BELLA
I can’t tell when I slept off, but by the time I woke up, I felt different. Light. Strange. My body appeared as if it weren’t mine. I had to sit still for a moment before I recalled where I was and why I was at this place instead of my home.
“Fuck that man,” I growled in a hoarse voice. My throat hurts from all the yelling I did, and I knew I would pay dearly for this tomorrow.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair, thinking of how to get out of my predicament. I didn’t think about the medicine in my system. It seemed the only thing it was good at was just to irritate me when it was injected. That was all.
As I sat on the armchair, I didn’t let my thoughts drift towards my lovers because I was ashamed. I always prided myself on how wise I was, but in this case, I acted like a fool. A damned freaking one. If only I had…
No, it’s not time to regret my actions. I had already taken the step, and it didn’t work. All I needed at the moment was a means to get out of this place before his supposed second dose.
Yawning, I glanced around. There wasn’t anything of use in the room. But even if there was one, there was no way I could get it, not tied, at least.
The door opened after a few minutes, and he walked in with another syringe in hand, smirking. Unlike the first one that had yellow liquid in it, this one had a red one. It could almost pass as blood.
“Oh, you are awake already?” He grinned.
I didn’t respond because my gaze was on the syringe.
“Are you that curious to know what this one is?” He flicked the syringe, grinning. “Wait until it gets into your system, darling. You will know the function.” He walked close to where I was, brandishing the syringe. “Finally, I have found someone to test my hard work on.”
“Can you just take that thing away from me?” I asked at last, with my voice so low, I didn’t even realize he would hear me. My throat hurts like hell. Talking was a hassle on its own.
He smirked at that. “I love it when you beg, darling. It makes me want to do something else.” He leaned down and placed his hand under my jaw, lifting my face, so I was looking into his eyes. “I bet this was the way my father begged before they snapped his head off his neck. He must have asked them not to hurt him if they refused.” He removed his palm from my jaw and straightened. “It’s not my fault, darling. You are just paying the price for your lovers.”
He brought the syringe closer. “Why don’t you be a little cute, darling, and let me experiment? I promise I won’t take much of your time, love.”
“Please, don’t!” I begged, despite knowing he wouldn’t stop because I requested him to. The maniacal expression on his face was like one set on his missions. I doubt he would do anything I asked, just because I requested it.
He didn’t pay any heed to me as he brought the syringe closer. Once more, he made me immobile. I couldn’t lift my hands or shake my body. And I had to watch him as he brought the syringe closer. Gulping, I begged with my eyes, knowing I would be a goner should that thing get into my system. I barely survived the first one. I doubt I could leave here unscathed after getting injected with this one.
The moment the syringe got to my skin, I lost it. For a moment, I blanked out. I didn’t know what was happening, but I felt my body moving. My eyes were shut, but I felt like I could see. Everything happened so fast that by the time I snapped my eyes open, I found myself on the floor with the man lying next to me.
I scrambled to my feet, wincing when I felt a wave of dizziness. I had to place my right hand on my forehead as I tried to ride out the uncomfortable feeling. My eyes were turning, almost like the time I got injected during middle school.
I walked back to the chair he chained me to, and sat on it, with my hand still placed on my forehead, as if it could help it. As I sat on the chair, my gaze went towards the man sprawled on the floor. I blinked when I noticed the syringe on the floor. It was as full as it was when he walked in.
“What’s going on?” I wondered aloud as I used my feet to kick the man. He didn’t stir, and just lay there, like he was dead.
Wait… Was he?
I nudged him with my leg again but didn’t get any reaction. This puzzled me. What actually happened while I was blanked out? Nothing made sense at all.
Why was he lying on the floor with me? How did I get out of the chains?
The more I thought about the strange occurrence, the more my head hurt. I had to stop my thoughts, so I could ride out the pain in my skull.
I sat on the chair for a long while before I got up. I dragged my feet towards the man, and bent, placing my hand on his neck. I snatched my hand back, glaring at the stiff body. Without being told, I knew the man was dead, but the problem was how?
How did he die? Nothing made sense at the moment, but I didn’t stick around to know the answer to the question as I made for the door. At the moment, what I wanted was to escape. Whatever happened in that room wasn’t of any concern to me.
Out on the semi-lit corridor, I placed my right hand on the wall to steady my walk. Everything hurts. My body. My head. Walking was a hassle, but I endured it, knowing I had to flee.
At the end of the corridor was a door, one I hurried towards. As I walked towards the door, I kept looking back, expecting the dead man to rise and give chase. It wasn’t far-fetched, though. Anyone who could manage to stay alive despite getting killed by my lovers was capable of anything.
The moment I got to the door, and opened it, stepping out of the house and into the dark, I exhaled in relief. Even though I was far from home, I had taken the first step.