Just the Start. (The Clovers series: Book 1)

Chapter 8

"Whoever that is, stop this stupid joke right now!" I scrambled out of bed and grabbed an object from the bedside table just before the door slide open, revealing a familiar figure. He kicked the table out of the way, his eyes still on me.

I blanched the moment my brain processed the identity of the person and my heart almost stopped beating. Savage.

His lips curled upwards in a sadistic smile as he slid the door close in deliberate slowness. I am trapped in a room with a vengeful man. What do I do now?

"Hi love. Did you miss me?" he walked towards me slowly with opened arms and I backed away in fear, tripping over my feet. My eyes were glued on the knife that was around his waist.

He followed my gaze to the knife and pretended to look surprised.

"Oh this?" he drew the knife from his waist and my stomach turned into ice. "We won't be playing with this today."

I suddenly remember the watch around my wrist and I pressed the help button frantically.

"What are you doing?" Savage narrowed his eyes at me and I stopped whatever I was doing. He must not know about the true purpose of the watch.

"I'm..I'm checking the time," I stammered.

"For what? To see when you die?" he answered and I flinched at his words, too petrified to say anything.

"That's too bad...Cause you can't really tell the timing. It's going to be slow you know?" he threw his knife behind him with a smile.

I will have to stall for time and hope that Zander will do as promised and arrive before I'm killed.

"What...what have I done to you?" I asked in a small voice.

"What have you done?" he echoed and his eyes turned into slits.

"You did this!" he pulled up the sleeve of his right pants, revealing a long and thick wooden stick supporting his leg. "You've caused me a broken leg for life!"

I was stunned. I didn't realize that he was limping due to my overwhelming fear. Did Gladion punish him by breaking his leg? And isn't he a Clover, why won't his leg heal?

"I'm sorry about that...I did not wish for that to happen. Besides, it's your own fault for not listening to orders, isn't it?" I tried to reason.

"It would not have happened if you were to listen instead of acting smart and attacking the boss. What is this? I helped him to teach you a lesson and receive a broken leg while you get away with your little stun?" he cried out incredulously.

"Put yourself in my shoes," I pleaded. "I arrived here thinking that I was kidnapped! Whatever I did was for self-protection!"

"Why don't you put yourself in my shoes and feel what it's like to have a broken leg? Of course, you have the stupid healing powers that I don't so I would have to break it more than once," he snickered after he declared his plans.

"Are you crazy?" I screamed at him.

"Call me anything you want love. Cause you will be screaming from pain soon." He grabbed the chair and broke off one of its wooden legs, advancing towards me.

I was cornered to a dead end.

"People will be rushing here the moment I scream Savage. Why don't you just leave. I promise I won't tell anyone that you have been here," I tried to reason with him desperately.

"Thanks for your concern but everyone is still down there celebrating. I'll just finish you off before anyone comes along."

Realizing that he cannot be reasoned with, I pressed the help button on my watch one last time before I charged towards him with my weapon: a heart-shaped paperweight.

Before I knew it, I was slammed onto the ground by Savage. I struggled to break free from his grasp but my struggles were useless against his strength. With one leg holding me down, he slammed the leg of the chair on my right leg and I screamed from the pain. "Stop! You sadistic brute!"

He just smiled as he brought his weapon down on my leg continuously without mercy. After the third blow, I heard my bones crack and tears sprung from my eyes. I was begging internally for Zander to burst into the room and hurl Savage away from me. However, the door remained closed as the beatings continue and I started to lose hope. Every blow made me feel like dying and I counted down the seconds to my death with my eyes squeezed close.

The beatings stopped suddenly and I was dragged up into a sitting position against the wall.

"Time to wake up love," he slapped me across the face and my eyelids fluttered open.

"Why...why...did you stop?" I asked, my voice hoarse from screaming.

"It's too easy for you," he growled.

Using the last amount of strength I possessed, I lifted the paperweight and drove it down on his head, hoping to knock him unconsciousness. With a bellow of rage, Savage wrapped his fingers around my neck and squeezed tightly. I wheezed for air and that was all I could do in the arms of a predator. Black dots started to swim before my eyes and my visions were blurred with tears. What a pathetic way to did, I thought. I won't be able to go back to Earth and reconcile with my mother ever again. I won't even get to apologize for worrying her. She would be left all alone.

The last thing I heard was the slam of a door and Ducan shouting before I slipped into the hands of the darkness.