1

"Lorry!" 

Loretta groaned aloud and tried to open her eyes but it felt so heavily as if she had the whole weight of the world weighing on her eyes lid.

"Lorry!" The low and almost inaudible voice became louder and clearer, forcing her to look beside her with her eyes opened a little.

Of course, her father. They were both taken away and brought to a desolate room that had no window nor was the door visible enough as all she saw was a stairway leading to who knows where.

Her head hurt so much and it was due to the rod that was used to make them go unconscious. She couldn't remember much as her memory was still not clear, but she knew they were dragged to a car after they were attacked, and the rest of what happened, was a mystery to her.

Her father adjusted in his seat, trying to give himself some relief from the chains used to tie him down, but instead, he whimpered. He got hurt doing that. 

Giving up on trying to make himself comfortable, he took his gaze to Loretta. "I am sorry Lorry. Please I don't know it would come to this. I never wanted to involve you in all these. Please forgive me," he pleaded and drew back his snot while more tears flowed down his cheeks.

She never noticed he was crying. Her eyes were still heavy and painful anyway, but she managed to open them wider a bit.

"Who are they, Dad?" She questioned the old man who drew in his snot and looked down, not able to look at her anymore.

Without being told, she could tell they weren't dealing with just anyone. Her father just got them involved with someone who he shouldn't have and they were in a lot of trouble.

How did it all go so wrong? Never in her life did she imagine that she would be a captive cause of her father's gambling act.

Should she blame her mother who made her father the way he was? The poor woman was dead and gone.

After her death, life became difficult for her. Her father loved his mother so much and couldn't leave without her for a day. He got so frustrated and angry with everyone and everything for her death.

Because of how broken he was, he started gambling to keep his mind away but it soon turned into an addiction. An addiction he couldn't come out from. An addiction that got them into trouble.

All her life, all she did was work, work, school, work, and almost all her earnings went into her father's debts cause he had no job or ways to get money.

Sometimes, she would go hungry just to pay up a debt or it would come with a price. She made so many sacrifices and had so many responsibilities that even as a young child, she was more of an adult.

"I promise, I will pay back soon. I will make sure they let you go. I wouldn't involve you in this anymore." 

That morning, she had prayed and wished the day would be better than her other days as no day came without sorrow for her and tears.

She had thought the bright, morning and calm sun was a good omen for her, but who was she kidding? It represented the danger coming which her father put them into.

"You never change father, no matter the promise you make," she muttered and lowered her head. 

A door was opened from the top and in no time, she heard footsteps coming down to where they were. At each sound of the person drawing closer, her heart never seized to skip a beat.

Was it their death approaching? Just the sound of his footsteps where enough to send her over the hills and push her to her death.

It was like watching her nightmare coming to life. Like a horror movie where the characters hear footsteps and don't see anyone when it stops, but suddenly, a voice comes from behind and takes them unaware.

She swallowed hard and rolled her fist into a ball. The ropes used to tie her down were so tight and strong that she could hardly move.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped and it became silent again. She glanced at her father who was shivering and his forehead was covered with sweat. 

She took her gaze back to the stairs, awaiting who or what would suddenly show up. She wasn't one to believe in real-life horror scenes or any supernatural phenomenon, but at that moment, all she thought about was the possibility that they were real after all, and one was about to show up and teach her a lesson for never believing they did exist.

The person started walking down again and with each sound of his footstep, Loretta felt her heart being blown off her chest. They were surely dead meat.

He came closer and closer until she finally caught sight of his legs and then his waist, up to his upper body, before he finally revealed himself to them.

Loretta swallowed hard at the sight of him.  Well, she had expected a big monster like in the movies. Or a scary, big, and ugly man ready to take her life and her father's.

Although his presence alone was intimidating and his aura spoke power enough to bring a strong man down to his feet, he was a definition of being devastatingly good-looking.

A good-looking devil. That was the way she described him.

He continued walking down until he stepped down from the stairs and walked to them. He looked at Loretta and then her father before he spoke for the first time, "Seems you both are enjoying yourselves here?"

The world seemed to stand still and every voice shut down as she stared at the gorgeous monster before her, ready to slice off her heart and feed them to his dogs.

The man whose life rests upon that moment.

"Where is my money?" He questioned in his deep, husky voice that got the words in her throat dried up.

It shouldn't be right. She was in danger and shouldn't admire the dangerous man before her.

"I... I don't have it." Her father replied but got a smack on his face.

"Please stop!" Loretta screamed. "Let go of him!"

The man lifted a corner of his lips into a lopsided smile and put his hands in his pockets. He brought out a short gun and pointed it at her father.

Without putting his hand on the trigger, giving her no option of living with her father. "I wouldn't ask again. Where is my money?" 

Edward swallowed hard, as his face got wet from his sweat. "I.....I don't.....I don't have it."

"Please let go of my father. Don't kill him, I am begging you!" Loretta cried to the heartless man whose heart had been sold off and it all fell on deaf ears.

He pushed forward towards her father, Edward, and letting go of the trigger would mean killing him. She can't live without her only family. She would become an orphan and would probably live the rest of her life in misery.

"Let go of him you asshole!!" She screamed out, shutting her eyes tight. It all happened out of panic and she knew she was done for.