The dungeon of love

"When you declared me a missing person on national radio,you also attracted bounty hunters my way,love.I was on my way back to you when I got abducted.I was blindfolded and tied up.What I wasn't aware of is,that would be the last day I saw natural light.My abductors took me across the country,as their short coded messages implied then darkness..."

Sunny tore the page from her notebook and tossed it across the dimly lit room that was her bedroom...or cell.Either of the two because it's where she slept and also where she was kept captive.

She never went out unless she was using the bathroom.It wasn't the first letter she had attempted to write with no way of actually sending it to the intended recipient.But pror to that,she hadn't been the one to tear the letter from the notebook.

Movement on her tummy brought her back to the unnerving reality of her life.The featherlight movement was almost ticklish and a small smile spread on her ashen lips.

She was seven months pregnant, almost a year into captivity.It still amazed her how she had kept track of all that time.Something else that amazed her was that no matter the circumstances her baby was made,she couldn't hate it.On the contrary, it's the only thing that had kept her sane the past seven months.Sunny loved the baby that grew inside her, precisely why she was rubbing up and down the bump at the moment.

Sunny momentarily stopped rubbing her bump when someone's figure loomed at her room's entrance.Her senses jumped to alert before she figured it was time for her meal.

Normally,one of the boys who stood guard for her brought her food.But in the past couple of weeks,the guy in charge,Lion,also responsible for her pregnancy had taken up the chore.

She smiled to her self at the thought of 'the one responsible for her pregnancy ',the all mighty king Lion.She doubted the guy even noticed her condition.The only time he showed any emotion was when he shredded Sunny's letters in her face after reading them;then,his grip on the piece of paper would tighten and his jaw tick.

Sunny stood up from her makeshift bed and went to bend to pick the tossed letter.She didn't want Lion to see any more of her pathetic letters to her love.

"You shouldn't be bending like that in your condition."

Sunny's knees almost gave in at the deep husky voice.It would be music to her ears if it's owner wasn't the very object of her torment since she stepped foot there.Wherever there was.

"I'll take care of that."Lion replaced the letter in her palm with a bowl of what smelled like rabbit soup.Sunny ignored it's sour smell and focused her attention on the big guy in her cell room.

"I already told you I'm no one special.Please,let me go...I'm begging you."Lion gave her a quick once over his eyes lingering on her belly.She had said the sentence to him whenever he showed up around her and he always left her talking to herself.

But today...he didn't.And as naive as Sunny was she dared hope...

"You're right.You are no one special but you have something that belongs to me,sweetheart.So you are going nowhere!"

He spoke with finality in thick Russian,or Italian accent.Sunny's heart literally dropped to her stomach as her tore her letter.He didn't bother to read it because he had read it one too many times to know it's contents.And she thought wrong,Lion knew she was pregnant.

Sunny's small whimpers developed to full blown sobs when Lion left.She smashed the bowl with her food against the bare wall that confined her there against her will.The shattering sound was a welcome.She took off the regularly cleaned sheets from her makeshift bed and tossed them away.

She was furious and hurting at the same time.

She wanted to punish everything and everyone that had a hand in the unfortunate events that plagued her life.She would die now.Lion would never allow her leave.Her heart constricted almost closing all the air holes

If Josef had married her as soon as he promised instead of taking off to pursue his music career,which was paying pretty well from what she heard,she wouldn't have been in the wrong place at the wrong time that fateful afternoon ten months ago.If she had been patient enough to wait for Josef, instead of running from home at the slightest provocation from her mother,she would be home 'not so sweet home' but still home.If...a single syllable word that changed her fate for the worst.

"I have to leave this place."She ranted to herself while drying her tears .She started pacing,a hand firmly planted on her under belly."My baby won't be a sacrificial lamb for some sick in the head dumb asses fighting over a stupid criminal gang.

"Surely,Josef loves me too much to mind my return with a baby."She still ranted to herself.She heard the agenda of his abductors a fortnight ago when she was being escorted from the bathroom.

She also learned that she wasn't the only female around but unlike her,the rest weren't being used as baby machines.Rather,they were some bigshot daughters or cousins to big names whose families would pay a very generous amounts for ransom.A light clicked on in her head as she thought of an idea...

"Help!She yelled."Help me!"She held both hands to her bump and bent forward,her face screwed like she was in real pain.She had learned acting in highschool and although it didn't pay then,she left with some skills.

Her guard rushed in.She was leaving the hell hole they called the basement even if it was the last thing she did.

"I think there's something wrong with my baby,help me!"She screamed to the young guard who looked barely twenty.She had always been passionate about hearing people's stories and would have loved to chat with the guard if she wasn't busy trying to save herself.

"Don't you have an emergency doctor around here?Can't you see I'm in pain!"Sunny asked the guard relaxing her face a bit.She stared back at the stunned youngster who was ruining her escape plan before letting out an earth shaking scream.It was one thing having a plan but an entirely different matter making it work.

Lion was beside her in record time and she almost forgot the plan when the guy spread his warm bigger than hers hand over hers on her bump.

"Ivan,what did you do?"He asked looking up at the still dumbstruck guard who was trying to communicate with his hands.The young man was too terrified or shocked to speak.Probably never been around a pregnant woman before.

"My baby...I need to see a doctor."Sunny found her voice first."Take me to the hospital."Lion was already helping her out.

They walked through what looked like an armory loaded with rifles,grenades neatly arranged and an RPG ,all those she had only seen on TV.Sunny swallowed some fear before she cowed and decided to back out of her plan.There were too many stitches in her plan.Where else would she go after successfully escaping?What if she only managed to kill herself and her baby in the process?She didn't have the slightest clue of her location or if there was any means of transport to get her to safety.

Another slip up to her shaky plan was that if Lion thought for a second that she was planning to run,he would gun her down before she made a second turn.He had made it clear she wasn't going anywhere with his baby.My baby...not his.

Lion must have noticed her tension beside her because he surprised her yet again.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah,I mean no..."Okay...he asked?!She would be okay when she finally left.They walked through the hall past another room full of what she could only call terrorists.

About a dozen or so men each armed with a gun sat scattered drinking and talking in a language Sunny didn't understand.Probably Italian as well.They paid no attention to them,their subject of discussion seemingly too important.

Sunny's mind shifted back to the guy walking beside her in full black combat gear.He looked formidable but in the past couple of weeks,he he had shown her another side of him.Making sure she had a decent meal,had a comfortable bed and wasn't overworked like the rest of the females.Most of the work in the basement revolved around cleaning.

They walked through the hall in silence,as expected and each time Lion swung his arm forward,she caught a glimpse of a pistol tucked in his waist.Maybe he wasn't too far gone into crime and he could be redeemed? Could

"This doesn't have to be your life,you know.Always in hiding and waiting for the next moment another criminal gang will strike.Kidnapping women and--and...you know..."

Sunny looked up to see if her point was home.

"Oh...I wasn't kidnapped and forcefully recruited if it's what you're thinking."Lion didn't elaborate or try to explain anything to her disappointment.But she almost smiled when she saw some light illuminate over some steps that she knew led to her freedom.But Lion guided her around a left turn before they got to the light amd her smile disappeared.

"Wh-where are we going?I need to get my baby checked."Sunny stammered.

"I know.And I am taking you to the doctor.

Sunny looked behind her at the road to her freedem and the fading light until they made another turn.The turn led directly into a room,not upto date but fully equipped for any kind of medical emergency.She felt her hope dim as she was led further into the room.

"Lion."The lady doctor looked up to Lion then back to Sunny."And you must be Sunshine.What I've heard about you does you no justice.You're lovely."Sunny bit her tongue not to correct the wrong spell of her name.Her junior school teachers also had the same problem.

And the lady doctor was equally beautiful.A perfect shade of tan and perfect English.And she sounded genuine,the first person she met in the basement that was really nice to her.

"I'm Anne bytheway."And judging by the freedom of her speech and constant eye contact with Lion,she had some authority.

"You'll sit up here,lay back and hold your dress up."Anne instructed ignoring Lion's presence.But Sunny was too aware of his presence that she hadn't spoken a word let alone moving an

When she didn't do as instructed,Anne shot a glare at Lion basically ordering him out but he didn't budge.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

The next ten minutes felt like ten hours.Instead of holding her dress up,Anne opted for unbuttoning the front buttons of Sunny's dress up to her mid section.That left her bust partially exposed and Lion's eyes never looked away from her which made her more restless.

Anne did a couple of tests noting down the results then finally did an ultrasound.

"What's the problem?"Lion asked when she was finally done.The distraction gave Sunny time to button up .

"The baby seems to be perfectly fine.But she could use some fresh air.

"It's too dangerous out there..."

"That was a doctor's directive ,bro.Not a suggestion."

...

After going up the steps and coming out onto a manned tent,Sunny finally breathed some longed for fresh air into the chilly night.There were several tents surrounding the main which housed the steps down the basement.

Sunny the cold as her mind raced looking around her for an escape route.There was only vast land as far as her eyes could see in the dark.She was in the middle of no where.Nowhere to run.No buildings,or road or bushes... nothing!

"You good now?"Lion asked still beside her.Another guard had joined them and was a safe distance from them,armed with what looked like a machine gun.No,Sunny wasn't good yet.She needed a better escape plan.But with no way of knowing the time...night or day in the basement,it was hard.

Lion didn't wait for her reply answer as he gripped her upper arm and led her back.He lingered a moment longer as another guard who had just arrived briefed him on something.

Meanwhile,Sunny needed to strategize another escape plan.

"The first two months after we got to the basement I fought with every ounce of strength I had to try and escape.But I was heavily guarded then so my means we're minimal.Then the third month came and the armed guards were reduced to one.That's probably when they realized I wasn't some debutante daughter and no one was going to pay any ransom for me.But they still didn't let me go.One time I was unguarded so I wandered from my cell room and overheard an interrogation.A suspected traitor was being tortured.

I feared they would kill me on site thinking I was with the traitor so I running back to the safety of my sanctuary,I bumped into the gang leader.More like he bumped into me and he forced himself on me.He deflowered me and I hated myself for that.I couldn't even look up due to shame and hurt.All that time our love is what has kept me sane,but I'm hanging by the thread now.Will this nightmare be over sooner than later?"

Sunny almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a blast.Then some shouting and then a shootout.She had never heard live bullets before but she was certain there was a shootout somewhere in or above the basement.

It was over thirty six hours since her unceremonious detour of the basement, counting by her meal intervals.

She tossed her notebook aside but before she stood up,she heard another blast.Relatively more intense than the first one because the walls shook and started crumbling.

She didn't need an instruction manual to know it was time to run for her life.Witb nothing to pack she dashed for the exit only to be met by her guard,Ivan.

"What's happening?"Sunny dared ask as Ivan grabbed her hand and ran without saying a word,a drawn gun in his other hand.

The normally grave silent basement was a beehive as more armed men filled the hallways barking orders."Everybody down the hall!Hurry up!"

"Where are you taking me!"Sunny didn't get her answer as another blast went off and shook the entire basement."Noo!I can't die today!"Sunny screamed and the next thing she saw was the roof falling over the hallway before Ivan pulled her down,the something fell on them and put them down.

Sunny came by to the illusion of drowning in blue waters.Which was odd because she had never been to any sea or ocean.Her survival instincts kicked in and she swam up, desperate for air.Just as she took a gulp of air someone pushed her head back into the water.She was joking but the dream wasn't ending.There was no air,just water everywhere.Her hand reflexes tried to free her head from the hand holding her down but they were cuffed to heavy chains each hanging on either side of the wall.

"Noo!I don't want to die today!"She screamed when the controlling hand let her up for air again.

"Good,you won't if you tell me what I want to know."Sunny finally woke up to another nightmare.The suffocating in the water illusion wasn't just in her head.It was the reality.

A bored male voice spoke , making Sunny open her eyes and cringe at the sight.

True,her arms hung from either side chained from the confining walls.There was a rusty metal table in front of her and on top,sat a tin with water.

Then leaning on the table was a man with cargo green army pants with boots,a vest and Goliath's physique.His biceps were full proof he lifted weights regularly.And his face was scary.He had a huge scar that ran from his right brow ,down his cheek bone and ended on the corner of his mouth.It looked fresh,a sign he was recently injured.His bloodshot eyes completed his killer look that would make even a grown man want to hide.

"I just want to go back home to the man I love.I don't know anything."Sunny choked on a sob and dry sore throat.She was tired from being cuffed up like that,had a maddening headache and to top the list,she was pregnant!

"Please let me go."Her voice was dry.