Hazel's POV
I forced myself to get up, no matter how much my muscles strained under me as I did such. I knew that if I stayed here, I may not survive the night in this dark, dangerous place.
I brushed my hand across the wall, uncaring that it was now tainted red. Rivulets of blood trickled down, almost as if the wall was crying teardrops or blood.
My back protested with the movement, my legs threatening to crumble down beneath me but I forced myself to take a step and then another, the prospect of safety a minute away the only thing pushing me.
I rapt my knuckles against the door softly, the strength wearing out within me like a drain as I prayed someone would hear me. My wishes were granted as a pair of striking blue eyes greeted me only after a moment of anticipation and I let out a loose sigh of relief.
I was safe, finally safe.
With that final thought, I collapsed forward, the last thing I remember was a pair of strong arms gripping me tightly as everything went blank once again.
When I woke to, I was surprised to find myself surrounded by three peering eyes. Blake, Noah and Izzy were sitting in chairs around my bed, concerned expressions on their faces as they stared down at my probably extremely pale figure.
My eyes flickered from the harsh intense light blaring down upon me and it took me a minute to get used to the sudden change before I coughed, trying to clear my parched throat.
"Here," Noah told me as he passed me a glass of water, which I accepted gratefully as I swallowed gulps of water greedily.
I placed the glass back on the bedside table before they started their curious questions that I dreaded answering. Telling the truth would only put them in a lot of worry that I didn't want to do. The only person who wouldn't pester over me like a mother hen once he knew the truth would be chris because neither was he my friend and nor did he like me one bit, I could just tell.
I knew I had to tell chris the truth since he was my leader and he deserved it after finding me half-dead only to have to carry me to the infirmary. But I could just tell my friends the vague details because I didn't need them to worry about me like I knew they would.
Also, the more they knew the more danger I would put them in. Chris was the only exception I was willing to make because I knew I didn't have a choice ever since I signed the contract legally placing me under his rule.
"How are you feeling?" Blake asked and I glanced slightly at Izzy who was staring at me with sharp eyes though she hadn't yet opened her mouth. I sort of missed her full of-life attitude at this moment.
"I'm fine, just a few days and I'll be back to fighting again," I responded truthfully and slightly sarcastically only to realise that was the wrong thing to say when Izzy let out a frustrated exhale.
"So, that's it?! You'll just return to fighting and not caring about your life again and suddenly we will find you back on the hospital bed. YOU NEARLY DIED HAZEL, does that not mean anything to you?"
"And what about the rest of us, don't you care about us? We all were worried about you, you were out for fucking eight hours. Even chris was at edge!" She yelled and I glanced at sobbing slightly as I opened my mouth but the words failed to come.
I couldn't stop fighting, I just couldn't. They may not understand but I needed to be able to fight in order to feel better about myself.
I knew I couldn't defend myself and I knew I would never be able to defend myself against him but at least I could at least mostly everybody else. Something about him just made everything about me go weak and made me into a helpless rag doll that was just inviting him to throw me around.
"Izzy, I can't stop, I just can't. You fight too, so does your brother and our two best friends. I can't expect anyone to quit just because of one injury. You wouldn't either and you know its unfair to ask me to do the same," I tried to explain as gently as I could but it seemed to strike a nerve within her for she looked at me with flames in her eyes.
"You're just so selfish, do you not care how worried you made all of us? Huh? Do you not care how many people you affected by getting hurt, it's not just you anymore. We're like your family now and if you die or get badly injured, we all suffer with you. You're not alone anymore," She forced out and although it made my insides flutter knowing that people actually cared about me now, I shook my head slowly.
Asking me to stop fighting was like ripping my arms away from me, I just needed it as much as I needed any part of my body. It was a part of me, something that helped me through tough times when nothing much could and I couldn't let it go now.
"Izzy come with me," Noah told her and he lifted her up, taking her outside where she would hopefully calm herself down. Blake stayed in with me and it was surprising how quiet he remained. What was it with everyone giving me the silent treatment nowadays?
"Just, be more careful next time okay? I'm not going to ask you who they were or why they did this because I know they shook you up badly and I don't want to force you to relive those moments because you're going to have to when chris comes. So just get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow," He said and leant over to ruffle my hair.
I shook my head in an attempt of throwing his hand off but my eyes caught someone standing outside the window stoically with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were cold and emotionless as they bore into mine and I sucked in a breathe, my smile slipping off my face and my head ceasing to move.
Why hadn't he come in? I knew he wanted answers but my gut told me that he was waiting for a while before getting them and for that I was grateful. I would lose control of my emotions if I had to tell him now...
He nodded, almost as if reassuring himself of something before turning and leaving. It stung slightly that he hadn't come in but I knew it was better that way. With that, I bade Blake goodbye and went to sleep, my body still very tired somehow.
When I woke up again, sunlight was streaming in through the windows, the curtains drawn back. I turned my head to the side to see chris sitting on the chair next to me, staring at me silently.
"Thank you, for bringing me here ," I greeted as I turned my body so I could face him more comfortably. My back still throbbed painfully but the painkillers I had taken helped me greatly.
"I wasn't going to let you drip blood all over my carpet," He said harshly and a small frown tugged down the corner of my lips at his response. I was just trying to be polite, not wanting any anger or negative feelings towards each other for what was to come.
I tried sitting up but my back was sending sharp pains through my body and my arm lacked the energy to carry out the exerting task. Suddenly I felt familiar arms wrap around my shoulder and I let him help put me in a sitting position, which honestly was so much better.
I was tired of lying down and being so confined. This was still slightly better but I knew he wouldn't let me out of the bed. I guess you take what you can get...
He dragged his chair closer to the edge of the bed and waited a moment before asking, "How are you feeling?" It felt like we were starting over our conversation, this time without attacking one another, and I appreciated his effort to do so.
"Good, Hopefully, I'll be out of here by later today," I replied, angling my head so I could face him better. But I refused to make contact with his eyes, those irises that annoyingly pulled me in like it was a magnet and I couldn't help but be attracted.
"You know why I'm here right?" He asked cautiously and my heart sank slightly though I nodded my head. He didn't have time to just come here and check up on me because chris always had a purpose. He was materialistic like that.
I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my palpitating heart as memories slammed back in me like waves. "Ask away," I gritted through my teeth, trying not to fall prey to the fear that made my heart race.
"Do you know the name of the man?" He asked, starting off with the basics but I shook my head. Telling his name was going to be of no help because I wasn't aware of it either, he always wore a mask but those vibrant, snake-like eyes, eyes like no others I've seen before made me aware that is was him.
I knew chris knew him, or at least of him because like us, this person was a street fighter. There was only one underground fighting club and everyone went by 'fighting names'.
"Falcon, he's an underground fighter," I admitted and watched as chris's eyes widened slightly with recognition but then filled with fury and rage, such rage that it shocked me. How could someone have so much anger?
"Why the hell would you have anything to do with underground fighters?" He spat, only looking for the confirmation we both knew was true. I looked away, refusing to meet his intense gaze and held my silence. Why was it that out of all I said, he had to question me on that?
I AM an underground fighter and now that he knew, I was afraid he would find out exactly what my fighting name was. If he did, I may not ever be able to return to fight ever again.
He let out a groan and shook his head, his eyes returning to the emotionless slate that I have come to hate. It pained me slightly to watch his walls build back up, snapping me out of his true emotions though the reason stayed unknown to me.
Why was I feeling this way about someone who despised me?
"Why is he after you, of all reasons?" Chris proceeded to question, his voice concealing all his true feelings and I knew this was where things may turn well, not so pretty. It wasn't a bad thing for why he was obsessed with me but in all honesty, it was a major mistake on my part.
"I had taken part in the last year's annual boxing competitions and it was going well until I fought with him, Falcon I mean. I defeated him but yet he had this charm to him that drew me in I guess, the way he apologised for injuring me and treated the wound he gave me. I was going through a rough time with my parents um and I jumped at the first chance I had at someone caring for me."
"So when he invited me for a masquerade ball, I accepted without any suspicions and the night went really well until he decided to show his true colours. As he was dropping me home, he drove the car to an unknown area."
"I should have been suspicious when he avoided answering any personal details, even his name, and wore his mask all the time, even in the car. But I didn't and that was my greatest mistake," I paused, watching as chris clenched his jaw but remained silent, his head turned so he could avoid looking at me.
"He drove to this extremely scheduled area and I didn't realise some people were following us. He got out of the car and forced me out too and by then, it was too late to escape. I was surrounded with people, whips and rods in their hands."
"They hit me, badly and continuously. I didn't know how long it lasted but when they left, I was half dead lying on the floor. They thought I had died but I hadn't. They came back but I think he realised I'm just fucking weak. They won't leave me alone, they're only going to come back again... " I trailed off, hanging my head in shame.
I lied !
I couldn't believe I had been so weak to actually fall for his lies and promises. I couldn't believe I had been so naive. And look where that got me, back to where I was before.
He was still stronger than me and to him, I would be forever the prey...
Those scars, deep signs that would forever be etched into my back, would remind me of how tainted I was. How ugly I was without the smooth back that most girls had.
But most of all, how much of a weakling I was that I was defenceless just by a mere guy, his eyes making my knees buckle in fear and his voice sending a shiver down my spine.
A sob escaped me, tears pooling in my eyes. I had never let myself cry about that day, thinking that if I had let those rivulets spill from my eyes it would mean he had won, he may not have succeeded in killing me but he broke me.
But he HAD, he had found me and once again, he got his way without me doing anything. I hadn't fought back, I hadn't lifted a finger to fight him off, I hadn't even tried.
I knew I shouldn't cry but the tears refused to listen now, the bottled up emotions overfilling and spilling down my cheeks despite my unwanting. Sobs racked my body and I curled up, feeling extremely pathetic. I would never be strong enough...
TBC
This chapter was a bit intense but personally, I felt much more relieved when I read through it and pieced together the history behind hazel and the green-eyed monster (yes, that's a thing now)
Why is Izzy so agitated?
Should hazel have told chris the actual truth?
How do you feel after knowing a tiny portion of Hazel's past?
Do not forget to vote and comment ✨💝