The sensation floating in my heart was suffocating. The intense beating of my heart, the blanched worry of what was about to happen…it had tightened my throat walls and made it so painful to swallow. I could feel the tension so tangible in the air.
With signs of distress carefully covered by my façade, I neared Mrs. Zhao's old Honda car, which was parked right in front of the police station, and eyed stoic Sana with worry. I wanted to convey my emotions…confess my fears, but I couldn't. the wind had started blowing softly, outside, and the chirps of birds were slowly turning mute. It was almost evening.
Till now, this eerie woman had shown no signs of harming me. She seemed so quiet and thoughtful, as she led us to the car and inserted her car-key in its hole. I was cautious about her every move. What was she going to do next?
Frowning, I watched as she turned her head to look behind me and nod. The cameras could easily capture her actions. There were guards standing near the police station's gate-looking to sense any strange moves, so it didn't make any sense for this woman to be so bold with her actions. Also, who was she even gesturing?
About to turn around, my lungs felt like they had been knocked out of breath as something sharp suddenly poked me in the and Sana leaned closer to my right ear, "Go and sit in this car," she whispered. I gasped. What?
"Go," I wasn't needed to be told twice.
Suppressing a betrayed cry and nearly tripping over my own feet, I hastily headed towards the car and sat in its passenger seat. The astonishing level of shock and fear my heart felt was surreal. Sana was in on it? She seemed stoic, robotic…but I thought of her as Maggie's right hand. She had managed to be this deceiving? I felt so trapped.
Sana was probably going to get away with this. People like her were the reason Sid was able to outsmart the police, each time. And it pained me so much that I would be abducted before Maggie got to know about this betrayal. Obviously, but it would be too late by then. Sid would have me disappeared in no time.
Crying tears of helplessness, my heart jumped as my abductor sat in the driving seat. Her melodramatic acting was long gone as she shifted the gear bar, pressed one foot against the race and had us speeding down the vacant streets of my town. I grabbed on to my seat in mute fear.
The car windows were rolled down as the wind made my flowing tears feel cold. Nervously eyeing the creepy lady, watching as she kept her gaze straight ahead and gripped firmly on the car wheel, my heart sank in despair. Mrs. Zhao seemed so different from her 'depressed wife' character. She almost seemed so cold, malicious and deadly-someone belonging to a gang or something. What was she going to do with me? Where was she taking me?
Not being able to handle the suspense, I finally stuttered what had been on my mind for such a long time, "W-who are you?"
"I am not Mrs. Zhao…if you are wondering," she supplied, not looking at me. I frowned.
"I-I k-know, but w-who are y-you really and w-where are you t-taking me?"
The woman suppressed a frustrated sigh, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. "I am Tania, the head of Sid's west side gang. I have been given strict instructions to bring you to our southern warehouse. You will be staying there for a while." She mused, making me tremble.
"W-Why? W-What does your boss want?"
"I don't know." She actually sounded a bit rueful, but I didn't need that. Her sympathy was not needed when she was the one abducting me.
Rubbing my eyes in devastation, I simply turned to gaze outside the window and heaved a whimper, knowing that I couldn't escape…not whilst my family was under Sid's watch.
It felt like a perfect trap.
***
Tied up against a broken wooden chair, kept in a small cage, the air seemed stale and deadly…as I sat, nearly faint, hidden in the shadows of my-sun lit-prison. Four days had passed since I was brought to an abandoned warehouse, shoved into one of the ground floor cages. My prison was situated at the end of one stony corridor, full of roaming mice and spiders.
Tania had been extremely cunning as she kept on guard, offering me no food or water. I was on the brink of losing consciousness as I wondered how long my heart was going to stand up against this intense pain. I had been in misery for so long…this dark obsession made no sense. How could someone do something like this to someone whom they were obsessed with? My heart feared the amount of torture about to show up in the future.
What else were these psychopaths going to do with me? What would happen once Sid showed up? Would her be even more monstrous?
Too tired and drained out to even think of the possibility, I found myself sinking into a delusional state of mind and hallucinating scenarios in which Jamie hadn't rejected me…we lived our fairy tale with glee and my parents felt proud of my achievements. There were tears rolling as I imagined standing up against my bullies, being wanted by many and conquering my inner demons. Being lost in a daydream seemed so excruciating, especially when my surroundings were looking so bleak and depressing. I just hoped that Sid would keep away from my family.
Sniffling and agonised, I yelped as someone suddenly opened my cage's door and stomped inside. The dark aura and immense radiation of dangerous power showed that it was him. He was here. I couldn't even raise my head up to acknowledge his presence and show my fear.
I felt so weakened and trapped by my situation.
He was here! Sid was here! He had escaped!
"Get her out of here at once. Take her to my southern grounds!"
He roared, shaking my soul. He sounded so beastly and scary. Everything I had imagined him to sound like in real life. I didn't dare glance up.
"Okay," Tania assured, rushing to my side. She, too, seemed terrified and alert. Boss had arrived. True insanity was going to prevail.
"Where are you taking me now?" I whispered, too faint and drained out to comprehend what was going on.
Tania simply untied my ropes and quietly whispered. "You don't want to know."
My heart sank completely.