Dedicated to Zahra :)
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I prayed it would be Emma at the door.
Maybe with Jake.
Mad at me.
But I wasn't ready for what came into view for sure!
Three burly men rushed inside the room holding guns, pointing right at us.
All the breath got knocked out of me registering the ruthless looks on their faces.
King pushed me behind him making the one in front hold the gun higher,"Don't move!" He shouted.
"Wh-whats happening?" I hiccuped at king's back, trying to process the situation.
He didn't answer.
The temperature of the room dropped prominently to negative degrees and I felt shiver run down my spine.
"Let's go," the man in front said, gesturing his revolver towards the door," and remember," he fixed his gaze on me but then let it rest on king who didn't flinch," one sly move and you're dead three seconds before you even realize it!"
Go where?
"Move!"
I flinched at the man's loud voice and clutched King's sleeve tighter than I thought my finger had strength for.
I felt king envelop his hand on me and unclasped my fingers from his shirt.
My heart sank.
Lowering both of our hands, he left mine and took a step ahead looking at the man in front, " Look I know who's behind all this stupor. But we don't have to drag the girl in this," he threw me a look over his shoulder before resting it on the man again,"I'll go."
The man tsked and passed a meaningful look over his buddies,"I don't think so, pretty boy." He grinned the darkest grin I've ever seen and his belly danced at the little impact of it.
"Pretty boy, my ass!" King let out a growl and rushed forward but the man pointed his gun right at king's heart once again.
" Na'ah!" He shook his index finger of the free hand left and right indicating a wrong move.
"Just because Jay wants both of you alive doesn't mean I'll risk a chance of my men getting deshaped." He threatened with now what seemed like a dead look conveying the words right from his heart.
I gripped his arm once again shaking my head at him when he registered my movement.
I didn't want him to get shot.
Not when he was the only person who could help me get out of this situation.
The next moment the man in black came forward with gun raised in one hand, eyes suspiciously set on king and blindfolded me hurriedly. My hands were collected behind my back and I expected some kind of rope or clutches but then something sharp hit me at my temple as if the ceiling fell down on the side of my head with all of its weight and I felt my head getting lighter than feather.
My body rocked back and forth and muffled voices got registered inside my head but I couldn't make out what was being said and soon darkness consumed me in its vicious laps.
~~~
"Argh!" I clutched my head with both hands and tried to get up before thumping right back down on concrete floor.
"Oomph!" I breathed out in pain grinding my teeth at the impact.
"Easy!" Came familiar voice from somewhere near.
I opened my eyes- well tried to- but they felt glued shut at the spot.
I rubbed both eyelids harshly, not caring about losing my eyesight at the moment as long as I could open my eyes and get rid of this blindness.
What the heck?
Rusty silver colored wall stood too close to belong to spacious room and I ran my eyes around to find myself cooped up in a small cubical room -if you could call it a room in the first place.
Concrete floor was dirt filled as if someone skipped cleaning here more often than not.
I shifted my upper body up, resting my weight on my elbow to have a better look.
My head kept dangling back and my neck was too stiff to support my rock like heavy head.
Someone groaned.
I turned my head sideways and shrieked jumping back when I found king slumped down beside me, his back resting against the wall. His legs sprawled ahead and his head locked inside the clutches.
A small window over his head sent weak sun rays of probably early morning or evening time, over his unruly bangs that successfully created a shadow over the wall ahead looking like demons claws standing at odd angles.
He tried to dodge a stubborn fly from sitting on the gash of his bruised cheek and metal clanked loudly in this cubical of a room.
He hissed in pain quickly seizing his movements and eyed the red Marks that peeked from under the metal clutches.
Fly once again buzzed over the tip of his nose.
"Piss off!" He snapped at it, jerking his head but not using his hands this time.
He looked at me and found me observing him closely, "would you at least help me get rid of this lil monster?" He asked through knitted eyebrows, irritated out of his wits.
Guess Mister evil could be bothered by a mare cat.
But this room is too dark and ancient almost haunted looking.
All of this is because of him!
Who were those men?
What do they want?
My breathing started getting heavier and I slipped my hand under the hem of scarf and gripped the neck of my shirt, loosening it to get some air.
It was too claustrophobic here.
Too closed up.
"At least your hands aren't tied." King went on still in his own world, unaware of what was going on in my head.
I looked at him and looked at the fly that was now buzzing over his forehead. I smacked at his forehead so hard that fly swept away from the way but his forehead took all the impact.
"Ow!" He growled sending me a death glare.
"Getting smacked is not what I asked for!"
"Well do you blame me? All of this is happening because of you! You are responsible for all this. Where are we anyway?" A damn of emotions opened up at the opportunity making him go silent.
"If it weren't for you! I would be waking up in my bed today!" Wetness filled my eyes as it stayed locked on his now red tinted forehead, " especially today when-" my words muffled up at the twist of my tongue when I wished it to stop right there.
"When?" He repeated with eyes trained on me.
"Nothing." I shook my head and started fidgeting my fingers.
I just missed my mama right now.
I wanted to curl up in her lap and forget about the world.
After coming here, I realized how it's like without mother's shadow overhead.
"Hey!" He whispered consoling me as he placed a hand over my knee getting my attention back at him, "what is it?"
I barely shook my head and and lowered it, stealing my eyes from him.
He squeezed my knee and I took a huge sigh, "come on. Spit it out already!" He urged me.
"It-" I choked out, and gulped my rising bile down and sniffed, blinking to clear some of my vision, "it's my birthday."
"Today?" He breathed out in surprise.
I nodded looking at him to see if he really cared the way his voice showed.
The look at his face wrapped its webs around my vision leaving only his face in view. His open gashes weirdly left him looking vulnerable.
"You must be missing your family, don't you?" His voice oddly soft and lowered as if both of us knew each other for ages intimately.
"My mama. She always showers me with gifts." I smiled at the memory of her knowing smile when I would wake up and wait for her entire day until she would finally wish me birthday and gift me late in the evening just to bug me a little.
He inhaled deeply and looked down at his locked wrists. I followed his gaze not knowing where else to look at and what else to think.
He zigzagged his hands and the rubbing movement left him hissing in pain. Maybe he was trying to open them up.
Doesn't he see that they are locked and too hard to break open.
His one hand slipped over the other and his fingers spread forward to wrap around a- band in black- that his wrist supported. I hadn't realized that being there up until now.
It was a leather band with straps at the bottom to tighten them up. He stretched one of the string and it came loosening up relieving his wrist of its cradle.
His fingers pushed the band over his hand and out holding it in between the tips.
I looked down at it when he raised it towards me, ending up with his both hands in front of me due to being tied down.
I looked up to find him still looking down at the band, "Here," he pushed it in curled up palm with a smile so transparent that I looked purely genuine and flawless," your birthday gift. Don't want you to get unspoiled." He half chuckled half murmured in the end and I couldn't help but grasp the band rubbing my thumb over its surface that was intact to his wrist sometime ago.
Without another thought, I loosened the strings more and rolled the band over my hand and tightened it around my own wrist.
Looking at it gave me mixed feelings.
Feelings of gratitude on my birthday.
Feelings of getting claimed by his bearing.
But I let it all be decided for later.
Right now, I wanted for feel the bliss even if it was for a fleeting moment.
And the moment was over before I could blink.
The knob of the door twisted and the door of this cubicle of a room was kicked open in an instant!
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