Page 1 of Noah

Chapter 1

“I don’t understand,” she said, voice shaking.

She pushed back against the hands pulling her into the room as her body trembled.

She was swamped with fear as she realised what was happening, though she couldn’t understand why it was happening.

They were trying to shove her into a room that felt like a prison, had three bare clawed-up walls that looked like a wild animal had attacked them, and a steel door that scraped obnoxiously when they pulled it back.

It smelled musty like mould, rotting rubbish, and stagnant dirty water, with lemon-scented chemicals squeezed on top like they were trying to obscure the smell.

A wall within the soundproofed room was padded, and reinforced, and there was an arch heading into another room.

The room looked like it held something dangerous.

It was a room meant for restraining someone, and she shuddered to think of what happened within its walls.

It was definitely not where she wanted to be.

She struggled harder against the grasping hands as a terrifying growl came from within the room.

She twisted and turned, desperately trying to escape, but was firmly shoved into the room as she tried to break free.

They eventually threw her to the ground. She avoided face-planting by a nose-hair as her bare knees scraped against the floor, grazing them, and shredding her hands.

The door clanked shut with a final high-pitched scraping clang.

As fear and adrenaline rushed through her body, she scrambled to her knees and looked around, ready to face what lay inside.

She turned around when she heard that growl again. Expecting to see a tiger or lion prowling behind her, and thinking she was about to be eaten for someone’s sick entertainment, she froze.

Assuming there would be a window that was for the sick enjoyment of anyone who enjoyed watching animals rip apart random strangers, she flinched looking quickly around but found nothing.

She was wrong about what was going on.

Her breath calming, she looked around and this time took note of the low steel bed with a thick mattress and blankets piled on top of it. There was a hatch in the wall with an empty plate inside.

Besides the sink in the corner, there was a drinking fountain, but what caught her eye was the arched door behind the bed. It looked like it led to a wet room.

Curious about what was kept in the room, she took a hesitant step forward. There was no animal there, so what was it?

She thought the interview was for a cleaning position. When they asked about her family and responsibilities, she thought it was weird. There was too much interest in her family, friends, and personal life for a simple cleaning job. As she got further into the interview, she realised it wasn’t a cleaning job at all.

The job title was an after-hours warehouse cleaner.

It gave her the chance to go to university and do something she was interested in. Having flitted from job to job for years, she eventually decided to get a night job then start university and decide what she wanted to do.

Things had gone downhill because they didn’t want a cleaner.

After finding out she had no family, they invited her to take a tour of the warehouse, which she did despite her misgivings knowing there would be plenty of staff around.

Oh, how wrong she was.

As soon as they showed her to the back of the warehouse with the padded rooms, her stomach turned, and she felt lightheaded. Despite trying to back up, she was repeatedly shoved forward by rough, persistent hands.

Suddenly scared, she shouted, “What is happening?” They didn’t answer her.

More hands pushed at her, and two large bodies guarded the door like they would push her back if she fled.

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