(From Ashes to Hope) Chapter 31
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“What about that kid?” Jackie asked. “Why was he captured too?” Her gaze,
although unseen in the darkness, was directed towards the young beggar, filled
with curiosity.
“Maybe because they were targeting me,” I replied, pondering for a moment.”
He helped me and got caught in the crossfire.”
Guilt gnawed at my heart. If it weren’t for me, the young beggar wouldn’t be
in this perilous situation.
Silence descended upon us, broken only by the sound of our heavy breathing
We all knew that if we couldn’t escape or get rescued within the next couple
of days, we would most likely be sold across the border.
The thought of that horrific fate sent a chilling fear through us, gripping our
hearts like an invisible hand.
Refusing to just sit and wait for our doom, I scanned the pitch–black
warehouse, like a caged beast searching for even the slightest crack of
vulnerability.
Despite the near–impenetrable darkness, I strained my eyes, hoping to find
a glimmer of hope in some hidden corner.
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< (From Ashes to Hope…
Suddenly, I felt a faint breeze against the wall behind me.
It was as gentle as a feather, yet it felt oddly out of place in the deathly.
silence of the warehouse.
My heart leaped with a spark of hope, as if a light had suddenly appeared in
the darkness. I quickly turned around.
I stared at the wall, scrutinizing every detail, trying to locate the source of the
breeze.
But the light was too dim. All I saw was a blur of darkness.
I reached out with both hands, carefully feeling along the wall. After a while,
my fingertips touched something unusual. To my delight, the bricks were loose.
Overwhelmed with excitement, I shared my discovery with the others.
Their eyes lit up instantly, a glimmer of hope flickering in their gaze. They
gathered around, eagerly helping me pry the dirt from the cracks between the
bricks.
Unfortunately, we could only remove a few bricks. The rest of the wall was
reinforced with concrete.
The hard concrete was like an impenetrable barrier, blocking our path to
freedom.
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It seemed that there was a small hole in the wall that had been haphazardly
bricked up.
The guards probably knew that adults couldn’t squeeze through such a small
opening, so they weren’t concerned about us digging it out.
They never imagined that even this tiny ray of hope would be enough for us
to cling to like a lifeline.
Emma was still unwilling to give up. She stared at the small opening, her
eyes filled with a longing for freedom.
She gritted her teeth, trying to stick her head through the hole. But it was too
small. Her head got stuck at the edge, her face etched with frustration and defeat.
After a moment of thought, I said, “We can let the child go through the hole.
He can take a phone and go outside to find a signal and call the police.”
Jackie looked at the young beggar, her eyes filled with doubt. “He’s so young, can he explain everything to the police clearly?” she asked.
Emma chimed in, “He looks like a street urchin, what if he runs away with the phone and forgets about us?”
Their words irked me.“I trust him,” I said firmly. “He saved me before, he’s a good kid.”
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The young beggar stood quietly, his eyes clear and resolute. He looked at me
and nodded firmly, as if assuring me that he could complete this task.
The two girls whispered among themselves for a moment before agreeing to
let the young beggar take the phone.
Emma was still worried. “We can’t call the police directly,” she said.“That
photo studio is operating so openly, there might be corrupt cops involved. If the
traffickers find out we called the police, they’ll move us, and no one will be able
to save us.”
I thought about her words for a moment.“I know a police officer, Officer Lee,
I think he’s trustworthy, and I remember his phone number,” I said.
“The boy can’t speak,” I continued.“We need to write the message and have
him send it when he finds a signal. That way, he won’t make any noise and alert
the guards.”
Emma and Jackie discussed it and agreed. After all, none of them could fit
through that small hole, and there was no signal inside the warehouse.
Once they agreed, Emma handed me her phone.
I quickly typed the message and entered Officer Lee’s phone number.
Then, I showed the phone to the young beggar, carefully explaining which button to press to send the message.
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He nodded solemnly, took the phone, and carefully tucked it inside his
ragged clothes.
He tiptoed to the hole, carefully poked his head out, and scanned the
surroundings vigilantly.
After confirming no one was around, he turned back, his young face serious.
I gave him an encouraging look and whispered, “Be careful, we’ll be waiting
for you.”
He nodded slightly, then nimbly squeezed through the hole.
Once outside, he lay flat on the ground, like a nimble cat, silently crawling
away from the warehouse.
Weeds grew wildly around the warehouse. He moved cautiously, afraid of
making any sound that might alert the traffickers.
As he carefully bypassed several guards, he held his breath, his heart
pounding in his chest.
His eyes were fixed on the path ahead, searching for a safe escape route.
The young beggar’s figure gradually disappeared into the distance. I leaned out of a broken window, trying to catch a glimpse of him, but he was already
< (From Ashes to Hope…
