Chapter 5

My eyes widened the instant I heard him. I had wondered what he wanted from me the instant he bid that huge amount of money on me.

"What the fuck does he want with me?" I asked myself, confused. One thing was certain: whatever he was going to do with me wouldn't be pretty.

"Is he going to sell me off?"

"Why bother to buy me with that huge amount of money just to sell me off? Besides,  who is going to pay that much?"

The more I thought about it, the more confused and angry I became. Slowly,  every shred of pity and guilt I felt earlier for trying to escape was replaced with blame. If only I had calculated well, I would have successfully escaped from this demon.

I looked up to see him keenly staring at me. I could tell from his expression that he was confused; it was as if he was looking at a mystery wrapped up tightly that he needed to unravel.

Whatever it is that confuses him, I don't care, and I wasn't going to stick around long enough to find out. I had paid keen attention on our way to this comfortable shithole. I guess he is not smart; I would blindfold him if the reverse were the case.

"Maybe he thinks I won't escape," I scoffed.

The gates aren't guarded either; I guess he is a proud prick who thinks no one would dare attack him, or he is just begging to be killed. I just need to make my way out of the house and sneak past the guards outside the house, and I'm out of here.

"Clean her up," he said, giving me a final glance before vanishing into a room. I watched him and smiled wickedly.

"I would get out of here one way or another," I said to myself.

"This way, child," the pretty lady said, pointing towards the staircase. I followed her without saying a word while I was busy planning my escape.

She pulled open a door, and she walked right into the room. "You will be staying here, child," she said, smiling at me. I forced a smile just to please her.

I don't want anyone to suspect any thing after my first failed attempt to escape.

"You should freshen up; I will be back with some clothes you would change into," she announced before leaving the room, locking the door behind her. I sank right into the chair in despair when she locked the door. There was nothing much in the room except for a bed, a chair, and a table in the corner of the room. The room might not have much furniture in it, but it sure smelled of luxury.

I tried pulling the window, and it opened easily. I smiled wickedly and my eyes lit up. I had watched most actors escape through the window; they sure made it look like a piece of cake. I mean who hasn't read a book where the lead character climbs down from the 5th floor with a rope?

"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures."

For someone who didn't want me to escape, I thought he would have made sure the windows were locked. I guess he thought I was too fragile to jump down from the first floor. Well, he was right, if only I wasn't running for my life. I would rather jump into a burning fire just to escape from him than stick around for a second.

I knew I was running out of time, and it won't be long before the pretty lady gets back. It was now or never. I looked around the room in search of what to climb down with, and my eyes rested on the bed sheets. I tied one end of the sheet to the bed and threw the other end out the window.

I looked out the window to admire my work; the sheets didn't go all the way down. I knew I needed more clothes to attach to the one I had. I opened the wardrobe to see a pile of sheets stacked at the corner.

I grabbed one and tied it together. Satisfied with my work, I quickly grabbed the sheet and gently made my way down. It was way more difficult than they made it look; my hands were all sore and painful.

Halfway down the rope, I just couldn't move anymore; the pain was becoming unbearable. I wanted to scream out for help when I remembered that he threatened to chain me down like a dog if I ever tried running from him. I summoned the last strength I had and resumed descending down the rope while praying that the room beneath us with the window facing out would be empty.

I wanted to scream my ass out when I saw him sitting comfortably on the chair, backing me. I guess the room was his study, there were tons of files on the shelf and he was busy with a piece of paper he was holding, and my heartbeat increased while I made my way down.

I sighed in relief when I jumped down; my hands were all red. I looked and smiled when I saw no one. I quickly headed for the gate, hoping the pretty lady wouldn't start looking for me before I made my way out of the gates. He would kill me if I got caught this time.

The gates were open with no one in sight. I moved stealthily towards the gate from side to side.

"Did you see that fucker's face when we threatened to blow his wife's brain out?" I dodged, hiding behind the flowers. Two guards walked inside, from god knows where.

"Shit," I cursed out, relieved that I wasn't caught.

"The dude pissed his pants immediately," they both chucked wickedly.

"Care for?" one asked the other, holding a pack of cigarettes in his hands. He took a stick and, holding it in his mouth, he light it.

I was beginning to grow impatient, hiding behind the flower; they weren't leaving, and I knew I was running on borrowed time. I began to imagine ways Axios would use to kill me if he ever caught me.

"Yes," I heard one of them speaking to whomever over the phone. After a while, both guards made their way towards the mansion. I sneaked out the gate before anyone could ever see me.

I sprinted into the woods, running as far as my legs could carry me. I didn't want to risk slowing down; I had planned on running in the woods a little so it would be easier for him to catch once I showed up on the tarred road.

"It feels good to be free," I yelled, still running hard. Thank God I had been a runner. I had run for an hour when I began feeling tired. I stopped to rest for a minute before continuing. I leaned on a tree, looking around, just to be sure I wasn't being followed.

"You would be dead if you pulled that shit again." His words played in my head yet again, and I quickly got up and continued running. I ran for a few minutes and stopped gasping for breath. I heard some footsteps behind me, and I turned around immediately to see no one. I sighed in relief.

"It's in my head," I consoled myself. I immediately turned to continue running when I ran into something hard.

"Ouchy!" I yelled, touching my head, but was cut off when I realized what I had run into.

"You should have worn something light, Minx." I heard his deep, unmistakable voice. I looked up to see his gray, pitch-dark eyes staring down at me.

I took a few steps backwards, staring at him. I had always thought I was seeing things with his dark eyes, but I wasn't.

"What... re... you?" I asked him, shaking and scared.

"The Devil himself, ha.. ha.. ha.. ha," he laughed wickedly. My body was instantly filled with goosebumps and shaking in fear.

I had never seen any normal human eye color change within a twinkling of an eye. My heart was beating so fast and hard.

"Why, do I scare you?" He asked, walking towards me wearing a mischievous smirk. His eyes instantly changed from gray back to black.

"Ahhhhhh!" I screamed out, running and panting.

I turned back at intervals to check if he was following me, but I saw no one behind me. I heard snarls coming from the side, and some twigs broke.

I knew it was time to get out of this wood. I turned back to take a final glance, and I missed a step.

I screamed, landed on the floor, and hit my head so hard that my vision was blurred. I tried getting up, but I couldn't. I cried out in pain and sat right back on the floor, clutching my leg.

"You are quite the runner." I heard that voice again, and I passed out.