December 16th

Chapter 16 — Silent Allies

Kateryna turned the tap off slowly, listening. Mace had been pacing the corridors all evening, snapping at the girls, checking doors, shouting at shadows. He was paranoid. He knew something was wrong.

The bathroom was empty, but she wasn’t alone. Alina leaned against the door, arms crossed. Her eyes, normally wide with feigned innocence, were sharp now.

Kateryna’s heart thudded. “I don’t know what you think you saw,” she began, voice brittle.

Alina stepped closer and whispered, “I’ve known for days.”

Kateryna stiffened. Her mind raced through excuses, plans, lies — but Alina held up a hand.

“I know where you’ve hidden it,” she said quietly. “And I didn’t tell.”

Kateryna’s throat tightened. “Why?”

Alina took a breath. “Because I’m not one of them. I was taken, same as you. Promises. Then this.”

Kateryna studied her. “You never said.”

“Would you have believed me if I had? Do you think I want this life? Attention from a man like Mace?”

Silence.

Kateryna stepped closer, lowering her voice. “What happened to Tanya and Marta?”

Alina looked away. “The night they vanished, I heard crying from the basement. I think they were  down there. But the door was locked. And Mace—he… I couldn’t help. I’m sorry.”

There was pain in her voice. Real, raw.

Kateryna wanted to trust her, but trust here was dangerous. Still, something in Alina’s eyes — not fear, not calculation, but sorrow — made her nod.

“We need to warn Michael,” Kateryna said at last. “One last message.” At the sound of footsteps in the corridor, she whispered, “Later.”

“I’ll distract Mace.”

Kateryna hesitated. “Why would you risk that?”

Alina’s voice was barely audible. “Because no one ever came for me. Maybe now someone will.”

That night, the air in the dormitory was tight with tension.

The window was closing fast.

Alina sparked it with a sudden shout. “That’s mine, you stupid cow!”

A slap. A shriek. Scuffling feet.

The other girls joined in, raising the noise like a tide. The room turned to chaos.

Mace burst in seconds later, already roaring. “Shut it! Shut your bloody mouths!”

Kateryna slipped from her bed. She moved fast and silent, heart racing.

In the bathroom, she fumbled with the cistern lid and snatched the burner phone. There was still no message from Michael.

Her fingers trembled as she typed.

We need out.

She hit send.

Footsteps.

Mace.

She shoved the phone back into the cistern, replaced the lid, and flushed. The water roared as she stepped out and grabbed a towel, pretending she’d just finished.

Mace appeared at the door. His eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?”

“Needed a pee,” she said, lifting the towel like it proved something. Her heart thumped against her chest wall.

He stared at her for a beat too long, then turned away.

Back in the dorm, the noise had settled. The girls sat in silence now, their faces drawn.

Alina was on the floor, blood on her lip and a hand pressed to a reddening cheek. Mace had clearly taken out his rage on her.

Kateryna crossed the room, knelt beside her.

Their eyes met. They exchanged the briefest nod.

It was done.

Now all they could do was wait.

***