Kristin would have worried about Megan, but her fear for herself completely overcame her concern for her friend as she was led away from the van. This was it, then. The kidnapping, transport, and inspection were just a prelude to this. She was going to be led into the corner of this warehouse and be gang raped by a bunch of foreigners. Her knees went weak with fear and she staggered as the man behind her pushed her forward. She heard herself sobbing in a muffled and distant way, as if it were happening miles away.
"Pull yourself together, girlie," said the bearded kidnapper pushing her along. "You're going to be perfectly fine if you're just a good girl and do what you're told. No one here is going to hurt you."
Kristin heard the words but couldn't quite process their meaning. Something about the man's tone comforted her, and she managed to walk a couple hundred more feet until he stopped moving her along. A firm hand on her shoulder forced her to her knees, which made contact with some kind of spongy flooring instead of the concrete she'd been walking along. The man pushed gently at the back of her head and she bowed it unthinkingly, her wrists still behind her back as they'd been while he pushed her.
"Don't move."
Kristin was more paralyzed with fear than obedient, but she complied even as she felt the man walk away from behind her. Her head jerked up reflexively as she heard footsteps approaching from the front, even though the pillowcase masked her vision.
"Head down!" shouted an accented voice that did not belong to any of the kidnappers she'd heard. Terrified, Kristin felt the pillowcase yanked off her head. She couldn't help but look up, where she saw an older Asian woman in black t-shirt and pants with her hair pulled back severely. The woman slapped her across the face so hard that she saw stars and Kristin jerked her head down to look at the interlocking foam gym tiles she was kneeling on, sobbing again.
Someone behind her pulled her wrists away from her back and she felt something cold and metal being placed on each of them, then closed with a click. The person then placed a heavy metal collar around her neck, which they closed with a lock. They then moved away with a clinking sound.
"Now stand!" said the woman in front of her. Kristin awkwardly rose to her feet, which is much harder with your hands cuffed behind you, making sure not to look up. The woman grabbed her shoulders and turned her ninety degrees to the right.
"No move!" said the woman, and then walked away. Kristin now had a few moments to size up where she was now that the blindfold had come off. She was still in the warehouse, standing not far from a couple shipping containers on one side and empty floor the way she had come from, and she was facing another naked girl with her hands cuffed behind her. She didn't dare look up, but the girl was obviously not Megan. Not only was she darker and very slim, Kristin could hear Megan crying as she was led over.