Chapter 88 A kidnapping
Clio
I felt like a fugitive.
And it felt even dumber because that's what I made myself be. I felt like all the gazes around me suddenly turned cold and all the looks directed at me were full of suspicion.
They weren't wrong though... I was lying to everyone so it made sense but it was too heavy on me.
The night unfolded in an icy embrace as I wandered through the almost deserted streets, the chill in the air seeping through the fabric of my clothes. The flickering street lights cast long shadows, and the distant hum of the city seemed to fade into the haunting silence of the late hour.
Like a little child throwing a tantrum, I ran away. Well, not exactly that, I quietly slipped out so no one would notice but that wasn't very mature of me.
I felt so uncomfortable in Imani's house that I had to leave. That was foolish of me but I felt so embarrassed of myself... Not that it's Imani's fault or anything. She was trying her best to understand but she wanted answers too. And I really didn't want to say anything. What would I tell her? About how awful my life has been for the past several years? How I have been running and hiding for years? How everything I tried never brought me near to putting all of my troubles in the past??
My heart stung and I felt my chest get heavy.
Confusion hung heavy in the atmosphere, mirroring the disarray within my mind. The misty breath that escaped my lips blended with the cool night air, a visible manifestation of the uncertainty that enveloped me. It was summer but the night was cold, probably because of how much it has been raining.
The monsoon season will be soon over though. I guess it'll get hot again then.
I looked down at my feet and at the broken road I was walking on.
I should go back... If not back at Imani's place, then I should go back to my own apartment. Not that it's safe to go back there... The police said I could go back now if I wanted to, they had wrapped things up on their part but living alone after I got exposed would be stupid.
Should I go back to Matthew and Azef's place? But, to stay there when the owners of the house aren't even there...
I let out a sigh
It would be better than going back to Imani's place. I looked at the sky. But she would get worried if I don't get back, wouldn't she? It's already gotten so late.
I'll just text her that I'm going to stay at my place and I'll go and see if Matthew is back. I've been wanting to talk to him anyway. There are so many questions I want answers to,
As I turned a dimly lit corner, the solitude of the night shattered. Two ominous figures materialized from the shadows. Now it's not like I would immediately mark someone as shady but the moment I saw those two men in black, I felt it in my gut. The rhythmic echo of their footsteps as they made their way in my direction quickened my pulse.
In the dim glow of the streetlight, their faces remained obscured, adding to the menacing aura that surrounded them.
I immediately turned around and started walking in the other direction.
I'm just being paranoid.
I told myself that to calm myself down.
It's nothing. I'm fine. I'm overthinking. I should head back home! I sped up and began to brisk walk towards the direction of Imani's house but their steps synchronized with mine, creating an unsettling rhythm that resonated with the beating of my anxious heart.
OH! Shit!
They're getting closer aren't they? I kept walking, gaining more speed by the moment and then finally looked back.
!!!
They were right behind me and it made my heart drop.
SHIT!!! Shit!! I dropped all other thoughts and made a run for it. Who the hell cares if I'm wrong!? I'll think about everything else once I get home!! As soon as I started running, they ran after me.
And I knew I was right to run away
I ran out of the street, turning into a wider and bigger one when suddenly, the cold night air was pierced by the metallic click of a car door opening. A vehicle, inconspicuous yet foreboding, idled at the curb, its engine humming with ominous intent.
I noticed it immediately after my turn. Panic clenched at my chest as the realization set in.
I was being trapped.
The vehicle was in front of me, which made me slow down but I couldn't stop and turn around since there were people behind me.
Before I could react, the two shadowy figures lunged forward, their movements synchronized. Hands reached for me, and a chilling sense of vulnerability gripped me as they attempted to drag me toward the waiting vehicle.
NO!!!
Fear propelled me into action. Adrenaline surged, momentarily eclipsing the biting cold. I fought against their grasp.
"Stay away from me!" I yelled without restraint and tried to run but they caught me. I resisted their efforts to force me into the waiting car. My arms flailed in a wild attempt to break free, fingers digging into the cold air for any leverage against the iron grip that sought to ensnare me. Legs became a flurry of motion, "Let me go!!!"
Desperation fueled ingenuity as I summoned every ounce of strength to twist and turn within their clutches. A sharp elbow jab found its mark, momentarily disorienting one assailant.
!!!
I seized the opportunity, wrenching myself free from his hold, the liberated air feeling like a gasp of fleeting freedom and I made a run for it in the opposite direction.
"Get her!!" A third voice proclaimed and I knew it came from the car.
Heart pounding, I sprinted with every fiber of my being, feet pounding against the pavement. My breaths became ragged, mirroring the chaotic drumbeat of fear in my chest.
Is it them? Is it really them? Did they already catch on that I'm a girl? Within a day? Who else could it be? No one, so of course it's them.
Murim and his uncle
The distance between me and my pursuers widened. I've said this before too but I'm a very fast runner. I don't have a lot of stamina but I'm a good runner. And using that ability I ran like crazy.
But fate dealt an unexpected blow. The uneven pavement beneath me betrayed my desperate sprint. A misstep, a moment of imbalance, and suddenly, the ground rose up to meet me with a cruel force.
It all happened too fast and before I knew it my face came in contact with the hard concrete ground.
I stumbled, scraping against my palms and knees. The pain shot up in my body, especially my face and nose.
Huh?
But I still couldn't believe I failed and fell down. Actually, I couldn't think at all. It was like my brain stopped working at that moment. Maybe it was the result of hitting the ground so brutally.
I raised my head up and a hot trickle of blood came down my nose.
Huh?
As I lay sprawled on the cold pavement, disoriented and vulnerable, the men in black closed in once again, they grabbed me roughly and yanked me off the ground.
???
My world was simply spinning. I couldn't feel for a few seconds but once I was yanked off the ground the feelings started setting in again.
The car I had run away from came over as well. Slowly creeping its way in my direction. From the corner of my eye I saw it come and stand near the curb where I was standing.
No, where I was being held.
Wait, I shook my head, no.
Being held?
My brain that got hit when I fell finally started thinking again and I found myself caught.
NO!!!
They dragged me towards the car. As the chaotic scene unfolded around me, the instinct to escape surged within, fueled by a renewed sense of urgency.
NO! NO! NO!!
I started to resist again, "Hey!!" I yelled, "Let me go!!" I tried to flail my arms and my legs but a wave of pain cascaded through my body, particularly concentrated in my head. It felt as if a storm raged within the confines of my skull, each movement sending sharp tendrils of agony through my senses.
"Shut it girl," One of them finally spoke and rather than him speaking, what he spoke made me go completely still.
Girl...
They do know what they're doing. My heart pounded my chest and it kept getting intense as I instinctively knew it was them. Every heartbeat echoed in my temples, a drumbeat of torment that synchronized with the throbbing ache in my head.
My secret was out and now I was done for.
My eyes grew wide as they dragged me to the car. All my struggles flashed before my eyes as the side door opened once again. I felt my stomach churn
And then they violently threw me in the vehicle.