As much as I try to run away,
Hide from the eyes, following me,
I end up being stuck in the midway.
And we both know, if you actually want me,
You'll get me anyway.
LEERA
The exact moment I felt a slight touch on my shoulder, the rhythm of my throbbing heart fastened, my mind went blank, I lost the capability of deciphering anything. I didn't even have the audacity in me left to turn back and see who's it. My first conviction was to run and not standing there a moment longer, without a second thought- I started to run like a maniac.
I could still sense the person following me after running a distance. My feet didn't stop it's fast pace even though I'm too exhausted to take another step. A part of me wants to glance back and confirm if I'm being delusional or I'm actually being chased, and another part wants me to keep running till I don't get to the other end of this world.
For a while I thought, by now I could have managed some distance between the stalker and me. But then all of a sudden a hand appears to my side grasping my wrist in a tight grip from behind, and my merest hope sinks down the ocean of anxiety like it never existed. I'm caught. I can literally hear my heart pounding so rapidly that it feels as though it's going to burst anytime soon.
When I hear the sound of those peculiar laughters filled with smugness, I comprehend that I was wrong, it's wasn't just one person following me, they are two in number. I'm afraid, terribly afraid. And after everything that happened, who won't be?
But I refuse to show my fear. If you show you're scared, they will see you as weak. I gathered myself and with the last ounce of my courage I turn back, mentally praying to god to save me from every evil I'm going to face. Please, God. Please save me this time.
I notice both of them are wearing black attire with a strange, black mask which covered half of their faces, excluding the forehead and eyes. They appear creeps with wicked intentions.
"Who the hell are you? Leave my hand!" I snap at their face, trying to rescue my fragile, trembling hand and they laugh out hearing me as though I said something hilarious. I blankly stare at them and struggle to free my hand.
I look around in hope of finding someone to help me but there is literally not a single soul around. As the apartment I live in is at the farthest corner of the street, here is always less people in this street but tonight it's surprisingly quieter than usual and no presence of life is anywhere near. Don't freak out, Leera. Don't freak out. I tell myself, failing to hold onto my dauntlessnes.
"Check what she has with her-" One of the creepy dudes tells the other. "Hold her."
They try to snatch my bag from me and getting the chance I bite onto the hand that's holding me. He cries out. I bit so hard that I can literally taste blood on my teeth but the other one gets me again.
"This bitch!" I hiss in pain feeling the sharp sting on my scalp as my hair is being pulled so harshly that every hair strand is about to get teared.
"Leave me!" I let out a howl of anguish.
"We know how to deal with fierce-" They evilly laugh and pull my hair more. "I said leave me, bastards!" I try pulling off their hands from my hair.
"Got our hand on a fine piece today. How can we let you go beautiful?" The one gripping my hair says stripping me bare just with his eyes while the other sickeningly checked me out from head to toe and his eyes rested on my chest. I'm getting sick, help. God get me out of this.
"Motherfuckers, I'll pull your eyes out of their sockets. Fucking leave me or I'll gather people-" I bawl again. "This bitch got a mouth. Do it fast-" I hear them conversate not having an idea of what they are intending to do to me.
"Anyone here? please-" My eyes wide open with horror when I see them pulling out a rope and a white cloth. So, they aren't normal robbers, they are fucking kidnappers! "What are you doing? Leave me-" My mouth dries up, unable to form another word when I feel the sharp edge of knife against my neck. "Make another sound and you'll be dead bitch."
I can't inhale anymore. I'm literally feeling my lungs burn now. I'm feeling as if the hands of frustration are wrapped around my neck and I'm being choked.
I kept on my struggles to free myself while I watched them pull out a glass bottle and pour some liquid on the cloth from that bottle. I knew it's chloroform to make me faint. I'm so impotent that I can't scream and I'm internally almost passing out before this knife even slits my skin.
Seeing a mid aged man passing by, a new hopeful anticipation fills my chest but it distinguishes as soon as it arises because they scare him off with the same knife and he just runs away without even glancing back. I was crying, pleading with my eyes but he didn't come to help. This is the society we live in. But again who would risk their own life to save a stranger?
"Do it fast before anyone else comes." The one holding the knife to my throat, barks at the other.
Tears are at the edge of showering down as I knew struggling is futile now. There's no possible way to escape. There's no escape for me. Everything's going to be over.
But when they were about to press that white cloth to my mouth, all of a sudden, at that very moment two loud gunshots pierces through my eardrums. And then before I could even apprehend what just happened- both of them were already on the ground. Their eyes were open and unblinking, their body unmoving. Then I notice their black jackets glistening with liquid substance in the dim light. The liquid was coming out of their body and they were lying there in a pool of red- Blood? Blood. Dead.
I became static. I couldn't peel my eyes off the scene. I couldn't unsee what I just saw happen infront of my eyes. I silently stand on my feet for a while, not being able to comprehend anything as if I am a living statue.
What did just happen? I press my hands to my mouth. I feel as though I'm screaming but I'm not. I unbelievably shake my head, turn back, run before I can even catch my next breath.
My feet only ceased once I got inside the apartment building. I kept on pressing the elevator button hesitantly, restlessly, still not being able to breath properly. Tears start flowing down my cheeks. The guard seemed to be astonished to see me like this but I couldn't care less.
When the elevator carries me to my floor, I step out and stand infront of the main door.
I can't go inside like this. My mom, she can't see me like this.
Before getting inside, I made sure to wipe my tears off and compose myself. I took deep breaths and calmed myself down and then I finally pressed on the bell. My mom opens the door immediately and I unexpectedly meet with a warm embrace. She's caressing my hair, hugging me. I'm not used to this after coming back home as I live by my own and she has just come for a few days. I want to stay here and weep in her arms but I can't.
I open my mouth almost fearing a sob will come out, "Mom-"
"Go freshen up. Then we will talk while having dinner," she says patting my back and then let's go of me.
I nod lowering my head and rush to my room. Closing the door, I press my hands on my mouth and let out a cry. How long? How long? I can't. I can't.
Whatever happened today didn't settle well with me at all. First I got harassed by two goons, and then I myself saw two of them die infront of my eyes. But who killed them? I'm totally unaware of the secret killer. There was literally no one else in that street! If anyone was they would have showed up to help, not have shot like that. I'm scared, scared to the core.
With shaky hands I take my phone out of my bag and dial Levi's number. I can't handle it anymore. I need to let it out. I can't, I just can't hold myself anymore.
He picks up at the third ring, "Panda, did you reach home safe or you got lost on your way back home again? -" He stops hearing me sob. "Leera?" He calls my name out in a serious tone. My mouth can't form words. Everytime I try, the words come out as a breaking sob.
"Leera! Why are you crying? Did anything happen??" I can't help but start to wail more listening to him. "Say something? You are getting me tensed! Leera? Speak please." He says softly this time.
"I.. I-" I can't compose words. I'm still in that terrible shock. "Hey, tell me what happened? You know I am always there for you. Okay- Stop crying first, then speak."
I wipe my tears and gasp for breaths. "Lev..i" I slowly murmur, "I don't think anything is alright. Nothing seems fine. Everything is messed up. I'm scared."
"What happened?" He asks, anxiousness evident in his voice. "You know, I didn't attend college after my birthday for a long time, it was because... because I was traumatised. At first I thought everything happening with me were nothing but coincidences but they were not. I couldn't let myself out of this house because I was too scared to do so. Too scared thinking what might happen next if I stepped out the house." He remained silent, listening to me while I continued-
"2 months ago. You remember? The day of my birthday you guys held a small party for me at a restaurant? It was then I started to come across some strange incidents, which are happening till now. And everytime it can't be coincidence! After my birthday party that night, you dropped me home. When I was in the elevator after saying goodbye to you, the elevator stopped in the midway. It never happened before. Then suddenly all the lights went out and that time I was so terrified that I couldn't breath." I exhaled with a sob.
"You know that I have claustrophobia. I can't stay in the elevator for more than 5 minutes, that too in the darkness. I almost forgot I had a phone to flash light with because I was already struggling to breath. I couldn't breath Levi! I felt as if I was being immersed in water and oxygen was being squeezed out of my lungs."
"I tried to shout before I was almost passing out. Then I fell to my knees. It was like I was having a panic attack and then I found something lying beside me. An object. And you will he shocked to know what it was-" I paused for a moment thinking about that incident again.
"It was an inhaler. The only reason I'm surviving today is because of that inhaler. I would have passed out and no one had known. After some time the elevator started working again when I took the inhaler. The next day when I talked to the security of our apartment building about it, they said something unusual was found in their system by someone's mistake probably. It never happened before. And the inhaler- it was as if someone wants me to suffer the pain of death, feel the last stage before death and then grant me my life back. It's like killing me but not really killing me."
"Leera it can be that someone's inhaler fell there by mistake." I sadonically laugh. "You want to hear what's more shocking? That inhaler wasn't someone else's. It was mine. And I have no fucking clue how did it get there in the first place when I rarely carry an inhaler outside. It was in my bedside drawer Levi, it was really there."
"Why didn't you tell me all these before? Are you fucking stupid?" He becomes vexed now. "Do you know how much of a scary thing it is? You're being stalked since two months and you're saying this now? What if something happened to you?"
"Levi, that's not the only incident that happened there are many more- Many small and big terrifying incidents, all of them were peculiar and I'm still facing them, I'm still going through them Levi. And today- I was in a whole new city, away from home while I was sleeping in the bus. Do you think it's a normal thing for me? For anyone? When I woke up, there was not a single passenger in the bus and claimed they were out of duty. Then I took a cab, it also stopped in the midway for some internal mechanical problem."
"Leera, you lied to me? Why? You know me, how much I care for you!" He sounded disappointed and angry at the same time.
"I'm soo sorry Levi. I didn't mean to. I wanted to tell you but just couldn't. And I didn't want anyone to face any trouble because of me. I didn't tell anyone about anything. You are the first to know." He remained quiet as though he's mad at me.
"Levi- You know, the road before my apartment gets a bit remoted after the evening. Today, in my way back home 2 masked men started following me." New tears were forming in my eyes again.
"What!"
"And at a point they got me, harassed me and wanted to take me somewhere with them. Then someone killed them by shotting from a distant. Blood- Blood was pouring out their body through the bullet holes, like flow of water from a pipe. They were instantly dead."
"Are you fine, Leera? Did anything happen to you. And who killed them?" He spat all the questions at the same time.
"Physically I may be fine but mentally I'm not. I don't know who killed them. There was literally no one else but when they were about to faint me they were shot dead out of the blue. I have no fucking clue who killed them. That scene is still playing in my head. I can't handle these things anymore. I'm afraid." I mutter, tearing up again.
"Why would these happen to you? You're right all of these can't be coincidence. Do you think there is somebody in particular behind these? Do you suspect anyone?"
I inhale deeply as new set of fear engulfs me thinking about him, "Levi, D-Do you think he is back?"
"Who are you referring by he?" He asks, confused.
My heart clenches tight before the words come out of my mouth, "AZEZAL PAVANO".
____________________________________________
Soo,, finally the male lead is here!
Thoughts on this chapter? What do you think will happen next!? :)
Next chapter will be a male lead pov! Excited? :D
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