Locked

Locked



Everything should’ve been different, nothing should’ve been what it is now. No one should’ve gotten hurt because of me. It’s not fair, I’m the one who didn’t listen, I’m the one who broke the rules. Maybe if I actually use my brain, instead of my lust…, I could actually get out of here. Get away from here, yes, that sounded good. I should get away from them, away from here, but I couldn’t just go back to my life. I’m supposed to be dead. Everyone would be scared out of their mind, not to mention my stories about what happened would get me locked up in an insane asylum. Maybe, just maybe I’d be able to just behave and catch these people off guard. The only problem then would be to keep them away. They have all these devices to track people. I’d be off far worse if they’d get back to me.

Just as these thoughts hit me, I heard heavy footsteps from across the hall. I knew those footsteps all too well, they gave me goose bumps every time. Having learned from last time, though, I tried to memorize the room I was placed in, hoping they’d put me back here instead of some other room. There was a very good chance the footsteps weren’t coming for me, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

The room was pretty small, though definitely not the smallest I’ve had. At least there was a window. The last room I was in had no window, no light. At night it gave me nightmares. This window was high up in the wall, very minimal, but it was there. The walls were all the same, the wall opposite of the window had a door. You just can’t really see it as a door, more like a crawling door. A door you have to crawl through, so small.

Just as I was about to start on the door, a sound startled me. Immediate panic was all I felt, it couldn’t be. A key in the lock on my door. Usually they’d just break down the door, but no, not this time. This time they had to use the key. I couldn’t take it, it was too much. How bad was it going to get, the key must’ve been a sign, but I couldn’t figure it out fast enough. Maybe they were releasing me, I was no longer of use. Could it really be? Before I could think of any kind of answer to myself, I found myself blacking out, a sharp pain at the back of my head.

Plink…

Plunk…

Plink… plunk…

What was that annoying sound coming from across the room. It kept me from my dreamless sleep, I longed for to last just a little longer. Deep breaths, calm, but I didn’t feel calm. Something, someone, was watching me. There was no way I could go back to sleep, but I couldn’t get my eyes to open to see where I was. Think, I told myself, there must be some logic. As soon as I started to stir a little, having not moved in a while, I felt something coming down on my back, hard. It took a while to feel the sting it caused. Wincing I opened my eyes, rolling over, staring straight into his eyes. I gasped, this was the least I was expecting. Staring back at me were the most gorgeous, vivid green eyes I’ve ever seen. The weirdest feeling spread through me, as much as I wanted to bath in the warm, mushy feeling I had, I couldn’t help but notice the ominous feeling that seemed to get stronger by the second. I closed my eyes, just for a second, to clear my head. A sudden feeling of emptiness seemed to settle, I opened my eyes then, to find him long gone.

Now I had some time to assess the room I was in. It looked like one of the rooms they’d put us in. My first reaction was to panic. What had happened to me this time, what project had they going on? Then.. I remembered him. Who was that green eyed man with godlike features and why did I want to know so badly.  One thought, that crossed my mind, made me sick to my stomach. What if he was the project this time.

I had to get away from here, ASAP. Door, left wall, a few meters away, but it will most likely be locked. Checking my body for any sign of breaks or soreness I found nothing. Ready for escape. My heart and breathing picked up their pace. It couldn’t be real, could I really escape. Slowly, I walked to that door, it wasn’t even a crawl door, it was an actual door I could walk through. It’s been years since I’ve been able to do that.

As I got closer my arm stretched, my hand awaiting the knob of the door. The knob felt wonderful in my hand, I felt like I could conquer all. With my erratic breathing and heartbeat I slowly felt the knob, to see if the door was open. Slowly, oh so slowly I turned it, to find something I never could’ve imagined.



The knob actually gave with me, the door was open. I didn’t dare to actually open it, though. Most likely it was all just a trap, to get me to go insane enough to actually give up the information for my freedom. I couldn’t stand much more torture. No sounds were coming from the door, nothing but silence. Not the silence I was used to, though. This silence was almost peaceful. It felt good, my hand reached for the knob again, this time opening the door. As I peeked through the narrow opening I couldn’t seen any immediate danger. My heart was beating wilder then it ever did. And I certainly thought I’d had my worst experiences behind me. This was all new to me, I’ve never had this kind of freedom. That was what it already was. There were no guards around, no eyes watching. I was already free, even if it would probably only last for a few minutes. No doubt they would be coming up those stairs at the end of this long hallway when I’m a few feet away. As I took a closer look at the hallway everything seemed to be rotten and worn down. It was like an age old asylum or something like that. The doors were wooden and big, the floors were made of wood. Everything seemed to be out dated, but also like it hasn’t been used in ages. And I mean that quite literally.

Softly I started humming then, my favorite song always kept me calm. Never would it tire, it always made me capable of doing my job. Yeah, my job… wonder what happened to the people who used to ‘control’ me.  I haven’t heard from them in ages, quite literally. As soon as they entered my mind they left it again, I needed to focus on the situation right now. My mind went into overdrive as I thought of all the possibilities of getting caught. What would they do, how bad would I get hurt, how much memory loss would occur. Something I’d lately discovered was that I’d lose some of my memory every time they were done with me. Like they were experimenting with how to cause memory loss of certain scenes. The night seemed to fall then, everything felt colder. My breath almost visible. Shivers started running up my spine, the hairs in the back of my neck started standing up, goose bumps appeared on my arms. This couldn’t just be because of the evening. I knew temperatures could drop drastically here, because of sundown, but it couldn’t be that bad. Still standing in the doorway of the room I started to wonder. How could it be, maybe it had snowed today, or rain. Rain could make it cold, but that wouldn’t explain the suddenness of it all. Just a few minutes ago I could’ve sworn it wasn’t this cold.

Just then it occurred to me that I was still standing here, basically waiting for someone to return and start on me again. Couldn’t let that happen now could I. Slowly but steadily I started making my way to the stairs. I couldn’t help but notice the rooms that I came across. Were there others in there, right now? Maybe I could help them, no I couldn’t, it would only slow down. It would be a guaranty of getting caught. I just couldn’t help but to be curious as to what I would find there. Only one room had a window in its door. A very small, minuscule window. I didn’t think it was possible, but my heart seemed to disagree, it’s beat picked up pace. I swear you could’ve heard it in the whole building, if that’s what you could still call it, seeing as it was basically falling apart. Something told me not to look, it would only get worse, more difficult to get away, but as usual my curious side won. And let me tell you, they don’t say for nothing that curiosity killed the cat. As I approached the door I saw that the temperature had dropped even more. I could feel my body fighting to stay warm, my breathing visible in the air. As I got closer still, the door seemed to be changing. From across the hall it looked like it was just as worn down and rotten as the rest, but as I got closer you could see it had been the only door restored in this thing. The small window wasn’t as small as it looked like earlier, either. Maybe I was just thinking with my panicked mind, but as I peeked very carefully into the room I changed my mind. Yes, I may have been my panicked mind changing things, but god, did I wish I wouldn’t have been able to see in here at all. As quickly as my feet could carry me I sprinted down the stairs. I could feel everything in my body protesting at the sudden movements, but I didn’t care. I had to get out of there, I could feel myself getting sick by just thinking back to what I saw. All the blood, all the faces frozen in their final screams. No, I couldn’t think of it. The stairs seemed to get longer and longer, but I couldn’t get of them fast enough. Round and round, it seemed as I was going nowhere, just as I was about to just give in, I saw the final step of the stairs. My stomach wouldn’t settle though, as soon as I stepped, well more like tripped, from the stairs it decided to empty itself on the carpet. My body wouldn’t listen, as I tried my hardest to get up again, I didn’t have time for this. Who knew how long it’ll take before the ones who did this come back. I had this nagging feeling they wanted me as the newest piece to their collection.

After a few minutes, what seemed like hours in my state of mind, I could finally get my body back of the ground. Every few second I’d check my surroundings. My body on edge, I tried to see the room I was in, but all I could see was the door, the windows. The escape routes. My mind tried to rattle up something from training, to see what would give me my best chance to escape, but I was having none of that. It would only waste precious time. I knew that they could easily keep up with me, though I wasn’t quite sure if it was even them, keeping me here. No chance they’d let me all alone, they knew the risk. I almost got away once, because the guard took a little break. Hmm, those were good times, better times. Not yet the fearing-for-my-life-every-time-someone-came-around time. Reminiscing had taken quite some time, I had no idea what time it was, or what day for that matter. They’ve kept me for a long time, I knew that, but the last I remembered it was 6th of September 1678.

It was warm day, which was very rare for this time of the year. Usually it would be raining and getting colder for the winter. I was glad, though, that it was not like that today. Today was the day I was about to get married. I wouldn’t say I was all too excited about it, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Our family is pretty rich, you see. So I had to marry well, my father took good care of that. He did get me very fine, suitable lover. He wasn’t very big, but well build all the same, the most gorgeous golden blond locks. Those eyes, though, I could never forget those eyes…

That certainly brought me back to the present. I’ve seen those eyes recently, I’ve felt that feeling I had last time I saw him. Those gorgeous green, vivid eyes…

It couldn’t have been him, could it. It just couldn’t be. I disappeared so long ago and he never even wanted to marry me. Oh well, I just hope no one found out about the hobby he had acquired. I hadn’t known this at that time of course, but he wasn’t all sweet and gentlemanly as he had seemed. Maybe they were after him too, but why the bad feeling. It had seemed like he was trying to free me from this hell, but it also seemed as if he was a part of it. A change hanging in the air got my attention then, shivers crawling over my back, hairs standing up, this was not good. The door seemed to crack open, screaming at me to leave. Right then I felt all those eyes on me again, challenging me, I couldn’t help but look everywhere around me, but of course, I could see no one. Not needing another moment to think about it, I bolted out the door. The first thing to hit me, was the sun. It was shining high and proud up in the sky. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it, that it blinded me for a few moments, but the sheer panic of who or what was so close to me had me forgetting about that very fast. Blindly I started running, not very fast, I’d get lost and die somewhere out there. We were somewhere in a clearing. Well not so much a clearing, it was all bewildered and every tree and bush had grown back into place. My stomach felt heavy just looking back at the house. The forest surrounding me seemed unfamiliar, but I didn’t know how long I’d been away, how things could’ve changed throughout that time. At least it was very green, the world hadn’t become one big city. Whether that was such a good thing for me right now, or not, I didn’t know, nor did I care. There weren’t any clear paths, so I’d have to wrestle my way out of here. Silence was all that filled the air then, the feeling of being watched had faded a little, but not enough for me to not worry. The silence wasn’t a pleasant silence. It was suffocating. The calm before the storm, I knew, but I couldn’t get my feet to move. Maybe it was the lack of food and sleep that got my body to refuse any movement I wanted it to make. All insects seemed to be running now too, the silence became a full silence, it seemed as though even the wind had gone down, no rustling of bushes, nothing. After a minute or so, the silence was cruelly broken, a scream, so high and fearful that no one in their right minds would stick around to see what had happened.

My feet got the idea and ran randomly through the bushes. The rustling of the bushes, my ragged breathing and erratic heartbeat was all I could hear. The blurs of trees next to me was all I saw. My feet kept running, without knowing where I  was headed, I just kept going, because I just knew I had to get away. My feet started to hurt, but I couldn’t stop running. Miles and miles of green ahead of me all screaming at me to continue. As I took a glance behind me, I could see a silhouette running after me.

Feeling his eyes on me, his voice whispering made me glance behind me every few seconds, panicking even more when I couldn’t see him anymore. He can’t be far, but where is he then? If not behind me, right, left, up, down… yet nowhere in sight.

Sweating now, I can see a clearing up ahead. I started pushing my legs harder, I could hear the stream of water as I get closer. Closer and closer, almost there, I’m going to make it, I will survive this. When I reached the stream I was relieved. I found my way out of this hell hole. It all seemed so peaceful, calming. The ripple of the water, the stream of sunlight through the leaves. And yet, I was not at ease, I was not calm. It felt like I was being watched, cornered. That’s when I remembered why I was here in the first place, but it was already too late...



Slowly my mind started working again, I must’ve been out of it for quite a while. My mind still foggy from my, sort of, sleep, I tried to remember what had happened. Some weird figure had stepped out of the bushes from across the stream. I remember panicking, but other than that…

I was still surrounded by wilderness, which was good. No one had taken me back to places I didn’t want to be. It actually felt peaceful here, calm. Alone, I was truly alone. For the first time, for almost as long as I could remember I had been watched, I was never alone. As for my surroundings, it was beautiful. The trees were a very pretty shade of green, flowers blooming over others. It looked like it was spring headed for summer. I could still hear water, maybe there was a small stream around, or maybe even a fen. That would be nice, maybe I could take a swim. The sun was breaking through the roof of leaves over my head. As soon as the sun hit my skin, I could feel it burning. A happy sigh escaped my lips, I hadn’t realized how much I had missed the sun on my skin. Though this really did require a swim, it was getting quite hot. I started making my way to where I could hear the water. I could see the trees were standing further apart, they seemed to be parting for the clearing that was up ahead. As I got closer I could see that it was indeed a fen, beautiful in the opening of the trees. The sun shone brightly across the water. It was the most beautiful sight, I had ever seen. The calm, blue water looked very exciting, so it didn’t take long for me to get rid of my clothes and get to the water. I placed my clothes somewhere safe under a tree. Getting to the edge of the water, I pointed my toe to feel how cold the water was. To my surprise it wasn’t cold at all. Slowly I waded into the water, deeper and deeper, until I was up to my shoulders in the water. The water felt cool and soft on my skin, protecting me. I felt save, like I belonged here.

The sound of a twig snapping startled me then. A feeling of dread came over me, I didn’t want to have to fight with whomever was there. I didn’t want to have to leave already. My breathing picked up, my body getting ready to bolt. Then I remembered I was still in the water, searching for any clue of who was there. There was most definitely somewhere there, I could feel it, but it didn’t feel like one of them, it didn’t feel threatening. As I was screening my scenery, my eyes fell on the tree where I had left my clothing. There was not a single sign of any clothing, the thief had stolen my clothes and is now still lurking around. Maybe, I thought, this wasn’t so bad, though. Maybe they could help me hide for a few years. Softly I called out, “Hello?”, but no answer came. Impatient as ever I started walking around in the water. “You know, if you’re just going to stand there watching me, you might as well join…” I managed to get out. I was starting to feel very… embarrassed, I suppose. Sudden movement behind me, behind the trees caught my attention. As soon as I turned around it stopped. As if it were scared of me. The most ridiculously beautiful voice spoke to me then, “Don’t look”. It was as if he could control my every movement and I didn’t mind at all. I answered his command by turning around. I could hear the leaves rustling as he stepped out of the bushes, what I didn’t notice was him taking his clothes off. Once he was in the water with me, it was too late. Not knowing what would happen, but not being able to stand him so close, I spun around. Looking him dead in the face, I was surprised with what I found. He was serious, but not hunting for the bounty that was bound to be on my head. He looked like he cared, but not entirely yet. He didn’t know me yet and I didn’t know if he ever could. He didn’t seem upset, though, that I had turned around and I certainly didn’t know why I cared if he was upset or not. I mean, he had been watching me bath in this fen, naked. That’s not very gentlemanly of him. I was about to point this out to him when I felt the hairs of my neck stand up. That was never a good sign, I started looking around, trying to be discreet about it, but he caught me. He smiled a little, the only movement I’ve seen in him so far, but it wasn’t a very pleasant smile. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it wasn’t a happy, mushy  smile. It was like he knew what I was thinking, but that I was entirely wrong with who or what I thought it was. It was like he was having a little private joke. That pissed me off more than I could’ve imagined. I was about to storm out of the water and get away from him when I remembered my clothes. I spotted them on the other side of the fen beside a tree. Eyeing him again, I calculated my chances of out swimming him to my clothes, maybe I could get out of the forest and start a life again. I had no idea if I even could get out of the forest. I didn’t know where I was or how big the forest was, but  I was going to take my chance.

He kept looking at me, as though he knew what I was planning, and he didn’t want me to go. At one moment, though, he had looked away. The eye contact broken for just a split second and I was gone swimming like my life depended on it. Who knows, maybe it did.

The splash behind me told me he had, of course, noticed and went into pursuit. My heart went into overdrive, the adrenaline spiking and I found myself once again scared. I reached the edge of the fen first, but had some trouble getting out. I felt something grazing my foot as I finally got out, it had felt like a hand. He was oh so close, but I couldn’t let him get me, I couldn’t. Whether he meant good or not, I could never trust anyone, period. I threw my clothes on in a rush, not caring if it was sloppy or not. I didn’t waste any time looking around, it was no use anyway. I didn’t know where I was, so I couldn’t know the way either. There seemed to be a path leading from this fen, so I sprinted to it, only to be pulled back by some great force. Strong hands had grabbed me and pulled me back into his chest. He kept whispering things in some strange language I couldn’t understand. “Ik zal je beschermen, ik doe je geen pijn. Blijf bij me, lief. Ik zal je helpen”. It was like a mantra, over and over, but I couldn’t figure out what he was saying. I kept struggling against his hands, but he was a lot stronger than me. The self-defense lessons from my dad were finally being used. He doubled over, not wasting any time I bolted through the trees. I could almost hear the forest cheering for me, like they were coaching me out of here. I could hear him following me already. Fast footsteps, twigs snapping. He seemed to be getting closer, I wasn’t going fast enough. I could hear several things now, that I’d never heard before. There were sounds ahead of me, I didn’t know how long it’d take to get there, but something told me I had to get there, before he got to me. More people would be there, people who didn’t know me, who could help me, perhaps.

I tried to push my feet harder, not liking the feeling of being chased. In all my panic I tried to go faster and faster, frantic looking around to see how close he had gotten. Due to my panic I couldn’t really see a thing, though. So I didn’t see the tree branch in front of me. I tripped, falling awkwardly to the ground as I wasn’t prepared to be falling. I wanted to get up, but I couldn’t. The sharp pain in my ankle didn’t bother me so much.  I was used to pain, lots of pain, this seemed like nothing. Something seemed to be holding me down. Maybe it was the branch I had fell over, I tried to see where it was, where I could snap it so I could get up, but I was too blinded to see. I was too panicked to be able to get free. He was getting closer and closer and I was freaking out more by the second. Where could that stupid thing be. I started to struggle more and more against the branch and it seemed to be giving way for me. Just then I saw him coming towards me, he was smiling from ear to ear. He thought he had me now. One last kick and I was free, I got up and started to run. I saw his smile fade and he reached out quickly, he grazed my arm, but he wasn’t able to grab me. As fast as my legs would carry me I ran further. The sounds were getting louder, I was so close. I could feel him hot on my heels. The trees were making way for paths now, I could see the end of the forest. I could smell the freedom, the victory. Just a few more steps… I hadn’t been paying attention much to him anymore, I was just so close, but that was one mistake I would never make again. A few meter away from the edge of the forest I got yanked back, a hand covering my mouth while his arm snaked around my waist, holding me tight against his chest. As much as I wanted to scream for help, I couldn’t. Somehow this felt good, as if I was made for him. I never really believed in all that destiny crap, but I couldn’t deny the feelings he provoked in me. I let him tow me back into the forest. He picked me up as I started to feel dizzy. Soon after, I succumbed to the sleep.

When I woke up I felt like I was out of place. Something wasn’t right here, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. My body didn’t seem to be too sore, my mind wasn’t fogged over from being drugged or anything like that. Soft things beneath me, wait what..  soft… I opened my eyes to find myself on a bed, an actual bed. With a happy sigh I laid myself back down on the bed. It was so soft I wouldn’t mind if I never got off. At that moment I could hear a lock being opened. I sprung off the bed, crouching. The door opened and he walked in, not at all surprised, he expected me to be like this. He set a tray with food and water on the bed, turned around to look at me again and walked out of the room again. Locking the door behind him. At least I got better service here. As a precaution I inspected my surroundings.  It was a very beautiful room, it seemed to revolve around the color gold, though. Seemed a bit flashy to me, but it was very beautifully done. The walls were all a very beautiful cream color, which made the gold carpet stand out. One side of the room was entirely made of glass, making the room very bright. One of the walls was an entire bookshelf, which was stocked with books, cds, DVDs, everything you can imagine. As I went to look out the wall, seeing it was entirely glass it would be weird to call it the window, I could see a small stream running, not too far away. The view was unbelievable, I could’ve never imagined a place in the woods could be this beautiful. I could feel myself calming, it didn’t seem so bad. He was probably locking me and leaving me alone so I could cool off. Hoping that someday I’d see what he was trying to do. He seemed to be good, helpful. Maybe he could teach me to trust again.

Days dragged on and on, meals came twice a day, the visits became longer and I found myself longing for him more and more. After a few weeks we had settled into a relaxed routine. Today he was breaking that routine, though. He offered to go out with me, just out. To the city, go to a club or a fine restaurant. At first I had balked at the idea, being around so many people after years of solitude. I didn’t think I could handle it, he saw this and comforted me. He truly had become a friend, a friend who was trying to get me back up in society. This kept occurring more and more, it seemed as if he was testing me, to make sure I wasn’t going to flee from him at every opportunity. My mind was already so manipulated that I had no idea why he thought I would. I like him. Three times a week we would go out and I found myself feeling more and more each night. The nights we didn’t go out, he stayed away as well, making me long for him. In his house things changed too, I was allowed to roam around. Make myself dinner, as long as I didn’t go out in to the woods.

One day, though, he seemed to be a little tense. A little jittery, as if anything could be jumping him from behind. He had made me some food, asking me if I wanted to stay in my room for today. I had agreed, it would probably be best, yesterday evening was a long, exhausting night.

After what seemed like hours, the delicious meal long gone, the door cracked open. A tiny figure came dancing in. She seemed to be floating as she entered, she looked like a tiny little dancer. Before I even registered she had entered the room I had deemed sacred to me, she had enveloped me in a hug, thanking me. I had no idea why she would be thanking me. Her eyes, though, would haunt me for as long as I’d live. Sensing I had no clue what she was talking about, she mumbled something about me saving her and her friends. Still having no idea what she meant, though, I patted her back. This was all way to strange for me, I actually felt good. I didn’t know her, but I seemed to trust her none the less. Maybe I wasn’t as damaged as I thought I was. Maybe there would be a chance for me and him, for us, then too. In the few hours I had been in this room, I had done a lot of thinking. It seemed I already loved the man who had led me here. Who had saved me from them. Almost forgetting the tiny little dancer at my side I went to sit on the bed. She decided to sit with me, saying something about me not having much time. I really had no clue what she meant with that, but I didn’t care. We chatted a while, until she froze in place. Very hastily she thanked me again, then she disappeared through the door. I wonder how I was saving her and her friends by just being here. I tried to get my mind to figure this out, but I didn’t cooperate. All I could think of was him, all I could see. If I closed my eyes I could see him. It had only been a few hours since I’ve seen him, but even that was too long. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why is was so obsessed by him, but I needed him, wanted him. My body seemed to be winding up more and more, as if he was coming closer. I was about ready to burst when I heard his footsteps. Slowly they were coming up the stairs. For some reason I wanted to make myself presentable, so I went to sit on the bed, to show him I was waiting for him.

Time seemed to slow down, temperatures seemed to drop, but I didn’t notice any of this. all I had eyes for was him, in all his tall glory in the opening of the door. His eyes seemed to shine, his hair on fire. I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t looking damn good. somewhere in those eyes, though, I could see some sort of hard icy core. Nothing I paid attention to, it’s not like he was an evil bastard like all the guys I had met before. He came around, wrapping his arms around me from behind, though somehow it felt different. I could feel my heart start pounding away and not in the way it had before. Not in the lovey, dovey, mushy kind of way, no, more in the sheer panic kind of way. This wasn’t right, he wouldn’t hurt me. I felt straps around my wrists and ankles, he was tying me up. Some duct tape over my mouth, a blindfold over my eyes and a hard smack against the back of my head. Black out.

I woke up a bit sore, but nothing too bad. I was terrified of what was to happen. I remembered everything. I was a bit scared to look up, though. I didn’t want to see where I was, I just wanted to go back. Back to the life I once had, back to the little house in the woods he kept me. Two different lives and I wanted them both, but I was going to have none. I could sense that same coldness again, no doubt my breath showing in the air. As I looked up in the sky I could see dark clouds rolling in. I heard someone whistle from somewhere behind me. slowly I turned around, I gasped and froze in panic. It was the house I had run from, the house with that room, I could feel my stomach objecting. He looked down at me, smirking, but then his face dropped. Nothing but a cold mask remaining of the once so warm and inviting eyes. Only his footsteps, who were slowly closing in on me, were heard. Nothing seemed to be moving, everything frozen in time. Only now it seemed to seep into my mind  what would be happening, I wouldn’t get my happy ever after as I had imagined all those weeks. I was going to be here, as the newest piece of the collection. The collection I had tried to run from so hard, weeks ago, but instead ran straight in to the arms of the collector. Through all my panic I could see movement on the top floor of the house. Did he already have others locked up their or was it just my panicked mind imagining things. I started struggling against my restraints, to no avail.

He now stood a few feet away from me. No longer with a cold mask on his face, but not the warm, inviting expression I had known, either. He looked like he was really going to enjoy this. Like I was the grand prize to his already full trophy room. His steps became stronger, more confidant as he saw how weak I had become. I was quivering in fear, paralyzed. Slowly his hand disappeared behind his back, getting out a beautiful dagger. A beautiful, sharp, serrated dagger. He brought his hand up high in the air, after which he brought it down forcefully only to cut the restraints from my wrists and ankles. I immediately tore the duct tape off and started running, not caring what the consequences would be. I don’t think it could be worse then what would happen if I didn’t. I heard nothing behind me, as I looked I could see nothing either. Oh man, I hated being chased. I suppose it was his favorite game, last time he won, so this time it’s my time to win. With a new confidence I started running more controlled. I knew what I was searching for, I knew where I was headed. No more helpless victim, I could make this. He didn’t control me, that thought hit me like a brick. It was a lie, he did control me, after everything, I did love him and just this moment couldn’t break that band fast enough. Running was all I could do, but I didn’t do it as whole heartedly as before, I knew I would never see him again. Even if he never really existed as the guy I had known, I would still miss him. I hadn’t paid much attention to my surrounding anymore, though. One of the stupidest things I had done, I ran straight into something. Looking up I saw it was a fence, a effing fence was put up, most likely around the whole house. It was impossible to get over, I was stuck. He may want the adrenaline of the chase, but he was going to be sure his prey didn’t have a chance of escaping. No doubt most wouldn’t have even found the fence, because probably no one knew of the house. Something was approaching me, fast. I started to panic. I didn’t know what to do now, this wasn’t in the plans. He was so close now, that I could hear his breathing, steady controlled. He wasn’t even tired from running, like he had all the time in the world. I almost gave in then, but I remembered how he didn’t want me for me. I ran in a random direction then, looking behind me I saw him come out of the bushes I had been in just a few moments ago. He seemed to light up at seeing me, his prey. I ran as fast as I could, but as I kept looking backwards to make sure he was still there, I didn’t go as fast as I should’ve. He threw the dagger with frightening precision into my shoulder. I cried out, stumbled a little from the force, but it didn’t stop me. I reached for the dagger, pulled it out and threw it on the ground. Big mistake. I should’ve kept it as defense for myself. Bleeding now, I was leaving down a trail of where I had been, though I don’t think he needed this to find me. I had no idea where I was going now and I didn’t get anywhere near a fence, either. How far did he put it, sure I couldn’t have been miles. After a few minutes, or hours, I had no idea, I became tired of running. Every time I found myself getting tired, he seemed to notice too, making himself visible, letting me hear him, how close he was. This time, though, I couldn’t keep running, I collapsed onto the ground. Slowly I heard him walk up to me, but I couldn’t do a thing. I didn’t want to look up, but the close proximity of him made me. There he stood, victorious, smirking. He knew what was done, he knew I was done, this was his little game. Not necessarily a chase, but to let your prey do all the work. Basically I just killed myself, because of my panic and fear. He reached behind his back, pulling out the now blooded dagger. As he held it up the sun peaked through. I had never noticed the beauty of the dagger. It truly was one of the most beautiful artwork I had ever seen. Words couldn’t do it justice.

As the sun disappeared again my focus was drawn back to the situation ahead. He was going to kill me, no doubt about it. I just hope he would be quick. He pulled his arm up again, his arm high he seemed to be hesitating. His eyes unfocused a little, seeing a chance, that wasn’t there, I tried to get up, but he quickly grabbed me and pulled me down. A sharp pain immediately shooting across my arm. What was he waiting for, I couldn’t stand the suspense. I tried to calm myself to no avail, obviously. I started thinking, thinking of the people I had left behind in panic, unsure of what to do, what would happen. I wasn’t ready to die, I had people to take care of. I didn’t care that I may have not been there to help them for the last few years, but I couldn’t let him kill me. That would be the ultimate form of abandon. I couldn’t do that to them. Just as I opened my eyes again, to see if there was any kind of mercy in this man, his hand came down. The dagger straight through my heart. I almost didn’t feel the pain, he had caught me off guard. All I could do now was mourn, mourn for the loss of those children who may have had hope. For those who had awaited me. my mind was cruelly taken back to them an before me, though. He had twisted the dagger, making sure my heart would never beat again. There was only one thing left for me to say, before I could give up. The words I Love You were never this easy for me to say. I couldn’t believe I was actually saying this to my killer, it wasn’t really him I was aiming for. Maybe this guy was just schizophrenic. I just had to say it before I died. And so I did. His smirk seemed to widen, I had given him the ultimate pleasure, I suppose. He leaned down to softly kiss my lips, before pushing the dagger some more. I felt the last few stings of the serrated dagger through my heart, before everything faded to black.







I loved how it felt to run, you mind cleared itself from any problems, there was nothing but you and the road. the woods, though, were the very best to run, you’d almost never run into anyone else. It was truly quiet. The sun shining on your skin one second, while all you could see were shadows the next. A few weeks ago, when I was running through the woods, I had stumbled upon a little house. It seemed to be worn down a lot, so I figured it probably wasn’t used anymore, either. Things seemed to be different around it too, bugs would keep their distance, the wind would lay down. It was as if the house was untouchable, everything, everyone kept their distance, even nature. It was creepy, but I couldn’t stay away. A good mystery is what I love and this most certainly was one hell of a mystery. Today I had found the house again, with no problems. I just lost my friend, Macy. I had asked her to come with me, because I was just too scared to go alone. She was always up for some ‘haunting’ so of course she agreed. Just somewhere halfway I had lost here. one second she was there, the other she had been gone. Thinking she probably just had to take care of business I went on. When she didn’t come back, I figured she got too scared and ran back or something.

The house seemed different now, though. The sun shone, it wasn’t as cold and nature seemed fine too… movement on the top floor caught my attention. I took a few steps forward only to see it were figures up there. Maybe it wasn’t as abandoned as I thought. One of the figures seemed to notice me, she froze and started walking to the window. The window was thrown open and a familiar head came out. I waved at Macy, surprised but very happy to see her there. Only then did I see her panicked face, she was screaming at me to leave, to live life and never come back. I had no idea what she was talking about, but if Macy got panicked like this, it must be serious. I turned around then, only to find myself lost in the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen…