2.

Hayat's POV:

The door lock opened with a clicking sound, making me turn my head in its direction. 

Those same three men walked in with someone behind them. Due to their tall figures being a barrier, I couldn't make out the face of the other one trailing behind them.

Only when they sprinted deeper into the room, I figured out it wasn't only one man but two behind them. They stood at some distance from me.

"Enjoyed crying?" I gritted my teeth, wishing for some miracle to happen and untie my hands so I could beak his not-so-handsome face and pull that smirk away from his lips.

He fixated his eyes on me for a while, shoving his hands in his pockets and taking pleasure in gawking at my dishevelled state. After his little session of eye-challenge with me was over, he shifted to a side, giving space for the other two to come forward.

I watched cautiously as their faces appeared, unclear and obscure. The sun's rays were still present but now they didn't hold the power to make anything visible enough to one's eyes. They were slowly fading as if the sun was in a rush to set and provide its service to the opposite part of the world.  

They slowly walked towards me. I took in a deep breath, my chest heaving up and down with the movement. 

"She's the one?" One of those unknown guys asked, his index finger pointed at me. He had a dulcet voice, deep but gruff. He wore baggy clothes while the other man was wearing a turtle neck shirt and jeans. I could only discern this much, even though my focus was on them.

When they were finally standing in front of me, I narrowed my eyes to take a closer look at their faces but the now dark room did nothing to help. Everything was now dull, indicating the sun had set fully, leaving my helpless self alone with the hazardous company of the rogues standing in front of me. 

"Yeah." I eyed them warily, knowing where this was heading. I don't want to go there again. Not again. 

"Is the car ready?" The man with baggy clothes asked the blue-eyed devil.

I only needed this much to hear and my head started to spin again. A throbbing in the middle of the sculp made my whole body feel stiff and hot. My heart palpitated wildly against my ribcage and my stomach sank to the floor. I earnestly wished the earth beneath my feet to crack open and swallow me in, that would be hundreds of times less horrifying and painful than what they'll do to me after bringing me there.

"Yes," He nodded, "Tiger is waiting outside. Let's wrap this shit up quickly. I need to be somewhere soon." He smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. We know where you need to be." They all laughed, enjoying whatever was joyous for them at the moment. I just sat there, thinking how I would get out of this mess again.

I thought back about yesterday; I took the bus to the university and was prepared for the lecture. I had my earphones in, listening and humming to the nasheeds ringing in my ears. The bus came to a halt at a certain stop and I got off-

One of the men came closer, standing right in front of me. Both hands slowly rose, holding a cloth on either side of my head. I realised what he was about to do and on instinct, I leaned my face back to stop him from doing so.

"Stop acting so stupid." He snorted. 

Even if I tilted my head back, I couldn't dodge his hands from tying that cloth to my eyes. I could only do so little to defend myself. I gave up when his hands found their way behind my head, knotting the black cloth tightly.

I felt two hands harshly gripping each of my shoulders so I don't try to run away. I cringed and squirmed at the coldness of those hands, feeling uncomfortable. I don't like being touched by men, I've had enough of conflicts and experiences with these particular species to keep a safe distance from them. But I can't possibly do anything when I'm caught up in a situation like this. 

They untied my hands and legs from the chair they had tied me with. I felt the tightness around my ankles and wrists loosing up as the ropes slipped from my skin and maybe were now on the laying on the floor. All the while, they kept their firm hold on me, not once did those cold hands slack even a little, if anything, they only tightened their grip more.

Someone pulled me up with my arm, most probably the same man who was clutching my shoulders earlier. I was standing on my feet, with a racing heart and deepening anxiety.

The painful memories once again surfaced and took over the darkness from my eyes. I tried my level best to draw them back again somewhere in my head, just like how I have always done. 

They tied my hands again. This time at the back.

We started to walk, more likely they started to drag me out with them, I was engrossed in my struggle to somehow push everything that was replaying in my mind continuously, to not freak out, to not let my guard down. 

This has happened before. It's nothing new. I can handle this. I affirmed myself.

I felt the chilly air of night caressing the exposed parts of my face and my hands. I could tell that we were out of the room, or house, which they kept me in. The buzzes of crickets and insects could be heard. Cold breezes were swaying the trees with them, their wheezing sounds echoing in my ears. I wondered where they had brought me. Since I couldn't see anything, everything that I was able to hear and feel indicated that this place was somewhere far from the city. The air here was fresh, the smell of leaves and greenery, and the tiny sounds of small insects as a background rhythm. I would've enjoyed nature and its pleasing atmosphere if the situation was different. 

To think that I was being manhandled, with no presence of any sane person but all these libertines was terrifying. I don't know when I might trigger them and one of them just casually decides to kill me, or even worse. 

The man gripping my arm stopped me in the middle of somewhere. I halted my steps and balanced myself which was about to trip over because of how forcefully he hauled me. 

To say that I wanted to kill that man at that moment would be an understatement, I wanted to cut off his limbs and feed to dogs. 

"Come on, go in." He pushed me forward gratingly and my leg hit something hard. I winced, frowning in pain and confusion as to where he was asking me to get in.

"Bro she can't see." Finally someone with common sense. 

"Oh right." He took off the black cloth from my eyes. I blinked a few times to get my clear vision back. There was a black Toyota parked in front of me. 

I took in my surroundings a little, it was dark, too dark. The heavy waves of breeze sounded like stormy winds, causing the trees to sway tremendously. The once thought of enjoying this place in certain conditions was now replaced with ugly fear. The eerie ambience and neglected house behind me together looked like a haunted hidey-hole, proving why it had been neglected in the first place. 

My shoulders shrugged down in defeat as I took a couple of steps towards the car steadily. I silently hopped in and shifted to the middle of the back seat.

Two men made their unwanted occupancy on either of my sides. The one with baggy clothes sat in the passenger seat. That blue-eyed roach wasn't yet in the car, so, it was understandable that he wasn't going to come with us. Good. His presence disgusts me.

The car started to move and I took the chance to gaze around. My mouth was still taped and I was crushed in between the two men. I hated this proximity with every cell in my body, I felt funny in my stomach as if I wanted to throw up and couldn't handle more than what was already happening.

My chest heaved hastily with every shaky breath I inhaled, anxiety creeping its way into me and erupting in each part, causing the nauseated feeling to excel more and more. The tears stung my eyes again but I held them back, clutching my fists at the back, as if to keep myself from breaking apart.

A few strands of my loose tied hair fell and oscillated in front of my eyes. The car was moving swiftly but I pointedly ignored all the passing trees and the empty path ahead with no street light in the farthest view, the headlights were the little but only source of visibility. Although, I could still see everything with my peripheral vision.

How someone could even drive here-

Just as the thought came, my gaze flew to the man sitting in the driver's seat. I could only see his side profile.

His veiny hands were firmly fixated on the steering wheel, turning it in the direction as he drove. His hair moved, fell and swayed on his forehead as the car bounced with bumps and protuberance on the irregular road. He had silky hair for sure. And I sensed a strange but strong desire to touch them.

I averted my eyes and closed them shut. This is not the time.

All the memories flooded back again into my mind. It was only a passage of time that I was distracted by the terrible beauty of someone before I was caged in the storms of my dreadful reality again.

I looked ahead, staring absentmindedly as hopelessness consumed me. I gulped harshly, my throat felt extremely dry and my hands were sweaty.

Just as I was about to bury my head down again, my eyes fell in the rearview mirror, meeting sharp intimidating eyes. I forgot how to breath for a moment but couldn't look away, even though the burning in my chest and agitation in my tummy kept on telling me to do so. I could feel myself melting and drowning in them.

Is he the Tiger they were talking about earlier?

He intently watched me from the mirror, I could feel his eyes piercing through mine. He averted his gaze a while later, and I sighed in relief, promising myself not to look at the mirror again.