Survival Instincts

I could hear the sound of something thumping loudly in my head, but I could'nt decipher the source of that annoying sound.

Groggily, I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly as my pupils adjusted to the dim lighting of my sorrounding. The incessant thumping still continued, but this time I knew the source of it, I had a splitting headache. Slowly but calculatingly, my eyes wandered around the recesses of the room.

It was illuminated by a single red bulb and it was very dainty with a little vanity in one corner and a little further was a door which inadvertantly led to my freedom.

Swiftly, I swung my body down from the hard mattrass I had been laying on for God knows how long.

My eyes caught the bandages around my arm.

Who would have thought?, they actually dressed my wound.

While on my feet, I wobbled a little as a wave of dizziness set in. Quickly, I held unto the vanity to gain some semblance of control. As soon as the dizziness came, it passed and I walked slowly towards the door which I knew would likely be locked but I really had to confirm.

When I reached the door, I hesitated a little but nevertheless, I turned the knob and it squeaked as the lock clicked open.

A small gasp of surprise left my lips, shouldn't the door be locked since apparently I was kidnapped or maybe it was a trap but it's one I wouldn't be caught in.

Pushing the door open a little wider, I carefully peeped through first and a narrow and dim lit hallway came into view with three other doors toward the end of it including the one I was in, but the good part was there was no one in sight. Slowly I pushed the door open, cringing as it creeked loudly and echoed down the hallway.

The deafening silence that followed made my ears ring and my heart palpitate faster, threatening to burst out my rib cage. A shaky breath left my chapped lips as I trudged silently down the other side.

At the end of the hallway, a few feet ahead, there was a spiral staircase leading down stairs and a little bit ahead were big double mahogany doors which I was sure led outside. The house was oddly empty but the faint smell of tobacco in the air indicated that there where people there, which meant I had to try and escape with caution.

Summoning the last bit of courage in me, I tiptoed towards the spiral stairs and frowned as the old wood groaned under my weight, carefully I trudged down the stairs, taking two at a time.

Cold marble floors and cream coloured walls greeted me as I made it down, the whole interior was otherwise empty save for the mismatched placement of vases around.

The sound of heavy footsteps halted me in my steps towards the front door, frantically my head whipped from left to right as my eyes scanned the interior, searching for a possible hiding place.

The footsteps were getting louder as I spotted a pillar at my left hand side and tiptoed towards it, hugging my arms on my chest as I hid behind it while mumbling prayers not to be seen. The footsteps drew nearer and I heard two deep voices converse in a foreign language.

"Ella debería estar despierta ahora", [she should be awake now], the first one said.

"Sí Julio, quizás Cruz nos permita tenerla antes de que venga el jefe", [Yes Julio, maybe Cruz will let us have her before boss comes]. The first voice laughed at whatever the other one said and continued to speak.

"Tienes un puto deseo de muerte", [You have a fucking death wish]

"¿Por qué", [why?].

"¿No te informaron, el jefe ordenó específicamente que nadie pusiera un dedo sobre la niña". [Weren't you informed?, boss specifically ordered that no one lay a finger on the girl]

"oh", came the second voice.

Their voices faded as their footsteps retreated upstairs probably to check on me, which meant I had to move. Quickly, I emerged from my hiding place and ran toward the front door, pushing it open, I mumbled a word of appreciation as it soundlessly revealed the setting sun, closing the door behind me I raced down the porch bare footed in the opposite direction and never looked back.

***

My hair whipped in different directions as the wind slapped at my face. I was already running out of breath but stopping was not an option, at least not unless I came accross civilisation.

On either side of me, the looming trees of the thick rain forest dwarfed me and in front of me, the endless asphalt road diminished any hope of me finding civlisation or help in time.

The unmistakable screech of tires behind me resounded and fear pooled through my whole body, rendering my knees weak. There was no way I could outrun them with their vehicles unless I took refuge in the forest.

A whimper left my lips as I thought of all the dangerous creatures that could be lurking in the forest. I looked between the road and the forest undecidedly, shaking my head, I bolted into the forest, cussing non-stop when I realised I was barefooted.

Oh well, it was better than being caught anyway, heaven knows what would happen to me then.

Unrelentlessly, I trudged deeper into the forest, only stoppng to catch my breath and listen for any sound behind. The sun had already set rendering the forest partially dark as patches of moonlight filtered through the thick canopies of the trees.

It was relatively silent except for the chirping of Crickets and the rustling of leaves in the wind. Looking around, I found a tree stump nearby, walking toward it, I sat on the forest floor and rested my aching muscles against the tree stump.

A sigh left my lips, hugging my knees to my chest I scanned my sorrounding once more. A tear rolled down my cheek and a choked sob threatened to escape, I didn't know if I would survive the forest let alone my assailant, if I was ever captured.

I knew mother didn't know it would come to this, but that didn't justify her actions, it was still her fault. I cried till my tear ducts ran out of tears and fell asleep due to exhaustion...

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