What Separates Me and You

The coldness in Lewis' eyes startled the woman who spoke.

She was about to say something before she heard him ask, "Which way did she run?"

"That way." The woman pointed to the left.

Lewis didn't bother to pay her any attention and immediately turned to run in that direction.

Josephine exited through a side door and found herself on a pedestrian street with various food stalls lining both sides.

The delicious aromas filled the air, making her mouth water. Yet she realized she had no money, so she had to give up on the idea of buying anything.

She aimlessly walked along the pedestrian street. The drizzling rain made her hair damp with droplets of water.

Attempting to wipe away the water, she lifted her sleeves, only to end up wetting her face too, as her sleeves were also damp.

"Young lady." Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder from behind.

She turned around to see two unfamiliar men. Quintin's face flashed across her mind, and she realized Quintin seemed to know her.

"Who are you?"

The two men exchanged a glance and smiled. "Don't you recognize us? We know you."

"Oh ..."

Josephine wondered to herself why so many people seemed to know her as she absentmindedly scratched her cheek.

"What are you looking for? We can help you."

Josephine responded, "I'm looking for my home. Do you know how to get there?"

"Yes, we've been to your home before."

Excited, Josephine eagerly held the man's hand. "Really?"

The men's smiles turned even more sinister when they saw her reaction. She must be really mentally ill.

"Of course, it's true. Come with us, and we'll take you back."

Josephine nodded eagerly, saying, "Okay, let's go!"

Finally, she thought she would be able to return home.

Thinking she could meet her parents soon, she smiled brightly and urged the man, "Let's hurry up!"

"Alright, relax."

The man didn't expect her to be so gullible. He pulled her hand and flagged down a taxi on the roadside. He then got her inside, told the driver an address, and the car started moving. "Josephine!"

Josephine faintly heard someone calling her name. She straightened her body and looked out the window to see Lewis running out of the mall towards the taxi.

Lewis rushed towards the taxi, but all he got was a puff of exhaust fume in his face.

Lewis stood by the road and stared at the departing car. White puffs emerged from his mouth that dispersed into the chilly air.

The taxi disappeared into the hazy drizzle in the blink of an eye.

Taking a deep breath, Lewis closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He then took out his phone and made a call.

Inside the taxi, the two men had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. After all, they didn't even know the woman's name.

The men kept their eyes on Josephine, who donned a padded coat with the zipper pulled up to the top. Her furry hood covered her entire head. Only her tiny face was exposed.

Her hair was in a mess, and she had slightly chubby cheeks. Her eyes held an innocent, dark, yet clear gaze.

The two men's throats went dry as they developed evil thoughts. Their minds were corrupted, just like their lives.

The driver drove as fast as possible to the destination. It was an old residential area on the outskirts of the city. Most houses here were scheduled for demolition, and not many people lived there. After leaving the taxi, Josephine looked at her surroundings and frowned. "Where is this?"

The man said, "This is your home. Don't you remember?"

Josephine shook her head firmly. "This is not my home!"

Feeling disappointed and unhappy with the sight of these old and dilapidated houses, she turned to leave.

Another man hurriedly grabbed her arm and corrected what the other person had said earlier, "Yes, you're right. This place is not your home. Your home is far away. We need to prepare first." Josephine paused in her steps. "What do you need to prepare?"

"We need to get a lot of things ready. Anyway, come upstairs with us first. We'll take you home later."

The two men leered at her, thinking about what they would do to her when they got upstairs. They believe Josephine wouldn't know what to do if they abandoned her after getting what they wanted.

Josephine wanted to ask more questions, but before she could, the two men pulled her arm and started walking upstairs. "Come on, hurry up. Look at your attire. You should at least change your clothes before going back, right?"

Josephine was convinced, and after contemplating for a while, she followed them upstairs.

Upon reaching the top floor, they entered the room in the far corner. It was a one-bedroom apartment with poor lighting. As soon as they stepped inside, a foul smell assaulted their noses.

The air seemed filled with a mix of moldy and rotten odors. Josephine couldn't tell what the smell was, but it made her nauseous.

The man turned on the lights in the room and forcefully pushed Josephine inside.

Now she could see the full view of the room. It was filled with trash, takeaway boxes, and used tissues. The soup from instant noodles had turned moldy, emitting a sour stench. Beer bottles were scattered all around, posing a risk of tripping and falling.

Discarded clothes were strewn all over the bed, sofa, and chairs.

The computer desk was equally messy, with an ashtray full of cigarette butts and ashes.

To make matters worse, cockroaches were scurrying around the room.

Terrified, Josephine was on the verge of tears. She turned to open the door and escape, but the man pulled her back.

"Why are you running away?" he asked.

Josephine pointed at the bugs. "There are bugs ..."

Upon hearing this, the two men couldn't help but laugh. She was afraid of bugs. She must be a retard.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she pouted, feeling wronged.

Her distressed appearance only made the two men more excited. They grabbed her and walked towards the bed.

Josephine struggled and protested, becoming more resistant to the place.

"I don't want to stay here!"

"We'll take care of business first, and then we can leave." The man tossed her onto the bed.

Josephine felt dizzy. In a daze, she saw a cockroach running past her ear. It frightened her, causing her to roll off the bed.

"Ahh!"

She burst into tears and struggled to escape.

One of the men swept the trash from the bed to the floor and pressed Josephine back onto the bed. He quickly found a rope and tied her hands tightly behind her back. No matter how hard she struggled this time, she couldn't get off the bed.

Hearing her cries, one of the men said, "Let's gag her mouth. Otherwise, we'll get into trouble if someone hears us."

"Okay." The other man agreed and randomly grabbed a pair of shorts from the cabinet and stuffed them into Josephine's mouth. To be safe, he put a tape over it. Now, she couldn't spit it out.

Josephine continued to struggle on the bed. She finally realized that these two men were up to no good.

Her eyes turned red, but her hands had been immobilized, so she kicked the man before her several times.

However, she didn't have much strength, and her kicks were weak, making no impact. Instead, the man effortlessly grabbed her ankle.

"Hehe, don't be nervous, little beauty. You'll feel great soon."

He reached out and pulled down the zipper of her down jacket, then ripped open the inner hospital gown.

A chill ran through Josephine's body, and she instinctively curled up, shivering from the cold.

However, the man had other plans. He grabbed her ankles, pulled her legs straight, and forcefully removed her pants.