Chapter 5 – Ellie
I lay sprawled across the bed, lost in a dream world in the middle of the night. I couldn’t remember what the dream was about, but I remembered that faint voice in my head.
It was barely above a whisper, laced with a hint of urgency.
Wake up, Ellie. Wake up.
I let out a weak groan, intoxicated by sleep and too lazy to open my eyes. Even though I could already feel an invisible force pulling me out of my dream, I still resisted, refusing to wake up.
It had been four more days since my last encounter with that man from the restaurant. And during that time, I’d barely had a good night’s rest. I was always so jumpy, so suspicious of every move and every individual I came across.
Fear had deprived me of quality sleep for three days straight. Now that I was finally able to rest my head in peace, I didn’t want anything ruining it for me.
Sleep was too expensive these days. Why waste this opportunity?
However, that pesky little voice in my head wouldn’t shut the fuck up. It kept telling me to wake up as if the freaking house were on fire. I didn’t want to listen to my intrusive thoughts because, in my mind, it was just my paranoia talking.
Dammit, girl! Wake up! the voice snapped, as if pissed at my deliberate disobedience.
My eyelids flew open, and immediately, a frown settled on my face. I locked my jaw, furious at the fact that there was no one to vent my anger at. This was all me—my stupid paranoia.
I lay on my back, fingers curling tightly into fists as I stared into space. With everything going on at the moment, there was no telling when next I’d enjoy such a peaceful sleep again. And that alone infuriated me.
“I’m awake. Happy now?” I grumbled, rising from the bed.
My feet settled on the cool wooden floor, and I straightened, my chest heaving with slow breaths. I combed my fingers through my hair and rubbed my eyes while heading toward the door.
The plan was to head down to the kitchen and get a glass of water. But I’d barely taken two steps out of my bedroom when I heard a noise downstairs.
I froze for a second, listening more closely. Was someone in my house? My heart skipped a beat as I walked toward the top of the stairs with cautious steps.
I could’ve sworn that I heard muffled voices from the living room. But as I drew closer, all I heard was the neighbor’s dog barking outside.
Get back inside and lock your bedroom door. Hell, call 911! I said to myself.
Calling 911 sounded like a good idea, but what was I going to tell them? I had no proof that anyone had broken into my house.
Carefully, I walked down the stairs, my legs trembling beneath me, eyes scanning every corner. I flinched as a loud clap of thunder crashed outside, the lightning flash brightening the dark room for a fleeting second.
My hand flew to my chest, as if to prevent my heart from jumping out. I reached the base of the stairs and stopped, my watchful eyes roaming the living room. When I tried to turn on the lights, I realized the power was out.
Great.
Everything seemed fine, and nothing was out of the ordinary. There were no signs of breaking and entering. Yet I couldn’t shake the unease brewing within me. The shadows in my own house were creeping me out in ways that made my skin crawl.
The dryness in my throat reminded me of why I’d come down here in the first place. To drink some water. Without hesitation, I made my way to the kitchen, grabbed a glass, and turned on the tap.
While gulping water down my throat, I noticed something strange. The east window was open, and the curtains were swirling in the wind.
Wait. Didn’t I close that?
Lightning flashed again, exposing a momentary glimpse of the entire room.
Suddenly, I had this weird feeling that something was wrong. I could sense another presence around me, even though it appeared that I was alone in the house.
My expression turned serious, and I set the glass down on the countertop. I reached for the knife in the rack and armed myself with it, then began slowly walking toward the east window.
As I drew closer, I noticed a stain at the base of the window. A set of muddy footprints.
Fuck.
My breath hitched, and panic set in.
Someone was in my house.
I tried to reach for my phone, then I remembered I had left it in my bedroom. So I turned around instantly and sprinted toward the stairs.
That’s when two masked men dashed out of the shadows like creatures of the night. I screamed, slashing the knife through the air. One slipped behind me with a single sweep and grabbed me by the waist.
Without hesitation, I jabbed the blade into his arm, forcing him to let go. He stumbled backward, groaning with the knife still buried in his flesh.
The other rushed at me, his footsteps heavy and menacing. Reflexively, I grabbed the nearest table lamp and smashed it into his skull. In the same instant, I kicked him in the balls as hard as I could.
His knees knocked, and he clutched his groin as he dropped to the floor, groaning. I raced up the stairs, my heart hammering against my ribs.
“Get over here!” a deep voice bellowed in accented English.
A hand grabbed my leg from below, the grip tightening by the second. I glanced down and there he was, the guy with a blade in his arm. He’d stumbled onto the steps and was holding on to my leg like a lifeline.
“Let…go!” I yelled, kicking him in the face over and over until blood began seeping from underneath his mask.
I might’ve broken his nose.
“Fuckin’ bitch!” He pulled against my leg, dragging me down the steps with a single tug.
My ribs crashed violently into the wooden edges, but my brain was too alert to register the pain. With all that adrenaline coursing through my blood, all I could think of right now was how to survive the night.
We both groaned at the base of the stairs, each struggling to rise. By then, the second man was already on his feet, glaring at me with murderous intent.
I spotted my keys on the table and made a run for them without thinking twice. The man with the blade in his arm charged at me, his strong hands seizing my waist from behind.
I struggled against his grip, screaming for help, arms and legs flailing in the air. The second man approached me with a syringe in his hand. They wanted to drug me. I had no idea what he was about to inject me with, and there was no telling whether it was lethal.
Adrenaline kicked in, and driven by sheer survival instinct, I responded immediately. I lowered my head, my chin resting on my chest as I gathered momentum.
A split second later, I slammed the back of my head into my attacker’s face. He dropped me immediately, groaning like a wounded beast. I yanked the knife from his arm, the blade tearing through his flesh.
Blood spilled over the floor.
By now, the guy with the syringe was close enough. But before he could make any moves, I dropped to his feet and drove the same knife into his boot.
He cried out in pain, his legs shaking. The syringe slipped from his hand as he looked down at the knife pinning his foot to the floor.
I rushed over to the table, snatched the keys off the surface, and sprinted toward the door.
The men were groaning behind me, furious.
I fumbled with the keys at the door more than I’d intended, my heart racing. I’d hurt those men in ways that even shocked me, so if I got caught, I’d be done for.
Whatever they’d planned to do to me before would be nothing compared to what they’d do to me now.
“I’m gonna kill you!” one growled.
I stole a glance over my shoulder and saw the first guy take off his mask and wipe the blood from his nose. He looked upset. Very upset.
Come on! I literally begged the door to open, and finally, it did.
However, my excitement was short-lived when I collided with someone at the entrance. He was tall and muscular, with a familiar scent that invaded my senses. Running into him was like hitting a brick wall, and his presence left me weak in the knees.
His physique filled the doorway, leaving no room for me to slip through. Like a stumbling block, he stood in my path, rigid and unmoving.
Slowly, I raised my head, my heart thumping in my chest. My breath ceased when I saw his face. It was him. The same man from the restaurant. The Mafia boss.
Fuck.
Goosebumps crawled over my skin, and I swallowed hard against the dryness in my throat. He didn’t speak a word, but that cold look in his eyes was enough to quench the fire burning within me seconds ago.
He took two steps forward while I simultaneously took two steps backward. The proximity was suffocating. The scent of cologne filled the air around me, rich yet intoxicating.
I locked eyes with him as I quietly backed away, struggling to steady my heartbeat. His gaze shifted to the men behind me, and his expression tightened ever so slightly, almost as though he were shocked by the state he found them in.
When he halted before me and leaned in, I felt his warm, fresh breath against my skin.
“Resist again, and I’ll forget you’re a lady,” he said, his voice deep and calm, laced with warning.
I swallowed.
For some reason, I lost the will to fight. Not because I was afraid of him, but because his presence made me feel something I had yet to name.
He straightened, brushing off the invisible dust on his black coat. “You’re coming with me.”
My heart sank, yet I didn’t resist. I couldn’t. I just stood there, frozen in place, wondering what it was about this man that weakened me.
Was it his powerful presence? Or the aura he exuded? Whatever it was, I hated how much of an effect it had on me.
This man was able to subdue me without lifting a finger or even trying at all. What the hell?
Who was he exactly?