Chapter 16 - Grace
Walking down to the kitchen, I had a glass of water. Stomachaches weren’t something I was used to. There was a slight dampness across my face. Plus, I felt a little lightheaded. Something wasn’t right. It could be the start of a cold, I thought, sipping some water. Although my throat didn’t feel sore, I didn’t have a cough.
Walking through the house, I looked for Makari. I had to ask him to get some medicine. The house was quieter than I was used to. Pavel was always playing his music in one of the rooms. Or I would hear Makari talking to someone on the phone. He was loud.
If they had to go, they always told me. So, I was sure they were around here somewhere. I peeked into Makari’s office, the library, his room, the lounge, and even Pavle’s room. There was no sign of either of them.
This was odd, and I felt a hint of fear developing in the back of my mind as I cleared the entire house. Back in the kitchen, I held my stomach, leaning back against the counter. I tried to remember if there were any rooms I had missed.
Pavel took me on a quick tour of the house after I had settled. But I couldn’t remember if there were other places they could go. I decided to check outside and see if both their vehicles were still parked out front, so I headed for the back door.
As I reached out for the doorknob, I noticed a crack in the wall next to the door. I hadn’t seen it before. Sure, it was new. I traced my finger along the line. As I got halfway down, I felt the wall pushing in. I almost screamed as the wall gave way, but managed to keep it in.
It was a secret door with stairs leading down. Feeling positive that it was a basement, and that they had to be there, I headed down. I was about halfway down the last set of steps when I heard Makari’s voice. “Talk,” he said harshly.
Taking the last couple of steps two at a time, I almost fell into the room. Finding my balance, I felt my body freezing over as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. At first, I didn’t want to believe my eyes.
Makari was standing with his back to me. Before him was a man tied to a chair, and a couple of feet behind him was another one. Pavel stood beside Makari, holding the man's hand flat on the steel table. Makari’s one arm was raised. He was holding a hammer in it.
Makari swung down with force, smashing the man’s hand. I heard the bones breaking as the hammer made contact. His screams were muffled by a cloth stuffed into his mouth. His eyes were swollen, and blood ran down one side of his face.
I had never seen such gruesomeness in my life. I didn’t even like horror movies due to things like this. Standing there, I felt my stomach turn. My body was trembling as fear crippled me. I tried closing my eyes, but it felt like they were as big as saucers.
After my talk with Tasha and Nadia, I knew their world was bad, but this! Nothing could have prepared me to see Makari acting so animalistic and violent. I wasn’t made for the horror unfolding before me.
I tried to turn and run, but felt glued to the floor. My legs were numb, frozen to the core. This kind of brutality was inhumane. He was surely a monster as I watched him pick up a knife and jab it into the man's thigh.
Makari had pulled out the knife and pushed his finger into the hole, turning it as he screamed at the man. “Who do you work for?”
The man's scream echoed through my mind. Pavel suddenly tapped Makari on the shoulder, pointing towards me. I wanted to run, to disappear, but my body wouldn’t move. Makari stopped what he was doing and spun around.
As our eyes met, the color drained from his face. He went as white as a snow dove. I could see the shock on his face. Holding up his hands, he started coming towards me slowly.
“Grace,” he breathed out. “I can explain. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
Confusion flooded my mind as I looked from him to the man tied up in the chair. “We were only trying to get to the truth, the bottom of all this chaos,” Makari added.
Feeling life returning to my limbs, I turned and ran up the stairs. I couldn't look at the man for a second longer. I felt my breakfast pushing up as I stumbled into the kitchen.
“Grace,” I heard Makari calling from behind me somewhere.
My mind was hazy. I tried to make sense of the images, but nothing was clear. Reaching the stairway, I grabbed the railing as I huffed. Tears streamed down my face, and my lungs were on fire.
I felt Makari’s hands on my shoulders. Shaking him off, I turned and stared at him. “Grace, please,” Makari said, reaching out to me.
“No, no, no, don’t touch me!” I screamed through my sobs.
Makari raised his hands again as he spoke. “Please, Grace, I promise we’re only trying to get the truth from him.”
As his words finally sunk in, it struck me. They thought he was the man from the shooting or one of the men who came after me. I felt a surge of anger forcing its way up.
“No!” I screamed. My voice broke slightly as I continued. “Why didn’t you ask me to help? Those men have done nothing. I have never seen them before!”
Walking backward up the stairs away from him, I continued. “If you only asked me to identify them! This wasn’t necessary. They didn’t do it!”
Feeling my full functioning return, I ran to my room. I didn’t want to talk to him. I didn’t even want to see him anymore. I shut the door and fell down on the bed, burying my head in the pillows.
My body shook as I cried. Hearing footsteps approaching, I swallowed my cries. I knew it was him. Turning, I moved up to sit against the headboard, pulling my legs up to my chest. What would he do to me now that I’ve seen what they do?
I jumped as he knocked on the door. Taking a deep breath, I tried calming my voice as I spoke. “No, go away.”
“Grace,” Makari’s voice came through the door. “Please let me come in.”
I sat staring at the door, hoping he would go away. But he didn’t. The door opened slowly, and Makari popped his head around the side. “Please, Grace, let me explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain,” I huffed. “I want to leave. Please let me leave,” I added pleadingly.
Makari stepped in and closed the door behind him. Shifting back more, I pulled the pillows up. I hugged them to my body, trying to form a shield between us.
“You can’t leave,” he said softly.
“No, I can’t stay here. I have to leave,” I replied.
Makari lowered his head. I could see he was breathing in deeply as his chest expanded and fell. “It’s not safe, Grace. You know that,” he added.
Looking at him pleadingly, I could hear the fear in my tone as I spoke again. “No, it’s not safe here. Take me someplace else, then. I refuse to stay here in this house with the two of you. I will still do my part, but I can’t be where you are torturing people.”
Makari’s face dropped. It looked like I had slapped him. He sighed before responding. “Okay, I will call my brother. You can stay with him and Tasha, then, if that will put you at ease?”
“Yes,” I replied shortly. I watched as he turned and left.
I quickly gathered my things and packed my bag. I sat on the edge of the bed until he came back.
“Okay,” Makari said, opening the door. “Vadik and Tasha are on their way. Can I help with your bag?”
“No,” I grumbled, holding it tight. “You have done enough.”
He turned and walked downstairs. I followed behind him, leaving a couple of feet between us. My heart was still stuck in my throat, and my nausea was almost at breaking point.
Makari opened the door and walked out. I sat down on the steps as he stood in the driveway, waiting for his brother.