Chapter 36
Time felt gentle, a precarious calm. Sophia and I left her school, her small hand warm in mine, her chatter a happy hum. The air was crisp, the sun hung low, and shadows stretched. I smiled at her story. Then a van roared.
It swerved over the curb, tires shrieking, stopping inches from us-a black beast that cut off our path. My breath caught, a scream died in my throat.
Men spilled from the vehicle like a dark tide, hard faces and glimmering eyes. Their hands moved too fast. Time splintered into shards. I had no chance.
One lunged for Sophia, his grip tight. He yanked her from me; her small body jolted, her backpack slipped and hit the ground.
Horror clawed at my chest, raw and suffocating. "No, let her go!" I screamed, my voice tearing free. I threw myself at him, my fists pounding uselessly against muscle and leather. My nails raked his jacket, desperation fueling me.
But there were too many. A wall of force. They swatted me aside.
Hands seized my arms, wrenching me back with bruising strength. I kicked, twisted, fought, adrenaline surging. "Sophia!" I shrieked, my voice cracked. I glimpsed her wide, terrified eyes.
Another man shoved me toward the van's mouth. I stumbled, my sneakers skidding.
Then I saw it: a narrow gap between two men, a fleeting chance. I didn't think. I ran.
My legs pumped, my heart slamming my ribs. I bolted toward the fence; the playground was a blur of color and hope. "Help!" I yelled, my voice raw, praying someone would hear. But they were faster, their boots pounding like war drums.
A hand snagged my sweater, yanking me back with force. My head snapped forward. I crashed to my knees, gravel biting my palms. Pain flared.
But I scrambled up, swinging wildly. My fist connected with a jaw, solid, unyielding. A grunt escaped him, but they didn't slow.
"Stupid bitch," one growled, his voice a snarl. He grabbed my hair, twisting it until I gasped. Tears sprang to my eyes.
They dragged me back, my heels scraping the asphalt. They hurled me into the van, its shadowed belly. I hit the rusted floor hard; the impact jarred my spine.
Then Sophia landed beside me, a crumpled heap in the dimness. Her small form was motionless, but breathing.
They didn't hurt me. Not yet. They didn't need to. I'm no fighter. The fight left me the moment I saw her there, vulnerable and still.
I scrambled to her, my knees scraping the floor. I pulled her head into my lap, her curls soft and tangled against my trembling hands.
Tears burned my face, hot and unstoppable. I pressed my scarf, bright blue, now dark with blood, against the gash at her temple.
It wasn't deep, just a cut from the chaos. But her blood smeared my fingers. My stomach lurched. "Sophia, please," I whispered, shaking her gently. But she didn't stir, her lashes still against her pale cheeks. Her chest rose faintly.
The men ignored us, their voices a clamor. They barked directions, arguing over routes, gruff snippets about backroads and timing.
I kept my head bowed; my world shrank to the fragile girl in my arms. Her blood seeped through the fabric.
I sobbed quietly, my fingers stroking her hair, a futile comfort. The van rocked and swayed, the engine humming.
Roads jolted, marking our descent into the unknown. No windows, just darkness and the stench of oil and sweat.
We must've left the city. Minutes bled into hours. The air grew colder. But I couldn't look up, couldn't risk their attention. Fear pinned me, my focus locked on Sophia's shallow breaths, each one a thread tethering me to sanity.
When the van lurched to a stop, the side door ripped open with a metallic groan. Harsh daylight flooded the space; it stabbed my eyes.
I screamed. Hands tore me from Sophia, my nails scrabbled at the air. They pried her from my lap. "No, don't touch her!" I shrieked. Terror spiked.
Her unconscious form dangled in their grip, defenseless, fragile, a ragdoll. I lunged, clawing at the nearest arm.
A fist slammed into my stomach, a brutal punch that stole my breath. It buckled my knees. Pain exploded, white-hot and nauseating. I crumpled to the floor, gasping, clutching my midsection. The world tilted.
One of them was huge, a scarred jaw. He hoisted me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. My body was limp. He stalked into a house, my vision swimming. Upside-down glimpses of peeling paint, sagging beams, and cracked windows flashed past.
The air was thick with must and rot. Angry voices rumbled, a chorus of men with weapons. Guns glinted at their hips; eyes tracked us with cold appraisal.
He stomped up stairs, the creaking wood announcing our ascent. The house groaned, a decaying shell swallowing us whole.
He flung me down in a tiny room. My tailbone slammed against floorboards, a jolt that rattled my teeth. A bed loomed two feet away, its rusted frame bolted to the floor.
He didn't soften my fall. He just turned and stalked out. The door banged shut with a hollow thud. His low chuckle echoed through the wood, his footsteps faded-a cruel taunt. Fresh panic crashed over me.
I spun, my eyes darting around the cramped space. Bare walls streaked with grime. Rotting bookshelves, too brittle to hold anything. A bed that wouldn't budge, no matter how I shoved. No escape. No defense.
My sweater snagged on my trembling fingers. I sank against the wall, wrapping my arms around myself, sobbing into silence.
Alexander would come. He had to. His dominance. His will. My only lifeline. But how could he find us? We vanished, swallowed by this nightmare.
I was alone, Sophia torn from me. Her blood stained my hands. My mind spiraled with every second she was out of sight.
I replayed the attack: the van, the men, my failed sprint, searching for a clue, a detail. But it was a blur of chaos and terror. Had anyone seen? Had Sophia's teacher noticed before it peeled away? The questions gnawed, relentless. No answers came.
Despair clawed deeper. Footsteps thudded outside the door, heavy, deliberate, a predator's stride. My heart plummeted, a sick lurch.
I scrambled to my feet, backing away until my spine hit the wall. My eyes locked on the handle. It twitched. It began to turn. Dread coiled tight around my throat.
I pressed my hands against the peeling plaster, my nails digging in, as if I could melt into it. Disappear.
The door creaked open, a slow, taunting reveal. A shadow loomed in the frame, tall, broad, faceless against the dim hall light. My breath hitched. A whimper escaped.
I braced for whatever came next. My mind screamed Alexander's name into the void.