Chapter 15
The authorities have always been on my side. They gave me strength and protected me. We walked hand in hand. I could do anything. I felt invincible.
“Zoe, is that you?”
“Yes, daddy.”
Warm tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Zoe, I called you so many times, you didn’t pick up the phone. Is everything alright?”
I felt a faint touch of relief behind the thick fog of terror.
I raised my teary eyes to look at the reaper. He had a blank expression on his face, like there was no soul behind those eyes whatsoever.
“Yes. It’s fine.”
“Sweetheart, please, don’t worry, okay?”
Anxiety washed over me like a wave of icy-cold water.
“I’m in a hospital right now and...”
“Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m okay.”
He signed heavily and stayed silent.
His voice was shaking when he spoke again.
“Zoe, mom’s been in an accident. A truck T-boned her car. The driver lost control of it. She’s in a coma.”
I could no longer feel my body. The urge to lean on something was not just a need, but a vital necessity.
I was panting. My eyes darted to the floor, looking for something I wasn’t even aware of myself.
My right hand clutched my shirt, stretching it .
I thought I was going to fall and shatter into a thousand tiny shards, like the glass figurine I felt I was.
“Dad?”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“I love you both so much.”
He let out a heavy sigh. That sigh held so much pain and suffering he’d never tell me about.
I could feel my anger waking up from its slumber.
“We love you, too. I’ll call this number when I get any news.”
“Okay.”
This could be our last conversation. I didn’t think the reaper would allow me to speak to him again.
My chest felt heavy, like there was a concrete slab crushing it.
I didn’t know what else to tell him. I didn’t want to say goodbye. I felt like I was chopping away at a vital part of myself, about to lose it forever.
“Kiss mom for me.”
“Okay, honey. Take...”
The reaper ended the call, leaving me no time to say goodbye.
He slipped the phone in his pocket nonchalantly.
What if I’d said “yes” straight away? What would’ve happened, had I agreed to his terms?
She was in the hospital before I made any decision.
Why didn’t he let me choose? He made the choice for me.
Why? Had I not asked, I would’ve never learned she was in a hospital in the first place.
He’d have denied me a chance to say goodbye to her.
I balled my hands into fists hard enough to make the nails dig into my palms.
Anger was turning into rage. It was seething, spilling over from my chest and flowing through my body.
My gaze fell on the blue box he’d just opened. A dagger with a silver handle lay inside .
Would I be able to kill him? He’s standing too close to the box. I would never make it.
What about running away? There’s no way back. He knew where they were. I was trapped.
I wiped away the tears with a sleeve of my white shirt, now stained with dried blood.
My eyes were filled with venom. My heart brimmed with hatred looking to burst out. It overwhelmed my mind, wishing to break free.
I was going to take a step forward when he ordered:
“Take your clothes off.”
“What?”
I spat it out like an insult.
“I can call somebody to undress you.”
He took his phone out.
“I’ll take it off!”
My angry voice echoed across the room.
I took off my filthy shirt, balled it up and threw it in front of me defiantly. I removed my sneakers and socks, pulled my pants off. I was standing in my lime-green lingerie with a tiny yellow bow on the panties.
“Is that all?”
“No. The underwear has to go as well.”
My face twisted in anger.
I smiled uncomfortably, staring at the floor. I quickly unclasped my bra. It fell at my feet with a dull sound. Then I took off the panties.
He frowned a little, a tiny wrinkle showing between his eyebrows. His glance slowly slid from my neck to my breast, stomach, groin and legs.
He stared at me like he was trying to remember something, or maybe memorize what I looked like.
“Turn around. ”
I turned around, like a dog obeying a command.
I looked at the striped wallpaper on the wall. The clicking of his shoes echoed off the marble floor as he came closer. My eyes darted from side to side all this time in confusion.
What was he going to do? Why was he coming closer?
What if he’s got the knife?
That thought made me turn around. My feet caught on the sneakers. My left hand gripped his black shirt, crumpling the fabric in my fist. He gripped my wrist tightly, holding me in place.
Panting, I looked at my hand, still gripping a handful of his shirt. We were so close, I could feel the heat radiating from his body. Wasn’t he supposed to be cold, like the grim reaper?
He tilted his head down and I saw his irises. They were different from the color of his pupils and looked umber brown.
He smelled of wine, amber, musk and spices. The smell was too strong. It was suffocating me.
I let go of his shirt and took two steps back. I felt like I could get tainted by his ugly nature and turn into someone just like him.
His shirt was no longer perfect. It suited him better now. Evil shouldn’t hide behind a perfect facade.
He kept staring at me in silence and it annoyed me.
I could see his jaw muscles moving. Then he turned around and walked to the table.
“Get dressed.”
I turned my back to him and crouched down to pick my underwear up.
I got dressed hastily and turned back to him, meeting his gaze once more.
I still felt naked before him.
“How long do I have to take your orders for?”
He chuckled.
“You’re asking the wrong questions, Zoe. It should be, What else can I do for you? ”
How could I follow his orders, if the only things I felt for him were anger and repulsion?
I didn’t say anything.
“Now, let’s move on to the fun part.”
He took the dagger and began turning it in his hand. He came closer and handed it to me carefully.
His black gaze stared deep into me.
“Prove your loyalty to me.”
I frowned.
“Choose a non-vital part of your body and drive it deep into it. If the blade doesn’t go in deep enough, you’ll have to repeat it over and over until you do it the way I told you to.”
My eyes fell on the dagger. I could take the dagger and slit his throat. Could I really do it? I didn’t have a choice, I had to.
What if he ordered for my family to be killed if I were to stab him? The stakes were too high. I could not risk it.
“If you changed your mind, then...”
I quickly snatched the dagger.
I couldn’t believe I was actually doing it. Couldn’t believe I was capable of it.
Where should I aim it? An arm? A leg?
I raised my eyes to look at him.
Temptation was whispering in my ear. Maybe it was worth a try? He was standing just a few steps away from me. Close enough for a strike.
No.
This was an illusion. He’s taller, bigger, and definitely stronger than me. He isn’t stepping away for a reason. He’s toying with me, testing me. He definitely had a plan in case I tried to stab him. It would be too easy, and he’s not easy to deal with.
He’s not just some psycho killing for fun.
He’s a cold-blooded strategist. Every step he takes was calculated.
He’s too smart. He’s evil, he would suck everything he needs out of you.
And once you become useless, he’d get rid of you without a second thought.
He didn’t live in the shadows, he was darkness himself.
I couldn’t risk my parents. If I did as he said, I’d be able to help them even from here.
Maybe I’d even find a way to escape.
I looked down at the dagger and gripped the handle tight with my right hand. I took two deep breaths and slammed the dagger into my shoulder with one quick move.
I screamed loud enough for the echo to ring in my ears, stunning me. Too weak to stand, I bent over, dropping to my knees. The pain was so bad I thought I wouldn’t make it. It was searing hot. My shoulder was getting numb.
I turned to look at my shoulder and saw the dagger stuck deep in my flesh.
I felt like someone threw water in my eyes and it was flowing down my face now.
I saw the reaper crouching down next to me. I crawled to him, clawing at his knees.
“Help me, please.”
My voice was shaking from the pain and helplessness.
He smiled and ran his hand through my hair.
“Take it out, Zoe. I want to see you do it.”
Sobs escaped my throat.
My hand was shaking, which only made it worse. I pulled the dagger out in one fell swoop. My hand slipped and the pain grew worse, like I got stabbed once again.
I screamed at the top of my lungs, falling on my left side and doubling over. I was writhing in pain on the floor, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
I caught my breath and pulled at the dagger again, jerking the blade out of my shoulder and letting it land on the marble floor with a clink. My whole body was in agony. I was wailing and moaning as my body trembled. Then all my feelings grew dull.
I could no longer feel anything, and the room went dark.