Chapter 5 #2
"She's a pretty one, though," another one commented. "Too bad she's running away. What did you do to make her want to bolt, Zach?"
I stood my ground, my voice tight with anger. "Zach, let me leave."
A cold shiver ran down my spine, but I refused to back down.
Zach's friends stepped forward, blocking my path as he walked backwards, staring me down.
Without a word, I slowly bent down and slipped my heels off.
My heart raced, but I knew I had to be prepared for whatever they were about to do.
Zach didn't move an inch, his gaze never leaving me as he awaited my next move.
I straightened up, my bare feet cold against the ground, and locked eyes with him. "Don't do something you'll regret, you stupid bastard," I said, my voice low and dangerous, laced with warning.
But Zach only chuckled again, shaking his head. "You're making this worse for yourself, Bella."
Before I could react, one of his friends lunged at me, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward him. I swung a punch at him, but another guy grabbed my wrist, twisting it painfully.
"Ah! Fucking psychos!"
I kicked at them, desperate to break free. But there were too many of them, and their strength was overpowering. Zach joined them.
"Let go of me!"
I heard the tearing of fabric as one of them grabbed my shirt, ripping it as they pulled me to the ground.
The cold air hit my skin.
I tried to kick them again, my bare feet finding their mark as I dug into one of their legs with my heel. He let out a grunt of pain, but it wasn't enough to stop him.
"Stupid bitch," he yelled.
Another guy grabbed my hair, pulling my head back as he leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. "You should've played nice, Bella. Now you're going to regret it."
I struggled, fighting with everything I had, kicking and slapping with all my strength.
My hands were trembling, but I wasn't going to let them take me down that easily. I could feel their hands on me, pushing, shoving, tearing at my clothes. My chest tightened as panic threatened to set in.
I couldn't fight them all off.
But I wasn't giving up.
I turned to the one holding my legs and dug my teeth into his arm until I tasted blood.
With a burst of adrenaline, I managed to break free from the grip of one of them.
I slammed my heel into the side of Zach’s face, catching him in the eye. He screamed in pain, stumbling back. Without thinking, I took off, running down the alleyway.
My heart raced as I sprinted into the street, desperate to get away.
I'm sure if my mother could see me right now, she'd be delighted.
My sprained ankle made me slower as I could hear the thumping of their feet running closer. I ran into the street.
I didn't hear the car until it was almost too late. A loud screech of tires made me freeze. I turned just in time to see headlights approaching at breakneck speed.
I leaped back, the car kissing my ribs and sending me to the ground.
The car came to a screeching halt, its brakes protesting.
I staggered, my body bruised and shaking, my head spinning from the chaos. I instinctively reached out for the car's body, gripping the side to steady myself.
But then I saw them.
Zach and his friends were standing at the edge of the street, grinning like wolves.
They approached, their smiles sickly sweet, as if nothing had happened.
Zach held my gaze as he grabbed my arm, digging his fingers into my skin. He pulled me back from the car.
"Going somewhere, Bella?" he sneered, his hands gripping me too tightly.
I could barely think straight, my head pounding from the pain. I looked towards the car, my eyes pleading.
I couldn't scream.
My blood-stained lips refused to open. But just as they yanked me backward, the passenger door of the car swung open.
My heart skipped a beat. It might just have stopped.
Out stepped three men, and they walked closer to where Zach and the guys stood holding me down.
A man, tall and broad-shouldered, with sharp features and a cold, unreadable expression was among them. He looked like he'd just stepped out of a mafia action movie, his face hard and menacing.
It wasn't just his appearance that shocked me, it was the way he carried himself, like he didn't care about the chaos around him. He barely acknowledged Zach and his friends as they stared at him.
He bent closer, his eyes becoming visible to me. My mouth hung open in shock.
Those trapping hazel eyes.
O-old man?
His gaze swept over me, and then his eyes swept to Zach, his face hardening. The atmosphere shifted. It was like all the tension in the alleyway had frozen.
"Let her go," the man said, his voice low but dangerous.
Zach hesitated, his grip on me tightening as he turned toward him, confusion in his eyes. "And who the hell are you?"
He didn't respond.
Instead, he stepped closer, his movements deliberate and calm. He grabbed Zach's wrist in one swift motion and twisted it hard.
Zach let out a yelp of pain and released me, stumbling back.
"Catch them all and take them to the red room," he said and the other two men ran after Zach and his friends.
I laid there, dazed, my body aching, feeling the weight of everything that had just happened.
My mind was reeling.
In the middle of the chaos, I barely noticed the ache in my legs, the bruises forming across my body, or the cuts on my arms. But the moment the danger passed, my body finally gave in, and everything felt like it was catching up to me.
I could barely breathe, my throat tight, tears brimmed in my eyes, but I couldn't cry.
"I leave for less than a month and this happens. What did I say about these young boys, Ara?" he muttered, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around my body as he lifted me off the ground.
"If you're a dream, please d-don’t disappear," I whispered, a tear sliding down my cheek as I let myself sink into the abyss knowing the old man will protect me.
Moral lesson: If you feel like running someone over, do it and make sure they aren't breathing anymore. I learned it the hard way.