CHAPTER 005
1259 Words
CHAPTER 005
JARVIS' POINT OF VIEW
A heavy feeling of dread squeezes my stomach as if it were a tightening rope.
My room's dim lighting reveals my wrists, still aching from the days I spent shackled by heavy chains. My entire body displays a series of dark and ugly bruises that stand out against my pale complexion. Every breath becomes a fight against the pain in my ribs, which reminds me of Raymond's previous beating. His silence spoke louder than words ever could. His fists had said enough.
A deep breath causes my ribs to complain while my stomach contracts painfully. Two days have passed since my last meal. I spent two days licking the cold floor scraps as if I were a stray animal without food. The memory itself causes a sudden wave of embarrassment to wash over me, though the gnawing hunger inside my body remains much worse.
I block out the world by briefly shutting my eyes. The pain, the fear, the unbearable loneliness.
How did I end up like this?
I once had strength. I once had a voice. I exist as a captive in this world. I exist now as a shadow of my former self.
My hands shake while I reach for my stomach because the baby inside protects me from total surrender. I have to protect this baby. It’s all I have left. I will defend this child against Raymond because he stole away all my previous children.
The thought alone sends a fresh wave of nausea through me.
The raised voices outside my door become audible to my ears.
Shouting. Urgent, frantic. A disturbance exists outside my door.
I barely have the strength to lift my head, but my heart pounds in my chest, every nerve on edge. Something feels different this time. The hospital staff move with increased speed and show a greater sense of urgency than their typical routine.
A loud crash reverberates down the hallway. My breath catches.
The door to my room suddenly bursts open.
The figure who enters the room confuses my disoriented mind for a brief moment. But then I recognize her—Elza.
She stands motionless with a pale face while her breathing remains rapid. She holds a key tightly in her grasp.
“Elza?” My voice emerges as a raspy whisper because I have not spoken for many days. “What—what are you doing?”
Her gaze travels across the room until it finally rests on me. She approaches me quickly while saying, "We don't have much time." “ I got the key. She holds the key in her hands while saying, "We're getting you out of this place."
My tired mind fights to understand what she is saying as I look at her. “What?”
She kneels next to me while fiddling with the lock on my chains before saying, "There's no time to explain." “ I created a distraction. The distraction is currently occupying the others, but we must depart immediately.
The locks on my wrist chains suddenly open.
My arms hang limply at my sides as if they have lost all strength. The numbness has penetrated my bones so deeply that I cannot move my limbs.
Elza struggles to free my ankles from the restraints while her hands tremble uncontrollably.
When the chains release me, my body receives a sudden wave of blood that causes excruciating pins and needles to spread through my hands and feet. A sharp gasp escapes my lips when the sudden pain strikes my body.
“Elza,” I whisper, panic rising. “I can’t stand.”
She doesn’t hesitate. She takes a blanket from the room's corner to cover my battered clothes and bruised body. She puts her arm around me as she speaks, "I'll assist you."
She lifts me, but my legs remain unresponsive. My feet instantly give way when I place them on the floor. Elza prevents my collapse by maintaining a strong grip on me.
She speaks with intense desperation when she says,, "You must walk right now, Jarvis." We don't have time for your pain, so you need to keep moving. You need to move.”
I manage a weak nod while forcing the pain down my throat. “Okay.”
We advance toward the door through small steps. With each step I take, my legs tremble violently while my body fights against me until I push myself onward. The empty hallway creates an eerie atmosphere while I can hear the ongoing commotion from outside.
“What did you do?” I manage to whisper.
Elza doesn’t look at me. “It doesn’t matter,” she says. Your escape from this place is all that truly matters.
A sudden wave of terror squeezes my heart. “Elza… if they catch you—”
She cuts me off with a harsh response that says, "Worry about yourself." “Just focus on getting out.”
The exit is just ahead.
My pulse quickens. The night air outside beckons me with its refreshing touch as I sense the imminent freedom.
But then—
A dark figure blocks our path.
I freeze, my breath catching.
One of the warriors.
His eyes shift between Elza and me as his expression turns gloomy.
The warrior demanded to know, “What the hell is going on here?”
Elza holds me tightly as she speaks with a harsh tone. The Alpha issued instructions to relocate her.
The warrior narrows his eyes. The warrior stated he had not received any information about my relocation.
Elza squares her shoulders. Do you dare challenge the Alpha's commands?
The warrior hesitates.
The tension crackles between us.
Then, his gaze shifts to me. His eyes move across my battered face before stopping at my weak body while a sinister smile appears on his lips.
The warrior mocks me with these words as he looks at me. The Alpha seems to have reconsidered his decision.
Panic floods through me.
Elza uses both hands to hold me firmly against her body.
A brief instant passes when I believe she will give up. She moves before I can even think of responding.
She reaches for a concealed dagger hidden under her cloak before attacking.
The warrior’s eyes expand in shock, yet he remains too late to defend himself.
Elza drives her blade into the warrior's side.
The warrior makes a strangled sound while his body falls backward because blood leaks through his clothing.
Elza extracts the dagger from her grip as she maintains a focused expression.
“Run,” she says.
I don’t have time to think.
My legs move against the pain as I push forward.
We keep running forward as the warrior falls behind us while he groans in agony without turning to check on him.
The exit stands only a few feet ahead.
We reach the door.
Elza pushes the door open while the refreshing night breeze sweeps through the entrance to greet me warmly.
I witness the sky for the first time in an eternity. A high silver moon illuminates the surrounding area with its pale light.
Freedom.
But then—
A furious roar echoes through the night.
I know that voice.
Raymond.
Elza stiffens beside me. “Go,” she hisses. “Now!”
I hesitate, fear paralyzing me.
The darkness reveals the arrival of several figures.
Warriors.
Too many of them.
My chest tightens.
We’re out of time.
Has our flight reached a distance that will allow us to escape? Or was this all for nothing?
- Writer
