Before Victoria could even think or act again, an arm encircled around her waist and she felt herself being picked up.
"Hey!" She screamed when all of a sudden loud music started coming from somewhere, deafening her cries.
"Victoria!" Vera yelled after her, struggling against the restraints. "Vicky!"
"Mama!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice muffled briefly when she was thrown over the shoulder of who she assumed to be Mark.
Recovering quickly, and just in time to get a last look at her parents still bound and struggling against the restraints of the ropes, she yelled, "Mama! Pappaa!"
That was it. Literally it was because after that Mark turned around and they walked into the corridor where she noticed that the loud music was coming from that of the neighbours apartment. How was it coming from there? An old couple lived there so it was almost impossible for them to listen to music that loud and not get a headache.
They did not take the left, obviously since it was not working and walked down the stairs with Victoria hammering her fists down the back of Mark no longer caring how he could hurt her. If she could get him to put her down for a brief second, she would shoot out like an arrow and run to the police station.
"Let me fucking go!" She Screamed against his back, the rough cloth of his jacket rubbing against her cheek and burning the skin.
"Look at that," Mark snickered, "the girl has a potty mouth the moment her parents or not in the view."
The next curse died down in her mouth when she felt him touch her thighs and then rub his hand against his skin, "I'll fix it. Don't worry."
Her shudder ran down her spine at his words. The fear gripped her body once again, making her perfectly still as her mind tried to comprehend on what to do next.
She remembered the lobby that was ever absent of the receptionist supposed to be there. It was cold and dark and her tears did not stop as she continued to watch them exit the building and go to the one right in front of them.
Mark dropped her like a sack of potatoes, someone who did not feel pain at all, on the pavement and then stepped away from her but close enough to capture her if she ever tried to make a run.
The woman sighed again before appearing in front of her with a disappointing look in her eyes and shook her head, "why do you never learn, Victoria? Are my teaching methods not enough? Do I need to add a touch of cruelty more?"
"No," Victoria whispered, "please." She rasped out. She sniffed and tried to level her voice enough to make sure that the woman understood her words. "I will learn. I will never come in your way. Please, please let us go. Please.."
The Intimidating woman in front of her, who was exceptionally beautiful yet cruel to the fault, beat her lip as she appeared to be thinking over what Victoria had said, enlightening a flame of hope in the young girl's chest.
She took a step to Victoria. "I'll let them go." She said and smiled, "for you, Vicky." She taunted. "just because you want me to let them free."
Why did it feel like something bad and dark instead of something liberating? Yet, Victoria put the doubt out of her mind given that her parents were finally going to let go of and they could live their lives.
Victoria smiled. She nodded repeatedly before saying with immense gratitude, "Th-thank—"
"Oh no, Darling," a british accent came to light when the woman said 'Darling', "you should not thank me for what I'm about to do. That will be very immoral."
For what she was about to do? What does that mean?
Victoria licked her dry and cracked lips before opening her mouth to ask her what she meant. Just as she said the first word, an entire floor of her apartment building went up in flames.
*****
The fourth floor.
The floor she and her parents occupied with an old couple and five students. The fourth floor where she had spent most of her life went up in flames right in front of her.
"Oh my.." she whispered, her eyes on blinking as she continued to stare at the burning building in front of a rapidly catching fire throughout.
"My.." Red hot, angry flames dancing in delight in front of her burning everything that came in its way away, especially the small balcony in the middle of the other two. Her apartment.
"Bye for now, Victoria," Mark whispered in her ear, "we'll meet again."
Victoria did not register his words. It was the blow of pain that came in the middle of her chest that made her look down before her ears registered the loud noise.
In the darkness, she could not see clearly. But the fire provided a faint glow of light, making her reach over and touch the middle of her chest before bringing her hand to her face and looking at the blood.
Bleeding… she huffed a quiet laugh. She was bleeding. And that was the last thought on her mind before everything went dark.