Inside the drafty warehouse down by the slum's murky canal, Rupee lay bound in rope on a beaten-up stained couch. Her ankles and hands were tied together, and a dirty cloth was stuffed into her mouth to muffle her frightened whimpers.
In the center of the dusty floor, two men were seated on rickety wooden chairs.
One of them suddenly scrambled to his feet, pacing back and forth in nervous strides. The second man, sitting casually with his boots propped up on a crate, grunted in annoyance as he chewed loudly on a strip of dry meat.
"Would you kindly sit your ass down, Dole?!" the seated man yelled.
"I can't help it, Dale! I'm nervous, alright?! Nervous as a cat on a hot-tin roof!"
Dale lowered his bag of jerky and glared at him with utter disdain. "What the fuck you so nervous for, huh boy?!"
