*Save Me*

MINUTES LATER.

"Young man wait! Young...man oww! Oww! Ouch!!" Peninah wince as Jason drag her down the stairs with his hand on his grip tightly.

"You...get out! I don't ever wanna see you again" He said obviously mad as he dragged her outside.

"Young man...why are you doing this?" She asked innocently.

"Why am I doing this uh? Because of you I'm almost going crazy! Because of a psycho like you!!"

"Young man...did I do something wrong?"

"Forget it...just...just get lost. Don't ever show up in front of me again" He declared leaving.

"I only want a kiss from you!" She shouted after him and he halted in his movement.

"As...as long as I got that everything would be okay...as long as you could give me that...everything would be fine. So give me a kiss...young man" She said and Jason looks back at her.

"You want a kiss right?"

"Huh"

"Good luck then...on getting that....Young lady"

"Young man I_"

"And if you blabber any hogwash about kissing you again...I'm really not gonna stand still" He stared at her intently. Memories of how she barge into the bathroom recalls in his head.

"Pervert..." He mutters before finally leaving.

"Young man..." Penny mumbles watching him leave.

"You can't leave me..." She said again as tears gathered in her eyes.

"I only know you"

On getting back inside, the first thing he did was to get a bottle of water draining it down in a go. The image replayed in his head again making his cheeks go red.

"Did...she saw...everything...?"

"That...that psycho...I'm going crazy because of her..."

Peninah wandered around aimlessly. She got to a restaurant and stopped staring at the people eating inside.

Gulping down her own spit, she sigh.

"My legs ache...I'm tired and hungry...I miss Young man also"

"Miss...instead of standing out there why don't you come inside?" The owner of the restaurant said on noticing her.

"Can I?"

"Of course...you seem hungry...how about eating some food?"

"Cannn I?" Her face lightened up immediately.

"Come on come in and take your seat" the owner said and she gladly went in.

"So what would a pretty lady like to order?"

"Can you give me water first?"

"Oh yeah...sure wait a min" The owner smiles then excuse her.

Later.

Peninah gulped down the seventh glass of water in a go.

"Ohh...you seem quite thirsty" the owner said while she only smiles.

"Your food would be served now"

"Huh...thank you old human...you're so kind" She beamed the owner looks at her for a while and smiles also.

"Of course....Young human" smiles back.

****

Peninah sighs in satisfaction on finishing the food.

"Ahh...I feel so full" She stood up. On seeing her the owner quickly ran to her.

"Are you done?" She asked and penny nods.

"I shall go now...thank you human" She pat the owner's shoulder and turns to leave however the owner stopped her.

"Young lady...you have to pay before you leave"

"Un?"

"The food...won't you pay for it?"

"I...have to pay?"

"Then what do you think? You'll just eat and leave?"

"I...Young man never asked me to pay when he gave me food..." She mumbles.

"Judging from your expression...you seems not to have any money on you. How about we do this? Pay me back through something else"

"Un? Wh...what...?"

JASON'S HOUSE.

Jason's friends wouldn't stop laughing after Jason explained what happened between him and penny between the last few days they spent together.

"Is that funny? Am I funny?" Jason quizzed starting to feel irritated.

"Guy...I...have never heard of this thing before...I don't know how to react to this" Josh said.

"I don't need you to" Jason snapped.

"But...don't you think you've done too much sending her out...i don't think that's nice of you"Cain said.

"Yeah...the girl was over you but you chased her out? Hey what if she falls into the wrong hands outside there" Josh chipped in.

"I don't give a damn... I don't care what she does with her life...I can't let her ruin mine"

"I thought you said she's sick? Aren't you the only one she knows now?"

"Yeah...the best you could just do is keep her by your side till she gets okay at least"

"Am I a doctor? Am I a psychologist? Why should I keep her by my side!"

"Why are you getting so irritated? Come on...aren't you the nicest among us here?" Josh said.

"Jason...is this...perhaps because of Margaret?" Cain asked closely.

"You guys don't understand...she'd freaked out if she knew I'm living with a strange woman who's all over me" Jason replied slowly.

"So the best conclusion you could arrived at is sending her away.. Hey you could have at least send her to me...I won't reject or refuse her at all" Josh joked while Jason glared at him.

"Are you gonna tell her?" Cain asked.

"No...since she's gone anyway...we should just forget about everything. I don't wanna keep something that'll drive a rift between Margaret and i"

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Cain asked.

"I'm sure she will...I'm not the right person...we should have never met" Jason replied flatly.

"Ohh...what's the mood here! It's so dryyyyy come on guys stop talking about women here...we still have to celebrate remember...let's go out and chillll!!" Josh said excitedly dragging them up.

DAYS LATER.

A loud excruciating scream echoes in the dark room as the sound of whipping could be continuously heard also.

The thrashing didn't cease...neither does the scream. Heavy tears ran down her face as her eyeballs almost budge out of its sockets. She kept scratching her fingernails on the floor piercing it as the whip meet her back mercilessly.

"Yes...yes! Like that...cry....cry and get me money!!!" A middle aged woman continues laughing maniacally as a man stood beside her watching with an indifference look.

Pearls scattered all over the floor so as her blue blood dripped down her injured body.

After minutes of torturing the man ordered to stop the thrashing. Peninah collapsed to the floor immediately the beating stopped.

"We should beat her more...we have to get more pearls from her" the middle aged woman said frowning.

"I make the orders here...do not question me" the man declared.

"It's seems you're forgetting something but...I brought her to you. She's literally mine!" The women declared back.

"Just leave her for now...she weary and if this continues she might give up anytime soon...then you won't be able to get your money" The man said.

"Sh*t...that darn mermaid...why is she so weak? The previous one fetched me some f*cking good money!"

"They're all not the same...let her recuperate for now...and give her something to eat...to get your money...you'll have to take care of her for a while."

"Alright....I understand...hey you!" She pointed to the guy thrashing her.

"Pack the pearls right away!"

"Yes ma!" The guy bowed.

"Useless mermaid..."The woman mutters.

HOURS LATER.

The middle aged woman walked in holding a plate of food in her hands. Peninah squeeze her face in pain on seeing her.

"Hey darling mermmy...it's time for dinner!" The woman squealed.

"Why...why are you...doing this to me?" Peninah managed to ask weakly.

"What else do you think? You're...my source of money" The lady replied smiling.

"You...will be punished for this" Peninah said and the woman grabbed a handful of her hair.

"Ohhh!!" She moans out in pain.

"Just shut up! Who are you to say that to me uh? You should be grateful seriously...that I'm keeping you. You...do you know why I decided not to sell you? Because I pitied you. If I have sold you like I normally do...then I bet you won't be able to talk right now...the pain that will be inflicted on you, the one you're feeling right now is nothing compared to it you KNOW!!" She shouted at her face while peninah quivers.

"That's why you shouldn't have eaten without having no money....remember you have to pay for the food you ate"

"I...I think I've paid enough of that"

"Hmm...um...im still not satisfied...I want more...more and guess what...tomorrow you're gonna pay me more....more than you paid today. That's why you have to eat so to have strenght to pay me back" The woman guffaws.

"No...no...pleas_" Before finishing, the woman shoved some food in her mouth almost choking her.

"Now eat! Eat and get me more money tomorrow! EAT!!!" She continue cachinnating while peninah only struggles in pain.

****

"Help me..."

"Pain..."

"Young man..."

"Ahhh!!"

"Save me please..."

"AHHH!!!" Jason jerked up the bed panting heavily. He looks around the room in horror.

"What...what was that? Nightmare...sh*t I hate nightmares" He stood from the bed turning on the light.

"Save me..." He remembers the words from his nightmare.

"What was that really all about? Am I really going crazy? Shoot!" He ruffles his hair frustrated.

****

The door opens silently and someone sneaked in. Peninah tried crawling from where she was but it was impossible. She's sure it must be the woman here to inflict another pain on her.

"Please...let me...go" She mutters feebly.

"Shh! I'm here to save you" She heard a feminine voice and tries to look at her.

"We have to be fast...I drugged the guys guarding you...we have to leave here as soon as possible before they woke up" The voice said again and peninah nodded weakly.

"Come on..." The lady untied her and helped her up slowly. Peninah was badly beaten that she didn't have any strength to stand properly.

Slowly and sneakily the lady helped her out of the dark room.