14. Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I woke the next morning to a cold bed. I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. Benedikt was a busy man. Especially now. I wasn’t certain, but I think they’d added more guards since last I checked. I hopped into the shower and washed quickly, thinking of the changes I’d seen.
Not only were there guards I’d never seen before, but I was almost certain the security cameras had doubled. When I walked the grounds, I would look at the gate to see how they were letting people through.
I got dressed quickly and headed out of the room. I searched for Benedikt, but didn’t see him as I headed out. I walked the grounds and noticed that they were checking IDs and trunks.
A little bewildered, I trudged through the forest. Why was there so much security? Something was going on, and I wanted to ask Benedikt about it, but I couldn’t see him anywhere around.
The moment the first shot rang out, it shattered the stillness of the forest, like glass breaking. It echoed through the trees, a sharp crack that sent birds erupting into the air, their wings a flurry of panic, against the muted greens and browns of the woods. My heart thundered in my chest, the sudden noise tearing through the calm as I froze, instinctively pressing myself against the rough bark of a nearby tree, feeling the coolness of the wood seeping through my shirt.
The second shot followed quickly, a loud pop that resonated deeper this time, as if the very earth had groaned in response. I could feel the vibrations traveling through the ground, making the leaves around me tremble. It was closer, too close, and I swallowed hard; the adrenaline pumping through my veins as fear gripped me.
The forest was alive with chaos, the sounds of gunfire slicing through the usual rustle of leaves and distant calls of wildlife. Every shot felt like a warning, a reminder of the danger lurking just beyond the thicket. I could hear the distant shouts of men, their voices raised in urgency, but they sounded far away, muffled by the trees, and the rising panic in my chest.
I took off. Shouts rang out around me as I saw the compound come into view. A guard raised his gun and shot behind me, as soon as I was in view. I dove toward the house and hid alongside the wall, a hand on my heaving chest.
“Isadora!” Benedikt roared.
“I’m here,” I croaked. My throat throbbed with tears as the adrenaline fell off me.
Benedikt came around the corner with his gun drawn. My gaze met his eye patch, and I waited until he came to me.
“Are you hurt?” He demanded, holstering his gun and running a hand over me.
“N-no.” I trembled.
He checked me all over for wounds, before forcing me into his grasp. “I’m going to find these fuckers and kill them. Head up to our room.” He let me go, and I raced away.
I ran straight to our room and slid underneath the bed. I wasn’t coming out until Benedikt told me to. I hadn’t expected the compound to be attacked. I could hear the firing of gunshots, and I covered my ears.
I wasn’t back there.
I was alright.
I was a good girl. I was a good girl. I was a good girl.
The mantra played repeatedly while the men fought the intruders. I trembled underneath my bed. My head was stuck in a reel of horror. Headmaster Mikhail forced me to do so many things, and my foggy brain was trying to remind me.
Something horrible lurked deep inside my mind.
An awful that I didn’t want to touch.
I couldn’t help my spiral. I shivered and shook as I remembered the snakes, slithering along my skin, after the rats nibbled my flesh. Their cool bodies forced me to lie as still as possible, but it hadn’t helped. They bit me as they attacked the rats. I watched as they ate them whole, and slept against my body.
I cried silently as they slithered along me, getting warm until my body grew cold. Then Headmaster Mikhail would remove me from the crypt. He would command me to do terrible sex acts. If I denied him, he would force me back into the coffin.
If only I could remember where I came from.
Maybe I could find a way from the Bratva. From this life. I would end up Benedikt’s wife if I continued living this lie. What if he hurt me like the other men? I couldn’t bear to live with his betrayal.
Time passed, I didn’t know how much, until the sounds wore down. There was no more shouting. I stayed underneath the bed. It reminded me of the crypt, but I tried to keep the rest of those memories buried. What I’d found was enough.
I didn’t want to know more.
I heard footsteps and held my breath, wondering who was coming. They stopped at the foot of the bed. I covered my mouth, trying to quell my breathing.
“Isadora,” Benedikt groaned .
I dragged myself out from under the bed. Benedikt looked pristine in his suit, like he hadn’t gone hunting down the men who’d broken in.
“What is going on?” I whispered.
“Everything is taken care of for now. I need you to follow me.” He was so serious.
I didn’t ask him any further questions. Surely there was a meeting about how to keep the mansion safe. Benedikt would make sure that this didn’t happen again.
I could trust in that, even if I didn’t believe in anything else.
We walked into an office and I looked around, confused.
“What’s going on? Why are we here?” I spun, trying to figure out the puzzle in front of me.
“Nothing for you to worry about. Just say yes, and then you can go back upstairs to rest,” he said.
Yes, to what? I wondered, but I didn’t voice it out loud.
A man came into the room wearing a priest’s robe. I barely looked at his face, as I was entranced, because someone of the cloth was there. I didn’t understand. It wasn’t until Benedikt and I were standing, hand in hand, in front of him as he said our vows, that I realized I was getting married.
Covered in dirt. I had leaves in my hair. But Benedikt didn’t care. He was determined to get it done. I signed my name on the paper, noting the last name, and wondering how Benedikt knew what my last name was.
I wanted to find out more about my family, but maybe there was a reason I didn’t remember them.
Benedikt escorted me back to the stairs, and I was dazed.
“W-why did you marry me? I thought we had time. I don’t understand what’s happening,” I mumbled numbly.
“Shh, there’s nothing to worry about,” Benedikt murmured.
He helped me into the bed. I watched drowsily as he tucked me in, after removing most of my clothes. I didn’t understand why I felt like this. During the ceremony, there was a brief sting on my finger. I’d looked down, and saw a prick where my ring must’ve caught on my digit, and since Benedikt hadn’t looked alarmed, neither did I.
I thought it was some kind of blood oath, but maybe I was wrong.
Benedikt stumbled away from the bed, and I watched from lidded eyes as he walked away. He looked like he had the entire world on his shoulders, and his patch needed cleaning, since it was covered with dust.
Strange that he seemed so put together.
I blinked for a long time, and then I couldn’t remember what else I was thinking about. My thoughts drifted to nothingness, and I knew no more.