December 13th
Chapter 13 — Pressure Point
The day passed like a taut wire, stretched to snapping.
Kateryna could feel it in the air, in the way the girls moved silently, barely looking at one another. Even the punters seemed to sense something was off. Enzo’s usual smirk had vanished. His eyes were sharper now, scanning, calculating.
Mace was everywhere.
That evening, Kateryna stepped into the corridor and almost collided with Tanya. They both froze, startled. Tanya glanced over her shoulder—twice—then leaned in.
“Maybe tonight—” she whispered, barely audible.
That was all it took.
Mace came out of nowhere. A blur of violence.
He grabbed Tanya by the hair and yanked her backwards, hard enough to wrench a scream from her throat. Her head smacked the wall with a sickening thud. Before she could catch her breath, he slammed her again. And again.
Bone met concrete.
Kateryna screamed. Girls scattered in every direction. Somewhere, someone sobbed.
Tanya collapsed to the floor like a doll dropped from a height. Blood slicked her cheek and pooled at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes fluttered but didn’t focus.
Mace stood over her, breathing hard. He wiped his knuckles slowly with a linen napkin, as if cleaning up a mess at dinner.
“No secrets,” he said coldly. “You got something to say, you say it to me. Understand?”
His voice didn’t rise. That made it worse. Controlled violence always did.
Kateryna’s fists clenched. Her whole body trembled with rage. She wanted to launch herself at him, dig her nails into his face, scream until her voice broke.
Instead, she dropped to her knees beside Tanya. Her friend’s pulse beat faintly beneath her fingers—unsteady, but there.
Enzo had appeared in the doorway. He watched it all happen without a word. Without a flicker of concern.
The two men lifted Tanya like cargo, limp and bleeding, and carried her downstairs toward the basement.
Kateryna stood frozen. She didn’t know if Tanya would come back.
No one did.
Later, she realised Marta hadn’t returned from her last appointment. Her bed stayed empty. The absence howled in her ears.
Nobody said her name.
Kateryna excused herself to the bathroom. She locked the door and with shaking fingers removed the cistern lid.
The burner phone was still there.
She typed quickly:
Marta gone. Tanya hurt bad. Are you coming?
The reply took too long.
Being followed. Lying low. Will contact when clear. Stay safe. Don’t trust anyone.
Kateryna stared at the message. Her thumb hovered over the keypad, but she didn’t type anything. There was nothing left to say.
She replaced the burner and lowered the lid. Footsteps passed outside the bathroom. They paused.
Her breath caught.
Then they moved on.
She pressed her palm to her chest, feeling her heartbeat stutter. Every breath felt like a countdown.
That night, the dormitory door was locked from the outside.
***
