He Was Her All

Chapter 3: Escape

Later in the Night...

Mariana felt someone vigorously shaking her sides. She turned to see with her sleepy eyes and Micah was stood there with a smile.

"Hey Mariana."

"Hey."

"Are you ready to get out of here?"

"Is it time already?"

"Yeah, this is the time where my shift ends and in around 30 minutes, someone will come and put you in a deep sleep."

"Oh, then we better get moving!"

"Yeah, are you still in pain?"

"A little."

"Okay, you can lean on me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Well...okay."

Micah took hold of her arms and helped her up. She hissed in pain but tried not to cry as she felt the strain in her muscles burn. "It hurts..."

"Sorry Mariana," He managed to put Mariana in an upright position. Mariana's fingers convulsed against the bedsheets. She was breathed in rapidly as her back ached like it had been stabbed.

Micah turned her carefully, and as soon as Mariana's feet made contact with the ground, her toes immediately curled up due to the sudden coldness.

She then realized she's been bedridden for way too long, it was going to take some time for her to be able to walk without falling or tripping.

"Are you ready Mariana?" Micah asked, putting her arm around his body.

Mariana sucked in a deep breath before replying with a "Yes."

Micah slowly counted to three then heaved her off the bed. She tried to balance herself but her legs were still unstable and wobbled everywhere like jelly. This caused her to fall flat on top of his back.

"Sorry," She flushed.

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

Mariana's lips curved into a small smile as she leaned herself onto him. Together, they sauntered towards the door.

"Why are you helping me by the way?" She questioned.

"Well, when I saw you and your family, I felt really sorry for you guys. I wasn't actually supposed to be there but I heard the commotion and I was curious so I hid in the shadows."

Mariana looked up at him and then looked back down to the black and white marble floor. She really wished she had her mom and siblings by her side at this time.

"I wanted to do something about it but I couldn't out of fear of the boss."

"It's okay, it's not your fault."

He just shrugged and supported her steps.

Once they were at the door, Mariana rested her back against it while Micah peeked open the blinds.

Mariana heard her heart as it slowly palpitated in her chest. Perspiration dripped down her temples as the fear of them getting caught made her nervous. Who knows what Xavier will do if he finds them?

"Okay nobody is walking by which is good, but we better hurry," Micah finally said.

He opened the door, trying to make as little sound as possible. He put an arm around Mariana as they stepped out into the well-lit corridor.

They walked the sandy tiles of the floor which had a single light shining down on each. Mariana couldn't help but get nervous even though she was with Micah. He seemed so nice, unlike the other people that were here.

"You know what's ironic?" He said.

"What?"

"I'm supposed to make sure you don't escape when I'm helping you to."

"Oh yeah that's true," Mariana said as a small laugh escaped her lips.

They suddenly stopped at a door which had MICAH PÉREZ written in bold letters. Micah looked from side to side before he unlocked the door and held it open for her.

"Thank you," Mariana said as she sauntered in.

He came in and quietly shut the door. There wasn't much light but Mariana managed to make out some boxes that laid around and a table that was filled with documents.

"This is my office."

"Mmm, it's nice."

"Thanks."

He went behind the table and pulled out a black hoodie.

"Wear this," He threw it at her.

She quickly slipped it on and tightened the hood around her face.

When Micah opened up a closet that was filled with guns, Mariana was startled by their presence and took a few steps back as they made her very nervous. Micah took out one and shot her a look of concern.

"It's for if anyone tries to attack us."

She nodded slowly and then started to relax.  Micah then returned to her side. "Let's go."

They exited his office and resumed their walk down the silent hallway.

Suddenly, there were some whispers that emerged from the corner.

Mariana convulsed out of terror and hid behind Micah for support. He guarded an arm protectively in front of her.

Eventually, two men appeared and they seemed to be deep in their conversation.

"Hey what do you think of the young girl the boss kept?" One of them said.

"She's pretty hot, I wouldn't mind keeping her for the night after boss is finished with her."

Mariana let out a low scowl. The way they talked about her made her stomach churn in sickness. They were talking as if she was just a toy to be thrown about.

"Hey Micah," She heard one of them say.

Mariana made sure to stay behind Micah's back out of sight. She held her palm over her mouth to keep herself from screaming in panic.

"Hey David, how's it going?" Micah said.

"Just going to get my stuff and then go out for a drink, care to join?" David asked.

"Not today sorry, I'm a bit occupied tonight."

"How's babysitting the new girl going?" The other voice spoke.

"It's okay, she's mainly been sleeping."

"Have you tried lifting up her gown? How does her underwear look?" David asked.

Even though Mariana couldn't risk revealing herself, she really wanted to make a comment about how they were talking about her.

"Of course not," Micah said.

The two men chuckled and she began to notice their shadows walking away.

"See you tomorrow Micah," David said.

"See you guys," Micah replied.

Once their footsteps dissipated into thin air, She came out of Micah's shadow.

"That was a close one," He said.

"Yeah."

"Sorry for my colleague's behavior by the way."

"It's okay, I'm just glad you're not like them."

He smiled brightly, showing off his pearly white teeth that just increased his handsomeness.

"Come on, we better get going," He said, gently taking hold of my hand.

"Okay!"

They headed towards the elevator, where Mariana was guessing was going to lead them to an exit.

"How did you end up working for my uncle by the way?" She suddenly asked.

"Well, first of all, I was working in a cafe and had to serve him. He was very rude and arrogant and when I tried arguing with him, he got me sacked and then forced me to work for him."

"Oh no, I'm sorry that you lost your job."

"It's okay, although I hate what he does to people that owe him something."

"Yeah, he's really wicked."

Finally, they reached the elevator.

Micah pushed the button and they waited for it to open.

For every minute they waited, Mariana vibrated like crazy. She continuously bit down her nails as this was a habit she did when she was always nervous; A bitter, nauseous taste seeped into her mouth, making her feel like she was going to vomit.

On top of all that, she had no idea where Xavier was. He could literally be anywhere and they would be in huge trouble if he caught them trying to escape.

After what felt like an eternity, the doors finally opened. Mariana immediately ran inside and Micah also got in. He pressed for the ground floor and the elevator slowly closed its metal doors.

As they moved down, the lights suddenly flickered as there was a sudden jerk.

There was an ominous silence between Micah and Mariana. None of them said a word and none made a flinch. They just stared mindlessly at their blank, expressionless reflection.

A whole minute passed and the elevator came to a halt. Mariana took in a deep breath and the doors parted ways as if being pulled by magnets.

When they peeked out, there was no one around so they got out.

Mariana took a good look around and the place really was deserted. There was a staircase just above the elevator going up.

"Wow, this place really is empty," Mariana commented.

"I know, these stairs are rarely used."

"Where's the exit?"

"Just there," Micah pointed down the hall where there was a big neon green exit sign.

Freedom! She shrieked inside her head. "Let's go!" Mariana then proceeded to run as fast as her legs would take her.

"Stop right there!"

Mariana ceased her steps and slowly turned around.

Xavier was on the stairs with a vial in his hand and he had a grave glare plastered on his face.

"Where do you think you're going, Mariana?" He asked in a slightly sadistic tone.

"Stay away from me Xavier!" Mariana shouted.

"And you," Xavier said, turning to Micah. "You're helping her?"

Micah didn't say anything but looked down as if he was ashamed.

Xavier let out an evil chuckle as he slowly walked down. His heavy thumping boots were making the stairs shake and quake.

"You really think you could escape me?" He whispered.

Mariana kept walking back towards the door as he took each step, never taking her eyes off him.

"And you Micah," Xavier said, looking at Micah with a huge smirk. "You decide to disobey my orders and keep her for yourself eh?"

"I would never treat Mariana the way you did last night," He mumbled.

His words made her smile but they earned a scoff from Xavier.

"I'll deal with you later but first, I have to take care of my niece..." His gaze was on Mariana now, slowly undressing her with his eyes and devouring her as if she was his prey.

Mariana finally managed to grab hold of the handle and slowly turn it.

"You're not going anywhere..." 

Xavier was about to pounce but Micah jumped on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

"Go, I'll catch up!"

As her hand was still on the handle, she found herself unable to move as tears welled up in her eyes. She already lost my family, she didn't want to lose him too...

Micah gave her a look as she was still stood there still like a statue. Through his struggle of keeping Xavier down, he got something out of his pocket and threw it at her.

"That will lead you to my car now go!"

Mariana nodded and quickly opened the door, ready to make a run for her life.