“I love you, Victoria.”
I swallowed my sob as my eyes began to water. “I love you, Ian—.”
“And time’s up!” Philip cried out and snatched the phone away from me.
“No, no! I wasn’t done yet!” I wailed. Philip just laughed his amused laugh and placed the phone inside his pocket.
“Was your conversation with your boyfriend nice?” Philip asked me casually, as if we were just discussing the weather.
“Shut up! You fucking shut up!” I screamed. “What have I done to you? I have done nothing!”
“I know. But your boyfriend did,” he replied, shrugging.
“It wasn’t his fault that Patricia chose him! It wasn’t his fault his family is perfect! It was nobody’s fault!”
“I have to blame somebody!” Philip said coldly. “And that somebody that I chose is Ian. You can’t do anything about it, Victoria.”
“Ian’s going to save me,” I said confidently. “He will.”
“You better stay quiet. You don’t want me to hit you.”
I raised an eyebrow. He would hit a girl? Seriously? “I’d like to see you try.”
His eyes flashed to me angrily. “You don’t want me to do it, I promise you.”
“Oh? Afraid that—.”
But I never finished my sentence, since Philip’s fist went straight to my face, knocking me out.
I groaned as my eyes opened. My entire face ached and I can’t move my body. Am I paralyzed? Surely Philip’s punch didn’t really paralyzed me, did it? But as I opened my eyes wider, I realized that I wasn’t paralyzed.
I was tied up.
“Shit,” I swore.
I was lying on a bed in a vacant room that I don’t know. Both of my hands were tied up to the headboard of the bed, just above my head. My legs were also tied to the bed and were apart from each other. A tight rope was tied on my waist, practically gluing me to the bed.
The door slowly opened and my eyes snapped to it. In came Philip, carrying a container of kerosene and some box of matches. My jaw dropped. No—he wouldn’t.
“Ah, awake, my dear?” Philip said conversationally as he put down the box of matches and started opening the container of the kerosene.
I stared at him. “Obviously. I never thought you would hit a girl.”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I killed a girl. Hitting a girl seems so little.”
“You killed a—Oh yeah. Patricia.”
Philip nodded. “Very good. You still remember.”
“What are you doing?” I asked as he tilted the container of the kerosene upside-down and was pouring the contents on the bed and to me.
He smirked. “Well, isn’t it obvious, love? I’m going to kill you.”
“By burning me?” I asked nonchalantly, trying very hard not to stare at the box of matches that was lying on the table just beside the bed.
“Yep.”
I swallowed very hard as I closed my eyes. They said when you’re about to die, the events in your life crosses your mind. I guess they’re right.
My fourth birthday. Mom wasn’t home because she was working. Aunt Johanna was baking my cake and was singing the Happy Birthday tune. Vince was in the living room, sulking. And I was on my parent’s bedroom, staring at the wedding picture of my parents. Well, staring at my dad. The person that I wouldn’t see ever again. I was too little to understand that he’s already dead. But Vince had told me that I wouldn’t see him ever again.
First year of high school. I was pretty nervous. Even though Miranda and Suzanne were on my side, I just can’t dismiss the feeling of nervousness. My first period was Algebra and Miranda has History while Suzanne has Phys Ed. On my way to Algebra, a blonde with blue eyes bumped into me, making my books fall from my arms. I had groaned and bent to pick it up but the guy did it for me. As he handed me the last of my book, he had smiled at me in a charming way. And I know from that day on, I had fallen in love.
My seventeenth birthday. Lance didn’t remember my birthday. Suzanne and Miranda were trying to cheer me up but it was no use. We were about to go to Marty’s Grill when I saw Lance’s cherry red truck in the driveway of Hazelle Weston and that’s when I learned he was cheating on me. Worst birthday ever.
The day when I attended the football practice for the first time. I met a handsome dark-haired guy with grey-smoky eyes. And that guy had changed my whole world.
Tears started forming in my eyes but I tried very hard not to spill them. The last thing I want to do is to look weak in front of Philip—which I don’t intend to do.
I opened my eyes again and saw Philip empty the container of the kerosene. When he was done pouring it all over me and the bed, he took a deep breath and reached for the box of matches.
“Do it now, you monster,” I spat at him. “You’re nothing but a monster.”
“I might am. But I am doing this because—.”
But he didn’t finish his sentence. A sound of a closing door was heard from the driveway of the old factory. My eyes widened.
Oh please no.
Ian.
Coming for me.
Philip smiled brightly… and evilly. “Perfect. Ian and you shall both perish in this fire.”
“No, no! Don’t hurt Ian,” I begged him. “Please… You want to kill me, right? Don’t hurt Ian, Philip. I am begging you!”
“He’s my mortal enemy,” Philip snapped. “And you are not the boss of me. I am going to kill whoever I want to kill.”
Philip opened the box of matches and lighted one. He smiled at me sadly as he lowered the match on the part of the bed sheet were my feet were lying. “I’m sorry you have to die, Victoria. You don’t have to die, you know. But I have no choice. I don’t want my enemy to be happy. I want him to rot in a hole and die. I want him to be depressed. I want him to be just like me. But no. He got to be happy—even though I killed his source of happiness—his parents and his girlfriend. There’s no way he’s going to be happy now, Victoria. No way.”
And with that, I closed my eyes, preparing myself to die.
“Goodbye, Victoria Strauss. May you rest in peace…” he drawled. “Any last words?”
“I’ll make sure you’re going to go to hell. I’ll make sure you’re going to suffer, Philip Kavanagh.”
“How nice,” he sneered and then dropped the match.
Flames started to spread rapidly.
Suddenly, the door opened, making Philip jump. Ian stepped in with Evan, behind him. He was glaring at Philip with his all might. “Stay away from her, Kavanagh.”
Philip grinned boyishly. “Yeah, I will.”
Evan’s eyes widened. “Ian! Victoria’s on fire!”
“What?!”
I smiled at them—or tried to. “Hey guys.”
“Victoria!” Ian called and ran to me, looking frantically for some water. Philip, meanwhile, slipped out of the room but Evan was after him.
The fire was still spreading to the bed sheets but it almost reached my feet. I was sweating and breathing heavily. I tried to calm myself but really, what could you do if you’re almost burning?
“I need some water,” Ian muttered.
“There’s no water!” I cried. “Philip made sure that this place has no water! It’s an old factory, Ian. No one use—.”
“Then I shall have to cut the ropes.”
“Where will you get the scissors?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll figure out something, Victoria.” Then he leaned down and kissed my lips. “I love you.”
“Oh I love you, too. But I would love you more if you could get me out of this damned bed!”
He smiled slightly and then left the room to look for something.
I closed my eyes and counted my breaths, calming myself. Our situation is just like in the Titanic. When the ship was about to sink and Jack was tied on a rope and Rose was looking for something to cut off the rope. The water was pouring rapidly and Jack was about to drown…
This situation is just like them. I’m Jack, tied up and Ian’s Rose, looking for something to cut off the rope. And instead of water that will drown them, our situation has fire that will burn us.
“No, Victoria, think positive,” I said, closing my eyes tightly.
I don’t want to look down and watch the fire.
And then I felt it.
A small tingling on my right foot. And that small tingling turned into a sharp pain. And that sharp pain turned into unbearable heat and pain.
The pain traveled up to my legs and not a minute after, the same pain met my left foot and traveled up to my legs.
“No… No…” I muttered, shaking my head. I’m not burning. Of course not. Why would I burn?
Oh, no reason. You’re not drenched with kerosene after all, my brain retorted.
Fuck you. You’re not helping, I replied.
The door opened with a bang and at the same time, my eyes fluttered open. Ian stepped in the room, carrying a very big scissor that you use for gardening. He gasped as he saw me. “Victoria! You’re burning!”
“CUT THE FREAKING ROPES!” I screamed.
He ran to me and took off the sweater he was wearing. He placed it on my foot and tapped it a lot of times. The fire slowly decreased but it wasn’t enough for it to disappear. Ian left his sweater on my feet and went to my hands to cut off the rope. When he was done, he cut off the rope on my waist.
“Be still,” he commanded. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I trust you,” I replied. “And sorry for screaming at you. I was panicking.”
He just nodded and proceeded with his work. When he was done with the rope on my waist, he went to my foot and started cutting off the rope on my feet. When he did, he quickly scooped me into his arms and dropped me to the floor with a grunt.
Still breathing heavily, I lied on the floor. The fire was still burning on the bed but at least I wasn’t lying on it. My heart was still racing but it slowly slowed down. A small smile appeared on my lips, as I thought on my near-death experience.
“Are you okay?” Ian asked, kneeling beside me. He was sweating and breathing heavily, too. He looks very panicky but he quickly relaxed when I nodded. “I’m sorry if I dropped you hard. I… I wasn’t thinking straight. I just wanted you off to the bed.”
“It’s okay,” I replied and sat up to face him.
“Victoria,” he began. But he quickly dropped whatever he was going to say and crushed me with a hug. Then he kissed my lips roughly, hungrily. “I can’t believe I almost lost you.”
“You’re never going to lose me,” I whispered, cupping his face with both of my hands. “Even I’m going to die; you’re not getting rid of me. I’m going to haunt you.”
He smiled and nodded. “That’s good.”
“Where’s Evan? Vince and the others?” I asked.
Ian stood up and helped me to do so, since my feet was still aching. “You need to go to the hospital,” he commented, watching my feet.
“I think so.” I took a step by myself and immediately winced as pain shot through my body.
“You know so,” Ian corrected me. “Anyway, I think Evan caught Philip now. Vince, Suzanne and Miranda are inside the car with the police.”
My eyes widened. “You brought polices?”
He nodded. “Of course. We’re not that stupid to march in war without some protection.”
Ian eventually scooped me into his arms and carried me outside the old factory. My eyes slowly drooped and before I knew it, I was asleep.
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Yeah, say it! :))) I suck at writing action stories, ugh. I'm not really happy with this chapter. :| Oh well.
Anyways, this chapter's song is Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. :) This song is really old, lol. I think the first time I've heard this was when I was like five or six. xD Hahahaha. The song's awesome and it kinda describe the situation of Victoria and Ian (listen to the chorus, very catchy.)