Yes

Panic coursed through her veins as the voices grew nearer, indistinct but undeniably human. Naomi pressed her back against the cold, unforgiving wall of the crate, her pulse thundering in her ears. She could feel the vibrations of footsteps on the ground above her, each thud amplifying her sense of dread. What would they think when they found her? Would they be horrified, amused, or indifferent?

She cast her mind back to earlier that day, the blur of hurried goodbyes and rushed packing. How had she ended up here, stuffed away like an unwanted piece of luggage? It was a cruel twist of fate—one moment she was looking forward to a college year, and the next, she was trapped in a dark metal box, subject to someone else’s whims.

As the voices grew clearer, one surged forward, sounding authoritative. “All right, let’s get this sorted. We have an incoming flight in thirty minutes that needs to offload.” Naomi’s breath caught in her throat. Incoming flight? What if they were about to open the dog cage?

“Yeah, I’ll take the large containers first. Just keep me updated on any anomalies,” another voice chimed in, sounding irritated.

Then, without warning, there was a loud thud, and the dog cage jolted slightly. Naomi's heart nearly stopped. Heavy footsteps approached, and she held her breath, bracing for the worst. What would they say? What would they do? She could only imagine their reactions—the shock, the confusion, perhaps even disgust.

“What the hell?” he exclaimed, taking a step back and raising his walkie-talkie to his mouth. “We’ve got a… situation here!”

Naomi’s heart raced wildly as she met the man’s gaze, feeling utterly exposed and terrified. There was no turning back now. All she could do was wait—wait for whatever would happen next, hoping for something resembling compassion amidst the chaos of her reality.