"Nora!"
A distant, familiar voice was calling out to me. I turned and turned as I searched among the dark abyss for the source, but came up empty. It called out to me again in a panic-stricken tone, yelling from a distance so great I had to strain my ears and hold my breath to hear it clearly, calling out and begging me to declare my whereabouts. My heart ached and throbbed - I wanted him to find me, but every time I opened my mouth to respond I'd only let out a breath of cold air.
I felt a strong jerk pull me awake from my sleep, and my first thought was that it was freezing cold, wherever I was. And I knew so because my entire body was shivering uncontrollably, my teeth clattering as my jaw trembled. My neck had cramped up, and I let out a pained groan as I tried to move it from its dangled position. I forcefully craned my neck to glance at my surroundings, and for a few seconds my mind swirled with confusion. Either my eyes were still shut or I had gone blind, because the only thing that greeted me back was pure darkness that made it impossible to even identify the shapes of the objects in the room, had there been any.
I gulped nervously, fighting hard to maintain my composure. I could remember everything that went down all the way to the part where I was assaulted and lost consciousness, and I knew that the only way to make it out of here - wherever here was - alive was by staying composed and controlling my thoughts and emotions. Freaking out would take you nowhere, I reminded myself.
I inhaled deeply, feeling my body shake as the cold air traveled through my lungs. I focused my attention on the sense of touch. My hands were tied behind my back, I could feel the roughness of the tightened ropes around my wrist cutting into my skin. My ankles were free though, and my feet were flat against the ground. I must be seated on a metal chair, I thought to myself, as I moved my hands and felt the coldness of the metal on my skin. I forced my neck to the side, stretching my stiffened muscles, and I felt the soft texture of a cloth on my face. I was blindfolded, that's why I couldn't see anything.
Suddenly, the crunching of footsteps sounded from afar, but it was nearing my spot. I felt my heart begin to race and pound against my rib-cage, and I gulped the nerves away. I listened in carefully, not moving a single muscle in my body, and I was able to identify two different patterns of steps, meaning there were at least two people nearing me.
My fear fueled the adrenaline rush in my veins, and I found my fingers clawing at the rope around my wrists. I scratched at it, forced my wrists wide open, shifted my hands into different positions, and eventually caught the end of the rope. I began to untie myself, which seemed like an impossible task, and the thought of never getting out of wherever I was spread a deep sense of dread through my chest, and I felt it begin to constrict as my fear invaded my vision.
Breathe.
My fingers picked at the end of the rope, in the process it dug deeper into my wrist and I felt the ends penetrating my skin. I winced but continued ripping at it.
There came a sound of jingling of keys, and I held my breath as my movements came to a halt. Seconds later an obnoxious creak sounded as a door was moved.
Even though I was still blind to what was ahead of me, I could still sense the moment they stepped into the same room I was in. Their aura was there, invading my personal space and shoving a deep sense of terror into my chest. I felt my blood run cold as my fear took control, this time shutting my body down that I found no more courage to fight, but instead I sat completely still as I anticipated the next move.
I heard the footsteps near me, and I flinched visibly when a rough hand clasped the back of my head, and fingers undid my blindfold. It fell down onto my lap, and I blinked away the pain of being exposed to brightness after adjusting to the dark. I felt the cold air cool the part of my skin that was covered behind the cloth for so long.
A pair of long legs stood opposite me, spread open in a dominant stance. I moved my eyes over the figure until they reached a pair of eyes I never imagined staring into ever again.
My heart skipped a beat.
The loud gasp that escaped my lips startled the both of us, and I could see the recognition flash through his ice-cold blue eyes.
"Well, well..."
No. This is not happening. A voice screamed in my head. It can't be real. He can't be here.
"It's been a while, Nora."
I'm asleep, I'm asleep. I wanted to wake up.
"Aren't you glad to see me again? I heard you spent quite an effort looking for me after I left." I watched his lips curl into a patronizing smile.
My chest was on fire. I suddenly realized that I'd stopped breathing. I inhaled sharply, but I hated that it came out as a gasp.
He chuckled. "It's alright, baby. I'm back now." He mocked, and I felt my blood boil. This time with rage.
"Fuck you."
I saw the surprise flash behind his eyes; he clearly didn't expect me to be so blunt. There came an awkward cough from behind me, and we were suddenly reminded that we weren't alone in the room.
I watched as the surprise transformed into rage behind his ice-cold eyes, and his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. I hadn't had the chance to blink twice before the sound of a deep slap resonated in the cellar.
It took me a few seconds too long to finally process that I was on the receiving end. My cheek began to heat up instantly from the blow, and I clenched my jaw as the rage brewed in my veins.
"I thought you might've learned your lesson the last time you chose to disrespect me," he hissed furiously.
I bit my tongue to hold back from replying, knowing I had to play this smart. His eyes gazed into my own waiting for a reaction, and when he realized he won't be receiving none, he let out a dark chuckle and moved back a step.
His gaze moved to the man standing behind me. "We'll deal with her later. Let's go."
"Yes, sir."
Sir? I thought to myself, and I couldn't resist the urge to scoff - which didn't go unnoticed by the jerk in front of me. As soon as he began to turn around to leave, he stopped in his tracks. He faced me again and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Something you'd like to add?"
I bit my tongue, almost drawing blood, and continued to glare at him. When a few seconds passed and he didn't receive a response from me, he finally let out a deep chuckle.
"I'll see you again. Try not to miss me too much," he added a wink before turning to leave, the man who stood behind me following after him. They pulled closed the door behind them, not forgetting to lock it as well.
I took in a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Now that I knew what I was against, I had to fight smart in order to get out unharmed. Or rather, less harmed than in my current situation. I could still feel the heaviness of the bastard's palm throbbing against my cheek; I was sure it were to leave a mark.
Suddenly remembering where I'd last left off, I began to blindly search for the end of the rope wrapped around my wrist. It was looser than it was when I'd first woken up, and the thought gave me a sudden rush of hope that inspired me to keep up my work, as I continuously affirmed in my mind that I'm capable of helping myself out of this situation. I couldn't keep waiting and hoping for Xavier or his men to come find me. I was tired of waiting for others to rescue me.
My wrists felt like they were on fire, the roughness of the rope kept rubbing against my skin and setting it aflame. But I couldn't stop. I don't know when the men would be back, or what they even had in mind for me. I have to make sure I'd at least be able to protect myself if they decide to harm me.
I closed my eyes as I focused on the sole sense of touch, imagining where the end of the rope lay and how to twist it out and around the hold it had on me. After what felt like five-minutes of blindly playing around the rope, I could feel the grip on my wrists loosening significantly, until I was finally able to set myself free. I sighed in relief as I pulled my arms forward, cringing at the pain of my sore muscles, and rubbed at the redness around my wrists. They were bleeding in some areas as the result of the rope poking my skin, but it was nothing too significant.
I took the time to study my surrounding, turning in my chair to check what was behind me - as I was positioned in the middle of the small cellar - and I found there to be a single wooden table with nothing on top. My heart suddenly fell to my stomach as I spotted several dried maroon stains on the floor - undoubtedly blood.
Is here where they torture their victims? I couldn't help but think, and my stomach churned at the thought.
The rest of the room appeared to be empty, and so next I searched the corners of the ceiling, and to my relief found no cameras. If someone was watching me untie myself, things would've gotten a lot more complicated.
After what felt like nearly half an hour of sitting on the metal chair, I considered getting up to stretch my muscles a bit, but as soon as the thought appeared to me the sound of upcoming footsteps returned from behind the door. My head snapped to the rope lying on my lap, and I immediately grabbed it and wrapped it around one of my wrists tightly, then moved my arms behind my back where it looked like I still had my wrists tied.
The door was unlocked and this time, only one pair of legs stormed in before closing the door. I narrowed my eyes as I stared back into the eyes of the blue-eyed bastard.
He cracked a smirk as he took a couple of steps forward to near me. "I thought we could use some privacy. It's been a while."
I clenched my fists tightly, telling myself to buy a little more time.
"What are you doing here?" I seethed.
"I thought maybe we could catch up." He smirked at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Are you a part of this gang?" I felt a sudden rush of bravery as I asked the question, knowing no doubt it would get me in trouble. However, I was surprised to find his reaction to contradict my expectation. Instead of fuming up, he ended up laughing.
"Gang?" He shook his head in disbelief. "No, baby. This is no gang. This is family." He suddenly got serious at the mention of the word family. "A family, which your new boy toy felt he could so freely mess with."
I felt my eyebrows furrowing in confusion, before things slowly clicked in place. He must have meant Xavier.
"Though, I gotta admit," he smiled half-crookedly as his hands went into the pockets of his black jeans. "I was kinda surprised to find that this new lover of his turned out to be no other than you." He chuckled while shaking his head. "You just can't seem to keep yourself out of trouble, can you? Always going for the bad guys."
"Xavier isn't a bad guy." I mumbled, feeling the need to defend his name.
His face turned serious as he clenched his jaw tightly. "Don't be defending a man you know nothing about."
"I do know Xavier," I insisted.
I saw fire raging behind the cold-blue. "Your boy killed my cousin. And I can promise you, baby, that that kind of action does not go unpaid by my family." I could hear the threat laced behind his voice.
He took slow steps forward, his eyes never leaving mine, but his hands slowly coming out of his pockets. I had no doubt he meant that I would be the one to pay for Xavier's action. My fists clenched around the rope, bracing myself to attack at just the right moment.
His steps continued to come closer, and suddenly, he was standing a mere foot away from me. I held my breath as he leaned his upper body forward until his face were mere inches apart from mine.
"Shall we finish where we last left off?" He whispered.
And that did it. With newfound strength, my arms broke free from behind my back and I sent a strong punch to his nose, feeling the bone slam against my knuckles and the slight crack sounding in the silence of the room. I pushed my chair back, hearing it screech on the floor, and I jumped a good three feet back as I took a defending stance, my left leg in front of my right and my clenched fists up in the air. The blue-eyed bastard had a hand clutched to his nose as it ran crimson blood down his chin.
The scene on sight was one I was sure I'd etch to my brain for the rest of my life. What a sight to see.
I resisted the urge to smirk as his eyes flared and snapped to mine, the crazy taking over the wheel. I braced myself as he launched forward, his bloodied hands out to grab me but I duck and sent a left hook to his liver, and heard him let out a loud groan, stepping backward while clutching his side in pain.
Suddenly, he let out a scream that was sure to grab the attention of whoever else was in this household. My eyes widened, realizing I would have to run for it before more men come through the door. Because then, I would surely be dead.
Before I had a chance to react, the door was shoved open and the man from earlier stared between us with widened eyes. He stormed towards me but as I turned to slide away, a fist came slamming into my left cheekbone, and my vision blackened for a few seconds. Within my weakened state, rough arms grabbed a hold of my own and yanked them behind my back. I felt another blow come to my jaw, undoubtedly ripping open a cut on my bottom lip as I could taste the blood.
"Your face was always my favorite part." He seethed as he raised his fist for a third blow.
This time, I managed to duck, and due to our close proximity and his menaced state he managed to instead punch the man behind me. I heard a deep groan, and took the opportunity of his loosened grip on me to kick him in the legs then elbow him in the face, making him lose his balance and fall to the floor.
I looked at the man sprawled out on the floor, his hands covering his bloodied face as he continued to writhe in pain. He was in a black suit, and his suit jacket was sprawled open around his waist. My eyes fell on the shining object calling out to me from inside his jacket, and without another second to rethink my decision, I reached forward and yanked the handgun out of its holder.
I lifted the heavy object upwards, instantly pointing it at the blue-eyed bastard.
He flinched back, and froze as he stood on the other end of the pistol. I shut my brain down, refusing to listen to my thoughts that demanded I think this through properly before taking action. I was furious, my chest was heaving up and down and my face was aflame. The bruises and the cuts, the injuries I carried, they were all fueling my anger.
I pulled the slide on top of the handgun back.
"Nora." He spoke. I hated when he said my name. "Don't do this. Hold on, now..."
"You shouldn't have run, Darius."
His eyes widened, panic clearly swarming behind his gaze. "I had no other choice."
"No other choice?!" I boomed, my anger almost completely invading my vision. "You don't get to have a choice!"
"I made a mistake, Nora."
He took a step forward with his hands raised in the air, and I fixed the aim of the gun on him. "Stay there!" I warned.
"Please, baby." He spoke softly, and I felt a bile rising in my throat.
"Don't fucking call me that."
I saw the quick flicker of his eyes moving to the ground behind me, then instantly returning back to my face. Suddenly, I remembered that we weren't alone in the room. When I quickly glanced over my shoulder to the man who was lying on the ground, I found him in a crouching position as he prepared to get up, his eyes set on me.
A sudden wave of bravery washed over me, and I snapped my head forward. I stared into the cold-blue eyes, the ones I had once grown to love, and I decided that I don't want anyone to ever see the monster behind them.
And so, I pulled the trigger.