Angry Pumpkin
1072 Words
April
“You again?”
Where the hell did he come from?
He raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “I’m sorry for startling you. Didn’t expect to find anyone else here. Things must have changed since I was last time. Why are you here, if I may ask?”
There was no way I was going to tell him the truth…that I was brought here by Patrick against my will and instructed to stay in the car like some kind of prisoner. No, I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.
“I was exploring,” I said, crossing my arms, trying to appear as confident as possible.
“Exploring? In a basement?”
Yeah, I followed the cat down to the basement without thinking, really.
“What do you expect? I was here on my own,” I responded. I could tell I was unnecessarily defensive.
He scoffed…in a way I think I’ve heard before.
“Obviously. But I really can’t tell what you’re doing in the basement…of all places to be.”
“You’re here too.” I responded sarcastically.
“Because this is…” He paused like he was about to say what I needed not to hear.
“Well, I broke a glass, a kitten stepped on it, but the poor thing wouldn’t let me help with it. I traced it down here.”
It was my turn to scoff. We were both down here for the same reason. Maybe it was meant to be…maybe it was…fate.
“I…” I started to say something…anything…to fill the silence when a loud, sharp crack echoed through the air.
A gunshot.
My heart stopped for a split second, and I instinctively crouched lower, holding my hands against my chest. The sound reverberated through the walls.
Philip’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. His smirk vanished, replaced by a cold expression. His eyes darted toward the source of the noise, and he stood rigid, as if listening to hear more.
“s**t! Stay low,” he muttered, more to himself than to me.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to stay calm.
Philip cursed under his breath. “No…no… You can’t catch me now.” He turned to me. “Did you by chance see some big men when you got in here?
I didn’t know what he wanted to hear. I came in here with some big men… Patrick’s men. I nodded.
“s**t!” He yelled. “It’s not safe here. You should find your way out of here, whatever your business is. But if you’re caught and asked if you’ve seen me, your answer is no, okay?”
I hadn’t even given him the assurance I’d agree to his narrative before he scurried out of the room. I had better return to the car before things get out of hand.
Maybe things had already gone out of hand. Patrick and his men were already out, waiting around the car. His men were scattered around the house searching for something or someone. I think…me.
The moment Patrick saw me, he charged towards me.
“What the hell did I tell you? Stay in the f*****g car. You can’t stay out of my reach if you wanna live,” he yelled.
I flinched, hoping the ground would open up to keep me safe from his wrath.
“Don’t f*****g disobey me.” He yelled even louder.
One of his men returned. He was the only man that came with us but wasn’t there when they found me.
“Did you find him?” Patrick asked.
“No, sir. I searched everywhere.” The man responded.
“I’m sure he was here. I could smell him.” He checked his time. “You have to find him before the event tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Get in the car, April. Don’t make me tell you again.”
I hopped into the car quietly. The tension remained till we reached our destination. It was a bigger house than the one we visited. I didn’t bother to look around. I was going to be confined in the car anyway.
“Ma’am…” one of his men interrupted my thought. He opened the door, waiting for me to come down.
Really? am I going to come down now? That was unexpected.
“Follow me.” Patrick said, walking hastily inside the house.
I obeyed, not because I wanted to, but because I didn’t have a choice. He led me to a large room that looked more like a study than a bedroom. There were massive bookshelves which lined the walls, and a desk sat at the far end, papers strewn about.
Patrick walked behind the desk and leaned against it, his arms crossed over his chest, watching me with a calculated gaze.
“You’ll stay here tonight until they prepare your room.”
Stay where? I thought we were going to see my mom and sister. What is he talking about now? Before I could air out my protest, the door flung open and one of his men came in, handed him a brown envelope and then exited immediately.
He opened the envelope, took out some papers, divided them into two and passed me the other division.
“These are the rules to be followed in our marriage,” he started.
“No s****l relations or contact. No sharing of rooms. No interference in each other's businesses.
No…”
“You can read the rest in silence,” I interrupted. For all I care, my only worry right now is my mother and sister.
“I have no objection to the rules. They're pretty decent. So what's the next step?”
He seemed taken aback but was too composed to react to it.
“Sign the contract.”
I didn’t hesitate. There was a pen on the closest table next to me. I grabbed it and appended my signature.
“Can I see my family now?” I said, tossing the papers.
“They are doing fine.” Patrick responded, walking away.
Is this a joke? I need to see my family. “No..that’s not the deal. I need to see…”
“Goodnight, pumpkin.”
Those were the last words before the door closed behind him. I hurried toward the door. They were locked…from outside.
What the hell…”
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- Writer
