Chapter 2
Cynthia's POV
The grumpy driver came to a halt outside of what appeared to be a farmhouse. He opened the door, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the vehicle.
"Where are you taking me? You stupid man! Do you think you can scare me because you murdered that girl! I am not afraid of you."I yelled at the top of my lungs, not sure if I was trying to convince him or myself.
The man said nothing; he continued to drag me until we arrived at a place filled with and rooms with only a gate. He opened one of the gates, pushed me inside, and immediately locked it. I knew there was no way out right now.
"Please get me out of here; I can not stay here because I am scared of the dark. Please, I will keep my mouth shut and not tell anyone about what I witnessed.I begged crying, I can't stay here, I needed to go to school.
"Little Foxy, I am not sure what to do with you right now, so you are going to stay here until the election is over. After that, I will see what I can do, so stay there quietly before I decide to kill you right away."The man said coldly, and I fought back my tears, hoping that if I behaved, he would let me out of here.
"S-Sir, please turn on the light; I am scared of the dark." I said, attempting to swallow my sobs.
I can not stay in the dark. Darkness brings back memories that I make a daily effort to bury deeper and deeper in my dark past, but if I stay in the dark, those memories will resurface and haunt me while I sleep.
Without saying anything, the grumpy man turned on the light. My eyes grew wide as I noticed large lions inside each locked gate. As I watched them, I could feel my lips trembling! This was worse than death itself, how can he keep me here with the lions?
"You see how hungry they look, they would be happy to have you as their meal. If you make a sound, I will release these lions."The man said coldly and began walking away, leaving me in a den of lions. I needed to find a way out of here; I could not stay for long.
Tears were streaming down my face as I sat down in the corner and hugged my knees. My life was a complete mess already, but this made it worse.
I was imprisoned in a grass-filled dirt chamber with lions loitering around. It still amazes me that I was confined in this way. I can not even make a sound because of the lions.
Flashback
I had just returned home from school, utterly exhausted after a grueling exam. The sun beat down mercilessly, intensifying the headache that already throbbed in my temples. All I craved was a simple meal and the blissful oblivion of sleep.
Pushing open the door to our modest apartment, I staggered inside, only to freeze in horror at the sight that greeted me.
My mother lay motionless on the floor, her once-vibrant form now a cruel mockery of life, surrounded by a pool of glistening crimson.
My father sat in a wooden chair, his expression inscrutable and detached. Beside him, a man held a dagger that gleamed malevolently, its blade stained with the evidence of unspeakable violence.
Tears overflowed my eyes, blurring my vision as I struggled to comprehend the horror before me. My knees gave way, collapsing beneath me as I fell to the ground, reaching out to my mother with trembling hands.
"M–Mother," I choked out, my voice a mere whisper, desperate and pleading. But she remained still, her silence echoing in the suffocating stillness of the room.
"F–Father, why...why would you let this happen to her?" I managed to utter, the words catching in my throat as disbelief and anguish warred within me.
My father's response was chilling in its callousness. "Your mother deserved what she got. She was nothing more than a mistress, a fool who dared to threaten my reputation. She brought this fate upon herself."
The weight of his words crashed down upon me, shattering the fragile illusion of normalcy I had clung to. How could this man, who I had accepted as my father despite his absence, be capable of such cruelty? The realization crushed me, leaving me bereft and adrift in a sea of unimaginable grief.
As my father commanded his men to dispose of my mother's body, a wave of fear and helplessness washed over me. I tried to resist, to fight back against the injustice that surrounded me, but my feeble attempts were swiftly quashed.
. A brutal kick to my stomach sent searing pain lancing through my body, robbing me of breath and consciousness as darkness closed in around me.
In that moment of chaos and despair, the only certainty that remained was the harsh reality of betrayal and loss.
My mother's life had been snuffed out in a cruel act of violence, and I was left alone, abandoned by the very man who should have protected us both. The shadows of the room seemed to whisper a haunting lament, as my father's cold, indifferent commands echoed in the emptiness of my shattered world.
Flashback ends
Tears filled my eyes as I drew my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around myself. I longed for my mother, wishing she were here to prevent all of this from happening. I didn't even know where she was buried, I knew nothing at all. My life felt like a melancholy and monotonous film that no one would want to watch.
I heard footsteps approaching along the corridor. I didn't know who it was, and I didn't care; I was determined to escape from there at any cost. The same man from the day before placed a tray of food in the small room through a small opening in the gate.
"Eat," he said coldly.
"Please, get me out of here. I want to go home, please!" I pleaded, tears streaming down my face. I couldn't bear to stay in that place any longer.
The man said nothing and walked away, leaving me sobbing quietly. I looked up at the ceiling with renewed determination. If I could climb the gate, I might have a chance to escape.
Without hesitation, I began to climb the gate's bars. I stepped onto the top of the wooden ceiling and, finding an opening, I jumped down and quickly made my way to the other side of the building, dodging armed guards.
My heart raced as I reached the outside exit. Without a second thought, I opened the small gate and slipped through, closing it softly behind me. I started running, not looking back as the morning light began to illuminate the area.
My eyes lit up when I spotted a taxi approaching. I raised my hand, and it stopped. I hurried towards it, flinging open the door and climbing inside. The driver started the car.
"You are indeed intelligent and cunning, Little fox," he said with a smirk. I glanced to my side and my eyes widened at the sight of the man who had kidnapped me, sitting right beside me in the car. How had I not noticed him before getting in?
"H–How did you get here?" I stammered, still in shock. My hard work couldn't go in vain. I needed to escape once and for all. Without thinking, I opened the car door and leaped out, hitting the ground with a sharp pain as I rolled on the pavement. With all the energy I had left, I got up and started running.
I didn't even glance back to see if the car had stopped. I just knew that by the time it did, I would be far away. I can't let him kidnap me. I meant it when I said I wouldn't tell anyone, but he clearly wasn't listening.
I ran with all my might, but my body was betraying me. I was panting, my legs weakening with each step. I had run too much since last night, and I was exhausted. I stopped at the side of the highway and rested my head against a nearby tree. My heart was racing against my chest.
"You're wearing yourself out for nothing, Little Foxy. You can't escape me, no matter how much you run," he taunted, standing a few steps away. I wasn't even shocked to see him. He was a devil or whatever he was, and I couldn't escape easily.
"You think I won't tell the truth about you? You're absolutely wrong. I was going to expose you, and if you spare my life, I'll still expose you at the first chance. Your only choice is to kill me now," I said, panting. I was ready to die rather than stay with this man.
He chuckled, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
"Aren't you afraid of death?" he asked sarcastically.
"I would rather die than live among lions. Living with lions is worse than death. It's better if you kill me now," I said.
"I have a better proposal for you," he said, as I narrowed my eyes on him.
"What proposal?" I asked, glaring at him.
"If you want me to spare you, you will have to marry me," he said calmly. I burst into laughter. Did he really think I would marry such a terrifying man?
"You'd better kill me now because I will never marry a man like you. I would rather die," I declared. In less than a second, he was standing right in front of me, his eyes red and his sharp fangs exposed. My heart raced, tears welling in my eyes. I wasn't ready to die. I still had dreams to fulfill. I couldn't die.
"Please don't kill me. I will do what you want," I said immediately regretting it. If I agreed to marry him, maybe I could buy some time to escape. I just couldn't die. I loved my life.