Hope

"Rip Cole" was everywhere. The man had shown her everything using his phone. Liana was still to believe that Gina had gone ahead and killed Cole. She'd known Gina since she was a child and they'd always been so close, like peas in a pod. There was no way Gina had turned into murderer overnight.

"You know I've always thought she was just a common thief," The man said, looking at Liana. He was seated on a chair placed right in front of her. He had removed his mask but she didn't recognize him. He was not a native of her little town. "I can't believe she'd kill someone who'd never done anything wrong to her. She's one cold hearted girl."

Liana wanted to tell him to shut up but he'd put duct tape over her lips. It was all his fault therefore he had no right to judge Gina. He had pushed her against the wall. What did he expect her to do when he was keeping her best friend hostage. Gina had chosen to save her over Cole. It didn't make her happy that a man had been murdered to save her but she'd have gone crazy if Gina had chosen to keep Cole alive and let her die.

His phone started vibrating and he stared at the number for a few seconds. "It's her, your friend. Too bad I don't wanna talk to her now. I have other plans."

He got up and left the room. Liana hoped he'd release her soon, now that Gina had done her part. Despite that little optimism, she had a terrible feeling about everything. Gina shouldn't have done it even if it was to save her. Liana felt guilty, knowing that Cole had died because of her. It was something she knew she'd never get over. She felt her back start to ache again and tried to stretch but it was an impossible mission.

The door opened a few minutes later and the man entered. He was dressed in a white vest and dark blue shorts. Liana narrowed her eyes, wondering why he'd changed his clothes. Honestly, he looked smart, even a little bit more handsome but the fact that he was a monster made him unattractive. He had made an innocent person kill.

"I want us to spice up things a little," he stood by her side, touching her cheek. Liana turned her head away, trying to dislodge his hand. Her body trembled in fear when she thought of what he wanted to do to her. No, this couldn't be happening.

"Don't you want to get out of this disgusting room?" He asked, crouching. "I'll take you to my room. You can be my slave." He traced lines on her arm as she shook her head. "Don't you want to be untied? Don't you want a long hot bath?"

He smiled. He had a beautiful smile. "I'm going to take you to another room but don't try anything or I'll just kill you."

Liana nodded desperately. Though she didn't want to be touched by the creepy man, anything was better than death. She couldn't let herself die yet. Also, she was tired of being in the damp, cold room in which there was no hope of escape.

He untied her legs and arms. She was finally free from the awful chair so she stood up to stretch. It felt good to stand up after such a long time. The man stood up and tried to kiss her cheek but she turned away. A thought crossed her mind. If this man was not the one in charge, he couldn't kill her because his boss would be angry with him. She had to try to save herself. She kicked him in his groin and ran towards the door, acting out of desperation.

"Ahhhh!" He cried out, bending over. "Get back you little slut."

Liana opened the door and ran down the stairs as fast as she could. She reached the main door and tried the handle but it was locked and the key had been removed. As she struggled with the door, she looked behind and saw him grinning evilly at the top of the stairs. She ripped off the duct tape and screamed 'help' as loud as possible. She scanned the room for an object to break the glass on the window.

"No one will hear you from here so stop wasting your time," he said, descending the stairs. Liana ran to the kitchen and closed the door. She pushed a table against it but the man was too strong. He pushed the door open with no struggle at all. 

She backed away as he moved closer. Her heartbeat was pounding so hard she found it hard to breathe. Her chest was rising up and down.

"Did you really think you could escape from me?" He said when her back was pressed against the wall and there was nowhere to go. He stood right in front of her, his body almost touching hers. Liana shuddered, thinking of what he might do to her now that she'd provoked him. The only thing on her side was her dirtiness after not washing herself for so long. That would definitely turn him off.

"You should let me go because my friend already did her part. We had a deal, remember?"

"A deal with the devil is not a deal," He chuckled, caressing her face with his dirty hand. She squinted her eyes shut and turned away. "It's a death sentence."

"What is wrong with you?" She said, trying to get away from him. He grabbed and pushed her back to the spot she'd been standing. "Gina already did her part so let me go. I need to see my parents."

"You talk too much," he carried her as she kicked her legs, trying to be freed but he was too strong.

He took her back to the dark room and put duct tape over mouth. When she tried to resist he hit her face so hard she went dizzy for a moment. He proceeded to tie her up.

"You're so annoying I've lost interest," he said, wiping his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand.

Liana sighed. It was better to be tied up on the awful chair than to be touched by a crazy weido. She would just have to get used to it. 

She was safe. But, how long would that last?