I was lying in my corner, tears filling up my eyes. I hated those nights. He was so rough. It was late at night and the moon was high. It was really cold, and I was still wearing the clothes from the park. They were torn and dirty. I couldn't take much more of this life, so I decided to make a break for it the next time he came down. That wasn't until morning, so I tried to sleep. No, no! Let go of me! Help! Someone help me! Please! I woke up with a start. Every night... I replayed that scene in my head in my dreams, feeling like it was yesterday. I wiped the sweat of my forehead and stood up. I stretched everything until I was ready for my escape plan. Hang on, I heard voices up stairs. I didn't recognize over half of them, but his distinct voice was talking over the lot. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but they were coming closer to the door. He turned the handle slowly as he kept talking. I ducked down behind the creaky wooden stairs to avoid getting seen by the new visitors. "And she does whatever you say!" His deep voice was so excited. I got a glimpse at out new guests. There was a really big man in a black suit holding a briefcase. There were two more men. Short, skinny and needed to see a dentist. The big man spoke in a croaky voice.

"So where is this 'slave girl'?" he asked. I cringed at that title. Slave girl... I held my breath as my keeper darted his eyes around the room. I saw a single drop of sweat roll down his temple.

"Umm, ah... She's here, I know she is." He stammered. He seemed to be quite nervous. I realized, he's distracted by the big man, but the other two were searching the room. I tried not to cough, sneeze or even breathe.