9 Chapter Nine -

Somewhere between the fatigue and torture, I found myself falling into a sheer state of unconsciousness, walking into a small room.

There was darkness lingering around, a dim light hanging just above my head, and a pungent smell floating around. Trying to make out my surroundings, I found myself unable to move and my right-hand stinging with immense pain; there was a small drip attached to it. What on earth!

Aching to move, my soul felt extremely constricted by the strong ropes, keeping it tied against a wooden chair and bruised by the tightness. This situation was worse than before; I was fully conscious and aware now.

Listening to the subtle sound of hissing and squeaking in the air, I screamed as something slithered past my feet and haunted my heart. What was it?!

"You're finally here…at my home," a low voice suddenly broke through the eerie noise, making me immediately glare at the darkness and notice a tall silhouette standing in one corner of the room. It was huge and so eerie: Sid.

Immediately thick tears started running down my face, "Where am I? Why did you bring me here? What do you want?" I squealed. A tense silence followed after.

"I told you that you can't leave. This is my home…I finally brought you home," he sounded so eccentric and psycho that I deeply feared for my future. Under the authority of a deranged soul, things could get extremely torturous. This man was covering his insanity by naming it an obsession.

"Let me go!" I thrashed against my rope, only to have something slither past my feet again. "Shoot! There is something here…there is something here!" I screamed, tried to curl my legs up, but they were tied against the feet of the chair. A low chuckle echoed at my screams.

Sid moved out of the shadows and dragged a crowbar along. I immediately lowered my gaze to fearfully glance at the darkened floor, with crippling fear shaking my bones. This was too much.

"They took you somewhere else…I came for you, got you here. At my home. Everything I did was for you…anyone crossed you had to pay. And now, my animals are rejoicing…they are welcoming you home…I will give you guys a moment to bond…promise I won't get immensely jealous," and with that, heavy footsteps quickly walked out of the room, followed by a loud slamming of doors. I was left terrified and confused.

Animals? Welcoming? This lunatic, who apparently obsessing over me, had left me in a room full of animals…so sadistic. My main fear was what kind of animals he had left behind.

Loud hissings and squeaks echoing from around immediately answered my thoughts. There were only a few animals that made these sounds; snakes and mice.

Gulp. Had that psychopath really left me in the company of snakes and mice? Me, all tied up, and them free…this was one of the worst forms of tortures, definitely not an act of obsession.

Soon, as the hissing grew louder and closer to me, I began screaming in full volume, "Please…get me out of here! Help…anyone! Tania! Sid…don't leave me in here…they are going to hurt me, help!! Mom! Dad!" My state of desperation was making me call for anyone.

My parents…my family…I felt crushed just by thinking about what they must be going through, knowing that their little girl was in the clutches of some psychopath. I hadn't contacted them, trying to keep their secret location untraceable, but knew this must be so painful for them…my pain has always been their pain.

Anguished by agony, I began thinking of all those who were to blame for this; Sana came first. My blood felt like boiling just by thinking of her. How could a person do this to another person? To purposely hand me over to a psychopath…it was so disgusting.

The terror of being attacked was making me choke on my tears. I had read about the stings, the piercing pains…I didn't want to face at all. Sid was torturing me…this was his intensity of obsession. A messed-up amusement over someone else's agony. How did this guy even get to know me? I had rarely ever socialised or visited places. How was I chosen?

Having read about so many cases like these, I hated how I was going to pay for someone's deranged mind and failure of the police…the police had failed me; Maggie had failed me…and now, I was surrounded by vicious creatures, completely defenceless and trapped. My heart was traumatised…

The dim light was subtly swinging above my head…the small drip inserted in my hand was continuously getting teased by movement, and I found myself fainting in fear. I had always been one of those who hardly lost unconsciousness…my nerves had always been tough. Yet, this entire situation is making it so difficult to even stay in reality. My heart was using the state of consciousness to escape…to fight these demons and float in an attempt to escape.

Hiccupping and sobbing in a state of utter depression, I began shaking trembly as something slithered down my arm from behind. I squeezed my eyes shut, not even daring to look at it. Movements cause attacks.

"Help," a silent and helpless plea was constantly being whispered.

"Are you done yet- wait, why so many tears?" Sid's concerned voice returned back into the room, but I didn't dare open my eyes…quietly suffering and tearing up in the terror of having one snake wrap around my legs, while another rolling down my arms; hissing and smelling.

"It's okay," he cooed, nearing me. I wanted nothing but for this disgusting man to immediately take his creatures away from me. He would pay for this…I pray time makes him pay for this. His concern at this moment…it was so aggravating. Psycho much!

"Don't cry…they are only greeting…I will put them in their cages," he snapped his fingers, causing the slithering creatures to halt for a second and immediately rush towards their owner. I was exhausted by my tears.

"Good, fangs…. she liked you, guys so much," he bent on his knees and began petting. "See, she is home…I told you she will care. She has to care." There was an underlined threat, making me shiver.

"No, no, no…don't let them near me again," I anxiously shook my head, fearing the future already. "Keep them away…keep them away!"

"She will listen…in time," he continued, completely ignoring me. My anger fumed. This deranged man! Ugh, I so badly wanted to punch him in the face.

After minutes of having him pamper his pet, he got back on his feet and chuckled. My gaze was lowered towards the floor.

"It seems like you really had fun," he sadistically teased. All the way from concerned, he was suddenly amused by my situation. So deranged and bipolar. I didn't mutter anything back.

"Hmmm…now that you are home, I will get Tania to take you to the kitchen and serve you some food. But, don't let this be a routine. You will be living with my family, so it's your responsibility to take care of them." And with that, he walked out.

I was left feeling so annoyed, bitter and irritated…take care of his family? This disgusting, deranged psychopath…he was so unstable, and I hated how he thought he could just order me around…make me work for his family. He was like those chauvinistic and narcissistic men who believed that they took pride in belittling women and making them work for them. Jamie had been so different; so friendly, a sheer gentleman and stable. I hated men who weren't like that, and I surely wasn't going to let some psycho egoistical man make me tolerate such men.

I was going to fight back…for my freedom, insanity, and heart. I just had to find a way to outsmart the cunning psycho and escape his obsessive ways.