Chapter 5
Ingrid's abductors gave the trafficker's strict instructions about keeping their female cargo restrained at all times to remove any temptation of lashing out, escaping, calling for help or committing any acts of sabotage to the vessel.
They handed a single handcuff key over to one of the sailors, reminded him of who they worked for and the consequences if Ingrid failed to arrive in one piece.
The boat's crew didn't work directly for the diamond dealer Gus but they knew of his reputation and were intelligent enough to know not to cross anybody in the people trafficking business.
Through the wooden decking, Ingrid could hear the rumble of the footfall coming from Gus's henchmen as they climbed off the boat, shortly followed by the engine noise of the van in which they had all arrived.
The slam of the gangplank been retracted told her that the van had now become a distant fear and that her problems were soon to be multiplied as they set sail out to sea.
Ingrid began pulling with her free hand at the drawstring holding the canvas bag around her neck, searching for the knot which secured it in place.
Panic subsided when she located it and began to untie the string using her fingernails. She plucked at the knots quicker and quicker until the time where she could simply rip the hood up off her head and throw it away onto the decking.
Now able to see again she instinctively ran her fingers through her hair to further clear her vision then inspected the metal pole to which her right wrist had been secured.
Screwed to the wooden boards of the floor, the pole looked to be some kind of supporting bar for the cabin just above her head, where she noticed a sailor standing facing forward, steering the boat.
Looking around her she could find nobody else but she could see a metal ladder descending into the bowls of the boat where others could be. She also thought there could potentially be somebody immediately on the other side of the cabin which obscured her view.
Realising no one could see her at this moment in time she regretted not throwing the hood overboard instead of along the deck only a few meters away.
Every time her head turned from looking around her she paused to look down at her locked wrist, only to confirm the same image of the cuffs that wouldn't come off without the use of a key.
For comfort, she stood close to the pole with her locked wrist low down, giving her the best position, to not be twisting against the direction in which the hinge of the cuffs wouldn't allow. Her other hand held on to the same sturdy pole, slightly higher up to steady her on her feet as the boat's speed increased over the waves.
The sea air felt chilly against her exposed skin and she knew that she wouldn't last long out here in only her summer shorts, ankle boots and crop top so she crouched down into a squat, curling herself into as much of a ball as she could to keep warm.
A metallic clang caught her attention, drawing her eyes towards a door at the bottom of the ladder next to her. The metal door opened fully, followed by the appearance of what looked to be another male crew member.
He stepped half way up the ladder exposing only his head and shoulders above the deck, hovering on the ladder at the same height to speak to her.
"Cold?" he asked, noticing her slim figure constrained by the tight seams that held her shorts together and the inappropriate amount of flesh on show for a trip out to sea off the Norwegian coast.
Ingrid nodded her head before answering "Yes."
The man returned a friendly smile and continued to climb the ladder. He called out to his shipmate in French, words to the effect of "I'm taking her down stairs. The poor girl will freeze to death out here."
Ingrid had studied French at school and understood him well enough to believe his motives to be those of her welfare and nothing more sinister.
He took a tiny key from his pocket and removed the cuff which held her wrist.
She rubbed the sore red marks where the metal had dug in and watched as he unfastened the other cuff from the metal pole and folded them in half about their hinge, tucking them with the key into his back pocket as he turned to face her.
The man pointed in the direction of the ladder motioning for her to climb down into the boat.
"It's warm inside." He told her. His English was good but it came across with a very strong Arabic accent.
She stared at him for a moment to observe his expression then turned and climbed down the ladder ahead of him, twisting around at the bottom to pull open the metal door and head into the warmth of the boat's body.
Nervous about what she could be leading herself into she stopped in the narrow corridor and allowed the sailor to pass in front of her so he could lead the way.
"Follow me. I'll show you to your room." He told her.
They walked two steps forward then turned left, almost back on themselves and down another short ladder leading to the next corridor. He opened the catch of a second metal door and walked through, releasing an invisible burst of warm air.
Ingrid loved the heat but nothing could prevent her shivering in fear of her fate at the hands of Gus when he eventually caught up with her.
She needed to get away before that happened.
"Does this ship have lifeboats?" she asked, considering a means of escape.
The question came too soon and so out of relevance that it raised the suspicion of the sailor who simply laughed and replied "Yes. But you won't be using it."
He stopped and touched her on the shoulder to guide her in front of him, blocking her exit back out.
The sight of her slim figure timidly walking ahead, made him wonder the reason for her being transported by them under lock and key. Could she be a sex worker who had run from her pimp?
He didn't think it appropriate to use the cuffs at the moment because she needed her hands to climb the ladders below deck but he respected his orders and would keep a close eye on her until they had eaten.
The engine noise wasn't loud but the warmth welcomed her towards it.
"Here." He said.
Ingrid stopped to see him lifting a horizontal wooden hatch on top of a low platform and beckon her over to join him.
"In here." He said.
Ingrid approached him and looked down into the void below.
She could see a ladder leading into a large white room with temporary lights hanging from the ceiling and metal cot bunk beds lining three of the walls.
"You have to be joking me." She exclaimed. "I'm not going down there."
"You have no choice." He replied.
"I can't!" "I just can't." "Please. No." She begged.
"Don't be frightened." He told her. "There is no lock on this door." He reassured her. "Look." He demonstrated how the wooden board simply lifted up and down without any means of securing it in either position.
"We will eat first." He told her.
A flush of relief overcame her because of the thought of not having to climb down into the bunker like chamber.
He allowed the wooden hatch to close and turned to a similar hatch behind them on the opposite side of the corridor.
"Or maybe you want this one?" he asked, lifting and revealing an identical setup of a dormitory below.
"What is this?" she asked.