Chapter 8

The processing center was a huge, ventilated warehouse, devoid of any sense of warmth or humanity. Water droplets clung to the concrete floor, along with the mud brought in by the violent storms outside.

Annetta stood in the line. Giggles appeared on her bare arms again. The thin cotton underwear offered no protection against the biting cold. Ahead, a prison guard was shouting orders, forcing the exiled women to strip completely, hand over all their personal belongings, and then enter those humiliating chemical showers.

Clara clung tightly to Annetta's legs, trembling under her thin coat-the thick winter coat had been taken away when the search began. Annetta watched as it was thrown into the incinerator, turning to ashes along with Kenzie's designer shoes. She remained expressionless, but at that moment, it felt like an invisible hand was gripping her heart. The promissory note and pocket watch, sewn into the lining of the coat, were gone.

"Hurry up! Next person!" The prison guard shouted, hitting the metal table with his baton.

Kristina stood behind Annetta. The old woman's face was pale, with deep lines of exhaustion and disbelief etched on her face. When it was her turn to go up to the table, Kristina's hands trembled so much that she could barely unbutton her tattered shirt.

"Hurry up, old woman," said a female prison guard, sneering. She threw a rough canvas prison uniform onto the table. "Don't waste time."

A flicker of remaining pride flashed in Christina's eyes, but she bit her lip and obeyed, putting on that irritating fabric over her trembling body. Annetta stared at her mother-in-law, saying not a word of comfort. Comfort was a luxury they couldn't afford in the mountains.

"Hold out your hand," the bailiff ordered as Annetta stepped forward.

Annetta stretched out her hands. The cold steel of the heavy shackles dug into her skin, with the metal sinking deep into her flesh. A thick chain connected her wrists to a heavy belt around her waist, severely restricting her movement. The same was true for Christina and the others. Only Clara, being too young, had her little hands tied together with thick plastic ties.

"Wait in line outside," ordered the bailiff.

The massive warehouse doors swung upward with a harsh screeching noise. A cold wind, carrying with it freezing rain, rushed in. The storm was like a wall of dark, roaring water. Through the pouring rain, Annetta could see federal transport buses with black armor parked in the mud, waiting.

Annetta took Clara's bound hands and stepped into the storm. The freezing rain struck their faces like tiny shards of glass. Nearby, Kristina stumbled in the mud. The heavy shackles made it difficult for her to keep her balance. She fell to her knees, with icy water soaking through her canvas prison clothes. She gasped for breath.

Annetta didn't reach out to help her up. Instead, she leaned in closer, her voice breaking through the sound of the rain: "Get up, Kristina. If you stay on the ground, they'll abandon you to die. Get up and go."

Kristina raised her head, her eyes filled with shock. But that shock acted like a defibrillator, stimulating her nervous system. She gritted her teeth, grabbed the edge of the bus steps, and pulled herself up, despite the shackles on her hands.

Annetta followed behind. Her wrists were bleeding, and her hands trembled-not from fear, but from the cold and blood loss. All her personal belongings were taken away from her before she took a shower, including anything she could use to bandage her wounds. The wounds on her knuckles had been scraped open by the shackles, and blood dripped down her fingers. She didn't dare look down, fearing that she might faint from excessive blood loss.

She got into the bus, found a seat, and placed Clara on her lap. The bus started its engine and drove into the dark storm.