Rose sat with her back against the wall. She was the only one left in the cell. A few men had come around, taking the young women one after the other. Rose had thought of fighting them, but any sane person could easily see that she wouldn't win. Not only did she not have any weapons, she was also outnumbered. So she sat in the corner, watching the girls cry and scream as they were taken away, one after the other. The space was quiet; even the animals were gone. They had gone first, then the boys, and then the girls.
Rose looked around. It was pretty dark, the only source of light coming from the stairs. She rushed to the bars and tried to poke her head out, hoping she would see something—anything—but there was nothing.
She sat back, feeling anxiety rise in her throat. Rose shut her eyes and grabbed her head. Maybe this wasn't so bad, she thought, trying to console herself, but the more she tried to think of reasons why it wasn't, the more crippling her anxiety got.
