Chapter 113: The Real Reason

Chapter 113: The Real Reason
She heard some rustling followed by the sound of opening and closing of the door. A tear rolled down and landed on the pillow below her head.
‘I shouldn’t. This is really important,’ she tried to tell herself but her body wouldn’t bulge. ‘Something’s wrong,’ her instinct told her repeatedly but her mind got nothing. With her eyes closed, she saw Chad tied up in an unknown dungeon. She’s never seen that place but it felt sickeningly familiar. Tied up beside him was another woman. The woman looked awfully familiar but she couldn’t recall.
She tried to move forward to untie the ropes but the feeling that some authoritative figure was watching her caused her actions to be limited. “Help me,” a soft cry at the side caught her attention. She turned to see Nelly tied up a little distance away from the two. Her face was tear-streaken, fear was apparent on her face.
Stacy immediately rushed towards her but the feeling of being watched caused her speed to reduce, like an unknown strength was holding her back. She tried her best to reach Nelly but as she looked around, the surrounding area became clearer. The view of hundreds and hundreds, even thousands of people tied to their respective poles in the dungeon caused her to stop in her tracks.
She looked around, feeling overwhelmed. Everyone was calling out to her for help. Anxiety creeped up on her, relentless and intense. The voices around her kept on going, like an endless loop of symphony. “Help me!” “Help!” The voices of men and women, little children, elderly people, familiar or strangers, were all calling out to her.
She pressed both her palms to her ears. “Stop! Just stop,” she said, overwhelmed by it all. The sound kept going, clear to her ears despite the barriers of her palms, surrounding her like a sound system.
“Stacy,” Chad’s voice stood out among the others’. “Stacy,” he called out again. She clasped her ears harder. “No! No, no, no!”
“Stacy, open your eyes,” Chad’s voice was nearer now. “No! Leave me alone! I can’t do this.. just leave me alone!” She screamed, almost hysterical.
She felt herself enveloped in a warm embrace. It felt safe, muffling out all of the voices out there. Slowly, she took deep breaths. ‘I’m saving everyone,’ she told herself, ‘I can’t afford to break down. I need to save everyone from that twisted fate.’ The voices out there faded out and dissolved in the background, leaving her in peace. Slowly, she opened her eyes. The afternoon sun shone in through the window and the man beside her kept her safe.
Her hand tightened around him, afraid that he might dissolve into thin air if she ever let go. ‘Please have mercy on me, to not let myself be in the situation where I had to see another person I cared for in pain,’ she prayed in her heart. Luckily, it was just a dream. A horrible nightmare.
Slowly, she pulled away. His gaze searched hers, worry apparent on his face. “I’m alright,” she said softly. “Are you sure?” She nodded.
“How long have I been out?” “Around 5 hours,” he said. ”Did anything happen in the meantime?” Chad chuckled. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about it. That’s my job. And no, nothing in particular happened.”
“I see.” The gears in her head started turning. Did she overthink it all? She started to doubt but her instincts were always right. “I’ll walk around a bit,” she said as she literally jumped out of bed. She had to verify why she was having the feeling. She didn’t want to talk to Chad about it. He’s got too much on his plate, she didn’t want to add something as insignificant as an instinct to it.
She walked mindlessly down the corridor. It just happened that Jack was leaving the room as she passed. He was closing the door when Stacy asked, “how’s Nelly doing?” Jack shook his head. “Not really good. She’s gotten a few nightmares.”
Their situation seemed similar but different in a way. Stacy tried to think, to find clues that pointed to the weird sensation she’s been having.
If what triggered Nelly was the scene in the room, then there should be something that’s triggered her as well. That made sense. It all started in the dungeon. It must’ve started there, something about the place or something in the place must’ve ticked her off. However, she wasn’t prepared to go back down there yet.

Stacy stood by the window and watched the men moving on and about with their lives. It’s been hours and she was still at the same spot, observing as they went into the garage and worked on their bikes for hours till the time when they finally got out. She was there to see them ride their bikes out. When they came back, she was still in the same spot holding the same pose by the window.
She was bored but didn’t have the strength nor the motivation to take the initiative to do anything. She simply stared out the window as if it was a movie.
The trigger was yet to be found and her instinct was yet to be verified. Yet, she stood leisurely by the window. While she looked at leisure, the uneasiness in her heart only grew as time ticked by.
She looked down at her hands. The procrastination had been going on for longer than intended. ‘When there’s no way, I should make a way. What am I even doing?’ She thought. She should never stop trying and would give her all to reach her goal. Yet, here she was, surviving and well but lacked the motivation she used to have.
With a newfound determination, she pushed herself off the wall she’s been leaning on and marched to her destination. She wouldn’t find anything new by idling by the window and watching everyone else going on with their activities.