I have never wished for it to happen. I haven’t dreamed about it, not even in a bad dream. You know… I moved to a smaller town because I had no money and needed a cheaper living. Cheaper equals worse. I live in neither the best nor the safest part of the town. I was lucky at the beginning because I found a job. I have been working there for 3 months. The shop where I work is on the other side of the town. I have never bought a ticket for a bus. I always walk – at least, I have time to think about my life and the future. It sometimes happens that I finish as late as nine at night. It takes me an hour to get home. Once, I went home taking the usual path. I was wearing headphones and listening to music when suddenly I felt that somebody touched me. It wasn’t a normal touch of a stranger, it was a strong grip to my hip. I got scared. I turned around and… there was a man with a mask on his face standing next to me. I didn’t see into his eyes. He didn’t want to let me go. He kept saying: “Come here! Come here!” I started to scream for help. It happened on the outskirts of the town. Nobody was outside, nobody heard me. I could´ve hit or kicked him, but I froze. He put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming and held me tightly. I should’ve screamed much louder. I shouldn’t have been quiet! Why didn’t I do it?

The man took me to his car, tied me up and drove me into the woods. I didn’t know where we were. I had a bag on my head the whole drive. When we stopped, I saw a small cottage. The man told me to walk. You can’t even imagine how scared I was. He took me inside. It was dark. I only saw a small light at the end of the room. I heard steps. “Somebody is here,” I thought. Another man – tall, scary, strong. He came closer to me and said that he knew me. He said that I had no-one and nobody would miss me. Unfortunately, he was right. My parents died when I was 19, my grandparents died a long time ago, I don’t have any siblings or friends – I´m a loner. “Why have they taken me here? What do they want to do to me?” They sat me down on the armchair in the room, which looked like a living room, and left. In the morning, a strong shout woke me up. “Get up! Move! Come on!” I was confused. It was just a young boy. He could have been thirteen. “Why is he helping them? What do they want?” We went out of the cottage. There were trees all around. I tried to find my phone in my pocket, but they had taken it away. We were walking for two hours when we came to a road where a van was parked. The boy said: “Get in!” The door opened, I got in and saw four other girls with their hands tied just like mine.

They put masks over our heads. They didn’t want us to see the way. It must have been somewhere near the town. I tried to remember all the turns, but I think they drove in circles to confuse us. When the car stopped, the man said: „Out!“ They took our masks off. We were at an old damaged apartment building. They took us inside and divided us into rooms. I didn’t see a soul for three days. There wasn’t a bed in the room, only two water bottles. The window was locked. There was a bucket in the corner. I often thought of breaking the window and jumping out, but it was too high. The fall would have killed me. I had no other choice but to wait. I sang loudly every day because I thought they would get annoyed and someone would come. Nothing – nobody. On the third day, I heard a car engine. I looked out of the window. Four men left. Did they leave us here alone? Did they want us to starve? I started banging on the door, hoping I would hear something, either a man who would start yelling out of anger, or banging on another door – that would have meant that the girls were here. There was complete silence.

After two days, I was at peace with my fate. “I’m gonna die here… Alone, without anybody,” I thought. I was ready to join my parents on their journey. I was lying and waiting. That night, I heard a dog barking. I was convinced that it was just a hallucination, but the barking was stronger and stronger. I looked outside of the window and I saw a dog. He had a collar! That meant that he had a master as well. You could see a spark of hope in my eyes. “If I start banging on the window, he´ll surely help me.” I started to bang as if my life depended on it. I saw a figure coming out of the forest. It was moving slowly, I only saw a shadow for a long time. When the person came out to the grass, I noticed that it was a man. He kept coming closer and closer. I didn´t stop banging. He looked up and saw me. He saw me! He came inside the apartment building, I heard his steps. He was at my door. He unlocked it. How was he able to unlock the door? Did they leave the keys here? What is going on? “Be quiet already!” he said when he came inside and beat me up. I felt the blood coming down my face. Now, I really wanted to die.

But the man didn't leave. He untied me and asked me if I could walk. I nodded, still scared and confused. He led me out of the apartment building and into the night. The dog was barking and jumping around us, as if he was happy to see us both. The man took off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. He asked me if I knew where I was, and I told him I didn't. He said his name was Mark and that he was a hunter. He had been tracking a group of poachers in the woods when he heard my screams. He followed the sound and found the cottage where I had been held captive. He had been keeping watch on the building for a few days, waiting for a chance to rescue me and the other girls.

Mark took me to his truck and gave me a bottle of water. I drank it greedily, feeling the cold liquid soothe my parched throat. He asked me if I wanted to call the police, but I shook my head. I didn't want to go through the trauma of a trial or be in the public eye. I just wanted to go home and forget about what had happened to me. Mark understood and said he would take me to his cabin in the woods, where I could rest and recover. He assured me that he would take care of the other girls and make sure they were safe too.

We drove in silence for a while, with the dog sleeping at our feet. I felt numb, like I was watching a movie of my life instead of living it. Mark must have sensed my distress because he turned on the radio and put on some soft music. We listened to it together, with the dog occasionally licking my hand. It was the first time in days that I felt a sense of peace and safety.

When we arrived at the cabin, Mark showed me to a bedroom with a comfortable bed and clean sheets. He told me that I could stay there as long as I needed to. He gave me some painkillers for my injuries and left me alone to rest. I fell asleep immediately, exhausted by the events of the past few days.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt better. The pain had lessened, and my mind was clearer. I got up and looked out the window. The sun was shining, and the woods were peaceful. I felt a sense of gratitude towards Mark and his dog for saving my life. I knew I would never forget what had happened to me, but I also knew that I could move on from it, with time and patience.