Kill The Luna

50

I kept my eyes glued to the small opening in the heavy curtains, my heart jumping wildly against my ribs as I watched the scene unfold. Elda’s usual fake smile was completely gone; her face looked incredibly serious and tense under the dim moonlight. She was gesturing aggressively with her hands, speaking with a sharp urgency as if she were rushing the two men to go and do something right away. The men in black seemed to be arguing back, their shoulders slouching as they muttered complaints about how everything had happened way too fast.

Suddenly, Elda snapped her head around, her sharp eyes scanning the dark windows of the house to see if anyone was watching her.

My stomach dropped in pure terror. I quickly pulled my face away from the glass and backed up into the darkness of the bedroom, my spine slamming against the cold wall. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed a hand over my mouth, desperately trying to control my loud, ragged breathing so she wouldn't hear me through the walls.

I stood frozen in the dark room, my thoughts racing in a million different directions. Was I just overthinking all of this? Was I letting my anxiety get the best of me? Maybe she was out there in the cold midnight air simply discussing better ways to protect me from the enemies she mentioned. But a deep voice inside me refused to buy it; I had never trusted her from the very first moment we met. I felt a sudden wave of regret, thinking I had made a massive mistake by agreeing to stay. But then again, it wasn't like I actually had a realistic choice to just pack my bags and leave this heavily guarded fortress whenever I wanted.

My mind quickly drifted back to the chilling warnings she had given me about Michael. She had stated so confidently that even Michael could not be trusted. A small, painful part of my heart felt like she might actually be telling the absolute truth about him. My thoughts then jumped to the terrifying words Lucy had spat at me before—that I would soon be dead.

A heavy, suffocating feeling settled over my chest. It felt like every single person in this twisted world knew some deep, dark secret about my identity that I didn't even know about myself. What on earth was happening to my life? I felt like I was completely losing my mind, spiraling into total madness.

Maybe the best option was to just find a clever way to escape this place. I decided right then that I would not stay under this roof a single second longer with that crazy woman and her insane talks about prophecies and curses. Truth be told, I didn't even understand half of the nonsense she was spouting out there in the garden. I had only paid close attention and pretended to agree because I didn't want her robotic guards to put a bullet through my skull and leave my brains on the floorboards.

Needing to clear my head, I quickly rushed across the dark bedroom and slipped into the small adjoining bathroom. I turned on the tap and took a lightning-fast bath, shivering as the water hit my sore bruises. I grabbed a bar of soap and washed my head thoroughly, scrubbing my scalp with pure desperation. I didn't care at all that my hair was completely soaking wet and dripping down my neck; I just needed the cold water to calm my racing brain down because I was overthinking everything again.

Once I dried off, I quietly opened the wooden dresser drawers in the bedroom, searching for something practical to wear. My fingers brushed against a pair of thick black trousers and a matching black jacket. I let out a soft sigh of relief, thanking God that there were dark clothes available in the closet. Black would make it much easier to melt into the midnight shadows.

I crept back to the glass pane and peeped through the curtains one more time. Outside, Elda and the two mysterious men were finally turning around and starting to move away from the lawn, heading toward the edge of the thick woods.

This was my chance. I quickly glided toward the bedroom door, reaching out to twist the brass knob. I had to be incredibly careful because the old wood was squeaking loudly under the slightest pressure. Holding my breath, I turned the handle by millimeters, opening the door just wide enough to slip my body through before closing it behind me with agonizing slowness.

I stepped into the quiet hallway, staying low as I navigated my way out of the back exit of the house. I waited near the edge of the patio until the three dark figures were a safe distance away, making absolutely sure that they were too far ahead to turn around and spot me in the dark. Once the coast was clear, I began following them into the dense forest, stepping lightly over dry leaves and hiding slowly behind the thick tree trunks whenever someone seemed to shift.

The air grew colder as they led me deeper into the uncharted woods. I quickly darted behind a massive oak tree, pressing my back against the rough bark as I peered out from a safe distance. Up ahead, Elda and the two men stopped in a small rocky clearing, their figures illuminated by the pale moonlight as they stepped inside the dark mouth of a hidden stone cave.

I watched their shadows disappear into the black cavern, a sudden, icy chill running straight down my spine. A powerful instinct deep within my gut was screaming at me, warning me that things were about to get really, really bad.