fate through education, but fate played a cruel joke on  her.  It turned out that I was not the only one with a tragic story.  Ann sat in the corner, eyes vacant, and I hoped she could find some strength. If my dad recognized her, maybe he could pull some strings to get her out. But her eyes were unfocused, resigned to her fate.  Chase’s eyes scanned each woman’s face. The guide would grab those who didn’t cooperate by their hair or lift their chins with his gun, forcing them to look up.  As the crowd thinned, Chase and my dad grew more anxious. They hadn’t spotted my face.  Finally, my dad asked coldly, “Is that all?”  “What? Didn’t find who you were looking for?” the guide seemed disappointed, too.  “Were there no other women? I thought there was one more.”  Chase had been in touch with Gregory, who had confirmed there was someone resembling me, but none matched.  “Oh, right, someone else was taken away.”  “Oh, righ  “Why didn’t you mention that earlier? Where is she now?”  “That bitch, she’s a bit wild…”  Before he could finish, Chase grabbed him by the collar. “Watch your mouth!”  Tension flared instantly, with my dad’s mercenaries and the park’s men reaching for their guns, ready to clash.  My dad intervened. “Let go. Let’s find her first.”  11:06  Chapter 92  They followed the guide to another building, which was clearly more upscale than the others and had much better conditions than the previous place.  Before they even got close, muffled sounds of a man and woman could be heard from inside.  “Come on, louder. Don’t you know how to moan? Do I have to teach you everything? Such an idiot.”  Before the guide could knock, Chase couldn’t wait, and kicked the door open.  “Amanda!”  He rushed in, and in the dim room, a man, showing no mercy, held a woman’s hair.  As Chase burst in, the two stopped in their tracks.  “Who are you?”  The guide quickly whispered something in his ear, and the man pulled up his shorts.  Chase, with heavy steps, walked towards the woman with her back to him. He didn’t know how to face me, and my father stood by the door, too ashamed to look.  “Amanda?” Chase called my name, his voice shaking.