BOUND TO HIM BY FORCE

13. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

Darkness found us on the road, no one saying a thing, but I could see that Brute was in high spirits. He shook his head now and again, happy with himself and even smiling.

He even went to get take-out, a box of pizza with burgers. It was a good day for him and the worst for me.

In everything that had happened, I could take none back. I did not know what would happen, I did not know what was next for me and I was scared in a way.

The car eased into the driveway where it parked. Brute hopped out, no longer mourning his friends. To him he had done such a great job and had won the trust of his boss, sure more great things were coming his way. It just added to my sour mood as I opened my door and slipped out.

Brute took the food, humming a tune of his own. I thought he would burst into a song and it turn into a musical there and then. It just added to my irritation, walking away to the door where he came to unlock it. The lights were turned on, I walked straight to the bathroom and left my envelope on the kitchen counter. I closed the door behind me to lean on it. My eyes closed with everything just falling on me. My hand ran through my hair, gripping it and letting go. I was lost in a jungle I did not know.

My feet carried me to the shower, turning the hot water tap along with the cold and then adjusting until the water was just the right temperature.

My clothes were peeled from my body, stepping in to take the shower. I wished I could stay there forever, but I could not. The only thing I could do was wash away the hands that had been probing my body all day long, along with the dried tears and sweat. My body was dried, brushing my teeth. It had been a long day and I wished I had a room I could close myself in while burying myself in bed. But, I did not and I would be transported as if I was some cargo in just a few hours to whoever knows where.

The towel was wrapped and clenched to my chest along with the hospital dress. I opened the door, barely making any sounds with my feet patting the ground.

My hair dripped, having gotten wet while showering.

All that was ringing in my head was that name.

‘Azrail Duran’

“What should I tell her? I can’t tell her they are both dead.” The voice came with me hearing it but the words just bounced in my head. I walked on, stepping insight to look up at Brute who was on the phone. He immediately turned and walked off to the other end of the kitchen, his voice suddenly low.

I frowned, shook my head, and walked into the room. I closed the door behind me to pour some lotion on my skin and oil it. I smelled like Brute and I hated it, but I had bigger issues to deal with. He had been weird just a few minutes ago. The words he had spoken suddenly came back to my head and it all clicked.

I thought I would have a heart attack, my hand on my chest with my eyes wide. I shifted where I was, shaking my head, not wanting to believe them. But lord, he had to be talking about my parents. Who else? They were dead and they wanted to keep it away from me.

The room span and shook, standing up only to crunch back down, my face on the bed where I wanted to scream so badly. I wanted to scream and destroy the whole world with the hot burning tears streaming down my eyes.

I knew it, I had accepted it, but then hope was planted in me. It seemed my heart was breaking all over again. Losing them all over again and this time it just had everything worse. I had done something unspeakable already. It was too late for me at that point. I was tied to the devil and there was nothing I could do from then.

My life was over and for absolutely nothing. I lost my parents, I lost my friends, my brother, and everything else. Everything was ripped away from me. The bed cover was pulled away, wanting to tear it apart with my hands, but just as I was about to do it, I broke down. My hands shook, the bed cover slipping from my hands and hitting the ground with me following after.

Mom, Dad, not again.

I was losing them all over again and it was worse than before. My sanity was slipping, crying and heaving with my face buried in my hands. Why was I even living after that? They were gone, Ivan was gone and Kane was gone. I wondered if Ivan heard, wondered if he had realized what he had done.

He sold me out and now he was alone, out there filled with nothing but guilt. I wanted to hate him, wanted to hate him so much, but I could not. I hated myself so badly. I hated the world. I should have run when I had the chance, I should have run and rather died trying. They would shoot me but it would be okay because I would cease to exist in this cruel world. I should have fought and not been so obedient.

My head shook, not seeing anything as I walked out of that room. I did not care what would happen, but I was getting out of there. I would not sit and let my life be ruined. It was not too late; I still had a chance.

My lips were trembling, not scared at all. What would happen, would happen, but I was getting out of there. I stepped out into the kitchen only to stop, finding it empty. My eyes moved on to the living room and it was also empty. And that was when I heard the running water. Brute was taking a shower. My feet moved, not even wasting time as I turned the key on the door, opening it wide to jump out.

I ran as if the hounds of hell were after me. I ran with the neighbor’s dogs barking and running after me behind the fence. I ran with the wind, it whistling in my ear, telling me to run harder and faster. Nothing would stop me, my feet were torn underneath, but I did not care. I kept running, them badly sore and bleeding with my blood painting the streets, but I would not stop.

It was either I stopped and died or ran to my freedom. I turned from street to street, moving as fast as I could because I knew that Brute would take the car and would catch up in no time. My mind was not thinking, acting on emotions that had me blind. House after house I passed, running away from safety to the city, not knowing where to go. If the devil wanted to find me, it would not even take a second. I was sure they knew the streets well and I did not. I was in a maze, scared and not of a sound mind.

All I could do was just run. All I could keep doing was run, running past cars, them honking with me jumping over them and running before them, not caring if I died or not. I just kept moving, just kept pushing. The faster and harder I ran, the less I thought and the less I felt. The pain was just pushed away, the adrenaline keeping me going. The city was left behind, running in the outskirts where it was dark and quiet.

I thought I could run all night, but my body proved not as my feet buckled with my face hitting first on the ground. I groaned, wanting to lie there and never get up, but I knew I had to, stumbling up, feeling the blood stream down my face. I turned all around, my chest moving up and down, my body shaking with the world dark all around me.

At that moment I realized two things. The first being that I only had a towel on me, naked as the day I was born underneath.

The second thing was that I was in the outskirts of the city.

It was the most dangerous place to be at in that time, especially being a naked woman. I would be caught so easily there. It was nothing good for me, looking all around, the corners seeming darker, hearing dogs bark with voices of men coming from somewhere. I stood no chance there. There were drug dealers and pimps. I had no chance of survival there. I ran, my feet as if flying on the air as the fear took over all my senses.

“Hey.” A voice called, hearing footsteps behind me with my heart nearly killing me. I thought I would die. How stupid was I? How stupid could I be? I left the suburbs and the city behind. What was I thinking? Nothing but death lingered for me there. The panic was too much, heaving and crying while running.

I thought the footsteps had fallen away but then I heard them again, closer than before.

I took a corner, running with all I had, my life on the very line and I would lose so much more than I already have.

My face looked around, falling on something blue; bright lights of a building. I pushed on, tearing the miles away with the building getting closer and closer. There were cars outside, nearly crying out as I realized it was a police station. My heart, lord, my heart, turning my head around with the men that had been running after me getting faster and breaching the distance between us.

My feet could not hold up any longer, a sharp pain shooting with each step I took. I was heaving and crying, running forward and looking back now and again. I was not sure I could make it before they caught up to me but I was so close. I could not give up, running. My feet tied each other with my body stumbling, the fall to be my death at the hands of the men after me. I tried waving my hands, them gripping the ground to stand back up and continue running so fast.

My towel had fallen away, completely naked but that could wait, rushing to enter the large gate to the local police station with the lights brighter. I shot through the glass door to turn and stare back, seeing the men stare at me from the gate to shake their heads and turn to walk away.

My body just floated through the air, not believing I had made it, not believing I was safe. I was in police custody, no one could touch me. Would you blame me for such stupid thoughts? I was too naïve for my own good.