Don't Give Up

Don't Give Up

Hello, my name is Ann-Marie and I am 26 years old. Ten years ago I was captured from my own room and taken underground, where I was then made a prostitute and sold to people like some hot product on the market. Three years later, I managed to escape from my captives and the police in Russia managed to arrest most of the people involved in the prostitution ring, which led setting my fellow girlfriends free. Through those 3 years I felt immense pain physically and emotionally. I've made a friend when I was there that died before my eyes, and broke my heart. Her last words were, "Don't give up Ann-Marie, no matter what!" And those words gave me the courage to face my fears and escape my enslavement. My name is Ann-Marie, and this is my story.

I still can't believe it happen like it was some terrible nightmare. Nightmares still come and go. It never stays in your mind. It only comes out in the darkness of night, ready to torture your mind a bit for those hours of sleep. But when the morning comes, it fades away, and then you are back to reality, knowing it won't come back ‘til nighttime. But not this; this was a nightmare in my reality. I was in Russia for two weeks where I was staying with my mom. My dad divorced my mom a year back so my mom got really depressed. We live in West Virginia, a boring state I might add. Sure there are lots of fun people there and I have a great time with my friends, but there's nothing really good there to do. So that's where I convinced my mom to go on a trip somewhere around the world that we never been to. Russia seemed to be a very exciting place when I studied it in school and where we could do lots of sight seeing. So finally after countless begging and lots of whining, my mom finally agreed. And off we went to Russia! I thought I was going to have a good time there. But instead it was a nightmare turned real.

It happened on a Saturday of the 1st week. We rented a room in a Hotel to go and sleep in for the entire two weeks. We saved up lots of money for this trip so we could pay for all the expenses. The hotel was huge! It was all sparkly with gold and silver. There were people that wore expensive clothing all around us. And there was this fountain in the middle of the guestroom that simply looked beautiful. I asked my mom if we could ever afford to buy something like that for our house, and she replied, "Only if we win the lottery Ann-Marie."

So I was sleeping in my bed around 12 AM. My mom then said in my sleeping ear that I have to go out and get something for our walk tomorrow. “I'll be back soon”. I said ok. So my mom left and I heard the door closed. A couple of minutes later the door opened, and I said in the sleepiest voice, "Hey mom, what did you get?" My answer was a set of hands that smacked me off the bed. I was so shocked that I opened my eyes and I saw 4 big men staring down at me. My first reaction was to scream. And that's what I did. Immediately, the men charged at me and kept slapping me across the face. I bit one of them and yelled out in my loudest voice, "MOM, MOM HELP!" One of the men said to stuff her, so another one took out a cloth and stuffed it in my mouth. Immediately I couldn't yell anymore. Then they tried to pick me up from the floor. I kicked one of them in the balls and squirmed like I never squirmed before. However, another guy got behind me and took a chunk of my hair, and slammed my head onto the floor.

I no longer could resist anymore. I felt dazed and knocked out. My head was in pain; my face was in pain. As they were picking me and putting me inside this garbage looking sac, I heard yelling. Not outside, but inside my head. It was continuous and constant. "Mom, help me! What's going on? Why are these people doing this? I need help anyone? Please? HELP! Mom help. I'm afraid."

This thought kept going through my head over and over like some broken tape recorder. I was to young to realize the situation since I wasn't that well educated because I kept skipping school. All I know in the back of my mind was that I was about to be abducted from my place. And my mom? Oh no. Will she be abducted to? Will she ever figure out what happened to me? Will she continue to stay here and find me? Or go back to West Virginia? When those questions formed up in my head, tears ran out of my eyes. I started sobbing. Immediately one of the men punched me in the ribs and told me to shut up. I tried to reply but I was still gagged. I tried to move but I couldn't. I felt like I was paralyzed. And then I felt the tingling sensation at last that kept my body from moving. Fear. Absolute fear was running through my veins like icy water. I was scared of not only my life, but also what they are going to do to me.

One man (who I heard his name was Spike) told one other man to cover them while the rest took me downstairs and put me in the van. As soon as I went in the van everyone went quiet as they were driving me. I then began to fall asleep, and yet in my mind those questions were still going through my head. So I couldn't sleep but just questioned myself.

I don't know how much time elapsed. It felt to me like an eternity went by. The back of the van opened up and immediately a man pulled the sac and dropped it onto the ground. The pain rose up in me like flames again, since my body was already sore from before. Then the guy named Spike said, "Don't do that again. We need to keep the merchandize good for the others to see."

Merchandize I thought. O no, I then realized what they meant. I must've been abducted so I would then be into slavery and prostitution. As they pulled me out of the sac, I wanted to run away. But then I notice that the guy had a gun attached to his leg. My eyes just stared at it. I was too afraid of losing my life. I couldn't run away. The man then looked at me and said, "Hurry up bitch," and pushed me forward. I could barely walk due to the fear. But somehow my legs complied. And walk I did into this building. I had no idea where I was. I tried to look around but the man kept pushing me every time I turned my head. As I went inside my first impression of the area was of total darkness. I felt instantly cold. I began to shiver as I was led down the corridor. There were many rooms on the left and many on the right. Immediately I winced again. My imagination began to take over. My eyes became wet when I thought of what's going on in those rooms. I finally was led into this huge room where then I saw other girls sitting on the ground and on the beds. I saw others standing up as well. Immediately everyone was staring at me. Some of the looks I read from them were, "O there's another one." Others were looking at me as if they were judging my prettiness. And there was one that was sitting down next to a bed that stared at me with this look of sadness. At least, that's what I thought the look was. I was going to say hi before I heard movement behind me. Immediately I saw Spike with 3 other girls as well. All of them were dressed well, and all of them looked non-Russian. That told me that they were abducted just as I was. Which goes to show that Spike was targeting other girls from foreign countries. Each girl had the same look in her eyes. The same look I have now I thought to myself. I felt immediate sympathy with them all, knowing what they were going through at this very second. Then, Spike told everyone to shut up and stand in a line. We all complied, not a single girl talking. Then this man walked in. By the presence he radiated from himself, I knew this was “The Boss”. Reason was that behind me, I notice some of the girls began to squirm over and over. The man looked at all of us, looking at me last. And then said to us one word. "Strip,"

I felt a dagger pierce my lungs, making me unable to breathe. "YOU STUPID JERK!" I wanted to yell out, but I remembered the gun earlier and stayed silent. No one complied with the command and all stood looking dumbfounded and sad at the same time. Then suddenly one of the woman stepped up and yelled at the man, "How dare you do this to me you filthy pig!" The boss stared at her for a moment, then suddenly tripped her to the ground. He then pulled out a gun. I immediately said in my head, "O my god, O my god. O my god!"

I closed my eyes knowing what was going to happen. There was silence except for my harsh breathing and the other girl on the ground whimpering saying no. And then I opened my eyes and saw “The Boss” shoot her right in the head. The 3 girls standing up including me began screaming and crying. The other girls on the beds and floor made fewer sounds but their eyes were like windows into their hearts. They all saw that as what would happen to them if they ever disobeyed or talked back. All of them except this one girl who looked defiant. She was the same one that looked at me with sadness I realized. But I stopped thinking about that and turned around as “The Boss” told Spike to throw the body away. Then he repeated the word again, "Strip."

All of the girls complied including myself. As I was taking off my shirt and bra, my eyes began tearing up again; knowing that this was so wrong yet was helpless to stop it. I didn’t want to die. As we stripped off our clothes. The Boss began inspecting us. I almost felt like I was going to throw up. After he was done, he then pulled out 3 cards and read the contents of them.

"Samantha, Claire, Ann-Marie. Those are your names. From now on, you work for me. You listen to what I say. You do what I say. And you never open your mouth unless told to. This girl disobeyed a rule and she was shot. I will tolerate no crap from any of you. You are only products to me, and I can easily get more if I need to. Just do what your told. You will call me Boss. Now go get some sleep, because you have work tomorrow."

Then as he was about to leave, he said one last thing.
"And if any of you try to escape, we have identified your family and friends here, and we will kill them if you do."

As he walked away, Samantha and Claire broke down and put their clothes on, crying. I pulled up my clothes and went to the washroom after asking a girl where it is. As soon as I went inside, I vomited everything that I felt a couple of minutes ago. I then looked at the mirror in front of me, and sat on the seat and cried.

A week went by when I finally made a friend. It was the same girl that had the defiant and sad look in her eyes. Her name was Ann, similar to mine. I was sitting on a bed crying, because of all the gruesome things I did the entire week including losing my virginity. I was hoping that I was going to keep it until I found that Mr. Right in my life, and pledge my love to him. Instead, I lose it to some guy who looks at me as some used bought property that he is renting for a time. As I was crying silently, she sat on my bed beside me. She then said, "Hi."

I just looked at her, not saying a word. She smiled sympathetically and said, "Yes. It does hurt. I know what you're going through. You can't believe that this happened to you. The feeling that you would be safe from this sort of thing and never be harmed in the future broke on that day. That the country that you live in will protect you and that your mom and dad can protect you as well. Well Ann-Marie, this is life. This is the darkness of it. I was kidnapped a year ago and was just like you. And yet, while you think of not escaping, that is my dream. Though they might have information of your parents and friends, they only use that as a threat to keep you here. But I won't buy it. The day that I'm free from this place will make me live again."

"But wouldn't you die if you get caught?" I muttered, suddenly feeling nervous for her.

"Maybe, but all I know is that I won't give up. They may have taken my life for now, but no one owns me in the end. You understand what I mean Ann-Marie?"

I nodded, knowing what she meant. She has a strong spirit I thought. I thought of my spirit as something weak and immediately began to tear up again. Ann noticed this and came beside me and hugged me.

"Hey, don't lose hope and don't give up. If you have your mind set, you'll get out."

I hugged her back and then at that second we became best friends. I don't know how it happened, but it just did. I learned that she came from Canada, and that she also came here as a trip to Russia with her Dad. She was 17 at the time she was taken and is now 19. We then both talked about our lives. We laughed quite a lot actually for the situation that we were both in. In a way, it was bearable. At the morning and end of the day, I can then see her and we can chat about anything else other then what was happening to us. She always kept talking about how she was going to escape when the time was right. And even though I kept telling her don't because I didn't want her to die, secretly in my heart I wish her the best of success.



Two months went by since the time I got abducted. Thanks to Ann I still kept my identity as a person intact and remembered everything that happened in my life before. “My before life” I would call it in a way, because the Boss took “my before life”, and placed me in this other one. As I was sleeping, I heard a yell and a scream. And then instantly I recognized who it was. It was Ann! I figured out that she must've tried to escape today and that she got caught. I got up from by bed and looked at her. She was bleeding from the head. Her face was slightly bruised up, her legs looked like they couldn't support her anymore. And the Boss held her neck very tightly. The Boss then stared at us and said that this one tried to escape, and take this as a lesson that you can never escape from here. He then pointed his gun towards her and it was like it happened in slow motion. Suddenly I began screaming my lungs out while staring at her. Ann looked at me from her bloody face and mouthed, "Don't give up Ann-Marie, no matter what." And then suddenly it happened, the snap of the gun. The screams around the area, her head falling to the ground with a thump, and me in total tears screaming on my bed, hugging myself, crying out her name.

"Ann, not you Ann, not you…."

Three years went by since I was first abducted, and I still remembered what she said to me in the end. What she said fueled my ability to escape. And escape I did. I didn’t escape for my sake, but for the honour of Ann, so that those girls where able to do it as well. If my life was gone, then at least I tried in the end to save everyone else here. Ann taught me that, and I would be forever grateful. Every time I was with a guy, they would give me the money and then I would have to give it to Spike. I then took the equivalent of 40 cents American from the pay and save it up every time that happened. Over the past 3 years I managed to save up $100. I also got to know the men individually and know that if they have some sort of sympathy to the girls, I can trust them in a way. So one day, when I had my money saved up, I planned my escape. First, after I finished with this one guy, I told him that I have $100 dollars, and that I would give it to you so I can use your cell phone for a bit. This was a total risk because he could've just taken the money and reported me. But I was careful into picking the right guy to ask this, so that way the chances of that happening would decrease. The guy was happy to get $100 dollars and gave me his cell phone. Excitement ran through my veins as I entered the police number for Russia Police Service, but suddenly I got no service. So I only knew there was one thing to do. I would have to run out of the building and then call the police. I then felt that feeling of fear but immediately it ran away when I thought back to Ann, my dear friend. I told the guy I would need it for 10 minutes, and then I ran out of the corridor and outside. I knew the Boss and the rest of them would know someone left so I called the police and told them the location of the place. I saw some of the men outside so I couldn't run out to the streets. As soon as I finished I ran inside and was going back in the room when Spike saw me. He grabbed me by the hair and threw me into the room full of girls and then ran off to tell The Boss. Normally I would've felt scared but for some reason I felt peace, because I knew that the police would come and everyone would be captured. Ten minutes went by and the Boss came in. He looked at me and said that you tried to escape, and you know the penalty. He pointed his gun at me, and I stared at him with the same look Ann had, defiance. Suddenly, smoke exploded all around me, and I saw the Boss dropping his gun as something hit him from behind. There was nothing but screaming and I closed my eyes and covered my head. A minute went by and then I saw the smoke clear. Special Forces of Russia police pinned down Spike and The Boss, and I cried out in happiness. Finally, I thought, we are free. My only sadness was that Ann wasn't able to share this with me. But I knew that as I was taken away and given a blanket over myself that it was her who saved us all. Her words that helped me, her friendship that kept me sane. "Don't give up."