A few minutes ago, Leafy had woken up.
In the last few days she had grown to hate opening her eyes because when she did, she was reminded that she was tied up in a damp warehouse with no idea of where she was.
She saw a rat run across the floor, it stopped around half way and looked at her, it's small nose and beady eyes glistening in the cold air.
"Hey," she murmured.
In response, the rat ran away.
She sighed deeply as she gazed up at the ceiling, her head grey and fuzzy as it usually was lately due to lack of food or proper rest .
There were no thoughts, she simply looked around her with dull eyes and a headache.
She was glad Grove couldn't see her right now, she was a wreck and she probably would have scared him.
Grove...
The thought of his little grin and fluffy hair brought a weak smile to her face as she remembered how sweet his laughter was and how warm he felt when he was all snuggled up with his teddies.
What would happen to Grove if something happened to her here?
She had never actually given it serious thought and there were no official guardians for him to go to.
Yes, Firey was his father but not legally, there were no documents showing proof Grove was his kid.
Maybe he'd go to Pin and Coiny since they often took care of him anyway.
She couldn't stand the idea that she wouldn't get to see him grow up and that thought alone made her all the more determined to get out of this hell hole.
Was Firey going to come looking for her? Or was that just completely impossible?
How would he even know where she was?
Her mind had been doing this the whole time she had been here, constantly switching between determination to escape or just giving up entirely.
She let her muscles relax as she slid against the pipe slightly, her head aching from all of the stress.
She wondered if anyone had noticed she was gone, if anyone had started to search.
Was there even a chance anyone would find her ?
She just wanted to get out of here, to hold Grove in her arms again and just forget everything that had happened lately.
She wanted to go back to her usual routine without any worry or uncertainty, she wanted her life back.
And yet, despite everything, she still wanted Firey.
She wanted him to hold her close and kiss all the fear and pain away, she wanted him to tell her he wasn't going to leave again, that he would stay with her for good.
She wanted to hear him say he loved her, she wanted him to wrap her up in his jacket like he used to do when they first started dating.
But more than anything, she wanted to hear Grove call him "Papa", she wanted to see the way his face would light up at hearing that for the first time, she wanted them to be a real family.
She sure was greedy, wasn't she?
To want so much and not expect to have to give something in return.
Was this her price?
Or was this her punishment for her selfishness and greed?
Maybe, if she was good, she would get out of here and have what she wanted.
After coming so close to having the family she had yearned for and having it all taken away, she couldn't just stop trying, not now.
Unfortunately, her resolve faded away once again and she hung her head in shame.
Maybe in some sick way, she deserved this.
...
Some time later, Nickel walked in looking as tired as ever, with another sandwich and some water.
She wolfed down the sandwich as if it were the most perfect thing she had ever eaten and the water was straight from a source in the Alps.
"Thank you," she mumbled, still with food in her mouth.
"Don't mention it," Nickel sighed.
Nickel noted that Leafy's eyes were dull, very different from the fear or anticipation that he had seen when he first saw her.
She was smiling at him but there was just something off about it, it didn't feel real.
He knew what was happening, she was on the verge of giving up, on the verge of letting Two get the better of her, on the verge of letting Two win.
He simply couldn't let that happen, not to her.
Grabbing her by the shoulders, he pulled her closer so she could hear what he said.
"Listen to me, you can't stop fighting, you need to keep going, you can't let that bastard have the satisfaction of seeing you yield, stay in the game,don't become a pawn to them,"
Leafy blinked a few times in confusion and Nickel let out a heavy sigh.
"I know you have a kid, keep going for their sake," he said as he let go.
Without a word,Leafy watched him leave but she felt the tightness in her chest had lessened slightly.
And she had finally made her choice.
...
Once again, Leafy was taken from her thoughts when the door opened, she had hoped it was Nickel but life had other plans.
Two walked, still smiling and still smug as they approached her.
"Ah, this brings back memories," they sighed happily.
"You look just like your husband did when he was in this situation,"
Leafy glared furiously at the green eyed man, wishing she could somehow escape and rip his teeth out.
"The only difference is that he was in much more pain," they laughed mockingly. "Oh, and there was much more blood,"
"His blood,"
She began to tremble as she bared her teeth and lashed out like a wild animal.
She hated the idea that this disgusting man had hurt Firey, that this freak had dared to lay a finger on the man she loved.
"Oh, you're just like him, he was a fighter too, you're absolutely perfect for each other," they chuckled.
"However, he cried a lot more, embarrassing really," Two sniffed.
Firey had ...cried?
By now, Leafy had recoiled, no longer thrashing about, she stared up at the monster in front of her.
She was livid.
"I must say you're much more pleasant than he was, I definitely prefer you," they smiled.
Two reached a hand out to move some hair out of Leafy's eyes .
Quicker than Two could react, she moved her head and bit down sharply on their hand, earning a yell from Two.
Making the most of her situation, she bucked her legs and kicked their stomach, Leafy released her teeth from his hand as Two stumbled backwards in pain.
After a moment of hissing and cursing, Two looked at Leafy with a glare and a smile, looking completely insane.
"I take it back, you're exactly the same you bitch,"
They coughed a few times before straightening themself up and walking over to Leafy again.
Leafy gave them a challenging look as they continued to smile.
She had expected a hit, a slap or something very direct and painful.
What she hadn't expected was to feel his hands wrap around her throat, immediately applying pressure .
The air felt like it was trapped in her lungs as she felt her face heat up and a stabbing pain thumped in her neck.
She felt the pressure building in her head and as the pain increased she felt her vision narrow and grow blurry.
She let out shakey attempts at breathing as strangled sounds came from her blocked throat.
Her eyes watered as she looked to her assailant pleadingly, desperately trying to claw their hands off her neck.
She was going to lose consciousness and Two kept glaring.
Everything was growing dim and seemed almost far away, her hands were slowing and losing their strength as she weakly held Two's wrists in a last ditch effort.
However, to her relief, they let go, placing their hands behind their back as they stood in front of her.
Her vision became focused much sooner than she had anticipated, she stared at Two in shock as she panted heavily.
It was at that moment, she realized she was playing a dangerous game.
And she also happened to notice the gun holster hidden under Two's jacket.
How stupid was she?
"Now that wasn't pleasant for either of us, was it?" Two said simply.
Leafy gave no reply, still trying to catch her breath.
"I am a professional at my job Leafy, every action should be perfectly thought through on your part,"
She was terrified, even if she wanted to she had no idea what to say.
Two was right, she needed to get careful.
As the pair glowered one another, they were brought to alert when they heard an engine roar followed by the loud screech of car tires.
"Looks like we have guests," Two grinned.
Leafy's eyes shone with a faint glimmer of hope as she listened out carefully.
Two had locked the main entrance so whoever was trying to get in had to attempt to break it down.
Two maintained their composed smile as their gaze was fixated on the door, Leafy's eyebrows were furrowed together as she prayed it was who she hoped for.
For a moment, the thumping stopped and Leafy jumped in fright as she heard a gun be fired.
The sound of impact was dull and metallic, presumably the person was trying to shoot the doors hinges.
There was silence for a moment until a yell was heard and a loud thud followed by a bang erupted through the building as the door came off it's hinges and fell to the floor.
As the dust cleared, Leafy could finally see who was coming to save her.
But she would know that frustrated yell anywhere.
...
Standing in the doorway, looking like hell personified...
Was none other than Firey Brennt.
With his gun aimed at Two and an enraged look in his eyes, he was ready to kill.
"We have you surrounded, surrender yourself , it's over," Firey demanded.
"And get the fuck away from my goddamn wife,"
==============================
Words turned into blood, and the blood keeps on pouring,
From every pour I wipe it up, cause this just could be the moment
Now someone gotta die and now my only opponent
'Cause I won't watch my baby cry,
So I keep on just going.
Am I a man or a beast,
Hope you enjoyed that chapter.
XOXO
LeafCake