Chapter 5: What Did You Do?

Mina's eyes felt like they were glued shut. She was lying on her back and there was something hard pressing into the skin underneath her. Her body felt as if it had been stabbed by thousands of needles and a piercing pain shot through her head. She wanted to cry, but the pain was too great. She could only lay there in silence.

Mina tried to remember what happened the night before. She had snuck into someone's hotel room. She had tried to take a picture, but she was caught.

It turned out; the hotel room belonged to Ian Lee. He was rumored to be ruthless and cruel. Now, Mina knew it was true. She remembered he had thrown her across the room like a paper doll. She remembered his face as he walked toward her. He did not appear human, but like a complete monster. The look of indifference on his face after he attacked her made her wish she had never been born.

Mina knew she had messed up greatly, but what happened? Had she been tortured? That was right, he had told her she was going to be tortured, but she could not remember. She remembered him handing her a piece of mint chocolate. She remembered all the feelings and emotions that surged through her as she put the candy into her mouth.

Mina remembered thinking that she had let desperation take control of logic and that had caused her own suffering. She remembered the tears rolling down her cheeks as her mind began to flood with sweet memories she did not know she had forgotten. She remembered closing her eyes slowly, as the chocolate melted in her mouth.

Mina remembered thinking that life had really been cruel to her. She grew up poor, she was bullied for being smart, she struggled through university, she had not fulfilled her promise to her parents and now, she was going to die. She remembered thinking that even up to her last moments, life continued to mock her; she hated mint chocolate.

When her mind stopped wandering, Mina noticed the taste of blood in her mouth. The metallic flavor ignited her salivary glands and the excess saliva nauseated her. How long had it been? One day or two? Had she not eaten in two days? She remembered that she had eaten breakfast before she made her way into the hotel, but how long ago was that?

Mina recalled waiting hours before the guards changed shifts. It was only during that brief window of time, that she would be able to sneak into the room and hide in the closet. Because she was nervous, she did not notice her hunger, so her mouth had become stale, and the taste of blood aggravated her senses.

Mina's stomach suddenly clenched. The pain in her body was overwhelming, but the urge to vomit gave her the strength to roll over. She did not want to drown in bile. As she turned her body, Mina's head hit something solid with a loud thump. Her head was already throbbing and now she felt as if it were going to split.

The intense wave of pain gave Mina the strength to open her eyes. She was still in the hotel room. She had been tortured and she felt she was near death. She could feel the weakness in her body, and everything she could feel hurt.

Mina forced her arms and legs to move and managed to slowly crawl toward the bathroom. Her vision was blurry, and she was relying on her memory of the room layout. She wanted to cry, but her throat felt as if she had swallowed a spoonful of sand. She made out the shape of the toilet, and she retched while scrambling forward. She clung to the cold porcelain just in time for her stomach to forcefully empty its limited contents.

Mina's entire mouth burned. She had bitten her tongue and the insides of her cheeks. She gently touched her swollen lips and could feel the teeth marks on them. She must have been in great pain, but why couldn't she remember what happened? Mina was still retching, but there was no longer anything coming up. The intensity of the spasms caused the muscles in her abdomen to cramp, and she could no longer move.

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Ian was awoken by the sounds of someone being sick. He was dizzy, and his head was throbbing. He slowly sat up and looked in the direction of the noise. He forced his eyes to focus and could almost make out the shape of a woman kneeling in front of the toilet. He suddenly remembered the girl who snuck into his room.

Ian quickly stood up and walked toward the direction of the bathroom. His mind was not clear, and his body did not feel right. His stomach churned and he bent forward in discomfort.

Ian pushed down the pain and continued walking toward the figure in front of him. He noticed he was not walking in a straight line and he was stumbling as if he were drunk.

Ian was furious, and his eyes began to focus as his anger boiled over. What exactly had the woman done to him, and when did he let his guard down? Was he that blinded by her beauty that he allowed her a moment to attack? He suddenly felt like a fool, although he did not know why.

Overcome with emotion, Ian decided that he would strangle the woman with his bare hands. She had played him, and now he could not remember if he were able to get any information out of her. But right now, Ian did not care. That Mina person was going to die by the end of the day.

As Ian neared, he was taken aback; Mina was completely naked. The sight caused him to stop in his tracks and at the same time she attempted to stand.

Ian watched as Mina's legs buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground. She grabbed the area between her legs and groaned in pain. She had only just realized she was not wearing any clothes. She rolled onto her back and her half-closed eyes made out Ian's figure.

"What… what did you do?" She said in a voice so weak and pathetic that Ian was caught off guard. He looked at the pitiful girl in front of him. Her beautiful body was covered in bruises and bite marks. There were giant hickeys on her neck and chest. Mina's thighs were smeared with both dried and fresh blood.

The woman was in so much pain, that she did not even try to cover herself. He remembered that he had torn her undershirt the night before and she had instinctively used her hands to hide her chest. Now, she did not even bother.