11 - Precious (1.58k words)

╔═══ Author's note ════╗This chapter is going to be dark. I'm not going to put any warnings because if you've reached this far already, it means you know what type of story you've got into. 🙈We will delve into one of Yaya's past memories, and they are not going to be nice. Her backstory is actually the trigger that prompted me to start writing this novel.╚═════════════════╝Riding on Curtis's shoulder, I was caught off guard by how fast he could actually move. He whipped through the thick woods like it was nothing, and I was just trying to hang on. The wind was whipping against my skin, bringing along an army of bugs, branches, and twigs, making me squint and dodge to fend them off.I found myself holding onto his neck tighter, trying to block my face with my arm. Thankfully, I had on my trusty hoodie and gloves from my backpack to keep me a bit protected."Alright! Alright! I get it, I get it. Curtis, just carry me in your arms already!" I yelled, pretty sure he was feigning deafness.Curtis came to an abrupt halt, his movement stopping as if the forest itself commanded it. As I dismounted from his towering shoulder, I caught the briefest flicker of a smirk playing across his lips, "What did you say? I didn't hear you."I brushed off the remnants of dirt and bugs from my clothes, feeling the grit under my fingertips, "I said you are moving too slow still," I said, causing a little vein to pop up at the side of his forehead.As I peeled off my gloves, Curtis's eyes narrowed, his initial curiosity quickly morphing into a grim frown. "Why are they like that? What happened to your hands?" he asked, his voice a mix of concern and something like anger, as if he was upset with me for letting my hands get to this state.I looked down at my hands, seeing them through his eyes for the first time in the eerie light of his lantern.They were far from delicate. Calluses ridged my palms, and my knuckles were hardened. These were not the hands of a gentle soul. They were marred by the darkness of my past, twisted by the trials I had faced.Bound tightly in the back of the Hummer, the rough ropes dug into my wrists and ankles, securing me in place. With a mouth gag in my mouth and a black bag covering my head, I tuned into the mercenaries' conversation.A gruff voice pierced the monotonous drone of the engine, "Why did only three of you return? Where is the rest of the group?""The mission was simple: a two-day recon with her through the conflict zone; But come sunrise, we're down by half, and she's nowhere to be found. When we found her, she took down Jackson with a trap. And Marcus and Ty? Outsmarted them at their own game. Used the environment to her advantage. We underestimated her, big time. The boss isn't going to be happy about this. " A cold, calculating voice from beside me spoke up, "The real question is, will her rich daddy pay up? We're talking about a hefty sum."A grunt of agreement from another corner of the vehicle entered my ears, "He will. If he values his daughter's life, he'll pay up quick.""Yeah, crazy rich folks," another snorted with contempt. "Ready to throw wads of cash for his little princess to get a front-row seat to a real action movie. Like it's some damn thrill ride instead of bloody war. What a fucked up world, eh?"Their laughter, filled with greed and anticipation, echoed around me. I sat there, forced to listen to their banter, my worth reduced to mere currency in their eyes.I felt something rough touch my tights and I flinched, recoiling away."What the fuck are you doing?! What if she tells her father that you did something to her?""Don't worry. I didn't do anything. She can't say shit if there is no proof. It'll just be her word against ours.""Still, you better keep your hands off her. Or else you'll answer to the boss. You know what happened to the last guy who pissed him off."The man didn't listen so I pissed myself in the pants. Let go of me you disgusting pig!"Fuck!" He yelled in frustration. "You better clean this mess, bitch!""Shut the fuck up and focus on the mission. The sooner we get to the camp, the faster we can get paid."The moment we reached the camp, they yanked me into their boss's tent."Did you touch her?" someone asked, probably their boss."I didn't do anything, sir. She did that herself. She is a bitch, a spoiled, rich one," one of the guys said, panic evident in his voice.Then I heard a sound of gunshots."Get this piece of trash out of my sight," the boss said, his voice like ice as he took off the bag from my head and removed the gag from my mouth, "Your father refused to pay our wage, Miss. I hope you understand that it's not personal. I just have to do whatever it takes to feed my family."Two men held me down while the boss unbuckled his pants, "Let's see if your mouth is as sweet as it looks."One of the mercenaries held a knife against my neck, "Bite our boss and I will cut your throat," forcing me to take the unwashed, smelly, disgusting cock in my mouth. I immediately threw up the contents of my stomach all over his cock."Fucking bitch!" The boss hit me in the face, splitting my lip open, then another hit, breaking my nose before grabbing my hair, yanking me back to his crotch, "Suck it good, you slut. I'll show your father what happens when he refuses to cooperate with me."Tears blurred my vision, and I was unable to see his face. All I saw was a blurry, disgusting monster. I didn't give a damn about my life anymore. I opened my mouth and sank my teeth into his dick, earning a loud scream. Before the knife could sink into my neck, I heard a few shots being fired. Blood splattered all over me, and then all the men around me slumped on the floor, dead.I was trembling, my body wracked with fear and disgust."My precious Yaya, so this is where you've hidden yourself. I've been scouring every corner for you." Suddenly, a pair of powerful arms ensnared me, hoisting me up as though I were no heavier than a wisp of smoke. "How do you propose we present you to your father in such a state, hm? You're well aware of his fury over any harm that comes to your beautiful face, aren't you?"Instead of thanking my saviour, I spat the remains of the bloody cock in the direction of the voice, directly onto the freakingly handsome face from my memories, "You betrayed me, you fucking betrayed me! You, out of all, had to fucking betray me!" I choked up as his blurry silhouette cut the ropes around my limbs, "Both you and that old fart can go fuck each other to death!"He softly wiped my face and rinsed my mouth with water, completely ignoring both my words and my body's aggressive trashings, "Yaya, I've found a way to enroll you into an all-girl high school behind your father's back. Promise me to kill every man in this camp with your bare hands, and I'll handle the arrangements as soon as you are finished." His words soothed me a bit as he helped me stand up with a sinister gentleness before turning me towards the silhouette, which I recognized as the monster. No, not even monsters deserve to be associated with them."Unleash your rage, my precious Yaya. Remember everything they did to you," he whispered into my ear, "And never permit such a disgrace again."Without thinking, I lunged at the dead corpse, punching it until the skin in my knuckles tore up and blood trickled down. The betrayal that I felt, the rage that coursed through me; it was a tempest, a storm of emotions so intense that it drowned out all reason, all fear. "My precious Yaya," the annoying voice persisted by my side, softly caressing my head with a twisted tenderness, as though I were his cherished pet, a kitten that playfully scratched at its scratching post."My precious Yaya, so this is where you've hidden yourself."In an instant, I spun around, heart racing-was it merely my imagination playing tricks on me? There was no way he could be here, could he?But then, from the profound darkness nestled within the trees, he stepped forth."I've been scouring every corner for you."The air turned frigid, imbued with a sinister presence that seemed to leech the warmth from my soul. His emergence wasn't merely startling; it was bone-chilling, igniting a wave of raw, paralyzing fear within me.╔═══ Author's note ════╗Who could possibly strike so much fear into Yaya's arrogant heart? 🕵️‍♂️That's right! Welcome my OG, contender for a spot in Yaya's harem. I will reveal his name in the next chapter. 😌That's all. Stay safe kids. ☺️☺️☺️╚═════════════════╝