She sighed and stuffed her phone into her purse. For the first time in her life, she was flat-out refusing what her father had told her to do. She leaned forward to give the cab the address, and it wasn’t to her parents’ house.
* * *
April flew into Eblax,which was a large island on the archipelago that formed the country. She was nervous, wondering what she would discover out in the field.
After finding her hotel and getting settled, she went straight to work. She asked the locals everything they knew about the mine, and when she felt she had enough, she headed out. She put on the plainest clothes she had and hid her camera before she found her way to the mine gates.
She knew she couldn't get through the main entrance, so she went around and looked until she found a drainage pipe large enough for her to sneak in, snapping some photos before she started to crawl towards the other side.
She stopped when she found herself on the other side. Her stomach churned, and tears bit her eyes.
Children were working here, walking around with axes and picks. They were covered in soot, and their clothes hung loosely on them. They were malnourished and had pale complexions.
When she was handed this story, she didn't expect it to be this bad. It contorted her heart painfully.
A little boy caught sight of her and froze. His eyes grew large, and he smiled at her after a moment. A few other boys stopped, seeing her, and they all gathered around her, fascinated.
"Who are you?" they asked.
"I'm a reporter," she said, wishing she had brought food. "I'm here to see everything that happens in this mine and tell other people about it. I'm here to help, so can you tell me everything you know?"
The boys beamed at the idea.
She turned her recorder on and knelt. She asked them as many questions as she could think of and quickly snapped photos of a few of the boys and the surrounding area. She knew she didn’t have long and was trying to hurry.
A sudden yell caused all the boys to stiffen.
"Boys!"
"Hide." One of them pushed her back a few feet. "If they find you, they’ll hurt you."
That made her blood run cold.
The boy shoved her back under a shrub and kicked some dirt around the ground, hiding the footsteps.
He quickly turned just as a large man stepped into the space. He narrowed his eyes on the boy standing a distance away from her.
She swallowed, staring at the man. The children shook in fear, lowering their heads. The man glowered over them. "What are you doing over here?"
None of them spoke.
The man walked toward the boy near her and lowered himself. "What are you doing?"
The boy trembled. "We saw a bird."
The man scowled. "You're lying."
His hand flew out, smacking the boy, and she gasped. The man looked up, and she knew she was fucked.
She quickly crawled back, but it was too late. He started toward her hiding spot.
She had five seconds to get away. She quickly sprang up and dashed for the hole she'd crawled through to get in.
He caught her by her hair, yanking her back and slamming her hard onto the ground.
All the air left her lungs, but she forced herself to move. She'd trained in Krav Maga self-defense and knew she could get herself free.
But it wasn't just her and the man anymore. There were five men chasing her.