My eyes rounded in horror when the incident earlier flashback in my head. I did feel a quick tug before the masked man stopped his friend from attacking me. It was that exact reason why I completely forgot about my necklace.
"My necklace!"
I couldn't stop screaming for my necklace over and over again as I sprinted towards the door, which stunned everyone in the bus.
"Miss, what you're doing is dangerous. Sit down." Rebuked by the same lady who spoke to me before.
"No! I'm going down! Stop the bus!" I yelled on top of my lungs as I harshly hauled the door to force it open. "Stop the bus, now!"
"Is your necklace more important than your life? Stop that!"
"I said, open the door!" I didn't bother to listen to the old lady. They could think I was crazy, but yes. My life was nothing compared to that necklace. I could exchange everything for it.
Other passengers also began to whisper and gossip about me. Still, I didn't pay any attention to them. I cared about nothing else except getting my necklace back.
I continued hitting the door with my backpack and sometimes kicked it. I no longer cared of my own image as what filled in my head was only the necklace.
"I'll break this damn door if you still refuse to open it!" I threatened.
"Sir, just let her out! She's crazy! She simply wants to die!" A male passenger shouted to the driver.
"I'll drop you off at the bus stop. You'd seen everything earlier. This place is dangerous. You can't stay here." The mid-forties driver replied without looking back.
His response dispirited me. I couldn't just leave the place and forget it without wearing my necklace.
I noticed that we were getting far from the scene of the incident, so I panicked more as I was afraid that I would lose it forever. I couldn't forgive myself for that.
Desperate, I went to the driver and fought for the steering wheel.
Some of the passengers near us tried to pull me away, but I was like a leech clinging tightly on the driver's neck. So the chaos started.
Everyone screamed in fright when the bus started winding on the road because of me.
"Let go of him or we'll all die!" Someone begged.
"Are you dense or something? Do you really want us to die with you? How selfish you are!"
"What are you doing? Pack it in, Miss!"
I was hopelessly desperate. I listened to nobody. "Apologies, but if you don't stop the bus, we'll die for sure! I swear!"
"Holy Christ, she's insane!"
As I still refused to let go of the driver, he struggled to drive. Thus, the bus moved in the wrong direction. It was approaching a big tree, causing everyone to petrify in horror.
When I saw that we were about to clash, even myself couldn't stop to scream. It really terrified me especially as the bus was getting closer to the tree.
As I thought that we were gonna crash, the bus abruptly stopped inch away from the trunk, having no idea how it happened as only the clamor of incoming death filled the space. Because of it, we crowded in front.
"Quit it!" The driver bemoaned.
I did feel bad for what I did. But instead of apologising to everyone, I ran back to the door right after I picked myself up, ignoring the fiery gazes and gnashing teeths of each passenger on me.
I immediately tried to slide the door open, but ended up discovering it was still locked.
Damn it!
I once again turned to the driver. "Sir, what the hell are you doing? Open it!"
The driver's expression that looked like he had eaten a bomb greeted me. Hence I was unable to finish my words as I could tell that he was already on the verge of explosion.
That shut my mouth in an instant.
What I did was definitely wrong. Whatever reason I had, I had no right to put everyone in danger.
I lowered my head and begged, "Sir, pardon me for what I just did. I was wrong. But please, let me out."
The tears that I was holding in eventually fell from my eyes.
A deafening silence responded to me. As I raised my head, they were still glaring at me as they wore different kinds of reactions.
I attempted to speak although I really had nothing more to say. The feeling that I was unable to even justify myself was putting me into a serious dilemma.
Then, a screechy click sound of the lock saved me. As I turned, the door slid open to the side.
"Now, look after yourself." The driver warned me, which made me look in his direction again through my tears. "Goodluck."
"Thank you." I bowed to him and to everyone as my way to convey my sorry and gratitude. Then I hastily got off the bus as if afraid that the driver would change his mind and forbid me to go.
I straightway sprinted towards the woods where I last saw those thugs. I didn't even have a second thought trailing their traces inside. I didn't bother to even think of my own safety and what danger may be waiting on me.
I walked endlessly in the woods like forever.
As luck would have it, I lost my sense of direction. Worst of all, I had no idea where my feet had brought me and how long I was walking there as until this time I couldn't see any households or roadways nearby.
I squatted by the tree and looked for some water inside my bag as I could no longer endure the need to drink something to relieve my thirst.
I bit my lower lip when I found nothing inside except for a few pieces of my clothes. Even a shadow of a stale bread was none.
I suddenly thought I was a pathetic thing which made me cry again.
"Sis, why did you leave me with this burden?" I asked as I looked up at the sky. "You could have just taken me along. It's too awful being alone."
I buried my face on my knees and poured my grief and melancholy through sobbing. I no longer suppressed myself to cry aloud, as I was sure, no one was able to hear me in the woods. I was certain that those scumbag had long left that forest.
"Oh dear. Don't bawl. I'm here." Somebody spoke up before me in a spooky tone. So I instantly raised my head to know who it was. My whole system fretted again when I finally saw the face of the unknown stranger.
His bloodshot eyes were glaring oddly at me. He was filthy thin. His hair was long and messy. Worst of all, he smelt so awful, it made me sick.
I plastered a stiff smile on my face, covering my dread with it while I secretly groped for something behind me. I would use it against the stranger once I sensed danger from him.
"Oh, that's so good of you. I'm fine now. But still, thanks." I politely replied. Then I hurriedly wiped off my tears using my other hand to prove it to him. "See? No more tears."
"Beauty, my dear. Are you sure? I could tell you needed company. Well, I'm quite free. I can offer myself." He playfully winked and then smiled abnormally at me which became creepy in my eyes. His smile was similar to the sly villains in the film who were up to no good. It gave me goosebumps.
This time, I noticed his teeth. It was yellow and covered with nicotine.
That sight intensified my urge to puke but I tried my ultimate best to swallow it back. I was worried about offending him and harassed me. I could tell from him that he was used to doing immoral things.
I could also see from him the look of a man who was addicted to illegal drugs.
"I can't thank you enough, sir. But I really don't need it."
"Is it so? B-but…"
I didn't expect him to crouch before me. He had that kind of 'wow, you're tasty' smile plastered on his face. After a second of eyeing me, he began to drool like a mad dog.
"However dear, I need you. What shall I do? Accompany me, can you?" He sounded like pleading with me, but his expression conveyed his real thoughts.
"I- I suddenly thought that my friend was still waiting for me ahead. I have to go."
"What a pity." He acted sad but faster than a blink of an eye, his expression turned into a real monster. The smile that once again drew on his face was horror mongering. "Dear, I think I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't asking your permission. You're mine! Grr!"
He pounded on me. By the time his hands touched my shoulders, I managed to grasp a stone from the ground and I walloped it on his head.
He fell back and whined in pain. While I took that opportunity to zoom off without ensuring if I caused him serious injury. Even so, I tried so hard to escape as I prayed to God to guide and protect me.
I couldn't let my life end in other people's hands except for Ethan Mondragon— the man whom my sister owed a lot, the man whom I'd accepted to take my life.
Tears streamed down my face again. I couldn't stop pitying myself. I was trying very hard to escape from this current danger. But for what? Just to deliver myself to the most cruel one in the future.
This was so ironic, wasn't it?
I already accepted my fate. My life belonged to him only and no one has the right to take it from him.
You could think I was foolish but I was certain that I would never die in peace if I couldn't pay off the blood debt that my sister had owed to him.
What happened in the bus flashed back in my head, and unfortunately, that caused me to fail to notice the protruding roots of the tree. My foot accidentally stuck underneath. I stumbled down pitifully on the ground.
It was an excruciating fall.
My calvary didn't end up here. As I tried to rise, that bone-wrenching pain in my sprained ankle restricted me. I fell back again. That pain almost made me pee on my underwear.
"Why now? Now, I can't run anymore." I hit my fists on the ground in frustration as I sobbed once again. I was like that poor child being bullied.
"You're such a bitch. Now look at what happened to you!" That stranger spoke up with disdain in his tone. Despite the injury where he was only covering it with his hand to prevent blood from bursting out, he managed to catch up on me. "And how could you do this to me, huh? I'll show you my concern, yet you hurt me in return. Now, you'll regret it! I'll tear that fucking p¤ssy of yours!"
"No! Stay away from me!" I fought back as he pounded on me. I kicked him with my other foot but I was really out of luck. He caught my foot and harshly dragged me to his body, as if he wanted to blend ourselves as one.
I freaked out. I grabbed a handful of dirt as I was calling for help and smashed it on his eyes.
He grunted infuriatingly as he held for his poor eyes while I tried to creep my way out of his grasp.
Before I could even move an inch, he once again dragged me back by my sprained ankle and directly crawled on top of me.
I struggled under him. We wrestled as I cried for help although it was impossible for anyone to save me. Until this moment, I was still hoping that a miracle would happen.
"No! Don't do this to me! Please, I'm begging you, don't." I pleaded repeatedly. My throat was getting unwell but he was damn deaf.
"No one's gonna help you here! So be good."
"No way!" My resistance enraged him instead as he couldn't catch my lips. His kisses all landed either on my cheeks and neck.
"Damn it!" Possessed with lust, he completely lost his rationality. He gave me a punch on my stomach, which showed me stars and moons, and eventually paralyzed me.
"Good girl." He exclaimed as he began to tear off my dress. "Now you're mine."
He chuckled like a madman.
I closed my eyes, letting my tears slide down once again.
I was hopeless and hurt as I had no one to ask for help.
"Is this really difficult to pay for the debts?"
As I prepared myself for the worst, I sensed a familiar figure shadowed over us and his familiar voice rang in my ears, "Rise or else you'll die."